“Need a little pick-me-up?” She slithers across the room to perch on the side of the desk. Her jasmine perfume fills the room.
I grin as she slides a hand through the back of my hair, bringing her mouth to mine. My hands find her hips, slipping under her spaghetti-strap top to rest on her bare back.
Then, the door opens.
“Jesus, Gabriel. Can you act like you’ve got some damn sense for once?” My mother stands in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Her blonde waves rest at her shoulders as she glares at me with blue eyes.
I groan, letting my head rest on the back of the chair.
Lily stands, pulling her shirt down and dropping her eyes to the floor. “Hi, Colette.”
“Hello, Lily. Honey, can I have a moment with my son?”
Lily nods, hugging my mother briefly before exiting my office. As the door closes behind her, my mom sits in the chair across from my desk.
“Do you need something? I’m kind of busy.”
She laughs. “Yeah, I could see how busy you were.”
As the smile falls from her face, she doesn’t say anything.
“What?” I bite.
“Have you heard Ash is back in town?”
“I have.”
“And?”
“And what, Mom? What she does is none of my business.”
She pins me with that specific look only moms know how to do—the one that saysdo Ilook that stupid, I’m your mother, you can’t lie to me.
“Seriously, don’t make this a thing.”
“I’m not making it anything. I’m worried it’s already a thing. You can lie to your friends, hell you can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me. I know what that girl meant to you.”
“Yeah, ‘meant,’ past tense. She’s basically a stranger. So, like I said, she is none of my business.”
My mother stares at me for a moment, obviously not believing me, but eventually she gives in and pushes off the chair. I stand, letting her pull me into a hug.
“I love you, Gabriel. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I love you too, Mom, and I’m always okay.”
I desperately need to clear my head. Nothing does that better than the wind on my face. Grabbing my cut from the back of my chair, I head for the door.
“I’m taking the rest of the day. I need a ride,” I tell Lily on my way out. Maybe I’ll run into Shane and kill two birds with one stone.
20
ASH
MAY PRESENT DAY
I’ve been on edge since my dad showed up, feeling like he might pop up at any moment. Gran used to send me out to the lake when something was bothering me, and I swear today it’s calling my name.
Grabbing my book, I practically float out the backdoor. The weather-worn wood deck creaks under my steps as I prance across it and down the three steps. The summer breeze whips through my hair and freshly cut grass sticks to my sandals on my jog to the edge of her open backyard.
