"What are you doing?"
At the sharp tone, Belle jumped back from me.
It was her mother.
She stood nearby, her eyes narrowed and her upper lip screwed up in disgust."Why are you hugging your contractor?"
This was what I was worried about when we were kids.Her parents wouldn't want her hanging out with a guy like me.To her mother, I was the hired help, not a respected business owner.
"Mom.What are you doing here?"Belle asked, her forehead creased.
"I came to see if you wanted to go to lunch.But you're"—she waved a hand at me—"doing whatever you're doing with this man."
Belle sighed."This man is the contractor doing the work on the patio.Maverick Sterling."
If her mother recognized my name, she didn't mention it.
She placed her hand on her hip."Do you know how it looks to be touching your employee?It's unprofessional.I knew you weren't prepared to run a business.You have no idea what you're doing."
"Maverick is my boyfriend," Belle said, ignoring the tirade about how she didn't measure up.
I curled my fingers into fists.It wasn't my place to jump in and defend Belle, no matter how much I wanted to.
Her mother sucked in a breath."Why would you be dating your contractor?Isn't that a conflict?Is he working for you, or is this a favor?You're blurring the lines.It makes enforcing any kind of contract impossible."
"I wouldn't do that to Belle or any of my clients.The contract with the town controls our agreement."Except for the little deviation with her fountain.That was a design choice I hoped she would love.
"You're taking me to lunch," she demanded, and to my surprise, Belle moved toward her mother and away from me.
I was clearly not invited.If she'd refused to go, Belle would have set the boundary that she wasn't going to bend to her mother's wishes.Instead, Belle's shoulders curved as she went inside.Belle turned the sign from Open to Be Right Back and left.
Rob approached with a toothpick in his mouth."Who was that?"
"Her mother."
"Whoowee.You're in trouble with that one.She doesn't like you dating her daughter."With a chuckle, he threw the toothpick on the ground.
"That was foreseeable," I mumbled, wondering why I hadn't listened to my instincts to begin with and stayed the hell away from Belle.
Rob gave me a sharp look."You're a grown man."
"Your point?"I asked, stubbornly refusing to look at him.
"You going to let a woman's mother tell you who you can date?"His tone was incredulous.
"It's not like I have to make a decision.Belle will do that for me."I felt defeated.I would always be the guy who came home covered in dirt at the end of the night.Belle deserved someone better than me.
"You don't have much faith in your woman if you think she'll bow to pressure from her mother," Rob said.
"You saw how she left with her.I wasn't invited."
Rob gestured at me."You'd need a shower first."
"Belle went with her willingly.She didn't say no or throw up any boundaries.She still lets her mother get to her."I had a close family, but I'd never let them walk all over me.If they didn't like Belle, it wouldn't prevent me from pursuing her.
He scuffed the dirt with his boot."You know you're an idiot."
"Hey—" I said by way of warning.
