Page 50 of Tangled in Temptation

“About what?”

“About me. About me staying. You said you were working on it. My mom is acting like she’s cool with me staying. I called her earlier. Is that wrong?”

“I’m sorry, Paisley. I should have been more straightforward with you from the beginning.”

Her face fell. “You mean I can’t stay?”

“No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying I’m working on it, but you know nothing is set in stone until it’s actually done.”

“But I can stay?”

“Paisley, I can tell you there is about a ninety percent chance you can stay, but I don’t want you to count on it just yet.”

“But I already bought my school supplies.”

“And they will be here next year if things don’t work out,” I said. “The one thing I can promise you is I will always be here for you, and I am always going to fight like hell to make sure you’re okay.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” she muttered.

“I’m sorry I don’t have something more definitive to tell you.”

“Well, I guess ninety percent is better than no chance at all.”

I smiled. “Exactly. Let me keep working on your mom.”

“What did you do to get her to almost agree with that?” she asked as we started walking again.

I shook my head, not ready to get into that can of worms. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that she’ll agree to do it. Now tell me what all you bought and do I need to sell a kidney to pay off my credit card?”

She laughed, the sound like music to my ears. “Well, we did hit the mall pretty hard,” she warned me with a playful wink.

I sighed dramatically, putting my hand over my heart. “My poor wallet.”

“Your poor wallet knows how to bounce back,” she teased. “I had to get a whole new wardrobe that would fit in with people here,” she went on. “And most of my stuff was old. We had to wear uniforms at the boarding school. I cannot wait to wear jeans and hoodies.”

“And I cannot wait to see you in them,” I quipped, resulting in a playful shove from Paisley. We walked along the path together. Her eyes were shining with excitement as she chattered away about her shopping spree and what she’d bought. If only Regina could see how happy Paisley was. If she was any kind of mother, she would want to give her daughter this one thing. Sending her to me or sending her to boarding school had the same result—Paisley was out of her hair.

Paisley was talking about a pair of black combat boots that she’d found on sale, and she could hardly wait to pair them with skinny jeans and a band tee. The mere thought of her donning such an outfit was enough to make my heart flutter. She was growing up, and yet, to me, she still seemed so young.

She was happy. For the first time in a couple of years, she was happy.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Catherine

––––––––

A FEW DAYS LATER, I found myself lost in the monotonous rhythm of ripping carpet from the upstairs spare bedroom. After pulling the carpet, I had to sweep and then start the sanding process. The beautiful hardwood floor was in great condition. It just needed a little sanding and waxing and it would be as beautiful as the day it was put down.

I paused for a moment, sweat trickling down my forehead and smearing the layer of dust on my face. I glanced into a dusty old mirror across the room, startled by the ragged figure staring back at me. I looked different, older and stronger. Maybe this was what determination looked like.

The room was slowly taking shape, morphing from a forgotten storage space into a beautiful bedroom. There was something comforting about the monotonous task of restoring the room – it gave me time to think, to plan.

It was nice to have a distraction. I had been working some long hours, and it felt good. For the most part. I was terrified to think what I might be doing if I didn’t have this project to occupy my time.

The house was coming together, but my emotions were falling apart. Timothy was always at the forefront of my thoughts. I wasn’t just missing him, but I was also battling the ugly green monster. My mind had been running wild with thoughts of Regina and Timothy together.

I shook my head, dust particles dancing in the sunlight streaming through the dirt-streaked window. Jealousy was a wicked creature, gnawing at my insides with razor teeth. Regina always seemed to have this effect on me, like a stubborn stain that no amount of scrubbing could erase.