Page 36

“Doesn’t take her to the business functions he attends, which she loves. Doesn’t allow her to go out with him at all, in fact. My mom’s pretty needy and clingy. She’s very emotional, and although she’s the best mom in the world, she’s high maintenance,” she explained. “She’s not the kind of woman who would make it on her own. She’d fall apart if my dad left her.”

“Hmmm,” I murmured. “Then I’ll just have to bow to your experience with her. If you think she won’t be able to handle it, who am I to argue?”

“I’ve been fighting with myself about telling my brother, but …” She stopped when I held up a finger for her to hold on.

Pressing the green phone button, I answered my phone.

“Hi, Attie,” I said. “How was your day off from school?”

She didn’t bother to answer.

“You missed the pickup time,” she grumbled loudly.

I looked at my watch and cursed.

“I’m sorry, honey. I thought we’d said we weren’t doing it today because of the snow?” I said.

“And I told you,” she said with not a little amount of attitude. “That I didn’t want to reschedule.”

I didn’t argue with her. I’d figured out long ago that it was easier to just let the attitude go rather than confronting her about it.

“I’m sorry, pickle lily,” I said softly. “Do you want me to come…”

She hung up, and I was left looking at the black phone like a dumbass.

“So…she sounds…nice,” Aspen teased.

The corner of my mouth kicked up, and I stood, taking our plates and dishes to the trash.

“She’s my baby, and I think she’s trying to stay loyal to her mom without cutting me out of her life altogether. She doesn’t really know how to balance that, and I think I get the brunt of it when she’s on the phone. She doesn’t do that when we’re actually with each other. I think she puts that show on in front of her mom to make her feel better,” I disclosed.

When I made it back to the living room, it was to find Aspen on her back next to the fire.

The orange flames cast a shadow throughout the room, and all over her body it looked like there was a soft orange glow playing across her porcelain white skin.

Skin that looked so soft that I wanted to rub my lips along her entire body just to see if it was as soft as I thought it might be.

My eyes drifted down the length of her body, stopping on the skull leggings that were covering her lower half.

My gaze caught on the apex of her thighs, and I nearly groaned when I saw how well those leggings hugged her pussy. I could almost see the outline of her pussy lips, and the seam that separated them.

I tore my eyes away from the tight pants and her pretty pussy, turning and gazing out the window in the living room.

My gaze fell on the house directly next door to mine.

“Is the house next to mine, the one with the green shutters, occupied?” I asked.

I’d never seen anyone there, but then again they could just have different hours than me.

That was possible.

I’d only been in the neighborhood for a short time period.

“That’s Doris McQueen’s house,” she answered, curling up until she was standing. “That house is about to be foreclosed on, I think.”

“How do you know?” I asked. “It looks deserted, but well kept.”

“I saw them nail that pink sign on the door, which she then ripped off as soon as they left,” she explained. “She’s gonna be one of those people that stay there even when the wrecking ball is waiting outside, ready to knock the building down.”