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Sloane
“Do I know your parents, Sloane? Your mom? Your dad?” Mrs. Reed asked while she mashed a bowl of potatoes. She, Bow, and I were in the Reeds’ kitchen, and though I’d been there before, I still couldn’t get over how completely ritzy the whole place was. Their kitchen was just a stunning top-off to the exquisite picture that was the entire Reed manor. I mean, these people had gardens and people to tend them.
Coming over tonight, I was surprised Mrs. Reed and her daughter were cooking. I knew they had household staff, but I hadn’t seen any today. Well, no one but Janet. She’d let me in when I got here, but it appeared they’d given her and the rest of their staff the night off.
I thought it was nice the pair of them were making dinner tonight. I even offered to help, but Mrs. Reed waved a hand at me. The woman certainly didn’t mind getting her hands dirty. She had flour on her nose from the homemade rolls she’d put in the oven earlier. Mrs. Reed grinned. “I feel like I know you, or have seen you before? I must know your parents.”
Bow studied the pair of us from the kitchen island. She was preparing a salad, and she was definitely aware I was here. Her eyes hadn’t left me. I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to her tonight yet. Her mom was busy chatting with me most of the evening so far.
I shook my head at Mrs. Reed. “I don’t think so. My brother, Bru, and I just moved here.”
“Really? Where from?”
“Chicago. Well, most recently. We’ve been all over before coming here.”
Bow’s eyes lifted in our direction again, and between the two of them, there was enough food here to feed an army.
Though judging by the size of the guys in their household…
Mr. Reed hadn’t shown up yet, but he was just as large as Thatcher. Mrs. Reed said he was still at work, but would be around for dinner. As far as Thatcher, I was sure a hefty part of this meal would be for him once he did get back from practice. The guy was a fucking building.
“Interesting,” Mrs. Reed said, looking at me, and I wondered why. In any sense, she smiled before waving Bow over.
“Can you finish mashing these, sweetie? I’m going to take a plate of what we got to your grandma.”
Bow nodded at her mother, and after the woman left, Bow sighed.
“My gram’s too sick to come down,” Bow said, mashing. Her jaw moved. “It’s best she eats upstairs so…”
Last time I was here, she mentioned a sick grandma. “Is she okay?”
That felt like a dumb question, and I instantly regretted it.
Bow’s attention stayed on the potatoes. She shrugged. “Every day is different. Some days it feels like yeah. Others, no. She’s my dad’s mom.”
She moved the potatoes over to the kitchen island, putting them next to the salad.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Bow acknowledged what I said, her head bobbing once. “You said Bru’s sick?”
I eased over to her. I grabbed my arm. “We honestly don’t know what’s up. It’s kept him out of school.”
“I know,” she said, and my eyes flashed. Her head tilted. “We haven’t seen him around, and Ares mentioned something.”
Which meant my brother’s friends, i.e., all the guys, knew my brother was sick but were still ignoring him. They were doing that because of me and a lie, which was fucked up.
“He also mentioned you guys were doing some kind of project together…”
“I didn’t say anything, Bow.”
Her eyes flashed this time, big, wide. She blinked. “I want to believe you.”
Then why wouldn’t she? Why would she let them get to her?
Her head lowered, hands on the counter. “I even told them that I didn’t believe you would, and if you did, it was probably an accident.” She lifted a hand. “You said something to someone, and it got to the wrong people…”
So she stood up for me. At least, tried.
