“Ms. Harris,” I said, pulling my attention back to the disheveled woman at the gate. “I’m going to ask Davis to take care of you. We’ll get you on the first flight out, and I’ll make sure it’s a first-class ticket.” I regarded her steadily. “But you will not come onto this property. And I would ask you, for your daughter’s sake, to keep your voice down.”
Tammy looked at me. Then at Rory.
“I’m not agreeing to anything until I talk to you,” she told her daughter. “Alone.”
Rory nodded. My insides twisted as I watched her go through the gate and walk down the driveway, her mother in tow.
My head pounded. This was all my fault. I’d put her in this position, and now the vultures were circling.
I never should’ve brought Rory to Barrington Manor.
MAKE IT STOP
RORY
“Come with me,”I said to my mother, then hustled her down the drive. If the security guard and Rhodes heard any more of this conversation, I was going to die of embarrassment. I was surprised I hadn’t already.
I glanced at my mother, her beady eyes raking over my high-end outfit, shiny hair, and tasteful jewelry.
Dying of embarrassment would’ve been easier…
“What, don’t you need your knight in shining armor to protect you?”
“Just stop it, Mom.Please.” I shook my head as I led her away. Once we were out of earshot, I whirled on her. “How did you find me?”
“I told you, I got served.” She jutted her chin. My mother had been pretty once, but years of hard drinking, smoking, and fighting had robbed her of any softness. It looked like she’d just never left the party, and years later, she was worn out.
“The address was on the paperwork.” She shrugged. “How the hell didyouend up here, anyway? And why’re you all dressed up like that?”
“I was at a board meeting,” I mumbled, glancing down at my designer pantsuit and slingback heels. My outfit mocked me.“And I’m here because… Rhodes and I are engaged, Mom. We’re getting married.”
“The hell you are.” But then she saw the ring—it was too enormous to hide. Her jaw dropped open. “I can’t believe it. I thought they were lying.”
“Who?” My pulse quickened. “Who was lying about what?”
“Let’s just say I got some information. They told me you were here and getting married. I didn’t believe it, but I guess it’s true. Wow.” She whistled. “My own daughter, a prostitute.”
“I’m not a prostitute! Mom?—”
“And now you’re trying to take your brother and sister away from me,” she said, bitterly. “What did I ever do to you, huh?”
“It’s not about me,” I said, disbelieving. “Youleftthem. They’re little, Mom. They needed you, and you left them!”
“All you ever do is judge me.” She raised her chin. “I deserve to be happy, too, you know.”
This was classic Tammy Harris. If it wasn’t about her, who the hell was it about?
“Of course you do,” I said, although I wasn’t so sure. “But Josie and Bo can’t take care of themselves. Which is exactly why I want guardianship. I can take care of them, Mom. You can go and be free. Live your life and be happy, just like you always wanted.”
She took a step closer to me, and I caught a whiff of her familiar scent, Marlborough Lights mixed with Irish Spring. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.I’mthe mother, not you.”
“I care about Josie and Bo. All I want is what’s best for them!”
“No, all you want is to shove it in my face that you think you’re better than me. Fancy pants and a big ring, now I’ve seen it all. I know where you came from—me. I gave you everything, and now you’re taking everything away from me!”
“Mom.” My shoulders sank. “This isn’t about you. It’s about Josie and Bo.”
She shook her head. “They gave me money. They told me to stay away, and that’s when I knew. I knew there was more to it. So I started looking on my phone, and I saw this place, and your fancyboyfriend, and I knew I should come up here.”
