Page 137 of Taken Away

The name immediately irritated her. The memory was worse.

The easy laughter. The familiarity. The way she’d touched his arm. Followed him into his office. The way Bennett had closed the door behind them.

Aubrey groaned and dropped her forehead against the steering wheel.

Oh my God.

This was ridiculous.

She was thirty-three years old. Not sixteen.

They weren’t dating. They hadn’t made promises. They hadn’t discussed exclusivity.

They’d slept together. One time.

Well. Technically, more than one time. But that wasn’t the point.

The point was she had absolutely no right to be jealous.

And yet here she was.

Sitting in a vintage Mercedes in a driveway halfway up a mountain, acting as if she’d just caught her boyfriend with another woman.

The thought made her cringe.

“Get a grip.”

The words echoed inside the empty car.

They didn’t help.

Because every time she closed her eyes she saw Vanessa smiling when Bennett asked her to stay.

My office. If you’ve got a minute.

Aubrey squeezed her eyes shut.

Unbelievable.

She was becoming her mother.

The realization horrified her.

Anne would’ve marched downstairs. Picked a fight. Made a scene. Demanded attention.

Aubrey had spent her entire life promising herself she’d never be that woman.

So why did she suddenly understand exactly how that woman felt?

A sharp rap against the passenger window nearly made her jump out of her skin.

Moose.

The giant dog stood outside looking at her expectantly.

Aubrey laughed despite herself.

“You’re judging me, aren’t you?”