Page 76 of Heartless As Puck

I let go. “Fine. Take it.”

She pocketed the phone before I had time to second-guess my decision. “Here. Have a cookie or two.”

She slid a plate piled high with warm cookies, each oozing melted chocolate, toward me. I took one and bit into it. The flavors coalesced on my tongue, and I moaned.

“That’s amazing. I thought Austin said you can’t cook?”

She laughed. “I can’t, but I can bake a top tier cookie.”

I finished the cookie, licked the chocolate off my fingers, and reached for another. “Have you ever thought about becoming a baker?”

Because seriously, these were good.

She rolled her eyes. “Austin has paid for me to spend years at college. I can’t just drop out and become a baker, can I?”

Somehow, I didn’t think Austin would agree. He wanted her to be happy. But I was miserable, and she was being nice and supplying me with delicious cookies, so now wasn’t the time to push her to talk about something she didn’t want to.

“What other types of cookies do you make?” I asked, grasping for an easy conversational topic.

We chatted about cookies until the doorbell interrupted us. I jumped up, suddenly too tangled up inside to eat another bite. The cookies I’d already demolished sat like a lead weight in the bottom of my gut as I went to the door to see if it was my family or someone else like, God forbid, Sylvia or Austin’s dad.

I checked through the peephole and relaxed when I spotted my mom’s familiar face front and center. The instant I opened the door, she threw her arms around me and dragged me into a hug that smelled of her favorite floral perfume and felt like home.

“My little girl.”

She squeezed me tighter and Dad joined in, slinging an arm around each of us. Alec came around from behind, and all of a sudden, I was sandwiched between the three of them in a warm, loving cocoon.

Alec let go first, and Dad followed his lead, but Mom clung to me until it became a little awkward. When she finally pulled away, she dabbed at her eyes.

“I know you don’t like us interfering,” she sniffed, allowing Dad to usher her forward, so he could close the door. “But Alec told us what happened, and we had to come see you and make sure you’re all right.”

“Tally is sorry she couldn’t make it. Keysha is away, and she had a big order to complete,” Alec added, scanning me up and down. “You look like you’ve been through hell.”

I grimaced. I hadn’t thought it was that bad. My face was a mess, sure, but I was fully dressed in nice-ish clothes, and I was mostly clean, so that was a win.

Mom licked her fingertip and wiped my cheek. “Is that chocolate?”

My cheeks heated and everything came flooding back to me. The photograph, the scathing comments from people who thought they had a right to an opinion about it. The shame I’d brought to the family.

“I’m sorry.” I couldn’t look at them. “I’m so ashamed of myself. I know that isn’t enough, but⁠—”

“Jane Marie Foster-Wright.” That was Mom’s ‘I mean business’ voice. “There is nothing shameful about doing intimate things with someone you care about. The only person who should be ashamed of themselves is the one who violated you by taking that photograph and putting it online.”

My lip wobbled and my insides quivered.

Violated.

That was how I felt, but I hadn’t allowed myself to believe it was an accurate term because I’d been the one foolish enough to make love where anyone could come across us.

“She’s right,” Hazel said from nearby.

I gestured to her, my thoughts whirling. “Family, this is Hazel, Austin’s sister. Hazel, this is my mom, Delia, my dad, Pete, and my brother, Alec.”

Hazel grinned. “I’m so pleased you came. Partly because Jane needs you, but also, umm…” She glanced from Dad to Alec and her cheeks turned pink. “I’m a massive fan.”

Dad shook her hand and sent her an easy smile. “Pleasure to meet you, Hazel.”

“Yeah, it is,” Alec echoed, but he was looking around, not focused on her. “What I want to know is where the hell Austin is and why he’s not here, taking care of Jane.”