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That person deserved a beat down, woman or not.

But I wouldn’t do that. Mostly because I didn’t punch women, but also because this was Willa’s fight, not mine. I could be furious on her behalf, but I wouldn’t do a damn thing until she asked me to.

If she asked me to.

“Aren’t you going to give me a hug?” Willa’s mother held her arms open all while she plastered on a fake smile.

Or maybe it wasn’t fake. Maybe the woman simply didn’t know how to be genuine and this was her default state.

“I am absolutely not giving you a hug. I don’t hug strangers.”

I blinked because I’d never heard Willa growl before.

Every muscle in her tiny body was tensed. Her hands were balled into fists. She practically vibrated.

So I gave her hip a gentle squeeze to let her know I had her back.

Willa’s mother flinched, her lower lip trembled, fake tears filled her eyes. “Willa. I know I haven’t been around much but I’m your mother.”

The woman could have been an actress. She had the soap opera drama down pat.

“Not around much? Not around much?” Willa shouted. “I haven’t seen you since I was fourteen!”

Her mother shrugged. “So it’s been a few years.”

“I’m thirty!” Willa shouted back. “That’s over half my life, in case you struggle with math. I don’t know, because I sure as hell don’t know you. How dare you come to my place of work unannounced.”

It really annoyed me that I didn’t know her mother’s name. I wanted to curse it properly. Instead I stood behind Willa, glaring as best I could, as the woman clutched her chest. “I don’t have your phone number. I don’t know where you live. What was I supposed to do?”

Another growl. “Send an email? If you could figure out where I work then you could figure out my work email or my work phone number. But no. Instead you show up in my office like you have any right to be here.”

We were definitely having a strong conversation with security before we left today.

“I’m your mother! I have every right!”

Willa was about to explode. So even though she might hate me for it, I stepped in. Or rather, I stuck out my hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t get your name, ma’am. You are?”

She blinked at me, almost as if she hadn’t noticed me until just now. Her eyes dragged up my arm, over my chest, and then a slow smile curled her lips as her gaze collided with mine. It was the sort of look women gave me at the bar or a club. The look they thought was flirty but was actually just downright creepy. It made my skin crawl. “Beth Hanes.” There was the slightest drawl to her words that hadn’t been there before. “I’m Willa’s mother. And you are?”

“Everett Anson. Willa’s boyfriend.” I really hoped that would put a stop to those eyes.

It didn’t. She flirted harder. “Well I had no idea you had such a strong and handsome boyfriend, Willa dear.” She batted her lashes and pulled her lower lip between her teeth.

Gross.

“That’s because we haven’t spoken since I entered high school. You missed my first boyfriend as well. Not to mention my high school and college graduations. Why. Are. You. Here?” There wasn’t a hint of sadness in her words, but it gutted me nonetheless.

Beth finally dragged her eyes away from me—thank fuck—to glare at her daughter. “To see you. I miss you.”

“You didn’t miss me for the last sixteen years. Why now?” Willa was done.

And I didn’t blame her. If I could throw Beth out on her backside I would.

This clearly wasn’t going the way Beth hoped. Her eyes pinched as she tried to rework the situation and come up with a story that would get her closer to Willa. “When you get older you start to evaluate your life. I regret walking out on you, okay? I’m here to make amends."

Somehow I didn’t buy that even though it should have sounded perfectly plausible. Everything about this woman was just so fake that nothing came across as sincere.

Willa didn’t buy it either. “Are you dying?”