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“I wish it were that simple, Mom… Kyle knows he holds all the cards. He pays for everything when it comes to Hailee. So if he wants her there, I’ll have to make her go. Otherwise, things could getrealugly,realfast. And we all know what Kyle is like when he starts to getugly.”
Mom slumps her shoulders. “I wish we had more money we could use to help you out. I wish you weren’t so tied down to thatprick.”
“Mom!” I chuckle.
She groans. “I mean it. He makes my blood boil the way he manipulates you because that man will always hold the fact he pays for everything over you. It’s not good enough. He shouldwantto pay for his daughter. He shouldwantto take care of her, not make that fact a bargaining tool.”
“I agree. Heshouldbe like that. Heshouldwant to care for Hailee without any expectations, but he is who he is. He willneverchange.”
Mom huffs, taking a long drink of her water. “You need to find yourself a wealthy bachelor who can take care of you and Hailee and leave Kyle in your damn wake.”
My mind shifts to Blake, and I roll my shoulders, wondering if I should tell her about our ‘arrangement.’ If I don’t and Hailee lets it slip, there will be hell to pay. And I’m not the type to not fill my parents in on what’s going on in my life, so I blurt it out, “One of my bosses at work is kind of doing me a favor regarding Kyle.”
Mom raises her brow. “Oh? How so?”
Grimacing, I slide my drink away and take a deep breath. “Well… he could see I was uncomfortable with Kyle and all the wedding talk, so he told Kyle we were dating. And that we would be going to the wedding…together.”
Mom doesn’t say anything. She stares at me with her glass midair like she may be having some kind of conniption.
“Mom?”
“Oh, I heard you, darling. I am just trying to figure out what in the hell that means.”
Inhaling, I lick my lips. “It means we’re fake dating. Just so Kyle doesn’t think that I am a loser, basically.”
“But darling, if it’s a fake date, as in not real. Why would he do that for you? What doesheget out of it?”
I sit back, furrowing my brows. “Well… nothing really. He’s merely helping me out of a tight spot with Kyle. Blake definitely doesn’t like Kyle, and he doesn’t want to see him manipulating me, and he wants to show Kyle that I can function without him.”
Mom smirks. “Mm-hmm… the thing I have learned, darling, is that nothing comes for free. He may seem like he wants nothing for doing this, but mark my words, there will be a time when this manwillask for a favor in return…” She takes a deep breath. “Are you prepared for that?”
I scrunch my brows, and my stomach twists a little, thinking about Blake that way. He doesn’t seem the type to do tit-for-tat, but do you ever really know someone? Especially considering this someone I don’t know all that well?
“Well, it’s done now, Mom. It’s too late to stop that bulldozer. Blake is coming over tonight and bringing dinner for me and Hailee, and we’re going to discuss how we will make this all work.”
“What if he wants more? Like sleeping together. Have you thought about that?”
I jerk my head back. “Mom, no. He’s not like that. It’s just appearances for Kyle. This is a ruse to make Kyle think I don’t need him. That I am fine without him, so I can break away a little from his clutches.”
“All right, darling, I sure hope you know what you’re doing. It sounds troublesome to me. Men don’t help beautiful women out of the ‘goodness of their hearts.’” She uses air quotes with a smirk. “And certainly notwithoutan ulterior motive. And you have a seven-year-old daughter to think about in all this.”
“Honestly, Mom, Blake is a gentleman. And he and Hailee get along, so it’s going to be fine. We’ll go to the wedding, Kyle will think I have a man in my life, and maybe, just maybe, he will loosen his grip on me. Be a little more kind with how he treats Hailee and me.”
“Or it will backfire in a blazing inferno, and Kyle will be worse.”
“Such a downer tonight, Mom. This could be just what we need to get him off our backs… for good.”
“I hope so, Zoey, because Lord knows you need Kyle off your backs.”
I nod my head and take a tiny sip of my drink as Dad and Hailee step into the kitchen. “Hey, love bug, you two staying for dinner?” Dad asks as he holds Hailee in his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“Not tonight, Dad. We have plans.”
Hailee’s eyes widen. “We do?”
“Blake is bringing over dinner tonight.” I smile.
“He is?” Hailee asks, her eyes beaming with happiness.
