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Mom sat back and crossed her legs. “Tough shit. What the hell’s going on between you and Jillian?”
From the sound of it, she already knew.
“Mom, lay off. She’s engaged, okay? Nothing’s going on,” I lied to my own mother.
And no doubt she knew it.
“Bullshit.”
Yeah.
She knew.
I could see the aggravation bubbling up inside of her. And I felt bad that I’d done this to her.
I also hated that the whole fuckin’ world was catching glimpses of our lives—and making their own assumptions.
The worst part was—they were right.
A few calming breaths later, she said, “I completely understand your desire to win Jillian back. And I hope like hell you do it. But sleeping around and cheating—” she shook her head, “that is not the way, Cash. Not how you win over a woman. This is not how you were raised.”
Her words cut.
To the bone.
“Do you hear me?”
I nodded while the guilt that only a mother could serve up weighed on top of me.
“You’re better than this.” Her hand landed on my shoulder. “Promise me you’ll find a better way to win her back.” Mom turned more fully to me and opened her arms. I hugged her. “You are worth more than this. So much more.”
I sighed and lowered my head to her shoulder. She smelled like roses and chamomile.
If there was one person in this world, I hated disappointing—it was my mom. She and my dad had done everything for me. And after Dad died, my bond with Mom only grew stronger. It was just the two of us left.
“I love you,” she whispered and squeezed me harder. “And I only want the best for you.”
I nodded as I hugged her harder. “I know. I love you, too.”
Jillian
“Where did the camera people go?” I asked and looked around the store again. They’d followed Heather—Cash’s mom—and I here but then disappeared when I came out of the dressing room.
Her eyes scanned up and down my body. “I told them to beat it. I don’t know how you guys manage with them watching all the time.”
I shrugged and twirled around.
The dress Heather had picked out for me was cute. A short, flirty yellow sundress that accented my cleavage and my legs.
“What do you think?” I asked while I looked at myself in the mirror. “It’s nice, but I don’t really need it.”
Heather walked closer to me. “Nobody needs a new sundress, sweetie.” She stepped to my side and caught my eyes in the big mirror. “But this one is a must.”
I smiled and tilted my head, taking another look. I really loved it. The only thing I didn’t like about it was the price tag. “Hmm, I don’t know.” I didn’t want to mention the dire state of my finances. And at the moment, I sure didn’t have any extra money to buy something I couldn’t eat, drive, or pay my electric bill with. “I’ll think about it.”
Heather gave me a small smile. “You’ve said that about the last ten things. You aren’t as much fun to shop with anymore.”
Her words hurt. I didn’t think she meant them to sting. But they did. The last time we went shopping together was when Cash took me back home to meet her.
