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“I’m happy, you know,” Teagan said, fighting to keep her voice even and low. She narrowed her eyes. “Do you even care?”
Cassandra turned and reached out to brush her hand over Teagan’s cheek. “Of course I care. I just know that if you’re happy with him now, you won’t be for long, and I don’t want you to get your heart broken.”
Teagan set her jaw. “What’sthatsupposed to mean?”
“I mean… he’s fun for a bit, but once you’re ready to settle down, he’s not going to come through for you.”
“And you say this because you know himso well?” She could almost laugh. What her mother didn’t know about Jaxon Lawson could fill a bookandits sequel.
“I say this because he’s…” Mom stopped for a long moment as if cherry-picking her words very carefully. “He’s got no future.”
“He owns his own business.”
“Teagan, heflips houses,” Cassandra sighed. Likethatin and of itself was something to be looked down upon.
“Dad was a contractor before he went into politics,” Teagan stammered. “That’s what he did when I was a child.”
“And he moved that into a political career. Do you think Jaxon could do that?” Cassandra shook her head. “He’s not from here. No one would vote for him.”
“He doesn’t want to go into politics, he wants to build things. And he does. I’ve seen him practically rebuild a house from bare bones. He knows how to do it all, Mom. He puts in a lot of work and he does fairly well.”
“Fairly well won’t put food on the table.”
“Yes, it will. That’s the definition of fairly well,” Teagan replied through clenched teeth. “Just say what you really mean.”
Cassandra glanced behind her, likely checking to see if the coast was clear. “He’strash,” she whispered. “His father was trash, and he is as well.”
Anger surged through her veins. How dare she say something so awful?
God, she already knew how. Cassandra was of the antiquated mindset that one’s family set in stone what one actually was. And Jaxon’s fatherhadbeen trash, Jaxon would be the first person to agree with that sentiment. But he wasn’t anything like his father had been.
Somehow, she kept her voice even. Too even. It was like she was walking smoothly on hot coals and tempting Cassandra to join her. “No. He’s kind, helpful, selfless, and warm. The only one acting like trash here isyou, Mom.”
Cassandra inhaled sharply, rounding on her finger pointed directly in her face. “Now look here, Teagan. Just because you’ve got what youthinkis a good lay doesn’t mean you know everything. I’ve lived longer. I know what I’m talking about. He’s fun for now, but he’s trash by blood, and you’ll end up seeing that soon enough.”
“Um, Mom?” A timid voice spoke from the doorway. Teagan and Cassandra both turned to look at the speaker, her little brother Nolan, who wasn’t so little anymore, but had most definitely drawn the short lot and had to come out and interrupt them. “We’re hungry.” He turned and waved at his sister. “Hey, Teags.”
She couldn’t help but shoot him a warm half of a smile.
Cassandra reached for the potholders, slamming the oven door open and plucking out the roast. She plunked it down on the trivet on the table. “Dinner!” she called. Her eyes glaring sharp daggers at Teagan.
“Sorry, Mom…” Nolan mumbled.
“Oh, sweetheart… I’m not upset with you. You aren’t ruiningyourlife.”
Teagan pressed her lips together and went to the silverware drawer to pull out a handful of forks. “No silverware,” she groused, letting the forks land in a loud and messy pile on the end of the table.
“Yes, set the table, won’t you, Teagan?” Cassandra smiled in a sickly sweet way and went back to grab the sides from the microwave and the oven top. “There’s a love. Shouldn’t need steak knives, this roast justfallsoff the bone.” She stuck a serving fork in it to punctuate.
Smart of her to nix the knives. Teagan would have probably thrown them at her.
Everyone filed in, sans Jaxon. Shea mimed two fingers in front of her lips—he was out smoking—and jutted her head towards the family room. There was a side door out to a patio. Teagan left the room, heading to the side patio. She sucked in the cold air as she stepped outside.
Judging by the length still on his cigarette, he hadn’t been out there long. He’d heard everything.
“Jaxon-”
“If you want, I can just wait out here until you’re through eating, and we can leave after? Unless you’d rather if I just called an Uber or something.”
