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She carried on eating her meal, and tried not to think about how right it was for Josh to be there—he was engaging Erin. Teasing him, making her little boy laugh.
God, it was intoxicating. Truly.
If the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, then Samantha had just figured out the way to a woman’s…
Through her son.
Chapter 9
Samantha
“I didn’t realize you were coming.”
Janice sneered at her, but because Samantha was growing accustomed to that, she merely tilted her chin in the air and stared the other woman down.
She didn’t like to think poorly of anyone, but she really disliked Janice. Would go so far as to call her a class A bitch.
Frank was too disinterested in anything other than his work or his club to really give a damn about who cared for Erin. Grandson or not, it didn’t make him a person who was suddenly interested in rearing a small child.
No, this entire battle had been instigated by Janice, mostly because Erin’s words were tarnishing Janice’s memory of her horrible son.
“Janice, it’s a pleasure to see you,” was all Samantha said, when she’d have liked to say and do far more.
For a second, she imagined herself telling the woman exactly what she thought of her, but knew she was too chicken to do so.
Not only because of the power Janice held over her, a power that could take Erin from her, but also because the woman had claws and wasn’t afraid to use them.
Samantha had never been that way. She was a people pleaser. A comforter, a nurturer. There was no changing her nature. Not even her marriage had done that.
“Where’s Erin?” Janice demanded instead, peering around Josh and her as though Erin could pop up at any given moment.
“He’s with one of my guards. He has children,” Josh assured Janice as he reached forward so he could anoint both her cheeks with a kiss. “It’s great to see you, Janice. It’s been too long.”
“Yes, it has.” Janice shot him a strange look. “You’ve lost weight.”
“I’ve been working out more.”
“It doesn’t suit you,” she countered, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re as bad as Jamie was. Always trying to beef up.”
Josh stiffened, but Janice, as usual, was too self-absorbed to notice. “Work pressures haven’t helped. I’m eating enough, Janice. That I can assure you.” His words were as stiff as his posture.
The other woman pursed her lips in disapproval—a disapproval that made no sense considering the woman was close to skeletal and her body was pumped with so much plastic, she was a walking recycling bin—and grumbled, “Why is Erin with one of your guards? I’d have liked to speak with him.” Janice cut Samantha a look that was loaded with dislike. “What’s going on?”
“He’s down in the car.”
“What? He’s here?”
Josh nodded. “I wanted to speak with you first, and I didn’t think it was a conversation that little ears should overhear.”
“What are you talking about?” Janice said on a huff.
“I’m talking about an announcement I—we—have to make.”
“What kind of announcement?” The demand came hand in hand with a narrowing of her eyes as she took in the way Samantha shuffled closer to Josh’s side.
“I proposed to Samantha and she said yes.”
For a second, she thought they’d managed the impossible—had managed to shut the old bitch up. Janice was so quiet and for so long, she thought they’d stunned her!
