Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 68006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“And I’ve been thinking…”
“About what?” I say into her hair.
“I think… I think I’ll go with you tomorrow. To the office. To see my mother.”
23
KELLY
I’m tense as I sit next to Leif. The conference room is the same as I remember—with Roy Wolfe’s paintings on the wall. I stare at the three paintings, all abstract. Funny, they look completely different from the last time I saw them. The colors seem brighter, more vibrant.
Maybe that’s what abstract art is all about.
We arrived early on purpose.
It was Leif’s idea, and I agreed. If I’m here before my mother, I have the upper hand. I took ownership of this room before she got here. She cannot harm me.
Objectively, I know she can’t harm me anyway. She has no power over me anymore.
Still…the scars run deep. She is my mother, and as her child, apparently I have a subconscious need to recognize her as an authority. Macy and I have talked about that before, and I would’ve had another talk about it with her today, except I had to reschedule my appointment this morning so I could come with Leif to this meeting.
This meeting with my mother.
Rock and Reid Wolfe sit at their respective places at either end of the table. Lacey sits next to Rock, across from me.
She smiles. “How are you doing, Kelly?”
How the hell does she think I’m doing?
But I hold back the venom. “As well as I can be, I suppose.”
“I’ve been in touch with the detective who questioned you the other day,” Lacey says. “She offered profuse apologies when she found out you were assaulted by your stalker at the restaurant last night.”
“How nice of her.” I roll my eyes.
“Yes. I suggested that she contact you and apologize to you personally, though I doubt she will. I have the utmost respect for all law enforcement officers, but it’s been my experience that some of them have trouble admitting when they’re wrong.”
I say nothing more.
Then I jump out of my seat at the knock on the door.
“Come in,” Rock says in his deep and gravelly voice.
A young woman—I haven’t seen her before at the office—opens it. “Mr. Wolfe, Racine Taylor is here.”
“Come on in then,” Rock says.
Intentionally, I drop my gaze to the table. Though I yearn to look at her—to see what she looks like now—I force myself not to. No way will she think that I want to see her.
“Good morning, Ms. Taylor,” Rock says, as he rises. “I’m Rock Wolfe. This is my wife, Lacey, my brother Reid, Leif Ramsey, part of our security team, and of course you know your daughter.”
“Kelly!” She rushes to me, wraps her arms around the backs of my shoulders, and plants a wet kiss on my cheek. “Thank God you’re all right.”
“Like you care,” I say.
“I’ve been trying to see you. Thank you so much for coming today.”
I keep my gaze fixed on the table. “I didn’t come for you. I came because Leif asked me to.”
“Well, whatever the reason, it’s so good to see you. You’re looking as beautiful as ever.”
I allow myself to look at my mother then. Even meet her gaze. Same blue eyes, same Lucille Ball red hair. She’s put on a few pounds but still has a decent body for a woman her age. It’s her clothing that draws my attention more than anything. Zebra-striped leggings and a black spandex shirt. Platform sandals. And red lips.
God, I probably have a kiss mark on my cheek.
“Ms. Taylor.” Reid holds out a chair next to him. “Please, have a seat.”
Mom sits down without a fuss and then gestures to the young woman who ushered her in. “Darling, I would love a coffee.”
“Cream?” The woman asks.
“Only if it’s Irish.”
The young woman wrinkles her forehead.
“Cream and sugar, darling. That’s fine for now.” Mom bats her eyes.
“Yes. Right away.” The woman disappears.
My cup of black coffee sits in front of me. I take a sip. It’s good. Whoever makes the coffee here knows how to make it well.
“Ms. Taylor,” Reid says, “you said you have some new information for us. Information that you did not give to Mr. Ramsey the other night.”
“Yes, yes, I do. You’ll never guess who reached out to me, seemingly from nowhere.”
“I couldn’t venture to guess,” Rock says dryly, clearly resisting an eyeroll.
My mother looks my way and smiles. “It was your father, Kelly. Can you believe it? After all these years?”
“Yeah, I don’t believe it,” I say. “You wouldn’t even tell me his name.”
“To be honest. I never knew his name. His last name, that is. I met him at a masquerade, and we had—well, you know what we did. You were the result.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Leif says under his breath.
“Anyway,” my mother continues, “he contacted me. Of course I didn’t know him from Adam. But he knew exactly where I was that night, and although he was masked, I’ll never forget those dark brown eyes of his.”