Page 25 of Exposed

I sit on the edge of my bed and fall to my back.

I’ve been careful what I’ve told Mom. Aboutwork, about Dex, and about The Pink. I told her I wanted to spread my wings and didn’t want to work with the brother I had no idea I had. I also lied and told her The Pink wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

She was sad for me.

I was, too, but for different reasons. Nothing went as planned when I moved here.

Not one thing.

The fresh start I wanted was mine.

It still should be mine, but I was forced out.

I’ve tried to salvage what I could of a horrible situation, but here I am. Eventually I’ll fess up to Mom about what really happened. There are so many reasons I’ve kept her in the dark.

I love my mother, but she gives new meaning tomama drama. When she finds out what Dex did to me, she’ll lose it. I’m grateful she’s scared to fly.

Going home makes me feel like a failure.

A big, fat lump of a failure the size of the universe.

I’ll tell her eventually, because I tell her everything.

But today is not the day.

“I’m fine. I miss you and am ready to come home. It was a fun year.” I wince at my own words and squeeze my eyes shut. Despite the beach and sun and warm weather, it’s been the least fun year of my life. “You know, like a vacation. But I miss the country and four seasons and the snow.”

So many lies.

I hate snow. It’s one of the reasons moving to Florida was such an easy decision.

“Don’t drive tonight. Sleep on it. If you feel the same in the morning, get in your car and drive home.”

“I’m not going to change my mind. I’ll stop at a hotel on the way. But if I leave today, I’ll be home tomorrow.”

“I miss you something fierce. As much as I want to wrap myarms around you, I feel bad you’re giving up on your dreams.” Mom sighs. “You’re hard headed.”

I look around the room at the mess surrounding me and exhaustion settles in. “I get it from you.”

“It’s our best quality.”

Rap, rap, rap!

I tense as the noise filters through my apartment.

“Promise you’ll be careful. Let me know where you are along the way. And don’t drive too late after dark or if you get tired.”

I lower my voice as I tiptoe out of my bedroom. “I promise.”

“Why are you whispering?” she demands.

I closed the blinds when I got home last night, not that it helped me sleep. The possibility of Dex sending one of his thugs to check on me is a reality that kept me awake way too long. There’s no way he bought the whole engagement story that Daniel Armstrong was trying to sell. I don’t care how good that kiss was.

And it was off the charts good.

So good, I was convinced it was real and was lost in the moment.

Until it was over.

---