Page 71 of A Smooth Operator

"I don't want to come between Remi and his mama."

Teresa scoffed. "Look, I think the world of Dallas, but his wife is somethin' else. She thinks the sun comes up just to hear her crow. And if Remi isn't fixin' to put his mama in her place because of how she treated you in the past or if she treats you poorly in the future, I say, dump his fine ass and move on. He ain't worth it."

I smiled sadly. "I'm afraid of that too; that he won't say anything, and then we'll truly be over."

"Ah, sweet girl." Teresa put her hand on mine and squeezed. "You love him."

"So much."

"And he loves you. I mean, everyone at GeneVerse has figured that out by now." She smiled. "We're all gonna be sad when you take him back, and he stops bringing lunch over and those cookies from Ricki's. I'll miss those the most."

I laughed.

"I've forgiven him," I admitted. "No one would have done what he has to get me back if he wasn't sincere. I trust him. I never thought I would."

"He's a good boy," Teresa assured me. "I've known him since he was a baby, and he's a good person. Lani, well, she's under Sierra's influence."

I frowned. "How does someone like Dallas have a happy marriage with someone like Sierra?"

Teresa shrugged. "We never know what's goin' on in people's bedrooms, hon. That's the thing with marriage. People thought my ex and I had a great marriage—and then when we got divorced, they were all surprised. We didn't have a good marriage; we were just pretending."

"Do you think Dallas and Sierra are acting like a happy couple?"

"Maybe. Or maybe Dallas loves her. I don't know. But I'll say this: someone who treats a child the way Sierra did, doesn't deserve a man like Dallas Drake."

"I have so many fears, Teresa. What if I let Remi back in, and he reverts back to that asshole I used to know?"

"And what if death rays from Mars strike you down?"

I burst out laughing.

"You're not a moron, Echo. You're smart. You know people. You know Remi. You're not the confused girl who came to stay with her aunt; you're a force to be reckoned with. Own it, girl."

Teresa raised her wine glass, and I clinked mine against hers.

I took a sip of my wine, letting the rich flavor mellow my rising anxiety. Teresa was right; I had come a long way from the insecure girl I used to be. Remi had changed, too; he worked hard and was still working hard to become a better person who was, according to him, worthy of me.

"I don't want to ruin Thanksgiving," I murmured, setting down my glass with a soft clink.

"You won't ruin anything," Teresa insisted. "Just go and enjoy the holiday. Let Remi handle his mother. If she steps out of line, it's on him to corral her, not you."

"But if she says something awful, I won't put up with it."

"Good."

"Maybe I should drive myself there," I thought aloud, "in case I need to get away."

Teresa sighed. "You've already decided it's going to be a shitshow."

I groaned. "I don't know what to do. I'm so scared."

"What are you so scared of?"

"That Sierra will hurl insults at me, and Remi will take her side."

"Like hell, he will. The man who's been bringing you lunch, sending you cookies, hand delivering flowers—and begging to introduce you as his girlfriend; he's not goin' to take Sierra Drake's side if she misbehaves. I can guarantee that if she does it in front of Dallas, neither will he."

As I listened to Teresa, the weight on my shoulders lessened, even if it didn't disappear. She had a way of boiling things down to their simplest form, stripping away the extraneous worries and focusing on what was important—my relationship with Remi and my own self-respect.

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