Page 53 of Bound

“—and then Todd said…”

My brows shoot up and a bolt of anger ricochets through me. “What the fuck, Mom? I’m calling your attorney. Right now. He can’t threaten you like that.”

“Don’t worry, honey. I was recording and called the police, and Todd’s daughter has had enough of his shit so he’s spending the next few days in jail.”

“And what happens when he gets out?” I mutter.

“I can handle a grumpy, eighty-year-old man?—”

“Because she’s married to one!” my dad calls, sounding far too fucking chipper for having dealt with their insane neighbor.

“You’re not eighty, baby—ha, that rhymes.”

“No, that’s a slant rhyme because it’s close but not truly?—”

“Mom,” I grit out.

“I can handle Todd,” she says. “And it helps that his daughter is on our side. She’s had enough of him terrorizing the neighborhood, so she’s moving him into a home and selling the house to pay for it.”

“But—”

“Don’t feel bad for him,” she goes on with barely a breath. “You remember Jenny from the other side of the road?”

“Yeah,” I say carefully.

“He poured bleach on her lawn because he didn’t like that her kids were playing out front so much.”

“Oh, my God.”

Except that’s not me talking.

Claire clamps a hand to her mouth, wincing. “Sorry,” she whispers, dropping it a second later.

“Is that a woman?” my mother trills.

Claire winces again.

“Yeah, Mom,” I say. “That’s why I wasn’t picking up the phone.”

“Because you’re on adate,” she says slowly.

“Mom,” I warn.

“Your son is on a date!” she hollers at my dad.

“A date?” my dad shouts, making me hold the phone away from my ear.

Claire giggles.

I sigh.

“We’ll let you get back to yourdate,” she says archly, making me groan, but before she hangs up, she calls, loud enough that Iknow Claire can hear it clear as day, “Nice to meet you Mystery Date. I hope we’ll get to chat soon!”

“Mom—”

“My name is Claire,” she says. “And I’m sure we’ll talk soon.”

“Claire?” my dad’s voice echoes through the speakers. “TheClaire?”

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