Page 23 of Full Throttle 2

“That’s crazy talk! I mean, be serious. How much money can you make with a business degree? Beauty is currency. Get what you can now because you won’t always have the benefits of youth forever.”

Lila remembered the Saturday morning cartoons she and Colby watched as kids and imagined smoke coming from her ears. She was fuming and couldn’t hold back her words. “Is it so wrong to want something of my own and stand on my own two feet?”

Faye waved her off. “It’s overrated.”

Lila touched her palm against her forehead. There was no talking to her mother. “How long are you in town for?”

Eyes flittering around the room, Faye said, “Oh, I don’t know. Until my next adventure.”

“Mmm. Okaaaay.”Shouldn’t be too long then. Lila’s tone was clipped. "Where will you be staying?”

“Here, of course.”

Lila almost choked.

“I’m kidding. I’ll be staying with Cyrus.”

“You,” Lila said in disbelief, “will be sleeping overnight at Uncle Cyrus’s?”

“Yes. What’s wrong with that?”

“N-nothing. It’s just...you hate Uncle Cyrus’s house. You said it’s too small and lacks taste.”

“It is, and it does, but I feel like I need to be closer to you and Colby to help guide your success.”

Lila wasn’t going to touch that with a ten-foot pole. “But room is tight. Where are you going to sleep? I’m in Colby’s old room. She moved into Rodney’s room, and that only leaves Uncle Cyrus’s room. He doesn’t have a guest bedroom. Will you be sleeping in the living room on the sofa?”

Faye didn’t seem too concerned. “We’ll figure something out. Maybe I can bunk with you. It’ll be like it was when you were small.”

Lila didn’t remember that, and the mere thought of sharing that much space with her mom freaked her out. She was afraid to even blink, worried her frozen smile would melt. She and Colby were going to have to devise a plan and figure something else out. There was no way her mother could stay with them.

Lila’s Stepford-wife-like smile widened. “Great! Sounds like . . . fun.”

Chapter Eleven

Kelly Hughes moved like the diva she was. She took full advantage of her husband being Carrington Hughes, who was now the CEO of Hughes Industries after his father’s death. And like her father, Carrington indulged Kelly’s every whim in exchange for her overlooking his transgressions. Without being given permission to enter his office, Kelly breezed past Carrington’s administrative assistant, ignoring her protests. Impatiently, she took a seat opposite him and his enormous desk. This time, Kelly would be patient and not demand he end his call.

While waiting for him to finish his conversation, Kelly took mental notes of everything she had to do before flying out with friends to Guadalajara.Pick up dry-cleaning. Confirm the boys’ Saturday playdate. Get nails done. And...figure out which of Carrington’s mistresses he will see while I’m away.

“So, how much would it cost to sponsor the car?”

Carrington? Sponsor?Those words grabbed her attention. Kelly found them curious, so she began to listen. Carrington had never sponsored anything that she could recall. He barely gave to charities. As she continued to eavesdrop, Kelly casuallyreached over and picked up the glossy magazine from his desk that he had been studying.Oh. It all started to make sense.

The title, “Get to Know the People Behind the Phenom, Colby James,” splashed across the cover. Kelly rolled her eyes when she saw Colby’s family and crew, but one person in particular stood out. Heat rose up the back of her neck. Colby James stood next to a racecar. The woman had seemingly come out of nowhere, and now her image was plastered everywhere. However, Kelly knew that Carrington wasn’t interested in the cover model. He was interested in that other woman. The darker-skinned woman standing next to her.

The rage pulsing through Kelly was likely to cause a stroke. Slowly, she inhaled while trying to calm down.

Carrington glanced at Kelly just as the lightbulb went off in her head. Her nostrils flared.Be mad. He didn’t care. Carrington was not going to explain himself or deny whatever she was thinking because in all likelihood, she was right.

Irritated, Carrington spoke into the phone, “Kelly’s here but not for long. Come down to my office so that we can discuss this further.” He disconnected the call.

Carrington sat up straight and met Kelly’s eyes. He refused to bend underneath her accusatory stare.

She held his gaze. “Really? I thought you were over this?”

“Not your business.”

“Making sure you don’t embarrass me again, make an ass out of yourself, and financially ruin usismy business.”

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