Page 39 of Vengeful Secret

“Will you watch the house for a couple of weeks? Ciara and I are going on a little trip.”

“A trip? Doesn’t she have school?”

I wince. “I’ll be taking her out for a few days, but we'll be in town. Just for a little staycation. I think it’s important that we spend some mother-daughter time together.”

“You always loved mother-daughter dates,” my mom says, and I can tell she’s coming around. “We never got a whole vacation together. Your father would have never allowedthat.”

There’s a bit of bitterness to her tone, but I don’t respond to it.

“So, would you watch the house? Water the plants?”

“You mean Cyrus the Cactus? You water him too much, honey, you know that’s why he’s always dying.”

“Yes.” I roll my eyes. “Just watch the house for me, would you?”

“Of course.” She pauses. “How long will you be gone? Where will you be staying?”

I groan inwardly. I knew she was going to ask questions like this. I knew she was going to want to know everything. I can’t even give her the address to where we’ll be staying. She won’t understand.

“We’re staying just outside of town. With friends.”

“What friends?”

“Mom, they’re people I trust.” And that’s not a lie. Even if the Burkes live a dangerous lifestyle, I trust Gray and his men to protect me and Ciara. They’re the only people who can.

“All right,” she says finally with a huff. “I guess I don’t need to knoweverydetail.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

“Just call me, okay? Don’t be a stranger like when you went off to college.”

I chuckle.

She still cares. Maybe it’s to make up for my absent father. He was never cruel to me, but he just… wasn’t there. He’s always working, and he’s made it very clear his career always came first.

It’s not like I wasn’t upset when he passed away, me and my younger brother, Aiden, both, but he’d always been out of our lives. Mom, on the other hand, had always been a housewife and stay at home mother. Family is what’s most important to her.

“I’ll call, Mom. I’ll have Ciara facetime you.”

“Okay.” She sounds hesitant, but I can tell she’s not going to ask a lot more questions. “Just be safe, Sutton girl.”

Affection rushes through me at the sweet nickname.

“I will, Mama,” I say softly, and hang up the phone.

“We’re going on vacation?” Ciara bounces into the kitchen, jumping up and down. “Like to the beach? Like toDisneyland?”

Oh, boy.

Ciara had recently seen a series of videos online of people surprising their kids with Disney visits, and now she’s asking about it every other day.

I know I should limit her screen time, but as a working single mother, it’s difficult.

“No, no.” I pick her up as she pouts. “We’re going to stay with one of Mama’s friends. But they have a great big house and a pool?—”

“Apool?” she screeches. “Let me down I have to get my swimsuit!”

Ciara doesn’t seem perturbed in the least by us going out of town, so I guess that’s a good thing.

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