Page 9 of Forever His This Christmas

“Why?” her mother demanded, her tone growing angry.

“Because all I hear every time that I go back there is that it’s such a shame I can’t find a man. I don’t have to have one in order to be happy. I don’t have to have one to be respected either,” she tacked on knowing that was really her mother’s issue with her.

“Well then why can’t you find one? Colin was the sweetest boy you’d ever dated. You really should just move back and see if you two can’t rekindle things.”

“For pity’s sake Mother, I’d rather poke my eyes out with hot needles than ever go back or have anything to do with Colin again. The man is the biggest bore in the world not to mention that the sex was absolutely horrible.”

“Lisa!”

“Oh, come on Mother, I’m twenty-nine years old, it’d be a little crazy to think that I was still a virgin.”

“I know quite well you aren’t unfortunately. I don’t care what you think, no one will ever respect you if you don’t find a man because of your past and you know it. So when you have a chance to have something with someone like Colin, you should take it. I am tired of having to hide my head when people talk about you.”

“Then do us all a favor and disown me, why don’t you? Then it won’t matter what people say,” she fumed, wishing to reach through the phone to strangle the woman that’d given birth to her. The woman would never understand anything she’d done so what was the point of continuing with the pretense they were a perfect family?

“You’re my daughter Lisa. I just want you to find a bit of what your father and I have.”

“And I’d prefer to never be able to be compared to you because I’m notyou. I’m me, Mom, and the me I am, doesn’t want to haveanysort of life like you and Dad did or do. I’m not going to get married—ever. I don’t need a man to be happy or, so I’ll be respected by people that mean nothing to me. If I let a man into my life then it’ll be for one thing whether you approve of me sleeping with someone or not,” she stated getting ready to hang up as her mother started in on another lecture.

“Still at it?” Corey asked walking into the office he’d had set up for her beside his. “I think I’m going to have to have a talk with this boss of yours, beautiful. He’s stealing all of my girl’s time.”

“Shh,” she said hitting the mute button on the phone, with a groan.

“Sorry, it’s not a client or account, is it?” Corey asked, knowing quite well it wasn’t. He’d overheard the end of her little barb towards her mother and knew she was serious.

He was just as serious in needing this to be the beginning of something because despite everything he’d fallen for her in thelast week. It might only be sex to her but for him it was far more. He’d never expected to fall for her so quickly after finally getting rid of Donna, but he wasn’t about to let her run away from them. From what they could be, become.

“No, it’s my mother,” she sighed as the woman began to ask a million questions.

“Lisa!” she shouted when there was no response after three other times of her saying her name.

Lisa unmuted the line and said with little warmth in her voice, “What?”

“Who was that?”

“No one…just someone walking past the office.”

“Hey,” Corey said moving behind her, willing to use the woman’s attempts to get her daughter into a relationship to his advantage. “I’m not no one, Lisa.”

“Would you please be quiet?” she whispered to him her eyes shooting death glares that would have scalded a lesser man.

“You’re seeing someone?” her mom asked and the hope in her voice was enough to infuriate her.

“If I am it’s none of your business, Mother. What I do is mine and mine alone. It’s why I moved out here.”

“Just come home for Christmas, please. You can even bring your friend if you want.”

“No,” Lisa stated, and he gave her a smile as her jaw tensed.

“Why not?” Corey asked feigning ignorance. “I’d love to get away from the city for the holidays.”

Lisa hit the mute button on the phone again and stared at him. “Are you completely mental? I am not going home for Christmas.”

“Come on, let’s go. Get away from here for a bit. You can show your mom that you’re perfectly happy with what we have and stick it to your ex all at the same time.”

“We go home together, and they’ll be expecting a wedding this spring. You’re exactly the type of guy my mother would want me with,” she huffed, and he was willing to use that to his advantage as well.

“Your mom wants you to marry well?” he asked, lifting his brow a bit.

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