Page 79 of Outside The Wire

“I—what?” Noelle asked, confusion filling her face.

“I think it will ease the tension in the room for Asher. You know, so he’s not the only one who’s not family.”

“Oh, I have plans,” Noelle frowned. “Man, I really wish I could.”

There was no way she was canceling on me. Not after she got me roped into this. “Didn’t I tell you? Your date called. He said he had to cancel because his aunt is in the hospital. Which means you can come with us!”

Noelle gave a fake smile as my mother clapped her hands together. “Well, this is just wonderful. I’ll make something really good. I’ll have to run to the supermarket and the dry cleaners. And then I’ll grab Daddy’s good wig.”

“Great,” I muttered.

The door slammed behind her on the way out. I sighed and slumped against the counter. “This night is gonna suck. Why’d you have to do that to me?”

“Because I can.”

She leaned on the counter next to me, and I twisted, kicking the back of her knee and making her fall forward. “You bitch.”

“That’s for getting her to invite Asher to dinner.”

Glaring at me, she grabbed her hot cocoa and tore off the lid, tossing it in my face. It splashed everywhere, including my hair. I spluttered, swiping it away as I glared at her through mascara-globbed eyes.

“You’re lucky that was cold.”

“You’re lucky I don’t like peppermint.”

19

ASHER

“I’ve got another one!”Wyatt called out from his office.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath. We were slammed today. After the snowstorm crushed the city, we were swamped with work orders. I hadn’t even gotten lunch today. I had all of five minutes to take a piss and grab a cup of coffee, but the work was piling up faster than we could get through it, and we couldn’t pass up work like this.

“Any chance you can work late tonight?” Wyatt asked, the look in his eyes more pleading than asking.

“Yeah, I can do that.” I didn’t want to tell Holly that after her weird conversation last night where she basically kicked me out of the house because we were in the after stage of our first sexual encounter, then called me to tell me it was weird. Hell, I already knew it was weird. I just wished she had talked to me about it first.

My phone buzzed again in my pocket and I pulled it out, pretty sure it was Holly, but it was a number I didn’t recognize. “Give me five, Wyatt.”

“Yeah, grab something to eat.”

I nodded and walked just outside the office, answering the phone. “Hello?”

“Asher, it’s so good to talk to you.”

“Uh…who’s this?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Where are my manners? I’m Holly’s mother, Carol Lane.”

Her mother was calling me? That was weird as shit. Unless… “Is something wrong with Holly?”

“Oh, no, dear. I’m simply calling to invite you to dinner tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes. After all, I told Holly we should meet you. She told me it was too soon, but I said it’s never too soon to meet my future son-in-law.”

I grinned as she started rambling. I could see where Holly got it from. Did it freak me out that she called me her future son-in-law? Not at all. I knew it wasn’t coming from Holly. Not after what happened last night. Most likely, her mother somehow found out and took things too far.

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