Page 40 of Boss with Benefits

"Why are you defensive?"

"I'm not." I exhaled a loud sigh. "If she were ten years older and had her shit together maybe I'd consider it, but she's a fucking mess, Tina. She plays flirty games with me which, if you asked her, she'd say meant nothing, but they're immature power games. It's her way of deflecting any real connection. You should've seen how she pushed her friend Eva into an ill-advised relationship last year. It all worked out, but it was childish. I don't want any part of her crazy."

A stick snapped behind us. I swung around and glanced at the path that led back to the house, but I couldn't see much in the shadows of the trees that lined that path.

"Hello?" I called out.

"It's probably a squirrel," Tina said, glancing over her shoulder.

"Can we drop the whole Rachel thing?" I turned back to her, one ear open for more noises.

Tina rolled her eyes but didn't press further, finishing her drink. We left the dock and walked to the house. As we approached, I heard raised voices from inside. I pushed the screen door open. Valeria and Mom were yelling at each other in the kitchen. Frankie stood cautiously next to Valeria, and Rachel stood on the edge of the scene, her hands on her hips, fuming.

"You're confused," Mom said, batting her hand toward Valeria, dismissing whatever Valeria had just said before we entered. "I raised you right."

"Fine, Mama. If that makes you sleep at night," Valeria shot back. "But I know who I am."

"I'm gonna go," Frankie said.

"Don't." Valeria stepped next to Frankie and took her hand.

Oh, shit. Tina and I exchanged a look. Mom must’ve found out about Frankie and Valeria.

"It is not natural," Mom said, holding tight to the silver cross around her neck.

Valeria pulled Frankie toward the stairs.

"You must speak to Father Carron," Mom continued.

Valeria ignored her and continued up the stairs. Tina shook her head, telling me not to get involved.

"How dare you!" Rachel exploded, and everyone turned to her, Valeria and Frankie halting on the steps.

"Rachel, don't," I warned.

"How can you all stay silent while she spews bigotry? Derrick, you have a whole podcast fighting against injustices, but you won't stand up to your own mother's homophobia?"

"Drop it," I growled.

"You're a hypocrite," she said, her eyes narrowing. Rachel's accusation stung, but trying to change decades of religious dogma by shaming my mom wasn't going to help.

"This is between Mom and Valeria," I grumbled. "Butt out."

"I'll never keep my mouth shut when someone slanders one of the most vulnerable segments of our society." Angry red splotches crested Rachel's neck and chest. "Never."

She stormed upstairs, and I exhaled my frustration. Tina and I turned to Mom, but she mumbled a prayer and left the kitchen.

"Rachel's not wrong." Tina opened the wine fridge and pulled out two IPAs, handing one to me.

"It's not her fight. This is between our family," I said, taking a long pull from the beer can. "I hate Mom's view, but she's more than that one awful opinion."

Tina rested her hand on my forearm and squeezed. "I know that. And you know that. When Rachel is calmer, talk to her. Right now she's too emotional to hear reason. Wait until she's capable of listening."

"Fuck." I shook my head. "How did Mom find out?"

"I don't know, but we need to tread lightly so we don't blow up the entire family."

Family was everything to the Jacques's. That's why Valeria chose to keep her sexuality on the DL when it came to Mom and Dad, and I respected that. She didn't want to disrupt anything.

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