Page 85 of Enraged

Before I could ask, she continued. “Her mama was always fast and loose, too, flauntin’ her fanny at any man that looked at it.”

Oh, Lord bless.

I had heard plenty of stories about Cassie’s mama over the years, about how she hid her promiscuity behind her church desk.

Oh, the fuckin’ irony.

“Lena? Is that you?” Big Jake called from his office.

“Yes, sir, it’s me,” I hollered back.

“Come on in here, Shug.”

Saved by the boss man.

“Sorry, Mrs. Cheryl,” I apologized. “I’ll be back.”

Feeling relieved, I walked into Dakota’s daddy’s office.

He greeted me with a hug… something he’s always done but never at work.

“How you holdin’ up, Shug?” he asked me, holding me at arm’s length.

I felt myself tearing up. Big Jake was like a second daddy to me, but not so much that I knew he would lose sleep over it like my real daddy.

“I’m strugglin’, Mr. Clayton,” I admitted as much to myself as I was to him.

“No, ma’am, no formalities,” he scolded gently. “You’re not at work right now.”

“Yes, sir.”

He gestured for me to sit down. “How’s Dak holdin’ up?” he asked as he handed me a bottle of water.

“He’s back at work today,” I began. “Cassie is still at his house.”

“She what?” His face clouded up with anger.

I explained what I knew, leaving out the part about Cassie’s little picture message.

“I would have thought his standards were higher than that,” he stated truthfully.

“Love is a bitch,” I reminded him. “Dak loved, or I guess loves, her with all his heart.”

The words tasted bitter in my mouth. I took a sip of water.

“Maybe so, but she clearly doesn’t reciprocate it,” he pointed out, the statement dripping with disappointment.

He’s always loved me and Cassie like we are the daughters he never had.

“You won’t catch me arguing that.”

He sat back in his expensive chair. “I’m askin’ as someone that loves you like a daughter, not as your boss,” he prefaced. “Where do you see thing landing with Jace?”

I felt the damned tears brewing again. “It’s over for me,” I told him honestly. “I went to his house earlier to give him a bag of his stuff that he had in my car for the honeymoon, and it made me sick to even look at him.” I swallowed hard. “I don’t know for sure, but I think I might have been able to work through it, to work it out with him, if it had been anybody else but Cassie.”

Noticing the tear sliding down my cheek, he passed me the handkerchief from his front pocket.

“It’s a different level of betrayal,” he spoke softly. “Dak doesn’t know this… but when he was little, his mama cheated on me with a friend of mine.”

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