Page 113 of The Re-Proposal

Clarissa rolls her chocolate brown eyes at me.

“Whatever.” Joel moves gingerly back in his seat.

“Wear your seatbelt,” I demand.

“Wear your seatbelt,” he mocks.

If I could throw flames from my eyes, the little twit would be the first one I barbecued.

“Joel,” Ris cuts in like a foreign diplomat trying to prevent a nuclear war, “how were your treatments today?”

“Fine,” he mutters.

“Do you have any friends at the hospital?”

“Nope.”

“What about favorite doctors?”

“Mm-mm.”

I don’t know why she’s trying so hard. Joel clams up whenever the conversation turns in the direction of the hospital or his family.

Ris clears her throat. “I see.”

“My turn,” I say.

“Your turn for what?”

“Questions.” I flick the indicator and turn left. “Why didn’t you tell me what happened yesterday?”

“Do you really want to discuss this now?” Her eyes flick intentionally to the backseat.

“I do.”

She drums her fingers against her purse. “Fine. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d do something like this.”

“Something like what?”

Her eyes move to the backseat again. She sighs. “Make a big deal.”

“What part of thisisn’ta big deal?” I hiss.

“I know it is. I’m not saying what happened wasn’t… it’s complicated.”

“Un-complicate it. Fast.”

Her eyes turn stern, flames shooting out to give Hades a run for his money.

I realize I might have sounded too harsh and soften my tone. “Please.”

“Maggie didn’t want to get the attention of cops and social workers. Which, I guess, is inevitable now.” Her voice is pure frostbite. “I’djustpromised her that we were going to make this work. Now her ex is going to use her daughter as a weapon against her just as she feared.”

“Who says? The scumbag will be thrown behind bars where he belongs.”

“Do you really believe he’ll go to jail?”

“Of course.”

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