Page 73 of The Re-Proposal

She grunts. “Are you tax people?”

“No,” I draw out the word nervously.

“Then what do you want?” she snaps.

“We’re here to see Erica.” I give her my brightest smile. “We’re her friends. Business partners, really.”

“Business partners?” The woman arches an eyebrow. She sets her elbow on the door and peers at us again.

“Who is it, honey?” A man’s voice calls out.

“Erica’s business partners.”

“Who?” The man booms back.

“A black girl and a guy in a fancy suit.”

I flinch. These two give me the creeps. “Is Erica home?”

“Yeah, she’s inside.” To my surprise, the woman opens the door without a fuss. It creaks, yawning wide. “Come in.”

I take a step forward.

Cody wraps his fingers around me, tugs me backward and steps in first. I trail him closely.

Erica’s mother eyes the way he’s holding my hand. One eyebrow arches. “You two married?”

“No,” I say quickly.

Cody’s face remains impassive.

The woman looks between us and mutters, “Fornication is a sin.”

“O…kay,” I say.

Without another word, she stalks off. A moment later, I hear her banging on a door.

“Erica! Get your lazy butt out of bed and get out here! You got visitors!”

Cody squeezes my hand and I realize he’s still holding on to me.

“You okay?” he whispers.

I nod and slip my hand out of his. I’ve been in more desperate situations than this before. You don’t work with vulnerable women for this long without getting some experience.

“It’s starting to make sense, right?” I whisper as we wait in the living room.

“What is?”

“I feel like I can understand Erica more.”

“So do I.”

“You see it too?”

“Of course I do.” He folds his arms over his chest. “She’s a… how old is she again?”

“Fifty-seven.”

---