Page 26 of Flock Around and Find Out

“Oh, I’m so sorry. My name is Grace. You are?”

Ruben opened the door to his truck and I grabbed his arm.

“Not a chance. Come on, let’s make a break for it. I’ve seen you drive—we can get away before anyone can give chase.”

He shrugged off my grip. “And miss out on this? Never.”

I stayed put in the truck as he went around, his size dwarfing my mother.

It still made me uneasy having her around these people, feeling as though the two parts of my life collided. I’d worked so hard to keep them separate, to protect my family by keeping Spirits away. The last thing I wanted was to be at fault for any harm coming to them.

He took her hand to shake. “My name is Ruben.”

“Ruben? I’m so sorry for not inviting you. Kelvin didn’t give me that name.”

He smiled—he knows how to do that?—and shook his head. “No worries, ma’am. I’m actually Grey’s boss, so it would be unusual for him to include me in a list of friends.”

“Her boss? She’s so secretive about what she does. Please, come in! Join us.”

I eyed Ruben, hoping he understood my ‘you have better fucking not’ look. It was a warning that I’d make his life hell if he didn’t listen—well, more so than I already had.

I wasn’t sure if he didn’t see the look or if he didn’t care, but he smiled and nodded at my mother. “Of course, I’d love to.”

And just like that, I fucking hated all the men who decided to screw my life over. They could enjoy each other, because they weren’t getting into my pants again, not after this betrayal.

Chapter Six

The house wasn’t crowded, but given the nice evening, I had a feeling that they’d all accumulated outside. Considering how large each of the men was, it wasn’t a shock that they wouldn’t want to be crammed inside.

I mean, that sounded like the start to a fantastic porn flick, but probably not best at a family gathering.

My mother had already taken Ruben, escorting him outside to meet the others. She’d slid her arm through the crook of his elbow with such ease, and he’d responded like any gentleman.

Funny, he sure as fuck didn’t act that way tome.It made me roll my eyes, the fact that he could put on such a show for her benefit. I wanted to give him a flat tire, to step on the back of his shoe, then tell my mom that he wasn’t nearly so nice when he was berating me at work.

Instead of that, I headed into the kitchen as they went out back, giving myself a moment to collect myself before facing off against the horde of problematic red flags outside.

There I found my dad, standing by the counter, arranging cheese on a platter. He took one look at me and laughed. “Sorry I couldn’t tell you.”

“You traitor. I toldyouwhen she bought you that stupid gift a few years back so you could school your features when she gave it to you.”

“I know, but if I’d told you, you wouldn’t have come. I don’t like to see your mom sad. I figured you could probably survive one little party.”

I grabbed a hard lemonade out of the fridge, then leaned my back against the counter beside him. “How could you let her invite my friends behind my back?”

“Well, Kelvin seemed to think it was a good idea, and to be honest, we’ve been curious. You never like to tell us anything. Can you blame your mom for going a little overboard to find out more about your life?”

I didn’t tell them about my life because I didn’t want them to get killed because of it. As much as I wanted to say that, I really doubted that he’d understand, that it would do anything to help calm their nerves.

That was the exact reason I’d been so secretive.

Besides, it wasn’t like I was doing anything impressive.

I sighed, thinking about my siblings, about what amazing people they’d become. “I just didn’t think there was much to say.”

Sure, I was a Spirit, but what did that matter? Even my council seat wasn’t actually important. At the end of the day, I was just a little mess of a girl who struggled to pay her bills and delivered things for a living. Nothing had really changed for me, no matter how much I wanted them to see me as something else. Compared to a doctor and a CEO, I was the disappointment in the family.

Not that either my mom or dad would say such a thing to me, but they had to think it, right?

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