Page 210 of Bossy Hero

Footsteps inside the house grow louder with her approach. On my right, the curtain in the window flutters. I don’t look toward the movement, preferring to see her for the first time when she’s directly in front of me and can’t avoid looking me in the eye.

An extremely lengthy and irritating thirty seconds later, the door cracks open with a painful slowness.Fuck. It’s like she’s intentionally dragging this out.

Bitch.

And I don’t use that word often.

Standing in the dead center of the doorway, she raises her chin and eyes me down. “Hello, Alan. I’ve been expecting you for a long time.”

Chapter38

This is Jeopardy

Maddie

My son eases into the open doorway between our connecting rooms. “Hi, Ma.”

“Hello, my darling.”

After gently closing the door behind him, he approaches tentatively, his head down and shoulders hunched. It’s as if he’s trying to make himself appear smaller. A foolish endeavor.

I study him as he drifts toward me. Good heavens. My son absolutely reeks of discontentment.

Setting my crochet needles and yarn on my lap, I pat the spot beside me on the couch. “Come sit.”

The corner of his mouth curves on one side, softening his tense expression.

As he sits down, I adjust my position to face him better. “What’s troubling you, my gentle giant?”

I’d bet money this is the discussion we’ve avoided for a while now. About Alan and me. Leo’s done a fine job of hiding his pain over it, but a mother knows when her child is unhappy.

I don’t blame him. Not for being upset with me, nor for his desire to confront me now.

Faced with Alan and me sharing a hotel room right on the other side of the wall from him and his wife, I imagine avoiding it is no longer possible.

Then again, we’ve been sharing Alan’s office at Redleg for a while. But that was a bit more out of sight for him. Easier to ignore.

He folds his lips shut, his eyes surveying the small seating area of the hotel room. My gaze follows the same path. It’s a quaint room with a king bed on one side. A small sofa and desk fill the other. Nothing fancy, but considering we’re in such a microscopic town, it’s probably considered upscale.

I rest my hand on his knee, giving it a little squeeze. “This is it, huh? The talk?”

He responds with only a scant nod. His gaze remains locked on the wall in front of him. As tempted as I may be to prod him to spit it out, I give him the time he needs. Some topics can’t be rushed.

Eventually, he breaks the silence. “I need to ask you something.”

“Whatever it is, you’ll get the truth. Ask away.”

“You know, I’ve been going to therapy for a while now, and one of the things we keep coming back to iswhy. I’ve tried to answer it myself, but I can’t seem to get there. Not fully, anyhow. So I’m gonna ask you flat out.”

“Go ahead.”

He chuckles humorlessly, his chest and head rising and falling. “It’s odd that we’re in Georgia so Lettie and Big Al could face Mrs. Holt and demand to knowwhy. Now, I’m doing the same with you.”

He keeps beating around the bush, so I help him along. “You want to know why I hid my relationship with Alan from you, right?”

He whips his head to face me, one brow arched pointedly. “No.” His lips purse, and his face bunches to the side. “Well, yes. But that’s not what I was gonna ask.”

My heart speeds up, trepidation flooding my chest. “Then what do you want to know?”

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