Page 35 of Dance with Me on New Year's Eve

“What?” I asked, following her through the door. I mean, I did need peace and quiet to work, but I was sort of enjoying having Lila around. Oddly, I liked her.

“Hi, Mom,” she called out to a woman standing in the middle of the reception area.

The woman had her arms crossed as she eyed Jeff, who’d emerged from his office.

“What is my daughter doing withher?” the short, flame-haired woman hissed.Her pointed high heels clicked on the floor as she walked straight up to Jeff.

He stepped back. “Aileen, don’t be rude. That’s my colleague, Roxanne.”

I widened my eyes, shocked yet again. Was he actually defending me?

In a flash, Lila rushed over to give the woman a hug. “Mommy, I have a new friend! Roxy is legit so nice.”

The woman’s dark pink lips were set in a firm line as she turned back to Jeff. “I’m going to ask you again,whyis—”

“You were supposed to pick her up hours ago. What was I supposed to do? I have to work, so I had to bring her to work with me.” Jeff sounded exasperated, and his jaw was rigid. “Why wereyou so late? You know what, never mind. I don’t want to know.”

The woman shifted her calculating gaze to me, and I swallowed hard as she looked me over. She pasted an obviously false smile on her face. “I’m Aileen Chamberlain, Lila’s mother. Jeff’s wife.”

“Ex-wife,” he said, shaking his head in frustration. “Aileen, you really must—”

“And you are?” she asked me, ignoring Jeff with a dismissive flap of her hand. When she took a step toward me, I wrinkled my nose at the strong perfume that assaulted my senses.

“I’m Roxy. I’m working with Jeff, uh, to—to help Hazel open a new business,” I said shakily.

Aileen yawned. “One of those alternative health stores where they sell snake oil, right? Isn’t Hazel into stuff like that?” She glanced down at her long, orange painted nails.

My eyes swung to Jeff, whose lips were squeezed shut as he glared at her.

Aileen narrowed her eyes. “What? Are you into Hazel now? I heard she hooked up with some rich guy, but then she never stays with any guy very long. Last I heard—”

Jeff’s face was red as his jaw tightened. “Aileen!” he snapped, pulling an arm around Lila, who was frowning and twirling her bracelets around her wrist as she eyed the adults anxiously. “Our daughter doesn’t need to hear you talk about mybosslike that. You are wrong anyway.”

“Whatever,” the woman said under her breath as she took her phone out of her purse and started scrolling. “Let’s go, Lila.”

The girl looked at everyone again and then shrugged before turning to hug her father fully. I almost had to look away because my brain couldn’t process what I was seeing: Jeff being affectionate with someone.

“I’ll see you next weekend, sweetie,” Jeff said as she pulled away.

“OK, Daddy.” She started walking toward her mother but then turned to me. “I’m going hiking with Daddy next weekend.I’msoexcited!”

“That’s wonderful,” I said with a smile, trying to ignore the sound of Aileen tapping her feet impatiently. “Hiking is a lot of fun. You’ll have a great time!”

Lila paused in her footsteps and turned more fully toward me. “Wait, I know! You should totally come with us, Roxy! It would be so fun.”

My eyes widened as I swallowed. I couldn’t have heard right. “What?”

“Come hiking with us, silly!” she said with a smile.

“Oh, I don’t know …” I managed.

Aileen put her hands on her hips as she stared down at her daughter. “You didn’t invite your own mother. You don’t even know this woman, Lila,” she whispered loudly. “She’s a complete stranger. Haven’t I at least taught you to avoid strangers?”

The sweet girl’s face fell, and my heart broke for her. She deserved to be happy, and her mother didn’t seem to care how she felt.

I swallowed painfully and then said, “It’s nice of you to ask—”

She hit me with puppy dog eyes. “Please?”

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