Page 55 of Whatever It Takes

“Laura, what a surprise,” I said, taking a deep swallow.

She couldn’t look any more caught off guard if she tried. “Good morning.”

There was an awkward silence as she watched Quinn fasten his belt. The scowl on her face had me wishing I had more time to prepare for this visit.

This was bad. Very fucking bad.

Laura’s heels clicked on my hardwood floor, and the familiar scent of her Chanel perfume lingered in the air as she entered the room.

Quinn swung the door closed behind her and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Her nose crinkled up making my living room seem small and cramped. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

This was inevitable. But still….

“Laura, this is Quinn Walker…” My voice wavered, unsure of how this introduction was going to go. What did I introduce him as? My ex-fiancé? My new boyfriend? After gathering my wits, I finally settled on, “My friend.”

The death stare Quinn gave me said it all. He wasn’t happy with my choice. Saying those words felt like a lie, but it wasn’t like we had a label, even though we were much, much more than that.

She extended her hand that was dripping in gold and diamonds. “Hello, Mr. Walker. I’m Laura Anderson. Charlotte’s mother-in-law.”

The practiced smile on her face was one I knew well. It was the smile she saved for the reporters when she was on the campaign trail. The one she used when she mingled with the Washington elite. She was even dressed for show in her navy-blue dress and three-inch heels. Over the years, I’ve learned that despite her formal appearance, she would much rather be in jeans and sneakers than the silk Prada dresses that she wore in public.“Are you visiting from out of town?” she asked.

Quinn reached over, grabbed his badge off the end table and clipped it on his belt. “No, I live here in the Philadelphia area. I’m staying here with Charlotte and Emery while the investigation on your son is still pending.”

My eyes narrowed, as I reminded myself to breathe. The walls felt like they were caving in on me. I loved Quinn, I did, but sometimes his direct approach was too much to take.

“Really?” Her face grew heated as she squared her shoulders. “And why is that?” I could almost hear the silent judgment in her tone and feel the hostility oozing off of her. I didn’t want her to feel betrayed by Quinn’s presence. I had nothing but respect for this woman and the last thing I wanted was to alienate her from my family.

I tugged on my hands, trying to come up with a way to make her understand and offer her an explanation. I also fought the need to ridicule Quinn in front of her for putting us both in this awkward position.

I begged him with my eyes to not fuel her assumptions and make things worse than they already were. He shook his head and seemed to measure his words as he spoke. “I just want to make sure Charlotte and Emery are both safe.”

Laura blanched, her voice dropped low. “Surely, you don’t believe my son is a danger to his family, do you?”

His jaw ticked as he answered. “I would hope not, but Grant’s actions have been highly unpredictable, wouldn’t you agree? Truth is, I’m more concerned about the company he’s been keeping than Grant himself.”

His steely eyes dared me to contradict him.

Emery came rushing into the room. “Grandma!” she squealed, breaking the growing tension in the room.

Laura’s eyes softened as she dipped her head and planted a kiss on Emery’s cheek. “Good morning, sweetie.”

“Did you bring me a present?” my daughter asked, spying the bag she was holding in her hand.

I tilted my head to the side. “Emery, remember your manners, please.”

Laura laughed and ran a hand over Emery’s hair. “Of course, I did.”

She handed her the orange and black gift bag with pumpkin-colored tissue paper popping out of the top. “I was going to stop by later when you were done with school, but there is a dinner I have to go to with your grandpa tonight. I wanted to make sure I saw you. I was hoping you would have had your costume on.”

Emery crinkled her nose in annoyance. “My teacher said we can’t change into our costumes until the parade later. She’s afraid they’ll get ruined.” She looked down at the bag and asked me with pleading eyes. “Can I open it, Mom?”

“Sure.” I smiled while watching her tear into the package with excitement.

She pulled out a book and held it up. “It’s the Junie B. Jones Halloween book I wanted!” She handed it to me and reached back into the bag and pulled out a bag of black and orange M&M’s and a Halloween craft project. “This is so awesome. Thank you, Grandma. I love it.”

Laura kneeled down and gave Emery a hug. There was so much about her physically that reminded me of Grant. But there was nothing about their personality traits that was even close to comparison. Laura was kind and compassionate and hadn’t grown up entitled like her son.

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