Page 64 of Inflame Me
My throat dries, and I feel the room closing in on me. Shit.
“Georgia is a very big place,” I respond, not lying in the least.
Her hand comes out and clutches my arm. “I’m so scared. I …” Fresh tears coat her eyes, and the pit of my stomach drops for this woman. She loves the asshole, and chances are, she’ll never see him again. And I’m okay with that. I’m actually okay that this woman is crying for a man who put his hands on me. What in the hell is wrong with me?
She bats away the wetness and blots her face with tissues. “I’m sorry. You have enough on your plate. Griff loved James so much.”
You have no idea.“I know he did.” I rinse my hands quickly, knowing I have sanitizer in my purse. I need to get out of here. “I have to go find my mom.”
“Oh, sure, dear. Thanks for listening.”
I haul ass out to my mom. I thank the clock on the wall that tells me this is almost over.
“Mom.” I bend down to her ear and whisper, “We need to go.” I’m hoping to convey that I’m just done. I’ve had my fill and need to retreat to somewhere far, far away.
Mom nods and rises from the chair, excusing herself from the table of people I’ve met yet can’t remember their names.
Mom says her good-byes with me next to her, smiling and nodding the entire time. Walking up to James’s parents, my stomach starts churning.
“Mearna, darling,” James’s mother Rose says, the stench of her floral perfume filling the space. My mother goes willingly into her arms, hugging her back. “I know this probably isn’t the time, but we talked to the lawyer. He has a will that James filed, leaving everything he has to you, including his pension.”
I grasp my mom’s hand, not knowing exactly what that means, but I know it’s good.
“He also said that the insurance company is investigating, but the police have already closed, saying it was an accidental fire. You should be able to get the recovery of it.”
I want to say,yes, because she owns the house, but maybe his parents don’t know that tidbit of information. Therefore, I keep my lips shut. I just want the hell out of here.
“I have an appointment tomorrow with the insurance company in hopes of getting things sorted,” she says.
“I heard you met your father.” Tim, James’s father, looks at me. His gaze is expectant.
“Yes,” I answer.
“That’s awfully nice,” Tim says, looking at my mother. “Strange, the timing.”
I don’t move an inch as my mother squeezes my hand. “Tanner has been asking for quite some time. I am absolutely devastated about James.” She plays it off. My mother is officially the shit. Yes. The. Shit.
“Sure you are, honey.” Rose pats my mother’s arm.
Tim tilts his head, and I meet him stare for stare. It’s like he’s looking inside of me or something. Go for it. I don’t waver a bit, and he is the first to look away. Relief fills me. I have learned from my mother, and I like that a lot.
My mother wastes no time getting us the hell out of there.
I SHUT THE DOOR to the apartment and plop my purse on the floor along with my keys.
“Bad day?” my mother asks.
I move to the couch and lie down a bit dramatically, but that’s how I feel at the moment: pissed, hurt, alone, slapped in the face … I can go on.
“Went to see Anderson. He replaced me at the shop and no longer needs my services, or so he says.” I lost my job, even though I used some of my vacation time. “He said that, since I didn’t call him to tell him what was going on, he just replaced me.”
“Did you tell him that James died?” Mom asks, coming to sit in the chair next to the couch.
“Yep. He said he was sorry, but that was it. He hired this blonde bimbo with tits so huge she needs two bras to hold them up. And get this, she calls him sir. What the hell is that about?” I grind out and Mom chuckles. “This isn’t funny. I have no money!”
“Sweetheart, calm down. First of all, we have plenty of money. The insurance payoff is on its way, and I have plenty to hold us over. Second, if she is calling him sir in that sense, be happy that you’re not her.” She laughs more.
She’s right. I’ve read enough books and watched enough movies to know where she is going with this. Still, I loved that job. It was an awesome place to work at.
