Page 74 of Burning Love
Talia couldn’t be happier, but she’d told her mother not to expect that to be a recurring thing.
Aileen even told her that she’d liked Jace and thought he was good for her. She was embarrassed that it was said in front of Jace.
She didn’t need nor want any pressure on what they had, but it seemed as if her mother was determined to put it on her.
“I’m leaving for the bookstore.”
She turned her head and saw her mother in the doorway to her office. “Okay. I’ll see you later.”
“Are you going to be home for dinner?”
“Yes. What do you want? I’ll cook.”
“Whatever you want to make,” her mother said. “Jace must be working if you’re home.”
She sighed. “Mom. I only see Jace a few times a week. What is your big deal with all of this?”
Aileen grinned. “Nothing.” Then turned and left her apartment.
Talia rolled her eyes and went back to work. She had a call scheduled with West in twenty minutes. She rarely got one-on-one time with her brother. Maybe she didn’t want it either.
When she was younger, all she did was butt heads with West.
Then she avoided him because he always told her no or to grow up and learn or figure it out.
That could be why she’d been so afraid to finally approach him with what she wanted to do with her career.
Thank God for Elias giving her that nudge and all but holding her hand through it.
She couldn’t even get annoyed with Elias over his behavior on Sunday because it wasn’t nearly as harsh as she thought it’d be.
Her brother got a few digs in early, then Phoebe jumped in and the rest was on her mother.
When nine fifty-eight rolled around, she went to connect to her call. One thing she learned was to never be late.
If West scheduled a time to meet, you better damn well be there when it started.
She sat there by herself for a minute, then West connected with Braylon next to him.
Neither of them was looking happy.
Which was a change for Braylon who was more laid back than Elias. The difference between the two was Elias could lose his temper, Braylon rarely did.
“What’s going on?” she asked right away.
“What the hell, Talia,” West said. “It’s bad enough you’re dating someone that I could have gone to school with.”
She growled. She shouldn’t be surprised it was making the rounds in the family now. She supposed she should be happy Laken never said a word. Even her mother hadn’t for almost two weeks.
Which meant Elias had to have done it.
What a jerk!
“He didn’t live in Fayetteville when you were in high school and not in our district.”
“That isn’t what I mean,” West said. “He’s only a year younger than me. He’s thirty-seven. You’re twenty-four.”
“Thank you for confirming that with me. I wasn’t positive my math was correct.”
