Page 81 of And Then There Was Us
Principal Shue continued, and this time she spoke in a soft tone, her eyes translating pride toward Brianna. Her normal rigid facade was now more relaxed as she gazed off to the side, as if she were watching a memory unfold before her. “A few months after your father left, you began ignoring those comments. You’d lift your little chin and act as though you were deaf to it all.”
Deaf to it all? I was able to wall my emotions off then, too? Enough of that. No more.Determined not to let Layla experience the same lonely, painful childhood, she changed her mind. “I think I will talk to her. Thank you.”
Twenty minutes later, after running Layla’s lunch back inside, Brianna left the school with more than peace of mind. She had a contented heart as well. She hadn’t yet explained to Layla what Hugh did for a living, and though her classmates made a big deal about it, Layla had raised her palm to the air and told Brianna,All adults drive cars. Hugh’s nice, so I told them that he was nice and to stop asking about his cars. Sheesh!Unlike Brianna, Layla seemed able to handle the situation—at least for now.
HUGH ARRIVED AT Jean’s house at five-thirty. “Wow, that’s a big box.” Brianna opened the door, and her heart swelled at the sight of Hugh. She wondered if she’d ever get used to his good looks or the sparkle that lit up his eyes when he saw her for the first time each day.
Hugh handed her a large gift wrapped in silver paper. “This one’s for you.”
“It’s not my birthday.”
“Sure it is. You gave birth to Layla six years ago. Besides, you can’t get mad about this. It’s a very utilitarian purchase. You need it.”
They went into the living room and Brianna untied the ribbon. “Maybe I need rules about not spoiling me, too.”
“I can adhere to the spoiling rule for children, but a girlfriend shall have no say on her own spoiling.”
Brianna gasped as she took the camera from the box. “Hugh.” She touched it as if it were made of glass.
“CD…Claude helped me pick it out.”
“I can’t accept this. These are super expensive.” She put it back in the box. They’d never discussed finances, and Brianna was sure Hugh earned a lot of money given his cars and what he did for a living, but it was still too lavish of a gift for her to accept.
“Bree, if I have to accept not spoiling Layla, then you have to accept the gifts I choose for you.”
“But…”
He wrapped her in his arms. “I love that you worry, but I promise you that I wouldn’t ever buy anything that I couldn’t afford.” Hugh set the box on the coffee table and pulled Brianna down to the couch beside him. “I make more money in a year than we could ever spend.”
We?She wrinkled her brow.
Layla ran into the room. “Hugh!” She jumped into his lap and assessed the open gift. “Is that present for Mom?”
“Yup. Now she can take pictures of your party,” Hugh said.
“Oh goody!” She slid off his lap and ran into the kitchen. “Grandma! Guess what Mom got!”
A knock at the door drew Brianna’s attention. She should have expected that people would show up early, given the morning newspaper.
“Cheryl, hi.” Brianna opened the door, very aware—by Cheryl’s gaping jaw—of Hugh standing behind her.
Cheryl wore the same outfit she’d had on earlier in the day, though she had on enough perfume to gag a small army. “You must be Hugh. What a pleasure to meet you.” She held out a limp wrist.
Hugh nodded and flashed his dimples. “Hello, Cheryl. Nice to meet you.”
Marissa ran into the house. “See! There he is!” she yelled over her shoulder to three other little girls and their mothers. Each woman dressed as though she were attending a formal, albeit slutty, affair. Brianna had never seen these women in anything other than jeans and T-shirts. Now they flaunted cleavage, short skirts, and more makeup than Kat wore.
The children ran into the backyard with Layla, and the women swooned over Hugh, blinking their heavily mascaraed eyelashes and peppering him with questions.
“I didn’t even know you lived in the area,” Cheryl said.
“How did you two meet?” Lisa, a short blond-haired woman asked.
“We should get together for dinner sometime with the kids,” Kelly, a short, stout brunette suggested.
Hugh put his arm around Brianna and pulled her in close. “I do have a house here, and I was lucky enough to meet Bree at her work.” He kissed the side of her forehead. “Babe, I promised to help Jean with a few things. Do you mind?”
Brianna could have stayed in his arms forever, but the vultures were eye raping him. She didn’t blame Hugh for wanting to escape. Of course they all watched him walk away. Brianna had to admit, he did have a hot butt. Thankfully, the parents from Layla’s class never stayed at birthday parties. They always had an errand to run or another child to care for, so she held the door open for them to leave.
