Page 82 of The B!tch List

She threw her hands into the air. “You just admitted it, Shaw. It came from your very mouth that Tate said it would help your cause with Tia if you had a girlfriend. And then guess what? Out of the blue you suddenly you decide that you want something more with me. Well, isn’t that a coincidence.”

“I was joking. Tate was joking.” I mean I think Tate was joking.

She exhaled and turned away from me. “Well, it didn’t really sound like that.”

“Nancy.”

“Just go, Shaw. Leave me alone.”

Her posture was rigid, and it was clear that she wasn’t going to budge. I took a step toward the door, not giving up but giving her some time to hopefully forgive me.

“For the record, Nance,” I said, pausing. “I really do like you and even if I didn’t have Tia then I’d want to be with you.”

Then I left and when I got into the elevator, I spent the short journey down banging my head against the wall.

* * *

“Shaw.”

Tate’s voice boomed out from his office and my belly flipped. I’d only ended up being forty minutes late back from lunch and worked like a demon all afternoon to make up for it. Surely, he wasn’t going to yell at me for being late. That I could do without, particularly as I was still beating myself up about Nancy.

I heaved myself out of my chair and walked down to Tate’s office, rapping on the open door once I got there.

“Did you want me?”

He beckoned me in without looking up from the papers on his desk. “Shut the door.”

I did as he suggested and dropped into the chair on the opposite of the desk to him. “Anything wrong?”

He looked up and flashed me a smile. “No. I have news for you.”

“Oh, okay.” That was even more worrying than him ripping me a new one about being late.

“Did you manage to deal with whatever your issue was at lunch?”

“Kind of.” I flashed him a half smile. “That was okay, right?”

“God, yeah. I don’t micromanage people, Shaw. Get your work done and I don’t care whether you come in for an hour or twenty a day.” He took his glasses off and threw them onto his desk. “Okay, so I’ve heard from child services.”

My heart dropped right down to my boots. In fact, I was sure it stopped on the way down.

“What have they said? Is it bad?”

“They’re coming to see you tomorrow. It’s just a meeting at your house with you and Tia. They may want to speak to your mom and dad too. Do you think they can be around?”

I nodded. “I mean I think so. They-they should be okay. I’ll, erm.” I pointed my thumb behind me. “I’ll go and call them to check.”

“It’s not a major issue if they can’t but Tia does need to be there.”

“I figured.” I nodded, feeling like a damn bobble head. “W-what time are they coming?”

Tate looked down at the paper on his desk. “Nine-thirty.” He looked back up at me. “Is that okay? Does that fit in with Tia’s routine?”

“Yes, sure. She wakes at about seven and Mom says she’s been taking a nap at about nine until ten, so that will give them the opportunity to talk to me first.”

“That sounds good. Now, if your mom and dad are there make sure that you are the one that does everything for Tia. Let them see that your mom and dad are all in, but make sure it’s clear that you’re the care giver.”

“Do I tell them that Mom offered to care for her when I’m at school? I mean I’ve applied for childcare at school, but if we can’t get her in…” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “Fuck, I’m petrified Tate. What if they decide to give her back to Mrs. Devonshire?”

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