Page 665 of Hell Hath No Fury
“You know what I mean.”
Colt went silent, suggesting he might know what Foster meant. I didn’t. To me, he sounded like a judgmental asshole. He’d be lucky to have Celeste. She was adorable, fun, and a total sweetheart.
“There’s Ember. I know you noticed Ember. She’s smart as a whip. Damn funny too.”
I smiled at that, feeling warm and fuzzy toward my soon-to-be brother-in-law.
“Isn’t she like a thirty-eight-year-old spinster living at home with her sister and running some fucking woo-woo occult store?”
Excuse me?
“What has gotten into you tonight?” Colt snapped. “Ember is thirty-six, she co-owns a house she inherited from her dead parents, she’s a massage therapist, and sheownsa spa and store.”
“Well, all that’s fine and good, but while you might be into older women, I’m twenty-five, Colt, and not interested in taking on a woman who I assume has a shit ton of baggage. I mean, why is someone like her single at her age?”
That cheeky son of a bitch.
Before I could think it through, I stepped out from behind the wall, and both Colt and Foster looked over sharply. Colt looked horrified. Foster hid his surprise behind a cold mask.
I stared at him like he was a bug and detected the slightest flinch in his expression.
“I’m single because, unfortunately, there are far too many Foster Darwins to Colt Barons. I’d rather be alone than settle for immature man-children who can’t even stand up to Daddy.”
Taking too much satisfaction from the thundercloud that hung over his expression, I sashayed away, waving off Colt’s apology and enjoying the feel of my dress fluttering around my legs as I departed on the last word.
Colt tried to apologize again after what happened. Jade was so angry at Foster at first, but then after she spoke with Colt, her attitude annoyingly changed to understanding and forgiveness. Shouldn’t your big sister be on your side no matter what?
It didn’t matter what age you were. A person needed family to take their side when someone insulted them.
I crossed my arms over my chest, silently listening to them all talk on Foster’s driveway, but not participating. In fact, my mind wandered, and I stared over my shoulder at our front porch, thinking how it needed sprucing up for summer. Maybe we could swap out the swing seat for one of those oversized ones that looked like a bed. How comfy would that be, sitting out on the porch with a glass of iced tea on a warm summer’s day? And if spring was anything to go by, we were in for a hot summer.
A tug on the skirt of my dress brought my attention back around.
To my shock, I found Georgie standing in front of me, her head tilted, dark hair spilling down her tiny shoulders, big, dark eyes staring into mine. She gave me a shy smile.
My heart melted. “Hey.”
“I like your dress,” she said quietly.
I crouched beside her and watched her face light up as the full skirt spread out on the ground around us. “You like dresses?”
She nodded. “My mommy said she’s going to send me dresses from Parees.” She mispronounced the city.
“Dresses from Paris? Well, you know, they’ll be the prettiest dresses in the world.”
“As pretty as yours?”
“Prettier.”
“Come on, Georgie.” Foster was suddenly there and lifted his daughter into his arms. He avoided my gaze as he rubbed his nose against hers and said softly, “Time to see your room.”
And with nothing more than a wave to Colt, Foster carried his kid into his house without saying another word to us.
So. Freaking. Rude.
CHAPTER TWO
Foster
