Page 24 of Eleven of a Kind

“You know what, Piper? Fine. It’s over. The fact that you’re freaking out over three words makes you an unstable woman. Thank you for showing your true colors so I don’t have to waste any more of my time.” He stormed out of the backroom.

I took a deep breath and walked out to the front of the store, where I saw Tara and Raj standing behind the counter as if they weren’t listening to our conversation.

“I know the two of you were at the door listening,” I said. “Don’t pretend you weren’t.”

“We won’t.” Raj smiled. “We heard every unstable word.”

“Can you believe he said I was unstable? Fuck him.”

“Well—” Tara rolled her eyes up to the ceiling.

“You’re not unstable, Piper.” Raj hooked his arm around me. “You’re just a woman who knows what she doesn’t want. Maybe next time, tell the guy it’s over right after he tells you he loves you.”

“I basically did,” I said.

“No. You lied about being sick first, darling. Let’s practice.” He gripped my shoulders. “Piper, you’re the best woman in the world and complete me. I love you.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way. It’s over between us. Please don’t call me again.”

“See.” Raj grinned. “Easy peasy.”

“You two are so dumb.” Tara laughed.

CHAPTER9

Riley

I lay in my bed as tears streamed down my face while staring at the picture of my mom and me. I missed her so much, and the ache in my heart felt like it was there to stay forever. Adjusting to a new place wasn’t hard for me because I’d done it my entire life. But I did it with her.

It was six a.m., and I was thirsty, so I went downstairs to the kitchen for a bottle of water. After grabbing it from the fridge, I turned around and saw a woman sneaking down the stairs.

“Who are you?” I asked.

She stopped and placed her hand over her heart. “You scared me, kid. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“Shouldn’t you have left last night?” I arched my brow. “The others do.”

“What’s going on—” My dad stopped and stared at me. “Riley, why are you up already?” he asked with irritation.

“I wanted a bottle of water.” I held it up.

“I’ll call you, Brooke,” he said to her as he opened the front door.

“Bye, Brooke,” I said with a cocky attitude. “You’re not going to call her. Why lie?”

“That’s none of your business.” He pointed at me as he walked over to the coffee maker. “You’re not even supposed to be up yet.”

“Whatever. I get it.” I sat down on the stool at the island.

“Get what?” my dad asked.

“You’re a man-whore.”

“Excuse me? I am not.”

“Yeah, you are. That’s the third woman you’ve brought home since I’ve been here.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tipped the coffee cup to his lips.

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