Page 59 of Faded Gray Lines

Until he touched me.

Placing his hand on my shoulder, Finn gave it a firm squeeze, raking his palm across my back as he slid into the seat facing my mother. “Sorry I’m late, dear.”

The contact lit something within me. Turning around, I ran while mumbling a hoarse apology. Once safely inside the kitchen, I grabbed Amanda by the shoulders.

“You have to take this table for me. I’ll open for you every day next week.”

She waved a hand. “Look, even if I wasn’t slammed, I’m not about to go against the mayor. She specifically asked for you, and she isn’t the type of lady you say no to.”

“Please, I’m begging you.”

“No can do, girl. I already have six of my own.” With a friendly pat on my back, she left me standing there.

I eyed the back door, weighing the repercussions of just walking out, and then rejecting the idea just as fast. Emilio would fire me, and Alex still expected me to find a way into his safe.

I can do this. Just breathe.

The walk back to their table felt like a death march, their eyes following me the whole way.

“What would you like?” I asked, tossing a basket of chips on the table.

My mother eyed the basket like it was fresh roadkill. “An apology would be nice.”

“An apology?” I laughed. “For what?”

“Walking away was rude, Leighton. You know how I feel about rude behavior. I expect my daughter to treat me with a modicum of respect.”

Running a hand across my throat, I rolled the gold ‘L’ pendant I always wore through my fingers and glared at Finn. “Then maybe you should’ve left him at home.”

The asshole smiled at me. “Sweetheart...”

“I’m not your sweetheart,” I snapped.

My mother cleared her throat. “All right, can we please not make a scene? There are voters here, and I’d prefer not to make the news.” Pasting on her plastic smile again, she picked up an oily chip from the basket, sniffed it, then quickly replaced it. “Darling, I’m here because I wanted to clear the air about something.”

“I already told you I’ll come to your stupid party.”

She held my eye. “No, not that. Brody told me about your little secret.”

My skin chilled. No, Brody wouldn’t do that. No matter how mad he was, he wouldn’t sell me out.

“What secret?” I asked, cursing the wobble in my voice.

The pity in her eyes almost did me in. “Leighton, I know why you never came home. He told me.”

Then it hit me what she meant.

Oh, fuck. Brody, no...

The pins and needles came back. There was no way I was discussing this with her. Not with everything else going on. Not at Caliente, and especially not in front ofhim.

“I don’t know what you think you know, but—”

“Honestly, I’m offended you confided in your brother but didn’t trust your own mother with such a thing,” she huffed.

A thing?

Was this really happening?