Ami Weaver – An Accidental Family (страница 7)

Jacqui looked surprised. Or would have if the Botox hadn’t been working so well. “Well, we already know how you’re doing. The whole town does. We’ve got your best interests at heart, dear. Always.”

Lainey shut her eyes. How often had she heard that little line? When would it actually prove to be true? “How exactly does this help me?” She braced herself for the kicker.

“Well, you won’t have the monthly payment anymore. We won’t make you pay rent. And you can live here now. We’ll rent out that little apartment.” Her mother sounded pleased, as if she’d truly solved a problem. Her father nodded in agreement as they exchanged a look.

She sucked in a sharp breath. “No. I can’t live here.” How am I supposed to puke in private every morning? Hide my rounding belly? Raise my child here? Panic seized her and she jumped up as her father’s phone rang. He checked it, and rose.

“I’ve got to run. Lainey, we’ll talk more later. But for now we feel this is the best thing for you.”

He kissed her cheek and strode out of the room. Lainey stared after him, floored because both of her parents seemed to think this was a done deal and hadn’t bothered to truly consider her. “Why did no one ask me? Has no one noticed I’m an adult? I’m not moving back home.” Where she’d go, she didn’t know. But it wouldn’t be here.

Jacqui set her snifter on the table. “Of course you are, dear. That little place isn’t good for you. We’ve got plenty of room. We can remodel your suite if you’d like. Daniel agrees you should be here.”

Lainey whipped around so fast she nearly got dizzy. “He has no say in my life. None. We’re divorced, remember?”

Jacqui leaned forward, her gaze earnest. “You were wrong, Lainey. He loves you and he’s willing to give you a second chance. What is so bad about that? Now you don’t have to struggle anymore. We’ve taken care of it.”

Lainey stared back. Her mother really believed it. She could see the sincerity in the other woman’s gaze, hear it in her voice. They didn’t understand it was Lainey’s problem and she wanted to be the one to solve it—or not. That had been the whole point of taking over the shop—to make it work by herself. Now the choice was gone.

She lifted her chin and met her mother’s expectant gaze. “I’m not coming home.” Each word came out crystal-clear and Jacqui’s eyes widened. “I’m happy where I am. I love my job, my shop. My apartment. I’m not going to give it up, give you control of my life, because you can’t accept I’m an adult and haven’t chosen the path or the man you wanted for me.”

Jacqui frowned. “Lainey, please be reasonable. You needed help. We gave it to you.”

“Yes, but at what cost to me?” Despair rose and Lainey fought it back, preferring anger. There was really only one option here, since she wasn’t going to walk away from the shop she loved. “What do I have to do to get it back?”

Jacqui sat back. “Pardon?”

“I want it back,” she repeated. “I’ll buy the building flat out from you. And you’ll have to completely butt out of my life.”

Jacqui frowned, as if this wasn’t going the way she’d planned. “I don’t think—”

Lainey stood up, the words she should have said years ago boiling out of her. “I’m not letting you force me into this. And there’s no hope for Daniel. You have no idea what my marriage was like. None. I’d hope you’d want better for me, even if it’s not what you would have chosen.” She picked up her purse with shaking hands. “I’m going, Mother. I’ll find somewhere else to live. And don’t worry. I will make those rent payments on my shop. They will be on time. I’m never late.”

Pulse roaring in her ears, she walked away before Jacqui could say anything else.

The nerve. Lainey pulled over a couple of miles past the house and sat for a minute, tears of rage pouring down her face. The nerve.

Poor Esther. Lainey hoped they’d at least given the woman a fair price. But while apparently not above blackmail, her parents weren’t cheats. One small thing in this whole mess to take comfort in.

What she needed was a plan. One that could get her the money, and the time, to solve this herself—which was all she wanted. Just to prove she could do it—run a business, be successful on her own terms without any help from her family.

To show them she wasn’t a screw-up, but just as worthy of being a Keeler as they were.

She fished a napkin out of the glove box and wiped her face. Crying wasn’t going to solve anything. She put the car back in gear and headed for the public park at the lake. She’d spent many hours here as a kid, and later as a teen when she’d needed space. Sure, there was a private beach at her parents’ home, but the park had swings and a playground, now upgraded to a fancy plastic playscape. They’d kept the old metal merry-go-round, her favorite thing in the park.

The gathering twilight and chilly breeze off the water ensured the park itself was empty, though a couple cars parked nearby indicated joggers still out on the loop that ran next to the water.

Lainey pulled the hood of her jacket up and settled on a swing. She scuffed her feet in the wood chips, then backed up, ready to swing. Back and forth she went, pumping her legs, stretching out in the swing until her hood slid off and her hair fell in her face when she leaned forward. The moon hung over the quiet lake, full and incandescent, a bright star to its left. Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. A small laugh escaped her, followed by more tears. She’d gone way beyond childish wishes, even if as a kid she’d believed in the power of the first star. The tensions of her parents’ betrayal slid away in the stinging wind, into the encroaching darkness. Finally she stopped pumping, let herself glide through the cool evening air, slowly coming to a stop.

A motion to her left caught her eye and she turned her head.

Ben Lawless sat on the merry-go-round, watching her. Her belly clutched. Oh, no. What was he doing here?

“Did it work?” Despite his low tone, she heard him clearly.

Caught, Lainey forced herself to meet his gaze. “Did what work?”

“The swinging. The tears. You looked like you were trying to get rid of something.”

She tilted her head so it rested on the chain. No point in denying it. She didn’t want to. “For the moment, maybe.” Though the ache under her heart hadn’t gone away.

Her parents had bought her building. She squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of betrayal washed over her. How had she not seen it coming?

When she looked back over at Ben he stood up from the merry-go-round, gave it a small shove with his hand. It wobbled in a slow circle. “For the moment?”

Lainey scuffed her foot in the wood chips. Was that an opening for her to talk, no matter how reluctantly issued? She almost laughed. Where would she start? With her parents? With her baby? With her ex-husband? With the father of said baby? “I don’t know. Can we not talk about it?” The very thought of trying to explain the twisted mess her life had become exhausted her.

Ben laughed—a quick deep flash that sent tingles though her body. “As long as we don’t talk about me.”

His grief-stricken face flashed across her memory. “Deal.” She hopped out of the swing and her balance shifted a bit. No doubt an effect of her pregnancy. She started toward the water, simply needing to move.

She was surprised when Ben caught up to her. He walked beside her, his arm almost brushing hers. Even without the contact she could feel the heat from his big body as hers seemed to be way too tuned in to him.

This was bad.

Distracted, she stumbled a bit on the uneven sand. He caught her arm—pure reflex, she was sure—especially because he let go of her almost as soon as he touched her, as though she’d burned him somehow.

“Careful,” he said, his voice low.

“Thanks,” she murmured, keeping her eyes on the ground. His scent, a yummy mix of soap and fresh air, drifted over to her. She curled her fingers into fists and shoved them in her pockets so she didn’t do something stupid—like reach for him and bury her face in his chest.

Even as the urge confused and scared her she knew Ben wouldn’t lie to her, use her, or treat her like a wayward child. Even with his secrets, he came across as sincere in a way she so wanted to believe in.

Except she was done with believing.

They stopped when they reached the lake. The water was almost mirror-still. Perfect for skipping rocks. When was the last time she’d done that? The moon was bright enough that she could see pretty well, so she started to hunt for flat stones. She didn’t look at Ben, but could feel him watching her.

Strangely, not talking felt right. She didn’t feel she needed to fill the night with chatter—after the bombshell her parents had laid on her that was a good thing—and he seemed to be quiet because he was more comfortable without words.

She picked up a rock—a flat disk, smooth and cold in her hand. She lined up and let it fly over the still water, counting twelve skips. She couldn’t resist a little fist pump. She still had it after all these years.

“Not bad.” Ben fingered his own rock. “My turn.”

“Good luck,” she said politely. She’d always been a top-notch rock-skipper. One of her many under-appreciated talents. She couldn’t smother a small sigh. No doubt her mother would be appalled.