Page 44 of Seeking Her Studs

I haven’t heard a word from her since she ran off to Panama City with my life savings. She’s tanned and her hair is bleached blonde, a change from the mousy brown woman who I last saw. Her face is plump with fillers and Botox that I guess I paid for.

Anger boils in my blood.

And she has the audacity to smile.

“I knew you’d be here,” she says, looking completely self-satisfied. “You never could stay away from the Rile brothers.”

“That’s the first thing you say to me? After you stole practically everything to my name?” I want to slam the door on her, but I also want to scream as loud as possible. I want to make that smile melt off and see her run away, defeated, like I’ve dreamed of doing for so many years.

“Blaire, still so dramatic. I didn’t steal anything. That money was money you would never have made if it weren’t for me. You probably replaced it in one movie.” She takes a step toward me and I recoil. “Honey,” she continues. “You have to understand how unhappy I was. I needed to do something for me for once.”

“It’s not about the money.” I shake my head in utter disbelief. “How can you think this is about money?”

“What’s it about then, sweetheart? Tell me.” She says with obvious fake concern. It used to work on me so damn well as a kid. I would say that I didn’t want to do another movie. Or that I wanted to go to school like a normal kid. And she would pretend to be so understanding, nodding and comforting me, and then she’d get me to do the damn movie, anyway. I never had a say in anything. I was only tricked into believing I did. And for what? So she could run away to another country and pretend she’s not a shitty person for the rest of her life?

“Why are you even here? Did Patricia put you up to this?” I look around the corner, expecting a swarm of people to be waiting.

At least it only seems to be my mom.

For now.

“Patricia called me because she’s concerned about you.” She tilts her head and her fake sincerity makes me want to vomit. “She thinks you’re going through something and I’d say she’s right. Honey, that’s a multimillion-dollar contract you’re messing with by running away like this. To do what? Play house for a little? And look at you, you’re wearing overalls and, well, the way they fit. It doesn’t look like you’ve been eating right-”

“Alright, I’ve heard enough,” an angry voice booms from behind me. I don’t need to turn around to know it’s Colt. He settles his body behind me and I take a deep breath for the first time since I opened the door. “Why don’t you get the fuck off my property?”

My mom opens her eyes wide as if she’s the victim here.

“Honey, are you going to let him talk to me like that?” She looks at me.

A hand braces the door and opens it wider. I know that Briggs and Reese have now joined me at the entrance.

“I’m going to agree with my brother here,” Briggs says with more aggression than I’ve ever heard from him. “Get the hell off our property.”

My mom’s face instantly changes from concern to anger. She knows she’s been beat, and no wounded bird act is going to get her out of this.

“Fine. Throw your life away, Blaire. I’ll watch from the comfort of my beachfront property.” She says with venom. “You never did appreciate everything that I did for you.”

Now Reese steps out and begins guiding her off of the front step.

“Get your hands off of me,” she steps away from him.

“Man, no wonder Blaire has such a hard time trusting people.” He lifts his hands up as she continues to walk away. “You’re about as toxic as they come. All the beachfront property in the world can’t even fix that. Just remember that as you spend Blaire’s money.”

“Blah, blah, blah,” she says loudly as she steps into her car, attempting to block his words out. It’s so ridiculous that the urge to break down in sobs suddenly gets hijacked by the sight of her looking like a petulant child.

It’s… so absurd. I start to laugh.

My laughs can be heard over the sound of her engine and until she drives away out of sight.

Reese turns around after watching her drive away and looks at me, confused.

“You okay there, Hollywood?” He smiles uncertainly as he walks towards me. “Because I gotta say, this isn’t the reaction I was expecting.”

“I’m great,” I say, wiping a tear of laughter away from my eyes. “To be honest, I don’t even know why I’m laughing. I think I just have never seen anyone stand up to my mom before and her reaction was just…”

“Blah, blah, blah!” Reese mimics my mom, getting down the angry walk and everything.

Now we’re all laughing.