Page 50 of The Curveball
I can’t have them insisting I need to come move back into my childhood bedroom. I crave the independence. When your life is filled with conditions to earn love, when you get that first taste of rebellion, when you start to stand on your own two feet, it’s almost impossible to go back.
Except when I pretend to have a boyfriend all to get my dad off my back. I’m still a work in progress with my need to please the man. But he holds such shiny things over my head, like skyrocketing Griffin’s foundation, it’s hard to refuse him.
“Let me catch up.” Cleo holds up her palm. “This guy hits your car, ensures you’re safe, concussion checks you all night, and gives you half his house to sleep in?”
“Pretty much.”
“Lucy,” Cleo turns the screen to her face. “What do you think about blush for colors? I think it would really fit with a desert landscape theme.”
“I’ve always thought bright colors against the brown,” my mom says.
“I mean, either way, it’s fine. But we need to get planning because this girl is marrying this boy.”
Cleo and my mom share a good laugh.
I shake my head. “Ha, ha. You two are hilarious.”
“Not joking, punkin.”
“You better tell her, Cleo,” my mom says, her voice low.
“Tell me what?”
Now, it’s Cleo’s turn to shift in her chair. She starts to avoid my eyes. This isn’t going to be good.
“Well, the thing is, after we spoke with Grant, we saw the post from the Vegas Kings, plus a few follow up questions about the man’s inebriation, and when we hadn’t heard from you, sweetie, we really didn’t know what to think.”
“Cleo, that was one long, one-breath statement. What have you done?”
“I might’ve called the boys,” she says, her head turned toward the wall. “And they, well, they might’ve found out where Griffin lives. It’s not that hard, I guess, which really isn’t safe.”
I shoot up from my chair. “The boys are going to Griffin’s house thinking he hit me in a drunk driving accident? They’re just jumping to that instead of calling me first? Instead of reading my posts on my social media!”
“Well, you know they get a little heated when it comes to this kind of thing.”
I point my face at the ceiling and release a weird growl. “This is why I stay tight-lipped on some things. This, right here.” I start to gather my purse and fumble with a few dollars to pay for my smoothie. It falls out on the table in a scattered mess. There isn’t time to stack it neatly. “I need to go. Next time, I beg of you, if you’re worried about me,call me.”
“Wren, the same could be said for you!” my mom says. “A phone call during the event would be nice so we don’t jump to conclusions from the internet. You’re a grown woman, but I will never not be your mother.”
Doubtless steam is coming out of my ears. “Touché, but I still think you guys went a little mama bearish, and admit it, you both like to sic the irrational beasts on the world to defend my weak little self.”
Cleo looks away again. I’m so right on this. My brothers are overprotective, and so are these two women. Griffin thinks I’m feral? He has no idea who I was raised with.
“Phone calls. Texts. Do not have Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum go out looking for vengeance before calls are made to me! I swear, this happens all the time.”
“Now you’re overreacting,” my mom says. “It only happenssometimes.”
“Sometimes is too much! I’m not overreacting, but Darren and Carter will overreact.” I give Cleo a quick hug, blow a kiss to my mom’s face, then scoot toward the door. “Now, I’ll call you later. I need to go save Griffin Marks from going missing.”
“Ask him his thoughts on the color blush!”
I growl once more before sprinting to Griffin’s car.
CHAPTER16
GRIFFIN
“Baby,you don’t need to keep doing this.” My mom tilts her head and watches as I slither my big-self out from beneath her kitchen sink. “I’ve got enough in my darn bank account to pay someone to come and have a look.”