Page 83 of Flame True

He let go of her elbow as her mom approached them. What was with him? She had gone to the studio this morning for him, and now he didn’t like that she was with her mother?

“I heard you girls were going for sushi.” Sheldon strung his arm around Grace. Her mom smiled tightly.

“Yeah. I thought I would treat the girls,” Grace said.

Mulberry danced from foot to foot. She didn’t want to be between her mother, Sheldon and Patrick.

“Patrick is coming too, Dad,” Emma said.

“Hey Nick, good to see you” Sheldon stretched out a hand.

Nick returned it. “Thanks, I was here to pick up Mulberry. We have an early thing tomorrow, babe.”

What early thing? Mulberry turned to him, about to tell him off, when he slung his arm around her and squeezed.

Her cheeks flamed, and she swallowed. “Right, I totally forgot. I’m sorry, mom.”

“It’s okay. Call me later, okay?”

“You got it,” Mulberry said. “I’ll text you, Emma.”

Patrick came running over to them. “I hear this sushi place is awesome. Ready, Grace?” He extended a hand toward her mom, and Grace smiled. “|

Yes. Bye, honey.”

Emma made a face at her as she followed her Dad out, and Mulberry turned, glaring at Nick.

“What’s up?”

“It didn’t look like you wanted to go.”

“I didn’t”

“So I rescued you.”

“Do you always tell people what to do?” Mulberry stomped ahead.

“Yeah. It’s my thing” Nick sent a chilly glaze at her, and Mulberry’s cheeks flamed.

Damn this man for getting under her skin. Her phone buzzed, and she grinned at the text from Emma.

Meet me at Lush tomorrow night with the girls. I’ll send a car.

She texted back.

I’m in.

“Stop doing it to me.”

“You wanted to pretend to be my girlfriend,” Nick said in her ear. “This is part of it.”

His hot breath sent shivers down her spine. She wondered what else he’d tell his girlfriends to do.

“Just get me out of here.”

“My pleasure” Nick put a hand on the small of her back, leading her to the parking lot.

“Ready?” He opened the car door for her.