had with reason. It was absolutely infuriating. I knew she didn’t mean to cause trouble when she told him about my life, but my misguided anger was fuel by her betrayal.
“Listen,” she said. “I’m sorry that I told him all that stuff. I had no idea he was going to propose to you. I mean, I’ve had worse offers of marriage! I understand why you wouldn’t go for it. But still, it has to feel good to know that it’s an option.”
“It isn’t an option; it never was. I don’t want to get married for money, and that’s final. If Jackson comes in again, I’m going to kick him out. I’m going home. It’s slow, so I’m sure you can handle it.”
“Okay.”
“And do me a favor? Try not to share my life with anyone else. I don’t know how things are done around here, but where I come from, you keep your mouth shut if it doesn’t concern you.”
Storming from the bar, I was shaking with anger. It was almost enough to send me over the edge when I jogged up the apartment steps to find a shut-off notice taped to the door. My stomach churned. The tips had been good, but the bills kept growing. I would have to find a second job before the end of the week. As I stepped into the sweltering apartment, my mother smiled up at me.
“It’s a little warm in here today,” she said.
“That’s because they shut the power off, Ma. I won’t be able to get it turned back on until the morning. Otherwise, they’ll charge me an extra hundred dollars for after hours, and I don’t have it, okay?”
“Honey, why didn’t you say something? I’ve got some savings in my Bible here.”
I cringed as I watched her flip through the small, worn black book on her lap. The savings she’d tucked away had been gone for almost a year. She’d given it to me when the truck needed a new battery. Her memory was starting to get worse. It was yet another side effect of the treatments.
“Oh, I wonder what happened to it,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry about it, Mama, just think of this like camping. We can light some candles, and before you know it, you’ll be waking up to your morning programs and some coffee, okay?”
“That’s fine, sweetheart. Why don’t you go get a shower, and I’ll make you some soup?”
“I ate at the bar, Ma,” I reminded her. “And the power is off so I can’t get a shower, but I could use a good night’s sleep. Do you want me to light a candle?”
“Heavens no, this darkness is making me tired as it is. I love you, sweetheart. If you want soup, let me know.”
I sighed. “I will. Goodnight, Ma.”
Feeling my way to my bed, I collapsed down onto it as I kicked off my shoes. It was still early, considering the time I usually got home. Between the alcohol and silence of the apartment, though, I knew sleep would come quickly. My mind was still racing over the conversations with Jackson. How could any man think that it was appropriate to propose like that?
He was probably tucked away in one mansion or another, the cool air and a full stomach greeting him as it had every night of his life. I longed to be in a massive bed, sprawled out naked beneath him as the air licked at my nipples. It would be bliss to know my mother was safe. I hadn’t had a night without unrest since her memory had started to fade. Every bump and noise in the night woke me.
My heart sagged, weighing me down. Was it so wrong to consider his offer? My mother deserved a better life than I’d given her. What would I be giving up by being Jackson's bride? It seemed my very heart was on the line. With a heavy conscious, I slipped into another night of fitful sleep.
11
Chapter Ten (Jackson)
“I was starting to think he’d never leave!” Walker laughed.
“Was there a woman chasing you again?” Thompson asked.
“I heard he was chasing a woman,” Brett winked.
My mother looked up, her eyes hopeful. “What are you boys talking about now?”
Of course, that would be the one thing she would pick up on as we sat at Sunday dinner. The event had been moved back to my parents’ estate, located in the center of all the properties. It felt good to be back, even if it seemed like I hadn’t been