do it myself. I wanted to rip the woman’s bleached, pin straight hair out by the roots, but I had my boy with me, and I needed to think about him. Only him. This woman wasn’t even a blip on my radar.
Not one to draw negative attention to herself, Cordelia quickly released my arm and took a step back.
“Mom?” Brantley called again once we were several aisles away. “Who was that lady?”
Pushing away the sick, twisted feeling that had my stomach in knots, I tipped my head down and pasted on a cheery smile. “No one you need to worry about, kiddo. Promise. She’s just some old lady.” He still looked unsure. Wanting to erase that uneasiness from his precious face, I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave him a little shake. “Now, how about we go find those green beans?”
The concern disappeared and my boy was back, making a dramatic retching sound before declaring, “Yuck!”
By the time Brantley and I finished in the store and were loading the trunk of my car, I’d all but forgotten about my run-in with Jensen’s mother. At least until my son tugged on the side of my shirt to get my attention and stage-whispered, “Momma, that old lady’s back.”
My head flew around, and sure enough, Cordelia was heading right for us, coming as fast as her expensive heels would allow. “Shane, please,” she called. “I really need to talk to you. It’ll only take a minute!”
“Brantley, get in the car and close the door,” I ordered as I grabbed the last bag from the cart, tossed it in the trunk, and slammed it closed.
My kid’s grip on my shirt grew tighter as he burrowed against me. Fear coated his words as he whispered, “Mommy?”
I turned back to him and bent at my waist, giving him a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, baby. I promise. There’s nothing to be scared of, but I want you to get in the car for me, okay? I’ll buckle you into your booster in just a second. For now, you can pick what we listen to on the radio.”
That seemed to appease him. “Okay.” He quickly scuttled around and hopped into the back seat, and as soon as the door closed after him, I wheeled around and stomped the two steps that separated me from Cordelia Rose.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I hissed, getting in her face. “You make an approach that ends with me threatening to call security and somehow you think it’s okay to chase after me in the parking lot? Have all those pills finally caused your brain to deteriorate?”
“I’m sorry. I know this isn’t appropriate—”
“You’ve got that goddamn right,” I snarled. “Now, I don’t know what you have to say, and I really don’t care. If you get anywhere near me or my son again, I’ll file a restraining order.”
I turned on my heel and started back for the car as she cried out, “Please, Shane. You have to listen! He’s going to take everything!”
I knew I shouldn’t, but I found myself slowing at the desperation in her voice. “What are you talking about?”
“Jensen. He’s going to take it all. He found out his father took the money from the account he set up for you, and now he’s demanding it all be paid back. We’ll lose everything! Please, you have to talk to him. Make him see reason. I know he still loves you. He’ll listen to you.”
I stared at her in flabbergasted amazement for several seconds before my head fell back and I let out a loud, booming laugh. “You can’t possibly be serious right now,” I said through my hysterics. “Let me get this straight. Your husband, the abusive, evil prick, stole money Jensen had set aside for me and his son. He found out and is now demanding the miserable prick pay back the money he had no legal right to, and you’re here asking me to convince Jensen not to? Did you honestly think this would work?”
“You don’t understand—”
On that, I lost it. “Oh I understand perfectly!” I snapped, charging the woman until we were barely an inch apart. “You and your piece-of-shit husband took from me and my child for years. Because of you, I’ve had to work myself to the bone just to keep a roof over our head and food on the table. My boy hasn’t had a chance at the life he deserves because you”—I jabbed my finger into her chest, forcing her back