Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,100

but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.

“You’re taking the rest of the day off.” Hannah walks to the coat rack, holding out my jacket for me.

“No, Hannah, I can work.”

She shakes her head. “Nope. You’re going home.”

I stand, my shoulders slumped as I slide my arms into my coat and Chelsea hands me my bags. They each pull me into a big hug. “You’ll get through this,” Hannah whispers.

“He wasn’t that hot,” Chelsea offers, and we all laugh a little because we know Reed actually was that hot.

“Now, you go.” Hannah opens the door and motions for me to leave.

I walk out, and when I reach the sidewalk, my mind wanders, wondering if Reed is in that building down the street. Is he packing a brown box to take with him? What could have been between us if the timing was right?

I shake my head. Weeks from now he’ll be gone, and I won’t have to worry about running into him. That should help me. Yeah, right.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Two weeks later…

To say I’m finding my footing again would be a complete lie. I go through the routine of my life. I drop Jade off, I go to work, I attend school, I take care of what I need to. None of it with a zest for life. None of it with a smile.

“Mommy,” Jade says interrupting my internal thoughts. She skips along the sidewalk, more chipper than usual for a Monday morning.

“Yeah?”

“Henry said Reed went to New York City?”

Jade hasn’t asked me much about Reed and I see she’s been getting a lot of her information from Henry.

“Yeah.”

“When’s he coming back? He’s been gone for a long time.” She doesn’t look at me and I know she doesn’t understand what’s going on. She thinks he went for a vacation, not to live there permanently.

“I don’t know, Bug. He moved there for a job. He lives there now.”

Her feet halt on the cement and she twirls around, her hands landing on her hips. “What?”

“He got offered a job there, so he moved.”

“Why would he do that?”

I tighten her ponytail, easing her forward with my hand on her back. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“Why would he leave you?”

Talk about a question that’s like throwing a boulder at me, but in the weeks since Reed left, I’ve learned to compartmentalize. “He didn’t leave me.”

I pushed him to leave.

“It was a really great opportunity,” I add.

Her hand weasels into mine and she leans into me. “I’m sorry, Mommy.”

I squeeze her hand. “Thanks, Bug.”

I smile down at her and Reed’s words come back to me. She truly is my light. But he was a close second.

We break the tree line and even though he hasn’t dropped Henry off in three Mondays, my throat still tightens on the ridiculous chance Abe will pull up to the curb and Reed will walk Henry up to the school.

Jade circles around me, waving and saying hello to friends.

“Bug, you gotta go to school.”

She continues circling. Darcie and Georgia have moved on to someone else to pick on now. Most of the drop-off and pickup parents now ignore my existence which is fine by me.

“In a second. I’m waiting for Henry.” She continues circling me, her hands running along my shirt as she rounds each side of me.

I glance at my phone. “It’s getting late, maybe he’s not coming.”

“He’s coming,” she singsongs, not stopping.

“One minute, Jade then you have to go into school.”

“He’ll be here.” She skips around me.

I roll my eyes, waiting for the minute to be up.

“Jade doesn’t want to go to school today?” Darcie asks, and I glance her way.

“You know Mondays.” I’m polite instead of telling her to piss off and mind her own business which is what I really want to do.

“I knew it,” Jade murmurs.

I turn, and the familiar sight of Abe’s car unleashes the butterflies in my stomach.

Henry runs out, heading right toward Jade and my breath is stuck in my throat waiting to see who else is in the backseat.

“Ready, Jade?” Henry asks.

Jade hugs my legs. “Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, Bug.” I pat her back, my attention solely focused on the car.

The back door opens on the street side. A few cars passing by honk and then he circles around—a silver tie clip gripped between his teeth as he ties his tie. Just like the first time I saw him again, his blue suit is pressed and tailored to his body, his hair gelled to messy perfection. I refuse to take my eyes off