Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,40

to my heart or my sex drive anymore.

Chapter Twelve

“I forgot to tell you. I scored a car for the carnival at the kids’ school.” Reed and I walk along Navy Pier after the movie, Jade and Henry in front of us, pointing and gawking at all the big boats.

I cringe. “You did? How much was it?”

“It’s covered.”

I shake my head. “No way. Let me pay. It was my idea.”

“Not necessary. I know a guy.”

“You know a guy?” I look over at him with an eyebrow raised.

He shrugs, but his eyes tell me he’s full of shit. We reach the end of the pier and the kids stare out at the boats on Lake Michigan.

“I get everything else then. The eye protection, the sledgehammers—”

A soft chuckle escapes his lips. “You’re going to buy the sledgehammers by yourself?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I turn to face him.

“Because they weigh a shit-ton.”

“I’m stronger than I look,” I say with mock confidence. Inside I’m wondering exactly how much sledgehammers really do weigh.

Reed nods, though I’m not sure he’s really buying it, and pulls his phone out of his coat pocket.

Pictures.

“Jade and Henry, look over here.” He snaps a few pics of their smiling faces. “Go stand by the kids,” he says to me, still holding the phone out in front of him.

I cross my arms over my chest. “Nope.”

His arms drop a few inches. “You don’t want me to have a photo of you?”

I shake my head. “No, that’s not it.”

That’s totally it though.

He shrugs and stuffs the phone back in his pocket. “We need to go down to the county to get approval plus we should talk to the principal at St. Pats. I figure we should do it together.”

“You already did all that research?” I step over to a nearby bench facing the lake and take a seat. The cold metal on my backside and the cool breeze coming off the lake remind me that summer is still a ways away.

Reed follows me over and sits down beside me with only a few inches separating us. “Well...”

“You paid someone,” I finish for him.

He doesn’t look over at me. “I have assistants. They like to take care of things.”

I shake my head in mock disappointment, though I guess I’m not really surprised. I’m sure he’s a busy guy. “Are you going to have your assistants order your future wife flowers for your anniversary?” My joke doesn’t hold the humor I thought it would when it leaves my lips.

He shifts to face me on the bench, no amusement to be found in his perfect features. “Never. Is that what Pete did to you?”

“No. Pete didn’t buy me flowers.” My gaze finds the pigeons flying around, I feign interest—anything to let me break the connection with Reed. I’m ruining a beautiful day with my baggage, slicing it to pieces with the knife still lodged in my back from my ex-husband’s betrayal.

He doesn’t comment and I’m certain that’s because he knows it to be true.

Jade and Henry keep themselves busy and the silence between Reed and myself seems to grow heavier and heavier, like a weighted fog surrounding us until he finally speaks.

“I like you, Victoria,” he murmurs his confession.

“Gee Billy, I think you’re swell too. Want to share a milkshake?”

He glances over at me. Fear grips my heart. He’s going to call me out on my bullshit, force me to confront things I don’t want to. Instead, he says wryly, “I think that’s my line.”

“What?”

“The milkshake, back when Billy and Jane were sharing milkshakes, a girl never would’ve asked.”

I can’t help but laugh.

His shoulders rise and fall. “It’s the truth.”

“Good thing I wasn’t a teenage girl in that decade.”

“I’m not sure. If you were then, maybe you’d be more amenable and agree to go out with me.” His tone is light and teasing, but it’s clear he wants to know why I keep denying him.

I face him ready to explain myself. Time for me to just lay it out there for him. All the complications that are my life.

“Listen.”

Hearing Jade and Henry talking about a dead fish that’s floating in the water, I know they’re fine, so I give Reed my complete attention.

“It’s not that I don’t like you.”

He covers his heart and pretends to faint. “Did you just admit you like me? Has hell frozen over?”

My eyes bore a hole into his head and he raises his hands in defense. “Sorry,” he murmurs.

“What’s not to like? Though you’re a lawyer,” I spit the word out like