Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,78

the picture I just admired. “Those are my parents.”

Jade looks over and then buries her head in her pie and ice cream. I have a feeling I’ll be playing a game of twenty questions later tonight.

“May I use your bathroom?” I slide out from the chair.

“Of course, it’s right near the front door.”

I walk through the dining room to find Reed and Ned’s heads bent over a set of papers, each with a glass of whiskey or scotch next to them. Reed glances up, the pen he’s using to keep his place as he reads through the papers pausing. His expression looks like he just saw the worst car crash. You know the one where you see the paramedics pulling someone out and goose bumps travel up your spine.

“I’m just going to the bathroom,” I say, not sure what else to say at our awkward exchange.

He forces a smile and then stares back down at the paperwork.

By the time I’m out of the bathroom, Jade has her coat back on and Reed is standing at the door with her. Helen, Ned, and Henry stand there to say goodbye.

“Oh, we’re leaving?”

“I told them how you need to study for that test,” Reed says.

Reed holds out my coat for me. I slide my arms through the sleeves. “It was great meeting you. Thank you for the pie.”

Ned shakes my hand. Helen hugs me and Henry high fives us, but hugs Jade close to his body.

I smile as widely as I can, baffled as to why Reed is pushing us to leave so quickly.

“Walk?” I ask.

“Yeah.” Reed’s hand smooths down his cheek and he blows out a breath.

Jade skips along in front of us, stopping to admire some tulips and flowers that are starting to bloom.

“So, are you going to tell me why we rushed out so fast?” I ask.

“They want me to be his guardian should anything happen to one of them.” There’s no tremor in his voice and he’s not fidgety. Does nothing get to this man?

“Oh boy,” I say.

“Yeah.”

“What did you say?”

We round the corner and Jade stops to pet a dog that probably just wants to do his business.

“I told him I had to think about it.” Reed seems lost in his own head.

I definitely don’t want to weigh in on the subject. I’m just a girlfriend, a recent one at that. Still, I can’t help but wonder what Reed will do. It’s not like when you agree to be a guardian for a young and healthy married couple where the chances are slim you’ll ever actually have to step-up. In this case, there’s a strong possibility that in the next eleven years, something could happen to Ned or Helen, and Reed will become solely responsible for him. Even for a saint like Reed, a request like that is enough to test anyone’s level of commitment.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Thank goodness that asshole isn’t here.” Hannah slides into the booth at Torrio’s Table the following Tuesday, taking in the other patrons.

“Yeah, thankfully,” Chelsea agrees as her eyes sweep over the bar.

I have a feeling she may have had an appreciation for the silver fox that Hannah loves to hate.

“Why do you hate him so much?” she asks. “I mean I get the fact that he was your ex’s divorce attorney, but—”

“He’s a pompous ass who tried to take everything from me. Believe me, he has a reputation and my ex hired him because of that reputation. A surgeon’s salary and the house in North Shore wasn’t enough for my ex. He wanted my money and my trust fund, too. Thought he was entitled to it. After all the shit he pulled.” Hannah’s body tenses and I glance to Chelsea to with a look of warning.

Lucky for us the same waiter from last week comes by and places three vespers down on the table.

“Thank you,” Chelsea coos, her eyes taking him in.

He eye fucks her for a minute and then turns back around like he’s playing hard to get.

“Do not screw the wait staff here, Chels.” Hannah’s perfectly arched eyebrows raise.

“Never,” Chelsea says but fights the laugh that’s trying to escape.

“Let’s chat about Victoria,” Hannah says picking up her drink. Both sets of eyes shift to me.

“What?” I sip my vesper. The citrus taste is refreshing on my tongue and welcome with the inquisition I know is coming my way.

“You must be exhausted from dodging our questions for two days,” Chelsea deadpans.

“Fine. We agreed to try to be together.”

“Sounds romantic,” Chelsea says with