Chapter 15—Willow #2
“Yes and no. While I find this important, I usually just let the people we hire take it on. I’m not that much of a control freak to want to be hands-on for floral arrangements and table decorations.
That’s something my mother likes to be a part of.
I only got dragged in because there was a leak in the original venue, and my brothers couldn’t take the time to help move the event last-minute when Mama called. ”
He shrugs as he goes back to eating, making it seem as simple as that. His family called, asked for help, and he dropped everything to do it. For a celebration of life. Sure, it’s for his late father, but I still don’t know many people who would just jump like that.
He did for you, my mind butts in as I pick up the burger and take a bite.
I moan at the taste. I can’t even focus on being mad at my subconscious for pointing out that Bobby treats me as kindly as he does his family when the flavors burst into my mouth.
“Oh, wow,” I mumble as I take another bite.
“I know, right? Well worth the eighty dollars, I think.”
I choke on my food, reaching for my soda as Bobby pats gently on my back.
“Are you okay?”
“Did you say eighty dollars? For a burger? McDonald’s sells them for a fraction of the price.”
“But these taste better. And I prefer the view I get with it.”
“View?” I’m so confused. Is it even legal to charge extra for a view?
“Yes. I find you immensely better to look at than the back seat of a car when we get drive-thru.”
My mouth pops open enough for Bobby to see it as an opportunity, and he feeds me a fry. I chew on instinct, grabbing the end from him as I look down at my food the second I hear his name called.
“Bobby, baby.”
Okay, that has me looking up. Who the hell calls him baby? And with such a wispy Marilyn Monroe voice with way too much sultry in it, if you ask me.
The woman who somehow magically appears next to him is dressed in a very tight, formfitting dress that dips low in the front. Not scandalizing low, but she definitely picked it to show off her impressive cleavage.
Probably a push-up. I almost sigh in relief that my brain and I are back on track together. I’m not normally a snide comment kind of girl, but if I notice things, I say them. Though only to myself. Never out loud. That would be rude.
Also, I know I’m just being petty. The woman in front of us is beautiful.
Sleek black hair cut at a sharp angle along her jaw to draw the designer look and frame her strong cheekbones.
She’s slim in a way I’m not, even before having kids.
I was never large, but after the girls, I have stretch marks, and some parts just never went back to what they were.
My hips are wider, as is my butt, and my once-perky breasts have fallen to the point that there’s a noticeable difference in where they sit depending on whether my arms are lifted or not.
“We still need to get everything completed if you want to get this ready by five. I know your mother would be disappointed if we missed something. Perhaps we could get something to eat after.”
She doesn’t even look at me, but I don’t miss the jab in my direction.
“I told you, Betty Lou, I’m busy.”
I snort at the name and then cough. I grab my drink once more, hoping everyone thinks I’m choking again and not laughing at her name. Bobby looks at me for a second, and I just nod, letting him know I’m all right.
“I agreed to stay on-site, but I still have work. Ms. Frazzer and I are in the middle of our lunch meeting. If you’ll excuse us, we have private details to discuss.”
I don’t look at her as she walks away. And I don’t smile. I might bite my cheek to keep from grinning, though.
We eat the rest of the meal in silence. Well, not complete silence.
The surrounding workers make for an unexpected distraction to watch.
I focus on both them and the food, not on the man beside me who makes me feel like I can breathe easier and sends a swarm of butterflies into a tizzy in my stomach.
“You going to get that?” he asks as he pushes his empty plate away.
I’m also ignoring my phone. It’s rung three times already. This is the fourth, and I already know who it is.
“No.” I munch on a fry.
“Could be work.” He adjusts in his chair to lean an elbow on the table and look at me.
“Work knows I’m with you.” I put the last of my burger into my mouth.
“Could be about the girls,” he tries again.
I shake my head. “It’s not.”
“How do you know?”
I peek at him, noting his cinched eyebrows behind his frames.
“For one, I have a hunch that if something was going on with the girls, you might know before me.”
“And two?” I can hear his smirk even if I don’t look to confirm it. We both know he has more of a pulse than he lets on when it comes to things related to me. I’m comfortable ignoring it for now.
“I know who it is.”
“Do tell.”
This time I do look at him. The smile on his face has me thinking this is some juicy piece of gossip and not the sad truth.
“My ex.”
“What does he want?” All humor leaves him as his voice drops, and I feel a bit of frost in the air.
“It’s nothing.” I shake my head again before taking another drink.
“Can’t fix what I don’t know.”
This time I chuckle more than snort. “There’s nothing to fix, so no need to know.” I give him a smile that I hope he sees as me dropping the subject. Just like he’s done several times before when I’ve reached my limit of knowing things about him.
“Willow Amia Frazzer.”
I startle at him using my full name. Half in wonder that he knows my middle name and half in awe that the tone he takes sets parts of me on fire. Any irritation I had for my ex and why he’s calling is momentarily forgotten.
“If you don’t stop evading me, I might have to threaten you once more—like when you refused to call me by my first name.
Now tell me, what does he want? I am not going to let this go, so you might as well tell me or just expect me to get Marco to find out.
Which will be worse for you in the end, and I’ll have to actually carry out my threat. ”
He means it. I can tell. And while I might enjoy the spanking, even though I’ve never experienced that before, I don’t think I want my ex to be the reason he does it.
So him doing it is okay, just not if your ex-husband is the catalyst?
Yes.
“Fine. He heard about the fire. Happy now?” I glare across the room at no one in particular. All the warm fuzzies are gone now that the truth is out.
“And…?” he draws out. Of course the man would pick up that it’s more than just Trevor calling in concern.
“And he wants to use it to prove I’m unfit.”
“Unfit for what? Taking care of the girls?” When I nod, he says, “That’s crazy.”
“Right?” I turn to fully face him, so happy to talk to someone about this and have them on my side.
“It makes no sense. When we divorced, he was fine with custody being mostly mine, with him only getting the girls every other holiday. He even canceled the last two holidays. I thought he was playing the typical ‘bad dad’ part and ignoring them so he doesn’t have to pay child support.
Which I’m okay with now that I can afford things on my own—thanks again, by the way.
But now he’s getting all nosy about them.
I don’t know. Maybe something is going on that I don’t know about.
He would only be after the girls if it benefited his career.
He only saw them as a tool to achieve the ‘family values’ look his last company saw as a sign of good leadership.
It got him a promotion, and through that, he made contacts that got him the job in New York. ”
Letting all this out is kind of cathartic. I’ve never talked about Trevor with anyone. I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it, for one, but I also didn’t want to be judged. But Bobby doesn’t judge. He takes the data, looks at it from all angles, then finds what he wants and goes after it.
Not sure what he’ll get from this, though. Me dumping all my drama on his lap does nothing to help him in the long run, but it makes me feel better.
“Bobby, baby.”
I roll my eyes at that voice and turn back to the table to give him some space to address whatever this woman wants. I guess she does something for the event for his mom, so he needs to talk with her. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.
But the second I turn away, his hand molds around my cheek, gently but firmly pulling me back to face him. I barely get a second to look at him in question before he leans in close and seals his lips against mine.
My eyes close on instinct as my lips part and let Bobby Leone, my boss and someone who has become sort of a savior to me and my girls, destroy my mouth with his wicked tongue, and I just sit here and take it.