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“Get out,” Reese growled, still holding open the door.
“It was a waste of time,” her father droned, passing her without a second glance. “An unfortunate waste of resources but necessary as a means to an end.”
As soon as both men were out of the house, she slammed the door, locking it behind them. Her body vibrated with fury. How dare they come into her home and threaten her? It was like nothing she said on the phone sank in. They knew they couldn’t get money from Pappy, so now they set their sights on a more attainable target, Mav. The better life, better education spiel was bullshit. Her father needed money and, somehow, he thought Mav was his ticket to it.
Reese waited until they were out of the driveway before she allowed her legs to give out, sinking to the floor as her rage poured out as sobs that wracked her body. There was no way she could pay them. She didn’t have access to that kind of money, and they knew it.
She scooted over to the coffee table where they left the paperwork. Reese ripped the envelope open. Her heart shattered as she read what was stuffed inside. Reed and her father hadn’t been lying. They petitioned the court for custody of Mav. On an expensive-looking embossed letterhead was the official statement acknowledging they filed for emergency custody of Mav. They had even gone as far as citing deplorable living conditions and an unstable unemployable mother.
She sat on the floor, wracking her brain for a solution. Only one kept popping into her head. Run. She had to take Mav and run. There was no way she was letting those two men raise her son, and there was no way she could stop them. Reese didn’t have the money to hire a lawyer, let alone one that was good enough to go up against their legal team and win.
Running was the only chance she had to keep Mav with her. Reese didn’t really have the money to run either, but somehow she would make it work. Mentally calculating what she had in the bank and what she had saved in her stash upstairs, she had enough to get out of state. Maybe to Colorado or Texas. Somewhere where they could blend in, just the two of them. It wouldn’t be forever only until he turned eighteen. That would be two years of looking over their shoulders and praying not to get caught. She couldn’t rely on her references from here to help get her another job. Money could be tight for a long time. The point drove home again. The only person she could rely on was her.
Making up her mind, she stuffed the papers back into the envelope. Looking around her living room, a fresh set of tears started to fall. Reese remembered how hard she worked to make a nice home for her son to grow up in. She didn’t have time to think about all she was going to lose. She had two weeks to disappear, or else she would lose what meant the most, Mav. Running a plan through her head, she made the quick decisions that needed to be made. Mav had one more week of suspension before he was supposed to report back to school. No one would report them gone before that. She would leave Pappy a note. He, of all people, would understand. He could live in the house for as long as he wanted. Somehow, she would find a way to keep paying the mortgage.
They would have dinner tonight, just like she told them they would. No one would know the plan until tomorrow. By that time, it would be too late. Checking her watch, Reese knew that she could get a few things packed and stashed out of sight before starting dinner if she hurried.
Running up the stairs, Reese grabbed a few essentials from Mav’s room then did the same in hers. Underwear, a change of clothes, money, and a blanket for each of them went into a bag. Tucking the bag under her bed Reese made sure it was out of sight. Satisfied with her plan, Reese washed her face and repaired the damage her crying jag did to her makeup.
She decided on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and biscuits for dinner. If this was going to be their last dinner together, she would make sure it was a good one. Reese also decided on Mav’s favorite chocolate cake for dessert. They could be on the road for a while. Who knew how long it would be before she would be able to make another home-cooked meal for him. Fighting off a fresh set of tears, Reese threw herself into making the meal unforgettable.
The cake sat on the counter with fudgy icing clinging to the sides. The aroma of chicken frying filled the air, and the biscuits were in the oven when Mav came through the kitchen door. Dirty clothes tucked under his arm, Mav stopped to take an appreciative sniff.
“Dinner is in fifteen minutes. If you are getting in the shower, make it quick so Pappy can get in too,” Reese instructed, unable to meet her son’s gaze before he took off up the stairs. She knew tears were too close. Mav would see them, and then the guys would all gang up on her until Reese told them all every last heart-wrenching detail. She couldn’t cry now, everyone would know, and her plan would be ruined.
“Reese, girlie, it smells great in here.”
“Thanks,” Reese said, not looking away from the chicken.
Pappy would be able to tell there was something wrong. He had always been able to read her like a book.
“Cash said to tell you he will be here in ten.”
“Well, then you better go hurry Mav along. If not, you are not going to make it into the shower before dinner.”
“Everything okay, girlie?” Pappy sounded concerned.
“Yes, everything is fine. I am relieved to have a job again. I didn’t realize how much it weighed on me until this afternoon,” Reese lied.
“Girlie, it will all work out, you’ll see,” Pappy told her before yelling up the stairs for Mav to get a move on it, or else he wasn’t getting any cake.
Reese smiled at the way they all got along. Living with a fifteen-year-old and an eighty-year-old was interesting, to say the least. Biting her lip, she warded off another wave of sadness threatening to spill down her cheeks. She had to pull herself together and get through dinner, Reese reminded herself.
Focused on her cooking, Reese pulled the last of the chicken out from the hot oil just as Cash came in the kitchen door.
“Damn, it smells good in here,” Cash waited until she sat the platter of chicken on the table before stealing her away from her work.
Reese let out a surprised laugh when he swung her into a dance in the middle of her kitchen. The kiss that followed was nothing short of the erotic temptation he meant it to be. Another piece of her heart cracked. She would miss him.
“You coming to my place tonight?”
“Yeah,” Reese made up her mind instantly. If she was going on the run, hiding for the foreseeable future, there was no reason not to have one night before she left.
“Yeah?” Cash asked.
Reese nodded instead of speaking. She was afraid he could tell something was wrong.
“Thank fuck,” he breathed one second before crushing her lips to his.
