I choked out a laugh. She had a point, unfortunately. Social media was great for many things but erasing modesty and doing away with common sense were not among them. Eden was right when she said, these days, fame was trumping self-respect.
She also made me feel a little bit better about Ramsey having those pictures. Compared to a lot of what was out there on social media, the pictures were pretty tame. However, I had a pretty noticeable chest, and in just my bra and panties, the pictures looked provocative enough to make it look like I was asking for it. And by it, I mean penis.
When we reached the school’s building, Eden said, “Oh, hey, there’s a party this Friday at Keri McDonald’s house.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Her parents are out of town or something, and so, she’s having a party. But…”
I stopped walking and eyed her. “But…?”
She grimaced. “Rumor is almost everyone is going to show up at some point or another.” Ah. “That means Curt will probably be there. Erica, too, probably.”
Whatever people had expected, I had never approached Erica about sleeping with Curt. A cheater wasn’t worth fighting over, in my opinion. So, she was more than welcomed to him. He had tried to tell me that Erica had been the one to go after him, but I hadn’t cared about that part. Curt never should have taken her up on her offer, plain and simple. Though a part of me didn’t blame him. Erica Chambers was, easily, the prettiest girl at SC High. I couldn’t imagine any guy turning her down. However, I had expected my boyfriend to be one of the few.
“That’s fine,” I told her. “I don’t care about Curt or Erica.” And it was the truth. I had more pressing matters, and that was wondering if Ramsey was going to do anything with those pictures or if he still believed I was a witness to what had gone down last night. And while I was, I wasn’t talking. No way would I snitch out Ramsey fucking Reed.
“Cool,” Eden replied. “Maybe a quick hookup will put a smile on your face.”
“Why don’t we wait until Halloween to dress up like hookers and troll for testosterone,” I drawled out sarcastically. “After all, Halloween is only three weeks away.”
“Good point,” she agreed, ignoring my sarcasm.
Chapter 5
Ramsey~
When I walked into the house, I heard chatter coming from the kitchen. I dropped my backpack on the table in the foyer and headed towards the voices. When I walked in, I saw my mother and father preparing pre-cooked meals.
I chuckled.
I was eighteen and Mad was seventeen, but Mom acted like we couldn’t work a stove. Granted, she once told us that, just because they might spend two or three nights a week in Port Lucia, that didn’t mean she couldn’t still take care of us while they were away from home. It was oddly sweet, considering my mother was about as ruthless as my father.
Though my father owned RMM equally with Uncle Deke and Uncle Liam, he had been the driving force behind its conception. While they’d still been in high school, Dad had helped Uncle Deke and Uncle Liam be smarter with their money, and by the time they had all graduated from high school, they’d had more than enough money for their first startup company. Dad wasn’t the boss, but he was. Uncle Deke and Uncle Liam trusted him unconditionally.
Mom was a social worker, and she was a scary one. With her last name, money, status, and the power her husband carried, all the children in her care were taken care of well. Good, ol’ Grandpa Andrews used to beat her when she’d been a kid, and so, she took the welfare of children everywhere seriously. She also made time for domestic abuse victims.
Mom was pretty awesome.
“Hey,” I greeted as I sat down at the kitchen island.
Mom smiled. “Hey,” she greeted back. “We were just packing some meals for you guys.”
Me, Mad, Chance, Neo, and Gideon were a rare commodity among Windsor in that we didn’t have absent parents like everyone else. While Dad worked long hours and Mom’s devotion to her other kids took up a lot of her time, they always made sure to be home at least four nights a week. They were headed back to Port Lucia tonight, and that meant they’d probably be back Thursday. Uncle Liam and Aunt Roselyn’s household worked the same way.
“We know how to cook, Mom,” I said, this conversation one we’ve had a million of times.
She smirked. “And I still know how to feed my kids,” she retorted.
“Speaking of feeding kids, where’s Mad?” Dad asked.
“Chance had to help Aunt Roselyn with something, so he stayed behind to wait for Neo, so he could give him a ride home from school.” Neo had been scheduled another afterschool meeting with one of Windsor’s many guidance counselors to talk to him again about his gifts and how to better apply himself. Neo might be only fifteen, but he was just as corrupt as the rest of us.
Satisfied with that answer, he asked, “You got a minute?”
I snorted. “Because if I didn’t?”
Mom tried to stifle her laughter, but it escaped, anyway. “Sorry,” she squeaked.
“Alright, smartass,” he replied, knowing we’d always make time for him. Dad was commanding and, son or not, he had my respect. Me and Maddox respected him above everyone else in the world, and he knew it. If he needed a minute with one of us, we gave it to him. Of course, there was also the fact that I was pretty sure he could still beat us within an inch of our lives if we ever got crazy with him. Hence, the joke about what if I didn’t have a minute.
I winked at Mom and followed Dad to his study. Her laughter trailed after us, and she had no idea of the smiles her laughter had put on our faces. If Dad was the fiery comet lighting up the sky, Mom was the Universe that made it all possible.
Once we entered his study, he shut the door, and that’s when I knew we were getting serious. I also knew whatever we were in here for, Mom already knew about it.
Dad leaned up against the edge of his desk, his arms crossing over his chest, as I pulled out one of the barstools and sat down. “So, is there anything you’d like to tell me about Ashton Childress?”
I told you.
The man knew fucking everything.
I cocked my head. “Is there anything you’d like to tell me about Ashton Childress?” I volleyed.
The man arched a brow, but I knew my dad well. He wasn’t mad. If he were, you’d be able to feel the arctic freeze of his wrath a mile away.
Except when it came to Mom.
The man was all fire and brimstone when Mom was mad at him.
“Your Uncle Ace showed up at my office this morning, and he wanted me to find out all I could on the kid,” he said, telling me what I already suspected. “I guess Delaney was acting odd, and when Ava questioned her, she came clean about a party she attended in Sands Cove Saturday night.”
“What else did she tell them?” It wasn’t that I was planning on keeping secrets, but D.J. had been attacked. I wasn’t going to pretend to understand what that might do to a girl, so I didn’t want to spill her emotional secrets. I also knew our parents respected the loyalty us kids had between us.
His lips lifted in a proud smile. “That she kicked his ass,” he said. “She also assured them that she was okay. The boy hadn’t had a chance to do much damage. But I guess D.J. was still pissed enough to be acting cagey, therefore, making Ava suspicious.”