Relief flooded my veins as I looked over at Lindy.
“Well, hello there, handsomes,” my mother said. “What brings all of you to the bar tonight?”
“Your daughter,” Tyler said.
“Emma?” my mother asked. “Now, now. What do we have here? All five of you are looking for my daughter? You know boys, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. If you like what she’s offering, you should see what I can do.”
My mother turned and gave me the smuggest fucking look that I wanted to smack right off her face. Her hands were running down Nick’s chest as he stepped up to the bar. She was devouring him with her eyes as she turned her bar stool around and tried to wrap her legs around his waist.
But he caught her knees before she could lock him in and swiveled her back toward the bar.
“You’re done tonight,” I said.
“Oh, I’m just getting started,” my mother said.
I watched as she hopped off the stool and walked right up to Tanner. She grabbed the back of his head and tried to kiss him, and their lips almost connected. I could feel my blood boiling as Tanner pressed his hand to her chest, pushing her away as her tongue licked his cheek.
“Get out,” I said.
“Not a fucking chance,” my mother said. “I’ve got money now. I’m a paying customer! Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Gracie. It’s time to go,” Lindy said.
“Over my dead fucking body. Did you think I wouldn’t find out about your fun little store? Huh? How you’re planning on moving out so you can be a whore with your five little boy toys?”
She snickered at the brothers as they stepped up to the bar and turned their backs to me.
“Your bartender asked you to leave,” Nick said.
“Oh? And you guys are gonna help her out?” my mother asked. “I’m a paying customer!”
“Not anymore, you’re not,” Jacob said.
“Too bad, I really liked you boys,” my mother said.
She was belligerent. So much so that I saw the bouncer filtering his way through the crowd. He picked my mother up around her waist and lifted her off the ground, then started carrying her back through the bar. She was screaming and kicking, trying to elbow the guy in the face. I couldn’t even make out what she was yelling through the slurring of her words.
Something she’d said though had stuck in my chest. Was I nothing more than a whore? I took their money. I slept with all of them. How did that make me any different than what she said I was?
CHAPTER 20
I knew the guys had been trying to call me all weekend, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk. I told Lindy I’d see her after the weekend, then I buried myself in my bed. My mother came and went like nothing had ever happened between us and, during the times she was gone, I continued to pack. I lugged boxes and suitcases down to my car, piling them in as fast as I could. The moment I had everything packed up in my room, I was gone. I didn’t care if I had to sleep in a dilapidated loft with nothing but a sleeping bag surrounded by boxes.
Once work was over by the end of next week, I was out of this fucking place.
I told Lindy I was putting in my two-week notice at the beginning of the week. That weekend, I had plans to lay in bed and research manufacturers where I could get the best wholesale price for our inventory. I laid out lists and jotted down prices as I stayed underneath my covers. If my mother came knocking on my door, I could play it off that I was tired or some shit.
Sleeping like the lazy ass she was.
As the weekend wound down, I had five pages of inventory with pricing to go over with Lindy. I had called her up and asked if she could do dinner with me before we started our work week again. I was meeting her tonight at our favorite Mexican joint, and we were going to go over all the shit we wanted in our store.
I wanted to finalize our inventory and start figuring out how far our saved one hundred thousand would go.
I finalized my list and jotted down the last of the prices. Then, I rolled out of bed and stuffed everything into my pocket, heading for my bathroom. I hadn’t showered all weekend because I had been wallowing in self-pity, and I stank. I washed my body down and scrubbed my scalp as I smiled, thinking about that day with the brothers. How they each had their time with me in the shower, kissing me and doting on me and telling me how much they adored me.
Despite my deepest fears, they had done nothing to indicate that the money had anything to do with the sex.
I shook the thought from my mind and finished getting ready. I pulled on a pair of cut-off denim shorts and a long-sleeved black shirt. I grabbed my leather jacket and threw my hair up into a bun, then went downstairs to find my lace-up boots.