Unbroken

That was the second time she’d mentioned that word.Shortcuts.

I took a giant bite, nodding. “Of course.”

“Some women think they can have it easy by wooing a rich man,” she explained. “Men are easily enamoured by a beautiful woman. Sometimes it distorts their vision, and they don’t realize until it’s too late that they’ve been groomed, and by then they’re smitten, in love; so much so in love, they don’t believe it when they’re told from an outsider’s perspective how it really is. Now, I didn’t woo George, so I’m not speaking from experience. I’m just saying wooing a rich man takes strategy. The road is a long, patient one, but the end goal is in sight if you’ve always got your eye on the prize.” She paused. “That’s my theory, anyway.”

Mouth parched, I took a sip of my iced tea. It tasted gross, but I resisted wrinkling my nose as I glanced out the window, feeling impatient to get out now. Lori was weird.Reallyweird.

We were driving along the shore now, and the car slowed in front of a red light.

Lori kept talking. “I’m not like those women, but I can spot one from a mile away.”

A motorcycle rumbled and came to a stop in the lane next to ours. A big muscled man in a leather cut dropped his foot down to the ground, staring straight ahead. He had a nice bike—the kind Hunter always said he loved.

Hunter.

I needed Hunter with me right now.

The man must have sensed my stare because he glanced at me. I felt a twist in my gut because he looked scary, with a long black and white beard and hard eyes. Those eyes moved to Lori’s and then back to me.

I wrapped my arm around my stomach. Maybe the twist I was feeling wasn’t coming from him. Maybe it was too many lemon cookies. I put the iced tea down next to me, careful not to tip it, and then I unzipped my backpack and rummaged for a water bottle. I found it and chugged it down as the light turned green and the car took off again.

“Are you listening, honey?” Lori asked.

I suddenly realized I’d drowned out her words. I put my bottle down, taking a guess. “Never take shortcuts.”

Her voice was smooth. “That’s right.”

Okay, Lori was annoying. I felt bad for thinking that way of Leo’s mom, but she was super weird, and I didn’t understand why she kept talking about wooing rich men.

Was she hinting I was wooing Leo?

Oh, my God.

“Leo’s a good friend,” I said suddenly, cutting her off now, but the panic at the thought of her thinking I was using him cut away at me. “Your son means the world to me, Mrs Itani.”

She didn’t respond for a few moments, and I regretted interrupting her. That was rude of me. I leaned back in my seat, suddenly wanting to get out of here. To get to Greg’s and forget about this weird drive.Never get into a car with Loraine Itani again, I promised myself. On instinct, I lightly patted my pocket where the flower was, relieved when I felt it. I took a calm breath.

As I glanced out the window, I saw the road we were going to turn in. “Just here,” I directed, fidgeting in my seat. I wasn’t feeling well…

Rick didn’t make a sound of acknowledgement, and the silence stretched as he passed the turn and kept driving.

“You missed it,” I said, my heart thudding now.

“My son has been misguided,” Lori spoke now, and her voice was different, taking on an edge that made my skin prickle. “You have distorted his path, his purpose. You are playing the long game, and I see right through you, you little blonde cunt.”

What?

It felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice over my head. My stomach twisted, and I wanted to vomit. My face heated. “I am not playing any game, Mrs Itani—”

“I know you and I see you. I recognize you in…theothersI have seen do this to men of power. You think because he’s young and impressionable that you can sink your grotty claws into him.”

I shook my head, and my vision swam from dizziness. “Not at all.”

“Stop lying to me—”

“I’m fifteen, Mrs Itani. I’m just trying to survive high school. It’s awful enough as it is, you’d be surprised how much drama there is—”

“He went to that school to be with you.”