Kingsley nods. “We should’ve thought of that first.”
I open the door, and we all go back inside. “The bedroom’s through there with an ensuite bathroom.”
“Thank you.” I grab my bags and walking into the bedroom, I come to a sudden halt when I see the futon bed.
“Is everything okay?” Layla asks.
Glancing over my shoulder, I smile. “Yes.”
I hurry inside and set the bags down. I open the suitcase and take out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
Suddenly I hear a man’s voice saying, ‘Excuse me, but I’m afraid someone is endeavoring to contact you telephonically. Shall I tell them to fuck off?’
I dart up and to the door, and when I see Kingsley answering her phone, I let out a chuckle. That’s the weirdest ringtone I’ve ever heard.
“Lee’s just changing then we’re going to get something to eat.” She makes an ah-huh sound every couple of seconds before saying, “Tell him not to worry. I’ll text you everything.”
When she ends the call, she gets up from the couch and smiles at me. “Go change in the bathroom quickly while Layla and I unpack everything. That way we can get it done now, and we can just hang out later.”
“Okay.” I walk to the bathroom and closing the door, I quickly take off the dress. I splash water on my face and wash my hands before drying both. When I’m done getting dressed in the comfortable clothes, I feel much better.LakeMason’s phone starts beeping like crazy, which has me leaning closer so I can see what Kingsley’s texting.
She needs everything. LIKE EVERYTHING.
Oh, my God. Look at this.
A photo comes through showing, two dresses, one pair of worn shoes, a pair of jeans, two t-shirts, and something that looks like it was made from tent material.
I sit back in my chair and close my eyes. “It feels like someone’s trying to see how far they can push me before I lose my shit.”
We came to get a phone for Lee and stopped for something to eat so Preston could load all the necessary apps on it. I gave the guys a rundown of everything I know, and we’re trying to come up with a plan.
“I’ll give Rhett Daniels from Indie Ink Publishing a call so we can set up a meeting for next week,” Mason says, and it makes me feel a little better.
“I hope it works out so I can tell Park Je-ha where he can shove his investment,” I grumble.
“What else do you need us to do?” Falcon asks.
I shake my head. “You both still need to wrap things up with Serena and Clare. I’ll handle the rest, once I can figure out what that entails.”
“You can’t just ask her?” Mason asks.
“No.” I let out a heavy breath. “It turns out I’ve been texting with the damn mistress.” I lean forward and place my elbows on the table, and covering my face with my hands, I mumble, “It feels like I’ve been violated by a sugarless mommy.”
Falcon busts out laughing, spraying me with the sip of soda he just took.
“Noooo!” I shake my hands to get rid of the drops before I grab a napkin. “You’re so lucky I had my hands in front of my face.”
Then I hear a snort next to me. I glare at Mason, watching him try to cover his eyes with a hand while his whole body shakes with laughter.
“What’s a sugarless mommy?” Preston mumbles, not taking his eyes off the phone in his hands.
Falcon cracks up and in the process whacks a glass off the table.
A waitress rushes over and quickly begins to clean up the mess.
“I’m sorry,” I say to her. “I’m still trying to teach them how to behave in public. You know,” I let out a heavy sigh, “it’s not easy being a single parent and raising three kids on my own.”
Mason almost explodes next to me when the waitress gives me a what-the-fuck-are-you-talking-about look. With a huge smile on my face, I watch him laugh.
After Falcon and Mason calm down, I say, “You guys ready to go shopping?”
“I’ll never be ready but let’s do this,” Mason comments.
Preston hands me the phone. “All done. I can go get toiletries. You know, shampoo and stuff.”
Mason places his hand on Preston’s shoulder, nodding. “I second that idea. Don’t forget the pads and shit.”
“The what?” Preston blinks looking like his brain’s about to fry a circuit.
“You should come with us,” Falcon says, pulling Preston away from Mason. “We’ll start with underwear first.”
I rub my hands over my face taking a deep breath. “This is going to be a long afternoon.”
Mason pats me on the back. “I’m so glad you finally have a girlfriend.” He grins at me.
“You’re going to get back at me for all the shit I gave, right?” I ask, grinning at him.