My goal was to have Remy in my life a lot more very soon. That meant people were going to notice I suddenly had a three-year-old. I wanted the people closest to me on my side, so they should know. But Merry didn’t give any indication she knew anything about what was happening. Instead, she grinned and shook her head.
“Nope. Vince,” she said.
“Vince?” I asked, surprised even though I shouldn’t have been. He did promise he was going to find a way to help me. It seemed Quentin was his way.
“Yep. He called earlier and told Quentin he’s a bodyguard now. Which is pretty amusing considering he is such a softy.”
I huffed out a laugh. That was definitely true. All four of the Freeman boys looked like models, all tough, strong, and alpha. But anyone who got close enough to really know them knew they were all marshmallows. It made me laugh, but it also made me feel special to know that side of them. Not everybody had that kind of insight into one of the city’s most influential families.
“Does he know why he’s a bodyguard now?” I asked.
She shook her head again and took another sip of her drink. “He didn’t say.”
I nodded and slipped over to Nick. Leaning against the bar, I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“What?” he asked.
“You knew,” I said.
“I knew what?” he asked.
“When I called you earlier and told you Grant’s mother came to my apartment, you didn’t seem all that shocked by it. Which struck me as odd because it shocked the hell out of me. But it was because you already knew what happened, didn’t you?”
He looked like he was going to come up with a story, then stopped and nodded. “Yes. Vince called me after he got off the phone with Quentin and told me everything.”
That wasn’t what I expected to hear. “When he got off the phone with Quentin? He called him first?”
“Yeah,” Nick said. “He thought that was pretty weird, too. It didn’t even cross his mind to call me. And apparently it didn’t cross yours, either. So… hurtful. Just to put that out there.”
I shook my head, trying to figure out what was going on. “It did cross my mind to call you, and I did. After our last conversation with the lawyer, I told Vince I would make sure he was kept up to date on everything. I figured he needed to know what happened so he could make sure Charlie knew while I was dealing with everything else. I called you right after. But why did Vince call Quentin?”
“He remembered what you said about Grant when you were at his office.”
“What about him?” I asked.
“That he thought you and I were sleeping together.”
I cringed. “Yeah. That’s never a fun conversation when he brings it up. Apparently, it’s unbecoming of a mother to have a relationship with a man who isn’t the child’s father. Especially if they only present themselves to be friends. It paints a certain image of her character.”
Nick made a face. “He actually said that?”
“The words are burned into my mind. I’m pretty sure they came right out of his mother’s mouth. It sounds like her. And they also sound like some of the colorful things she hurled at me this morning. She really believes a single mother should have no personal relationships with anyone. If she has separated from the father of her child, she is damaged goods. The only option is to live her life completely chastely and devoted only to mothering. Her only hope for any sort of relationship is reconciling with the father. Notice she has no such convictions about the man.”
“It’s convenient how that works out for her son, isn’t it?” Nick asked.
“It’s some 1950s Pleasantville bullshit is what it is,” I said.
“That, too.”
“I still don’t get what that has to do with Vince calling Quentin. Why does it matter if Grant thinks you and I are sleeping together?”
“Vince thinks it’s going to be used in the case. If it looks like you cheated on Grant or that you are lying about the nature of our relationship, it could seem really bad. Fortunately, despite Beatrice’s convictions to the contrary, most people don’t think it’s a bad thing for a single mother to be in a relationship. In fact, having a good relationship with a stable, well-respected man can look really good. But even more than that, having a man near you will keep you safer,” Nick said.
“I don’t think I’m following,” I said. “Give me just a second.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a customer who had been gesturing for my attention for a few seconds was now attempting to scramble over the bar toward the soda spigot. I nudged the other bartender as I walked past, jostling her from flirting with a guy. A soda and an admonishment later, I was back at Nick, asking him to explain what was going on.