Laurelle and the twins are sitting on Colton’s other side as though they belong there. I was surprised to see a few more familiar faces. There are a few girls from school, and I recognize two guys that I used to go to BSA with. Though two faces that are noticeably not here are Jude’s parents and seeing as though their son’s charges are the topic of conversation, I'd dare say they were smart to stay away. Jude’s actions have the potential to destroy his father in the business world and I’m kinda excited to watch it all play out.
The business center of Bellevue Springs really is a small world. Everybody knows everybody and I have no idea why I seem so surprised by it. Maybe this is how Colton, Spencer, Charlie, and Jude became friends in the first place. They would have all been forced together at all of these functions since they were kids. It would make sense, and it’d make even more sense why Charles was so adamant to help Jude hide his rape charges the first time. His actions would have come down on his father which in turn, would have reflected poorly on Charles.
We get halfway through dinner when Laurelle stands beside Colton and slips out from behind her seat. The conversation is flowing but I find myself watching her like a hawk. As she walks around the table, her fingers brush across the shoulders of every man still seated. A few of the wives pick up on her subtle touches and glare as she passes by them.
Laurelle steps between a couple and dives headfirst into their conversation, touching the man as often as she can while his wife stares on in shock. The husband eats up her attention like a lion starved of food.
I elbow Colton and his head whips around to face me. “What the hell is your mother doing?”
Colton scans the room and I see the second he finds her shamelessly flirting with a married man. His lips lift in a disgusted scowl as embarrassment washes over him. “Fuck me,” he says under his breath. “I guess she’s trying to find a new husband seeing as though I cut her off.”
“You really have to get rid of her.”
“I know,” he says with a heavy sigh. “If I wasn’t just starting to build a relationship with Casey again, I’d have kicked her out already.”
I glance around him to where Casey and Cora are seated, finding both of them staring at their mother with matching looks of horror. “Can’t Casey just stay?”
He shakes his head. “She’s always welcome to stay but she won’t. Cora would go with Mom and Casey wouldn’t separate from Cora like that. I don’t know, maybe it’s a twin bond thing.”
“Then what—ugh,” I grumble, cutting myself off as I watch Laurelle slip the man her number before moving onto the next guy. A fight breaks out between the husband and wife, and suddenly, the whole table is watching the show while the wife calls out Laurelle for being a slimy hooker.
All eyes dart to Colton, waiting for him to put a stop to the catastrophe but he sits back and watches as his mother is publicly called out on her bad behavior, and I have to admit, I can’t fault him.
Laurelle laughs it off as though the wife is being dramatic which only infuriates her more. The woman rises from her seat and in a flash grabs her champagne flute and saturates Laurelle’s white Prada dress.
My eyes flash across to Milo who looks back at me with an amused smirk, knowing damn well what’s running through my mind right now. Cora looks to her brother. “Are you going to do something about this?” she demands.
Colton laughs and shakes his head. He rubs his hand over his face, masking the grin that cuts across his delicious lips. “Nah, I don’t think I will.”
“Colton,” Cora snaps in horror.
“What? She’s a grown-ass woman. If she wants to go whoring herself out, then let her be. She’s only tarnishing her own name and destroying her reputation. You’re more than welcome to step in though but I’d be careful which side you want to show your support for, especially in front of all these people. Once you show your hand in this world, it’s impossible to go back.”
With that, Cora rests back into her chair, leaving her mother to clean up her own damn mess. Every eye at the table watches as Laurelle shrieks at her ruined dress, some laughing, while others are equally as horrified.
Laurelle turns to face her son at the other end of the long table. “Remove her at once,” she yells, demanding his attention as the whole room falls to silence, waiting to see what will happen.
I bite down on my lip to stop from saying anything but turns out I don’t need to because Colton has it handled like a fucking pro. “Harrison,” he calls, gaining his trusted butler's attention. “Get Mrs. Rodgers a new glass of champagne. It seems hers has spilled.”