Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 20

Before I even finished talking. Cecilia across from me suddenly stood up, staring past me, and stuttered. “Hogan.”

Her eyes were getting even redder as she spoke.

Hogan quickly moved to Cecilia’s side in just a couple of strides, shielding her with his body. and demanded, “What the heck have you two said to her?”

He said “you two.”

That included me too.

When Hogan spoke, a vein on his forehead was throbbing.

He was clearly peeved.

For someone as usually cool as a cucumber like him, this was a rare loss of control, especially with Hilary standing right there.

In my memory, those two, mother and son, had never had a heated argument.

But now, for Cecilia’s sake, even his tone with Hilary had an edge to it.

Hilary seemed blindsided by how things had escalated, pointing at Hogan and saying, “I’m doing this for you, don’t you know that?”

After saying that, she stormed out with tears in her eyes.

Just as I was about to follow, I heard Hogan say, “In a rush to brown–nose?”

stopped dead in my tracks, torn between laughter

“Hogan, you’ve got it all wrong, it’s not Xaviera’s

a skeptical look,

was my bad for getting my hands

while, I said, “I’m heading back to the

Hogan give you a lift.”

“Nah, it’s out of his way.”

me. After this afternoon’s drama, I figured my cover as the ‘ex‘ was pretty much

on Cecilia, I had this nagging feeling that something bad was

Wallis

Chapter 20

of a notification snapped me out of my

it and, lo

those tempting digits, my

call him nuts, or commend him for knowing the score?

was hesitating, a message caught my eye. [Tough day, compensation.]

no emotion to

second thought, pondering whether I’d stumbled upon a new money–making scheme,

a Midas touch. He’d never let me get the upper hand for

moment’s thought. I putled up my friends list and hit delete.

at my phone balance, I felt a

Jack sidled up to me and asked, “Xaviera,

“Heading out

said, then realizing something was off,

it, which was normal