Page 134 of Ruthless Ambition
Chapter 31: Angel
Two weeks later
“Angel!”
I flinched at the calling of my name. “Yes, Mom,” I groaned as I slipped on my sneakers.
“You didn’t finish your breakfast.”
“Because you made so much. I’m going to gain twenty pounds,” I grumbled as I laced my sneakers.
“Angel!”
“Jesus Lord,” I mumbled. “Mom, I have two bedrooms. You’re right there in the kitchen; you don’t need to scream at me.”
“Why are you dressed for exercise?” she demanded as I walked into the kitchen. My mom was small, stout, and beautiful. “No,” she told me. “I’m getting your father,” she said as she made her way to the backyard. “Don’t you dare go . . .Angel!”
I was already out the front door and jogging away from my house. I loved my mom — she was the absolute best — but I was twenty-eight. I’d lived on my own for years. Adapting to people in your space was not easy.
Adapting to your mother in your space was worse.
When she and Dad had arrived, and I had to go through the whole retelling for them, Dad had gone to my house and thrown out all my furniture. Mom had helped. Then Dad fixed all my kitchen cabinets and was currently taking care of the backyard.
My house was on the market. I was moving whether I wanted to or not. If I were honest, I wasn’t happy in my home anymore, and the first week, it had been nice sleeping on an air mattress with my parents close by. Yeah, neither of them thought the whole furniture thing through properly.
Then the air mattress started to deflate, and so did my shiny bubble of denial that my mom wasn’t going to make me scream myself hoarse.
All my pantry had been reshelved. Which was insanity, as I was moving. My pots and pans wound up in a different cupboard that made more sense. More sense to whom?
My fridge was emptied and scrubbed, and she threw away my chunky peanut butter, reminding me God gave me hips for babies, not butter.
It was nice to run away. I snort-laughed as I turned the corner. I wasn’t running away. I was just running.
Healthy exercise.Notescaping from my mom.
Dad had looked at a few alternative properties with me, and my mom had fallen in love with one in Belle Meade. It was a little more than I wanted to spend, but since she’d decided that this was the one, she wouldn’t look at any other. Dad and I looked, but I could see the side-eye he gave me every time. He also liked the one Mom did.
He was just a more indulgent parent.
My cell rang as I was running, and I checked my watch, seeing it was Chrissy, “Hey,” I greeted.
“Why are you out of breath?”
“Running.”
“From who?” she asked me in alarm.
“Exercise,” I told her as I hit a flat stretch.
“You’re runningvoluntarily?” Chrissy sounded disgusted. “Freak.”
“How’s Bailey?”
“Perfect.” She sighed happily. “And the girls love him, obviously, and oh my God, Angel, Jer got him a tiny, tiny football helmet. It’s adorable.”
“He can’t wear it though, can he?”
“No, silly, he can’t even hold his own head up yet, but it’s soooo cute.”
