Free All Who Dream (Letting Go) by Nicole Deese

I feel I need to say to you.”
    Her
eyebrows rose. “Oh…okay, sure.”
    Her face
had guilt written all over it.
    I shook
my head, heart reeling at the results of my detective work.

 
Chapter Eight

 
      “You know, if your brow was any more furrowed,
I believe steam would be coming out your ears.” Jackson glanced at me for the
millionth time since I got into the car.
    I ignored
him again.
    The
longer I sat on the knowledge I’d uncovered, the more anxious I became. I cared
about Pippy —a lot. I felt a sort of loyalty toward
her that caused my inner-mama bear to awaken. I wanted to protect her, her
heart especially. Though I had never sensed any physical danger from Mr. Ross, his
personality type was dominant, one that could easily overpower her sweet spirit
and optimism for life—and her innocence.
    I couldn’t
sit back and watch that play out. I wouldn’t. My fingers curled into fists.
      “Mom, do you have the grumpies ?”
Cody turned around in his seat.
      “What? No,” I said quickly.
      “It looks like you do. You’ve had a lot of
think time, and you still look grumpy.”
    I shook
my head, “No, Cody—”
    Jackson
leaned forward and grinned at Cody. “Hmm…what’s this about curing the grumpies , Cody?”
      “It’s what mom and I do when one of us is
having a bad day. I just need to find the right music…”
    “Cody,” I
warned through my teeth.
      “Sorry, Mom, but you always say we don’t make good
decisions when we’re grumpy. Mr. Walt, can I search for the right station on
your radio?”
      “Certainly, Mr. Cody. Be my guest.” Walt laughed.
    I closed
my eyes. This is not happening!
    Soon the
car was filled with a beat that could have roused the dead. Cody began his
signature car dance in his seat, and a deep laugh boomed from Mr. Ross. Soon
Walt was grooving, also. I bit the corners of my cheeks to halt my smile from
filling out my face, but soon lost the battle. When Mr. Ross joined in the
hip-hop with a roll of his shoulders, I had to surrender.
    A giggle
spluttered from my lips. My whole body quaked with chuckles that demanded
release. Mr. Ross turned his head toward me and raised his eyebrows.
      “It really works then, huh? The
cure?”
      “For the moment.”
      “Ah, yes. That does seem to be the way of a
woman.” He shook his head and looked down at his phone.
      “What is that supposed to mean?” I raised my
voice to compensate for the music. Walt and Cody were still dancing in the
front seat.
      “It means you women never know what you’re
feeling. One moment up, the next moment down…pick one.”
      “At least I have more than one mood to choose from!” I hissed.
    He glared
at me, searching my face.
      “Good to know.”
      “What’s good to know?” I balked.
      “What you think of me.”
      “I…I don’t think of you in any way…I don’t
think of you at all.” I was digging a slow grave.
    A crooked
smile painted his mouth. “Well, you might consider thinking about me a little
bit more the next time you accept a date while on the clock—a clock I help
provide payroll for.”
    What? What was he talking about?
    He held
my gaze, pushing me to remember a memory that I didn’t have. I never accepted a
date…wait…
      “You mean with Brian? That’s not—”
      “Please keep your personal agendas from
interfering with company time.”
      “Unbelievable,” I murmured under my breath.
    “What is?”
He said, leaning toward me.
    “Your
attention to personal detail within this company is quite
limited if you ask me, yet no one is willing to step in to protect the virtue
of a young woman who’s in way over her head.”  
    He
furrowed his eyebrows as his mouth turned down. “Excuse me?”
    I leaned
in closer and spewed the words. “You know exactly what I am talking about.”
    The car
lurched to a stop. Cody opened his door and stared up at the skyscraper in
front of us. I was much too distracted by the intensity of the