Chapter 6.

"Oh Lord, every time I imagine what a pair you two would've made, I start getting angry all over again!

I mean, can you imagine? An eligible wealthy bachelor like Rio Asheton with my very own Cash Huxley... you'd have been the envy of all your friends, your sisters, cousins, and anyone else with a brain! Ha... to have been in your shoes Cash..."

I finished typing the last sentence in the final paragraph of the second chapter to the newest manuscript I'd started about a month ago and finally turned to give my mother the attention she so desperately wanted.

Tossing an arm over the back of my chair, I cocked my head to the side as I held up three fingers. "A) I don't have friends, B) I could care less what anyone would say, has to say, or will say in the future, and C) what are you waiting for then, go get 'im, girl."

Mom clicked her tongue in disapproval, to which I replied with a wink before turning back to shut the laptop on my desk.

With a yawn, I lifted my arms high up in the air until I felt the bones and muscles in my back and shoulders pop. I groaned in pleasure at the sweet relief flooding my limbs before moving on to stretch out the kinks in my legs.

It'd been about a month or so since the last time we had this conversation. To be honest, it'd been more of a trip than an actual surprise that mom had managed to hold off for so long, which was why I didn't cut her off or ignore her outright.

But yes, an entire month had gone by since the whole blind date fiasco, although it felt way more than that. To me, the entire thing had been nothing but an unfortunate event in my past, and that was it. I hadn't lost any sleep over it, I hadn't felt any guilt or regrets, and that was just the way I preferred it. Why think about something you didn't really care about?

The past was the past and that was it. No harm and no foul over something you couldn't change.

Mom sighed, readjusting herself on the couch to be at the optimum knitting position.

"Well, anyway, Nico called again... why don't you ever answer his calls? He sounded annoyed-

"He sounds annoyed all the time," I interjected.

She smiled, shaking her head as she continued to knit and purl stitches. "Yes, he does, and I wonder why Cash. The poor boy's probably suffering from high blood pressure because of you. Why don't you turn your work in on time for once and save yourself and poor Nico the stress of the wild goose chase?"

I yawned again, swiping at tears that pooled at the corners of my eyes. "Hey, when are you going to finish that blanket you promised me?"

"Cash."

I shrugged, feigning ignorance at my drastic change in the subject. "You've been on it for months now. I know how fast you knit, so don't tell me it takes time. I've seen you finish one for Janice in half the time it's taken you to finish mine. So what gives?"

Mom pursed her lips, her golden gaze twinkling with restrained mirth. "Maybe my fingers aren't what they used to be, ever think of that?"

I snorted. "Yeah, right."

With a chuckle, she shook her head. "How's about this then, you finish your manuscript, on time this time, and I finish your blanket."

I shot her a wry smile before getting to my feet and padding over to the couch where she sat. Plopping heavily onto the soft cushions below, I draped myself over the armrest and groaned. "But it's hard!"

Mom clicked her tongue. "It's not hard. You're just lazy. And a bit of a sadist, if you ask me."

My head snapped up so fast I nearly cried out from the pain that ripped through me. "Sadist?! What?"

I could see her lips twist into a playful smile as she continued to knit. "Yeah, I mean, what kind of sane person enjoys making other people suffer? Last time I checked, it's sadists."

I scoffed. "You've actually checked what kind of people like to make others suffer? Whoa mom, TMI much?"

"Oh, hush Cash." She continued, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I was just trying to see if I could find any like-minded people for you to hang out with. I'm worried about you, kid."

With a grunt, I watched silently as her hands worked deftly. Her gaze had become completely engrossed by the needles and piles of yarn in her lap. And as I watched her, I could see how everything else simply faded away, and it was just her and her work.

And the longer I watched her, the heavier my gaze grew. It was all so therapeutic, just watching the way her fingers worked so methodically yet so nimbly. The warmth of afternoon sun streaming in through the bay windows across from us, the soft sound of yarn sliding against the smooth wood of her needles, and the faint, steady sound of her breathing was all so dreamy-

Another yawn overtook me, making my heavy-lidded eyes water and my body relax into the sweet embrace of slumber.

What a perfectly good time for a nap...

Ding~

Dong~

My eyes snapped open.

Just when I was about to succumb to the gentle pull of dreamland for the first time in two days, and the universe decided to give me the finger. Great. Irritation, hot and thick, began to simmer just under the surface of my skin. And I guess mom could sense it too because she chuckled softly before patting my hip.

"I'll get it, Cash. Just go back to sleep."

I sensed as she got to her feet and made her way to the door, leaving the space to my right a fraction colder than what it'd been earlier. But at least I now had the entire couch to myself. With a stifled yawn, I pulled my legs up onto the couch and curled myself into as tight a ball as I could before closing my eyes again. Unlike earlier, though, when time and space seemed to align just right, I found myself far from being lulled back into the sweet pull of slumber. The dreamy-like quality of air, the soft yet nimble hand movements, the warmth and soothing white noise from earlier were all gone leaving everything all wrong.

With a huff, I turned onto my back, my eyes snapping open beneath the frown that would not smooth out no matter how hard I tried to relax my brows.

As I lay there, staring at the white ceiling above, I caught the sound of muffled voices conversing at the front door. And even though I didn't catch exactly what was being said, I could tell mom was slightly surprised by whoever was at the door.

Hmmm, I wonder what that's all about. Was she expecting someone?

The longer I lay there, the more relaxed my body became. The sounds from outside that slipped in through the open door soon became like a faint stream of white noise. The orange streaks of sun flooding in through the windows soon became a thick warm blanket that descended upon me. Before long, the curiosity that'd been peaked by the muffled voices quickly became overshadowed by the surge of drowsiness that washed over me.

"Hey, Cash?"

I blinked, rubbing at my eyes drowsily. That was the second time I'd been ripped away from Mr. Sandman's grasp. Somebody was looking to get stabbed...

"Hm," I growled irritably.

"Can you come here, please?"

Frowning, I stifled yet another yawn that was quickly overtaken by a groan. With a sigh, I turned over on my side so that I faced the window currently engulfed by a halo of oranges and yellows.

Maybe, if I pretend to be asleep, she'll leave me alone...

"Now, Cash."

Guess not.

"Ugh..."

With a huff, I tossed my legs over the side and got to my feet. The irritation I'd been feeling earlier? Yeah, it was back and just about boiling over.

Making sure to stomp as loudly as I could, I made my way over to mom as she leaned into the door frame, allowing me a glimpse at the person at the door. From what I could see, it was a delivery guy dressed in blue with a funny looking cap that reminded me of those old-time milkmen. As I got closer and squeezed into the space between the door and mom, I saw that he not only had one box but that there were at least four or five different sized and colored boxes on the ground behind him.

My eyes widened as I looked from one to the next, noting how each had a distinct little envelope taped to the corner of each one.

"Geez, you expecting all of these?"

As I knelt down to reach for the nearest box, mom stopped me with a hand to my shoulder.

"Actually, they're not for me..."

I raised a brow, my fingers grazing the edge of the little black envelope set diagonally on the front of one of the boxes that seemed to be about the size of a jack in the box. "What do you mean they're not, then who're they for?"

When mom didn't say anything, I set my gaze on the delivery guy with his milk-man hat and impeccable blue suit. He smiled at me, his cheeks all shiny and rosy, while his vivid green eyes twinkled and sparkled as if he'd just jumped out of a fairy tale.

"They're for you."

I blinked. "What?" Rising to my feet, I crossed my arms over my chest and gave mom a look.

"Are you Cash Huxley?"

I turned back to look at the delivery guy. With a frown, I looked him over before nodding. "Yeah, and?"

Unaffected by the look of displeasure I shot him, he simply smiled, flashing a set of pearly white teeth before holding out a clipboard with an order sheet and a pen. "Sign here, please."

I looked from the dude to mom then back to the dude again. "I didn't order anything."

His eyes twinkled. He looked positively tickled pink. "Must be a nice surprise then, huh?"

I looked at him completely deadpan. "Who sent them?"

The guy, he couldn't be that much older than I, cocked his head to the side and had the gall to look crestfallen. "I'm sorry, I don't know. I believe it says in the cards, though."

I raised a brow dubiously.

Mom, unable to contain her excitement any longer giggled sweetly as she patted me on the back, practically forcing me out the door. "Well, go on Cash, don't keep the poor young man waiting. I'm sure he has a lot more deliveries to make to waste time here and play twenty questions with you. Sorry about her, haha."

The guy offered mom another one of those brilliant smiles. "No worries, ma'am."

I rolled my eyes, shrugging off mom's touch before taking the clipboard from good old Mr. Boy-Next-Door to scribble my name on the x at the bottom.

"Thank you and these are for y-"

Without waiting for him to finish, I turned on my heel and began to make my way to the couch once more before I heard him call out, his voice flustered and slightly concerned. "Um, excuse me, Miss? Aren't you going to wait for the others?"

I stopped in my tracks.

Turning back to face him, confusion etched on my face, I cocked my head to the side. "Others?"

He chuckled politely. "Yes, the rest of your packages... they're quite a lot actually."

Ducking out from behind mom, I squeezed past her and skipped down the cobblestone steps before stopping dead in my tracks at the sight waiting for me on the driveway.

My mouth dropped.

It was a whole truck... like a legit delivery box truck.

I stared in disbelief, not even noticing the two guys dressed in the same uniform as the boy at the door, until one of them jogged over to me, an enormous vase filled with bright red roses in hand.

"For you, " He smiled before handing it to me, then heading back to help his partner out to cart dolly after dolly of packages, baskets, and floral vases of all shapes and sizes.

"Holy-"

"Who's it from?"

"Shit!"

I barely managed to keep the vase in my hands from crashing to the ground before turning to shoot mom a glare. She offered me an apologetic smile.

"Well?" She reached out over my shoulder and pulled out another white envelope, just like the one on all the packages being carted out. "Look, there's a card."

I pursed my lips, tasting bile on my tongue as I looked at the card in her hand with scorn. Foisting the vase on mom, I snatched the card from her and practically tore the envelope off to see who'd been the asshole who'd sent a literal shit load of shit to my house.

The moment the first word came into view, I swear I saw red. I didn't even bother reading the rest of the elegant cursive on it, I didn't have to. Crumbling it in my hand as if trying to disintegrate the little piece of paper, I tossed it over my shoulder and made a dash for the house.

Okay, it seems someone's looking for the ass-kicking of a lifetime. Fine. I'm game. And when I'm through with the fucker, I'll make sure he never even thinks about pulling this shit again!

~

"Wait! Whose it from!?"

Nina Huxley cried out after her youngest daughter Cash as this one stormed off like a firecracker, murderous intent flowing off of her in thick hot waves as she went.

With a sigh, she placed the beautifully arranged vase of roses on the soft grass below before reaching for the little ball of paper Cash had practically crushed to dust then tossed onto the grass behind her. As she began to unravel it, careful not to tear it, Nina couldn't help but shake her head in helplessness. Sometimes, her daughter could be such a ticking time bomb. There was no telling what could set her off-

"Oh..." A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she finally unraveled the card enough to see the name of the sender. With a giggle, she looked towards the front door where Cash had just stormed into and held the card to her lips.

"I guess you've finally met your match, huh Cash?"