Oh, he was so arrogant.
Mia fumed as she made her way back into her room. The porch was clear—her new friends off to wreak havoc on the town, probably—and she couldn’t get that damn kiss out of her head.
A date. Like hell. She didn’t want to date Ethan Bishop. He was a pain in the ass. Sure, he was Special Forces and put others’ lives in front of his own. Sure, he’d been a bodyguard and seemed to have a deep protective instinct that gave her a sinking mushy pit in her stomach. Sure, he was hot, even with the Grizzly Adams beard.
But he was not her type. In August, she’d get out of this perfect country hellhole and back to the city, where she ruled and things made sense, and she picked whom she did and didn’t want to go to bed with on her own terms.
Maybe she’d spend some time with Chloe. Her father called every few days for a check-in, but Mia sensed his daughter felt like he was just crossing off an item on his to-do list. She’d worked longer days at the stable than needed, so Ethan had given her the day off.
Mia knocked on her door. It took a few moments for her to open it. “Hey. How’s it going?”
Chloe shrugged. Her purple hair was braided around her face. Her eyebrow ring flashed in the light. She wore tiny denim shorts and three layered multicolored tank tops with spaghetti straps. Her toenails were painted black. “Fine.”
“Want to go into town with me? Figured you’d be bored. We could do some shopping.”
Chloe flicked a judging gaze over Mia’s conservative, polished outfit and smirked. Politely. “No, thanks. My friends called, and they’re on their way over to pick me up.”
Mia shifted in discomfort. This was the part she hated. She’d promised Jonathan to keep his daughter out of trouble, but she was in college for God’s sake. She had to have a life, and this inn was beginning to be a type of prison, like Chloe originally termed it. “Okay. Make sure you check your cell in case I text for something.”
Chloe rolled her eyes but nodded. “Sure.”
Her tone dripped sarcasm, but Mia was grateful for any type of assent. “Your dad said he was going to try to come up next weekend for a visit.”
Immediately, her face changed. Those gorgeous blue eyes hardened, and Mia’s heart broke at the obvious resentment. “Tell him ‘no, thanks.’ What if the paparazzi track him down and find out his criminal daughter has been hidden from the world? Goodbye, NYC Mayor.”
“You’re more important to him than being mayor, Chloe,” she said.
“Sure you’re not sleeping with him? You’re defending him like you are.”
Mia narrowed her gaze. “I’m sure. He’s my client, and I believe he’s a good man. I also know he’s nuts about you and didn’t know how to handle it when you got in trouble. He’s a guy. They’re not very good at emotions.”
That remark got her a slight smile.
She was halfway to the door when inspiration struck. “Hey, there’s a cupcake festival on Saturday. Ethan mentioned it. Want to go?”
The girl shrugged. “I guess. Nothing else to do around here.”
She headed to her room. Take that, Ethan. It couldn’t be an official date with Chloe there. She needed to prove she wasn’t interested in spending any extra time with the man. The Golden Girls crew needed no other ammunition to try to match them up, or they’d drive her nuts the next two weeks.
The sound of rowdy laughter and curse words drifted up to her open window. She peeked her head out to see what was going on.
A battered black muscle car was parked outside. Three kids hooted Chloe’s name, leaning against the side of the car, flicking cigarette ashes on the pavement. The two guys were tatted up, with baggy shorts hanging past their knees and large, round piercings in their ears. Definitely older. The lone girl sported bright-pink hair in a shaggy cut and wore barely-there denim shorts, wedged sandals, and a low-cut black shirt.
Mia frowned. These were Chloe’s friends? Her gut told her to go downstairs and secure an introduction. She was here to watch out for Chloe, and though it was uncomfortable to play guardian, she owed that to Jonathan.
She skipped down the stairs quickly, heading toward the car at the same time Chloe reached her friends. Mia pasted on a bright smile as she approached.
“Hi, guys. I’m Mia, Chloe’s . . . aunt. How are you?”
Chloe’s eyes widened in horror. Her blue eyes flickered with a tinge of panic before she quickly ducked her head, muttering something under her breath. Why was she so afraid of introducing her friends? Was it a teen-embarrassment thing? Or something more?
The first guy looked bored, while the second one gave her a leer. Up close, they looked kind of alike, with short, spiky hair and brown eyes. Were they brothers? “Hey,” one of them greeted. “You’re the one guarding Chloe’s ass, huh?”
Mia blinked. “An interesting way to phrase it, I guess. What’s your name?”
“I’m Anthony, and this is Ben.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Ben didn’t bother to answer her. God, how she hated rudeness. “You ready to go or what, Chloe?” he demanded in a sulky tone.
Mia ignored him and faced the pink-haired girl. “And you are?”
The girl scowled. “Theresa.”
“Nice to meet you. Where you guys headed?”
“Out,” Theresa said. “Unless she has to sign something in order to leave this hellhole.”
Chloe grabbed Theresa and dragged her inside the car. “We’re going for a hike at Minnewaska. Right, guys?”
“Yeah, right,” Anthony said with a grin. “Good to meet you.”
“Without water bottles?” Mia challenged. She caught Chloe’s face flushing and knew something else was going on. Holy crap, was she really going to allow Lake’s daughter to head out with this band of juvenile delinquents?
“We’ll stop for some at the store,” Chloe threw out in desperation, climbing into the back seat. “Don’t wait up.”
“Chloe, I don’t know about this—”
She knew the words were a mistake the moment they were uttered. Chloe practically snarled back at her. “I do. You can’t keep me locked up with a bunch of old people all summer. I’m outta here. See ya later.”
Ben gave her a high five from the driver’s seat and pulled out with a roar of his tires.
Mia bit her lip and fought the panic curling at her nerves. Dammit, she should’ve read some parenting books on how to handle teens. Seems like rule one was the moment you challenged them, they became monsters.
But she was nineteen years old and on her own. As long as she didn’t get into trouble, how could she force her to stay?
She didn’t like Chloe’s friends. Not that she liked to judge based on appearances, but her gut screamed something was off. They were trouble. Chloe was a good kid. Mia had seen the way she acted on the farm with the horses. She was relaxed, and open. The girl actually laughed! But with this group, she looked uncomfortable, as if she was being forced to be with them.
Holding back a groan, Mia decided to try to talk to Chloe when she returned. Then she’d call Jonathan tonight and make sure he came up this weekend. Hopefully, he could have a heart-to-heart with his daughter and straighten things out.
Mia grabbed her purse and headed into town. It was time to go shopping for some crappy clothes.
Look pretty, indeed.