Swerve: Boosted Hearts (Volume 1) by Sherilee Gray, Rba Designs Page B

and rummaged around until she found her phone. She checked the screen, and her stomach dropped to the floor.
    Mom .
    Alice Freestone was the kind of woman who followed the party, regardless of her responsibilities—and Shay had found out at a very young age, that included her daughter—going wherever it took her. She only had one prerequisite—that someone else was paying. In between parties, or guys willing to pay her way, she liked to play the doting mother. It was all an act, of course, and Shay’s mother had never been a great actress.
    She stared at the screen until the phone finally stopped ringing. Guilt niggled, stirring up that edgy feeling she got whenever her mother surfaced.
    Dammit .
    She went to shove her phone back into her bag when it started up again. She’d keep calling until Shay answered. Her mother was persistent, which was how she’d secured so many men with bulging bank accounts over the years. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on who she’d been seeing at the time, her mother got bored easily and would move on to her next conquest quickly, and if not, they eventually saw through her and ended the relationship.
    In-between men, she came to Shay.
    As much as she wanted to turn off her phone and pretend her mother hadn’t called, this was her mother, and no matter how many times she hurt Shay and let her down, she couldn’t just ignore the woman.
    Shay put the phone to her ear. “Hi, Mom.”
    “Sugar Angel! It’s so good to hear your voice.”
    Her heart squeezed. When Shay was young, she’d craved the sound of her mother’s voice, had prayed every night for a call, a letter, anything. “It’s good to hear yours, as well. It’s been a while.”
    Her mother was quiet a second then cleared her throat. “Don’t be like that, Shay Shay. You know I lead a busy life.”
    Shay could hear her mother taking a drag of her cigarette. A habit she’d had as long as Shay could remember.
    “That’s why I’m calling, actually. I’m planning on paying you a visit. Thought you might put your mom up for a few nights. What do you say, honey?”
    She wanted to say no . She wanted to hang up the phone and convince herself the conversation never happened. Guilt shot though her again. “When are you coming?”
    “Oh, baby, you won’t regret it. We’ll have so much fun!” Another deep drag of her smoke. “I’ll be there tomorrow evening. Cook something nice, and we’ll eat together.”
    Shay slumped back onto a chair. “Sounds good.” Sounds terrible.
    “Okay, I gotta go. See you tomorrow, honey.”
    Then the phone went dead.
    Wonderful. A few nights could mean anything. Once she’d said she was coming for a few nights and had stayed two months. She’d also cleaned out Shay’s wallet before she left. Neither of them had ever mentioned it. It was easier to lose the money than confront her mother and listen to the woman’s vitriol. Shay hated it when they fought. The guilt always ate at her during the months of silence in between visits.
    Not that it bothered her mother. She’d had years of practice at pretending Shay didn’t exist.
    “Mommy, I don’t feel so good.”
    “Now you hush. I don’t want to hear any of your complaining. Mommy’s gonna be busy with her new friend for a while.” Gripping Shay’s arm, she dragged her to her room at the end of the hall. “You stay in here ‘til I say you can come out.” She shoved Shay inside. “Not a sound out of you, you hear me?”
    Shay’s tummy rumbled. “I think I need my dinner.”
    “It won’t hurt you to miss a meal or two, not going by the looks of you. Now remember…not a sound.”
    Shay bit her lip, holding back her tears. Mommy didn’t like it when she cried.
    Then the door was slammed shut and Shay was all alone…
    Shay sucked in a breath, a shudder moving through her.
    Don’t go there.
    She tried her best not to think about that time in her life, but the memories dogged her harder when her mother called or