Pulling my lips into my most inviting smile, I motioned for her to join me. Her eyes bounced back and forth, but eventually, she huffed and glided over to me.
“Morning,Beth.”
“Sasha. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Beth stared down at her latte.
“Go ahead.”
She sat on the edge of the chair across from me. “What?”
I rolled my eyes. “Take the picture. It’s a crime to let good latte art go undocumented, right?”
A lovely blush covered Beth’s cheeks as she gently set her mug down and snapped a couple of pictures. “You always thought these pictures were stupid.”
She wasn’t wrong.
I glanced out the window at a Prius trying to parallel park while cars zoomed around them. The Grove didn’t have much traffic, but it could get hairy when spots were few and far between.Sighing, I turned back to her. “That never stopped you before. Why would it stop you now?”
Beth smiled and finally took a sip of her drink. She closed her eyes, her long lashes kissed her cheeks,and for a second,I was looking at the girl that stole my heart. After a deep breath, she opened her eyes and stared at me.
When it became clear she wasn’t going to speak, I did. “Right. How’ve you been?”
Raising one eyebrow, Beth took another sip and said nothing.
“Fine. I guess I’ll get to the point. What do you know about theMorettis?”
Her gaze fell to the table, and she shrugged.
Leaning closer, I dropped my voice to barely a whisper. “What do you know about your mom wiring money monthly to an offshore account in their name?”
That got her attention.
“What do you mean? That was supposed to—” Beth shook her head and took a big gulp of coffee, burning her mouth. She fanned her tongue,and I nudged my water over to her.
As she gulped down the entire glass, I pressed on. “Supposed to what?”
Shaking her head, she checked her watch. “Nothing Sasha. Look, Igottago.”
As she stood to leave, I caught her hand. “Please, Beth, I need to know.”
She glanced at the door but slowly lowered back down to her seat. We sat in silence for a few minutes before Beth finally spoke. “My mom’s a senator.”
“Right?”
“She has a secret that could ruin her career.” She pursed her lips.
“Okay?”
“She pays for silence.”
A little irritated, I snapped, “Well, I could’ve guessed all of that.” I ran a hand through my hair, blowing out a breath. “I don’t know what I expected. I guess your confirmation is enough.”
Grabbing my hand, she laced our fingers. “I don’t know what you’re looking for, but I can tell you I didn’t know that the Morettis were the ones blackmailing my mom. If I did,I would’ve said something while you were with that piece of shit.”
Heat rose to my cheeks. I was trying to figure out how all this worked and who knew, not be treated like a fool.
“Baby,” her other hand closed around mine. “I’m so sorry. At least you’re done with him, right?” She tried to lure me into a false sense of comfort with her prettiest smile. Drawing my hand to her lips, she placed a small kiss on my knuckles.
Uncomfortable and disappointed, I gently pulled my hand away. “Thanks. I need to get going. I appreciate your help.”