Cherry Pop (Mercury Rising Book 3) by Samantha Kane Read Free Book Online Page B

stubbornly. “We pay our taxes and drive on the right side of the road.”
    “Wouldn’t it be great if that was all it took to make it in this country?” she asked wistfully. “You aren’t stupid, Tripp. I know that you know that Ben is smart, attractive, successful, educated. Not a lot of people in Mercury can say all that about themselves.”
    “Well, there’s going to be a whole bunch more like him pretty soon,” Tripp said, irritated at the thought. “Once that new Turnstiles center opens, Mercury will be crawling with them.”
    “Ben will still stand out,” she said. “He’s one of the bosses, isn’t he?”
    Tripp shoved his chair back and stood up, unable to sit anymore. “Yeah, he is. I guess he’s in charge of the place even though Brian Curland is here too.”
    “I was thinking of volunteering at that new charity foundation he’s setting up,” she said. “You think they’ll have something for me to do?”
    “They’ll probably want you to stand at the door and make the place look pretty,” Tripp told her, kissing her on the top of the head.
    “I was sort of hoping they might want more than that,” she said sharply. “I’ve had about enough of doing that for your father.”
    Tripp sensed he’d said the wrong thing. “Sorry, Mama. I didn’t mean anything by it. It was supposed to be a compliment. You ought to call up Evan and ask him if there’s something you can do. He’d know.”
    She bit her lip and looked skeptical. “You think? I don’t go to his church. I know you two are friends, but he might not want me there.”
    “’Course he will,” Tripp said, dumping out his cold coffee. “Everybody wants you around. Everyone likes you.”
    “You ever wish your mama was more than a pretty face?” Her question surprised him.
    “You are,” he said firmly. “That may be what everyone sees first thing, but all it takes is a few minutes and they know you’re smart and funny as well as pretty. Who’s been saying stuff to you?”
    “No one,” she said, drawing circles on the table with her perfectly manicured nail. “I haven’t seen your daddy since we went out skiing.”
    Not for the first time Tripp cursed his dad silently. He loved him, but damn if he wasn’t the biggest fool in Mercury, running after young girls when a woman like his mom was waiting on him to come to his senses. “Well, he’s been pretty busy this summer. You know we’re stretched thin on all these projects. He’s got to hire another assistant.” He quickly turned his back and made a face. That was a damn stupid thing to say.
    “Since he’s sending a hefty alimony check to the last one, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said drily. “But he could mention a prenup in the want ad.”
    “I meant a real assistant,” Tripp said, turning back around to brazen out the conversation. “He’s working too hard.” It wasn’t a lie. His daddy did the work of three men.
    “I keep telling him he’s going to have a heart attack, but he won’t listen to me,” she said with a shrug. “Your granddaddy did the same thing. Put him in an early grave. Anyway, he’s in Norfolk on that Taylor job. I think he needed breathing room. I just expected him back by now is all.” She shifted in her chair and took a sip of coffee, watching him over the rim. That look made him nervous. “So,” she said at last, putting her coffee down. “Are you going to tell me why you’re still here and not at the office? Not that I mind the company, but you don’t usually dilly dally around here in the morning.”
    “Just didn’t feel like going into work,” he said. It was the truth. He never could lie to her anyway. “Fact is, I’m not sure I want to work in the office.”
    “You’ve got to learn the business, Tripp,” she said, frowning. “I agree with your daddy about that. You don’t have to stay in the office forever.”
    “Daddy does,” Tripp said. “He visits the job sites and meets with clients and