"Wait—that's not what I meant! I don't hate you or anything, it's just..." Valerie Mount had always been like this—her heart ached whenever someone felt slighted because of her.
Here was Justin bringing gifts, and she'd gone and chewed him out for no reason. Anyone would feel terrible about that.
"You just don't want me here. Crystal clear. From now on, I'll take everything straight to Lorah." Justin stormed out—BANG!—the door slammed shut behind him.
The sound made Valerie's stomach twist. What the hell was wrong with her? All she'd done was pass along a message! Now she'd pissed him off with no clue how to fix it.
At dinner, Justin—normally the life of the table—was dead silent. He wolfed down his food and disappeared upstairs. When Valerie brought fruit later, he didn't even open up
