Chapter 330 You Know It Yourself
"Your tummy hurtin' bad? Need a lift?" Riley squatted at the stairs, eyes locked on Winston, worry all over her face.
Winston flashed a cheeky grin. "Nah, I'm good now. Just thought you wanted to leave early."
Ever since they spotted Donovan with Hollis at the elevator, Riley's vibe had been off. When Donovan blocked them in the hallway, Winston could totally feel his mom's tension. Lucky for him and Landon, they weren't keen on seeing Donovan either, so he cooked up a reason to get Riley outta there.
Riley let out a sigh of relief and playfully booped his nose. "Don't pull that stunt again. If you said you were sleepy, fine, but faking a stomachache? Not cool."
She'd been genuinely freaked out earlier. If she wasn't trying to dodge Donovan, she might've dragged Winston back for another check-up. Good thing the kid was alright.
As they were chilling, footsteps echoed down the quiet hallway. The sound got closer, soft and faint, like a woman's steps. Riley figured someone was just using the stairs and moved aside with the kids. But as she stood up, Hollis rounded the corner. Their eyes met, and Riley's face instantly darkened.
One look and she knew Hollis wasn't there for anything good. What was Hollis after? Was it 'cause Donovan ditched her to check on Winston? A bunch of guesses raced through Riley's mind.
Hollis, though, looked all calm. She even glanced at Winston with fake concern and asked Riley, "Did you take the kid to the doc? What'd they say? Is he seriously sick?"
Riley shot her a wary look and told the kids, "Go wait downstairs."
The kids glared at Hollis, ready to protect their mom. Riley knew they wanted to shield her, but she had no clue what was coming next. If Hollis tried anything, she wasn't sure she could keep them safe.
Seeing the kids hesitate, Riley put on her stern face and pretended to be mad, telling the more sensible Landon, "Landon, take Winston downstairs and keep an eye on him."
Landon nodded, grabbed Winston's wrist, and they headed downstairs. Now it was just Riley and Hollis in the stairwell.
"Alright, spill it. What do you want?" Riley asked coldly, staring her down.
Hollis played innocent. "I just wanted to check on Winston. What's with the attitude? You think I'd hurt the kids?"
Riley thought about how Hollis had gotten the kids expelled for no reason and smirked. "You know what you did."
Hollis's face showed a hint of hurt. "My arm's still messed up; what could I do to them? I saw how worried Donovan was and wanted to help out. It's not for you; I just don't want Donovan stressing."
Her words were all about showing off her sincerity to Donovan. Riley felt a weird emotion pass through her but nodded slightly. "If that's the case, thanks for your concern, Ms. Sutton. But Winston's fine. Just needs some meds. You should take care of your own injury."
