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“Yes?” Broadie belts out.
“We’ve begun our descent, sir.”
Sliding the makeshift blindfold from my eyes and freeing my wrists, he chuckles as he rests his hand across his sweat-covered chest. “So have we.”
Broadie retrieves a wet washcloth to clean me up after hastily returning from the washroom. Giving my behind a playful swat, he encourages me to stand. He smirks as he reaches up to toy with the red strands of my wig.
“I think we might need to save this outfit for later.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
POPPY
“There you are. I’ll forgive you for not coming to see me in so long if you tell me it’s because you’ve been with that handsome doctor,” my mother yells as I enter her room.
I start to defend myself when she catches my smile.
“You have been with him!” She claps.
“It’s not anything serious, Mom. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
A loud commotion has me spinning on my heels. “What the hell are you waiting for, Poppy? Someone better to come along to get serious about?” Agnes asks as she tries to get control of the walker she just slammed into the doorway.
I giggle. “Do you need a license to use that thing?”
“Ha ha. You laugh all you want. At the rate you’re going, you could end up living here before you land a man.”
I shake my head at her. If she’d said that to me a week ago, I might have been tempted to go after Broadie more aggressively. But Kat’s idea to go to that club and find out what he was really doing there ended up being gold. Not only did I have an incredibly hot night with Broadie, but he shared a little more of his past with me. I really feel like I can trust him. Even if I wish we could spend a little more time together.
“Well, if you haven’t been hot and heavy with Dr. Dreamboat, what’ve you been doing?” Agnes interrogates.
“If you must know, I’ve been going to yoga, doing meditation, and returned to taking pottery classes.”
“Boooring,” Agnes groans. “What are you, a hundred and two?” She slumps into her chair, the walker nearly falling to the ground. “Youth is wasted on the wrong people.”
“Wasn’t that a line fromIt’s a Wonderful Life?” I laugh.
“Just as true today as it was in the forties.” She huffs.
I shuffle around the room, straightening the papers stacked on Mom’s nightstand, when I notice something odd. Picking up the greeting card, I find it has a floral design on the front andHope you’re having a nice day, Broadie, is inscribed on the blank page inside. “What is this?”
“It’s a card,” Mom yells before leaning to look past me at Agnes. Her brows raised, as if questioning my sanity. “Are you feeling all right, dear?”
“Yes, I know it’s a card, Mother. But I’m just surprised. Since when is Broadie sending you greeting cards?”
“Why not? Maybe she’s his plan B,” Agnes snaps.
Oh, for goodness sake.
“He’s a nice boy, Poppy. Don’t let him get away.”
I flash my mother a reassuring smile before moving to give that poor, neglected plant a drink. The very last thing I want to do is let him get away.But, trust me, Mom. He’s not a boy. He’s all man.
* * *
I leave Mom’s skilled nursing facility and decide to have a total ‘me day.’ I’ll go to yoga before my art class begins and maybe hit my favorite coffee shop on the way home. Anything to try and keep my mind occupied with pleasant things. And off of him. I can’t spend every day pining over him. He’s a busy man.
I walked into the Barre Yoga studio with my head held high. I was going to crush this and leave feeling invigorated. But halfway through, it was all I could do to remain conscious. This class felt hotter, and the stretch more brutal than the ones I’ve attended in the past. Either I accidentally ended up in an advanced class, or I’m more out of shape than I thought.
