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I gingerly put my hand in my boxers and felt around. Everything seemed okay. Only tender.
“The boys are good. No permanent damage,” I announced after zipping up my pants.
“Well, thank goodness for that,” Lena retorted dryly. “So, you want to tell me why you’re here? What happened to taking the night off?”
She was testy. I guess I deserved that after my less than a stellar entrance. “I got your message,” I said.
Lena looked away. “Yeah, well I was being a jerk this morning.” She was stiff, not quite looking at me.
“I only just saw it when I got here,” I explained.
I noticed that she relaxed slightly. “Oh. Okay then.” She finally met my eyes. “So why are you here if not because of my message?”
I grinned. “I need you to pack a bag. We’re taking a trip.”
She frowned. “Are you high? Drunk? What in the world are you talking about?”
I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around her. “You’ve had a rough couple of months. We’re both burned out. We could use a relaxing weekend away from everything, don’t you think?”
She looked up at me with a slightly incredulous expression. “You want to go away for the weekend? Together?”
“No, I thought we’d take the whole neighborhood.” I rolled my eyes and kissed her forehead. “Yes, together. Away from Southport where we don’t have to worry about being seen by Adam or anyone else. And you can unwind a bit.”
She was chewing on her bottom lip. “But I have casework to do—”
“And that will be there on Monday. Forget about work for one night. We’ll be back late tomorrow, so if you really want to, you can deal with it then.” I gave her a squeeze. “Come on. You know you want to.”
Eventually, she smiled. “Yeah, okay. Just give me a minute to change and get some stuff together.”
“Pack something nice. I made reservations for dinner and you’ll want to get dolled up.” I ran my hand down her back to rest on her butt. “But don’t change. I love the way your ass looks in these leggings.”
She threw me a sultry look. “Fine, go wait in the living room.”
I did as I was told. A few minutes later Marlena came out with a duffle bag and grabbed her puffy winter coat. I handed her the spare key and she started to put it on top of the door again. “Don’t leave it there, babe. You’re asking for some weirdo to come in and surprise you when you’re alone.” I spoke teasingly, but it was laced with genuine concern.
She must have picked up on that so instead of putting it back in its old spot she handed it to me. I looked at her questioningly. She shrugged as if it were inconsequential. “You’re here enough, you should probably have it. That way if I lock myself out, I know someone has a key.”
There was that fucking lump in my throat again. I tucked the key into my wallet and neither of us addressed what a huge deal that was.
Once we were in my car and on the road, it started snowing. It had been flurrying on and off most of the day, but by the look of the sky, it promised more significant weather. The cabin I had rented was only an hour away. Far enough to escape the watchful eyes of Southport, but close enough that we weren’t spending all afternoon on the road.
“How was brunch with your parents?” I asked once we pulled onto the highway.
“Good.” She was chewing on her bottom lip again. I had learned that was a dead giveaway that something was on her mind. Once upon a time, I would have badgered her. Poked and prodded until she fessed up. But I had learned to wait patiently for her to tell me.
I got a sense of satisfaction when she finally relented and shared things with me. It was as if little by little she opened herself. I was beginning to feel a desperation to see all of her. Marlena Ducate wasn’t an overly complicated woman. She didn’t play head games and she didn’t put on a show. She was straight from the hip. She was feisty and intelligent. She spoke her mind but not in a way that was rude or condescending. She cared about people. Diplomacy mattered to her. She was kind and considerate, even toward those she found frustrating—like yours truly.
I had developed a respect for her when she was our paralegal, but now that I was growing to know her on a different level, I appreciated her in ways I had never appreciated anyone.
Mom would love her.
The thought came out of nowhere. But it was the truth. I had never introduced a woman to my mom. And not because I kept my family a secret—though I definitely didn’t make it a point to talk about them. It was because I was careful not to develop emotional connections. I didn’t do commitment and I didn’t do longevity. Because of that, there was never a reason to bring a woman ‘round to meet Mom. Yet I could imagine the two women meeting and liking each other.
