“Yes. It’s freaking me out. What if she picks up on something? Aren’t you worried Heather or El might say something to her?”
“Like what?” I give her hands a reassuring squeeze. Is the prospect of being tied to me so awful? “That I took you home because my idiot brother took a fancy to the waitress?”
“Server,” she corrects. “And Heather knows it didn’t go down like that.”
“Heather is a vault.” I move my hand back to the steering wheel. I don’t know who she thinks she’s kidding. How can she want to date other men when she was in such a strop this morning because she didn’t sleep in my bed? “Just don’t think you can get out of lunch. Polly will send out the flying monkeys to find you.”
“The flying monkeys? Like the Wicked Witch of the West? That’s an awful thing to call someone as lovely as your mom!”
“She’s certainly got some kind of witchy magic, but it’s me you should have pity for.”
“Because she wants—horror upon horrors—for you to be happy?”
“You won’t be singing that tune when she pulls out the baby photographs.”
“Oh, I will,” she scoffs. “I’d love to see some of baby Whit’s cutey patootie.”
“Why, when you have access to his grown-up… one of those?” Whatever a patootie is, chances are, I’ve still got one. “As for Polly being a witch, who do you think that makes captain of her flying monkeys?”
Hooking one hand into my armpit, I begin a terrible impersonation of an ape. Totally worth it to see her smile again.
“You’re crazy!”
I’m crazy something all right.
* * *
“Remember, don’t sit next to me,” Mimi says as I push open the garden gate. “And don’t sit across from me, either.”
I half lift my arm and sniff my armpit. “Why? Do I smell?”
She stills me with a soft hand to my forearm. “Please be serious.”
She turns toward the red-painted front door when I slip my fingers into hers with a reassuring squeeze… and a dirty whisper in her ear. “Think they’ll be able to smell you on me?”
Her tentative smile is snuffed from her expression like a candle blown out.
“Mimi, come on.” I glance at the large bay window of my parents' terrace house. “It’s just my lot in there.” I note the twitch of the curtain and think better of pointing it out. It might be weird, but I find I don’t give a fuck if we’re being watched.Maybe I should just kiss her and be done with all speculation. I stifle a sigh at the idiotic thought. She’s really not down for that.
“Exactly. Your family. Your mom was so lovely when I called her when I was looking for work. And Heather was so cool on Friday. They can’t find out, Whit. I don’t want them to think badly of me.”
I tilt my head to the side, almost floored by the needy words that shoot from my mouth. “Am I important to you, too.”
“You will always be important to me,” she says soberly as her hand falls away. “More than you’ll ever know.” She slides the soft sweater over her bared shoulder which is probably a good move because I want to kiss her there. Let’s face it, I want to kiss her everywhere. “I don’t want them to pick up on any vibe between us. It wouldn’t do for them to get ahead of themselves.”
Mimi is more astute than I’ve given her credit for. I’m beginning to think it’s me—that I am a great big fucking idiot. Why would I have a lump in my throat the size of a golf ball? How did this get so complicated over the space of a weekend?
She accused me of possessing sexual voodoo, but maybe it’s more a case of her magical pussy? I’m a fucking idiot because Mimi is way more than that.
“Look, don’t worry.” I ease out a careful breath. “I can behave myself.”
She slides me a look that’s hard to decipher. “Ah hell, the flowers!” She pivots, then pivots back. “Open the car, would you, please?”
I pull out my keys, but before I can offer to get them, she’s already off down the garden path. I slide them back into my pocket at the same time as the front door creaks open.
“That all looked very cozy.”
I turn to the sound of El’s voice and find him leaning against the doorjamb, arms folded, like a cheap soap opera villain.
