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“But?”
“I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
For a moment there was silence.
He watched her continue to knead the dough with her fingers and knuckles as he moved closer to her.
“It sure would be nice to have you home for the summer.”
“Mom,” he said gently. “Crystal Lake and I don’t exactly mix.” Weak excuse, but it was all he had.
“Your father won’t be around.”
There it was. The big old elephant in the room.
Mac didn’t know any details about his father’s incarceration other than the fact that he’d been caught stealing from his job—something he’d done before—and his ass had landed in jail.
Her bottom lip trembled for just a moment, but Mac saw it and his jaw clamped tight as that damn wave of emotion rolled over him again.
Her hands paused on top of the dough. “I miss you, Mackenzie. I know it’s not your job to look after your mom, but I just…” She released a long, shuddering breath. “I hate being alone. Grams is getting on, and pretty soon there will be no one.”
He slipped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her, the bottom of his chin resting on the top of her head. “I know,” he said simply. “Though I’m pretty sure that Grams will outlive us all.”
Except him.
His mother’s bottom lip curved. “She’s certainly is a strong old lady. I wish I’d gotten some of that backbone.”
Mackenzie didn’t know what to say to that—mostly because it was something he’d thought of a lot when he was younger.
“So…you’ll think about it?” she whispered, her hands already working the dough again, his arms still on her shoulders.
Mac gazed out the window, his eyes resting on the fence that bordered their lot. A few sections were missing and though it had been light green at one time, the color had long since faded and the bits that remained were chipped and peeling.
It needed mending. Hell, the entire house needed a damn face-lift.
He felt the warmth from his mother, the frailty in her bones and spirit.
“Mac?” she asked softly, and though she tried to hide it, he heard the hope in her voice.
“I’ll think about it,” he answered, not knowing what he was going to do. He hated this place, not the town so much, but this place. This house. This situation. The toxic relationship between him and his father.
He hated the memories and the need he still felt for his mother to somehow make things right. She’d never stand up to his old man. Never.
A heartbeat passed.
“Okay,” Lila Draper murmured. “Okay.”
Chapter 2
One-night stands are notorious for biting a girl in the ass.
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sp; It’s one of the first things a smart girl learns when she’s younger. One of the first things that said smart girl vows never to do again.
But sometimes fate or stupidity intervenes and those life lessons are forgotten in the heat of the moment—life lessons that are there for a reason. And a smart girl is faced with the uncomfortable situation that arises when your one-night stand—the one-night stand you were hoping never to see again—suddenly pops up on your radar.
As of five minutes ago, Lily St. Clare’s one-night stand was back in town, and as of five minutes ago, Lily St. Clare’s ass was in danger of being bitten.
