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Aunt Lucy is waiting for me in the kitchen when I come in from rinsing off after a day of guarding.
“I got a visitor this morning,” she says, placing a plate of cheese and crackers in from of me. It’s the day after Mollie’s birthday so I have a pretty good idea of who paid her a visit.
“Thanks, anyone interesting?” I ask, popping a cracker in my mouth. I’m always starving after work and Lucy likes to spoil me.
“Mollie’s mom,” she says and the cracker feels dry going down as I swallow. “She brought donuts.”
“Is that a good thing?”
She shrugs. “Usually.”
“I’m getting the feeling that maybe wasn’t the case this morning?” I shovel a huge slice of cheese wedged between two Wheat Thins into my mouth, chewing loudly. I start looking around for a donut box—maybe there’s some leftover.
“Nope, it wasn’t great.” She sees me searching. “There aren’t any left stop looking.”
I nod, jamming more crackers into my mouth like the uncivilized teenager I am.
“She wants me to keep a closer eye on you and Mollie. Apparently, she doesn’t trust you.”
I squint at her. “Hmm, might be the time she found me naked in Mollie’s bed. That, or she’s trying to cover for the fact that I’ve spent more time with her daughter in the past six weeks than she has in the past year.” I grab two more cheese-laden crackers to take to my room to change for dinner with Mollie and her mom.
“Just be careful,” my aunt calls as I take two steps at a time up to my room.
Quickly, I get dressed in my nice pants and a button-down shirt knowing I need to lay on the charm a little.
I head over to their house and knock on the door. Mollie’s mom is on the phone and she keeps talking as she opens the door, waving me in.
Mollie is sitting at the bar, having a bowl of cereal, dressed in another one of those long tank dresses I love so much on her. Mollie’s style is easy and effortless like her. She’s no-nonsense, but still beautiful. To be fair, we haven’t really gone out anywhere except to play mini-golf or hang out at Dirk’s so she hasn’t had an occasion to really dress up but I love her the same in a dress or her lifeguard sweat pants.
“Hey, Hatchet, you look amazing,” I say as I lean in to kiss her cheek.
“Thanks, so do you.” She tugs on my collar and I pretend to bite her hand and she pulls it back, giggling.
“Hello, Owen,” Mollie’s mom says in a serious tone walking past us into the kitchen. “Nice to see you in,” she pauses, “clothes.”
Mollie turns the color of a tomato and I take a deep breath so I don’t say something I’ll regret.
“I’m sorry for that,” I say, not sorry for anything but her seeing my bare ass.
“I accept your apology,” she says, pouring herself a glass of white wine.
“Mom is taking us out to dinner for my birthday,” Mollie chimes in. I nod because she said this to me not an hour ago.
“Am I?” her mom asks wryly, apparently this is news to her.
“Yes,” Mollie says, standing and taking my hand in hers to follow. Of course, I do. “We will be in my room until it’s time to go. Thanks mom!”
“Door open,” her mom calls and Mollie laughs.
“If she wants the door open so she can see me make out with my boyfriend then she’s welcome to it.” We enter her room and I pull her back so her back is flush to my front. I rest my head on her shoulder, just enjoying the feel of her.
“I love you,” I whisper straight into her ear and she shivers.
We stand like that for a while and it calms her down. I know she must have gotten an earful from her mother and inviting me seems to have upped the tension between them.
“Are you sure you want me to come or are you just trying to rile up your mom?”
She turns in my arms, her face tilted up to mine. “I want you there, and if it pisses her off, it’s merely a bonus.”
