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I blow out a long breath. “I’m thrilled that you feel so comfortable talking to me openly about sex, but I’m telling you as someone with more experience, you’re not emotionally mature enough to be with a man that old. I can handle college-aged, that’s it. Your beauty isn’t a weapon. Stop using it that way.”
I know my words are falling on deaf ears. My daughter is as stubborn as they come. Her interest in older men is the bane of my existence.
A familiar attractive couple, a bit older than me, walksover to us. He’s tall, with dark hair and green eyes. She’s about my size, with dark hair, green eyes, and a killer body. She smiles as she wraps her arm around Jade in a loving, familiar way. “Jade, is this your mom? I’ve been dying to meet her.”
Jade nods. “Yes. Aunt Darian, meet my mom, Amanda Tremaine. Mom, this is Aunt Darian and her husband, Jackson Knight.” Jackson? Oh my. It must have been these two in the closet earlier. That’s why they’re familiar. I internally laugh. Good for them for still getting it on in public at their age. They must be at least ten years older than me.
I shake Jackson’s hand and he smiles at me. Holy hell, he’s hot. Between him, Declan, and Beckett, this place is crawling with attractive men.
I then offer Darian my hand, but she pulls me into a hug. “I’m so happy to finally meet you. We’re thrilled to have Jade in our lives. You have no idea how much it means to me.”
“Thank you for being so welcoming of her. She raves about all of you. And it was so nice of your daughter to give Jade a job.” Reagan is the CEO of a huge company and offered Jade a paid internship during her senior year of high school. Jade is over the moon about it.
“I have no doubt she’ll be wonderful. Please know that you’re always welcome in our home. Jade’s family, and so are you. We have weekly Sunday night dinners as a big family. Consider it an open invitation.”
I’m flooded with warmth for Jade that she has this. It was just she and I for so many years. A big family will be good for her.
“That’s very kind of you. I live part-time in New York, but perhaps sometime in the future.”
She nods. “Wonderful. And Jade tells us that you’re a talented artist. We’re always in the market. I’d love to see your work sometime.”
“Wow. I’d love that. Thank you.”
“We’ll set it up.” Turning to Jade, she says, “Reagan wants to introduce you to a few new coworkers. Do you have a minute?”
“Of course.” Jade looks down at me. “Mom, you’ll be okay?”
I wave my hand dismissively. “Absolutely. Have fun.”
She walks away and I decide I need one more drink. I turn toward the bar and crash straight into a chest. Looking up, I see Beckett steadying the drinks he’s holding. His drink in one hand and a piña colada with at least five cherries in the other. He holds it out for me. “A peace offering.”
I take the drink. “Thank you, but we’re not at war. No need for a peace offering.”
“I shouldn’t have kissed your neck like that. I’m sorry. I’ve been so down for so many months. I think I was just relieved that I’m capable of being physically attracted to someone. It gives me hope where I thought there was none.”
“I understand. It’s not like I jumped away as quickly as I should have. How about we declare a formal treaty?”
He gives me that crooked smile of his and holds up his glass. “Friends?”
I clink my glass with his. “Friends.”
“Good. Now you can fill me in on your art, friend. I want to know more about it.”
“Honestly, I’m not very successful. I paint, but I don’t sell many pieces. I created and sold a lot of jewelry when mydaughter was younger to make ends meet, but I don’t enjoy that like I do painting.”
“You should do what you enjoy.” He’s clueless. Some people in this world need to do what’s necessary to get by. He asks, “Are you classically trained?”
“I started down that path but ended up dropping out of school. That’s a sad story for another day.”
He nods in understanding. “What name do you paint under? You said you don’t use your real name.”
“Enchanted. Just the single word.”
He smiles. “You really do fancy your fairytales, don’t you?”
He’s staring at my lips as I smile in agreement. He looks like he wants to kiss me. What’s worse is that I want him to.
He glances over my shoulder and breathes, “Oh shit.”
