Ain't She Sweet (Seven Brides for Seven Mothers #2) - Whitney Dineen Page 0,28

abuse. I can tell she’s starting to get ideas about James and me, and that’s making me nervous.

“Don’t let him fool you,” I hurry to say. “He gives as good as he gets.”

James feeds Penny before taking his plate into the living room. Once we’re all settled, he proceeds to fully win my mom over with his easy conversation and charm.

Before I know it, Mom starts to regale him with “little Tara” stories. She’s just started the one where I took off all of my clothes at preschool to show the other kids the mole on my butt.

“Mom, I don’t think James cares about my mole,” I interrupt before she gets to the part where I tied my tights around my neck like a scarf and ran around the classroom half-naked yelling, “I’m Tights Girl; I can leap tall buildings in a single bound!”

James lifts up his glass and says, “A good hostess would ask if I wanted another drink.” Before I can respond, he turns to my mom. “About this mole …”

I divert conversation away from my beauty mark by telling my mom more about our secret garden idea.

Once we’ve polished off the pizza, she stands up and announces, “I’m going to go take a nice bath and wash off the day.” She inclines her head toward James as an easy smile crosses her face. “It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you again soon.”

The only reason she would hope that is if she had some ridiculous idea about me and him getting together. Which, yeah—no. That’s not going to happen.

Romaine and I only broke up six months ago. I have no interest in another relationship so soon. Especially as my last ended on such a sour note. It’s hard enough to break up with somebody, but when the tabloids get involved and stir the pot, it’s a total nightmare.

Chapter Fourteen

Ruby

“How are your pumpkin pancakes?” Ruby asks a little girl at table twelve who can’t be any older than four. Checking on her guests while they dine is one of her favorite pastimes.

The little girl excitedly sticks both thumbs up in the air in response. “Yummy! Can you teach my mommy how to make ’em? She always burns the pancakes at home.”

Ruby shakes her head slowly while imparting, “Mommies are magic and the ones who burn pancakes are the most magical of all.”

“How do you know that?” The little girl squints her eyes slightly like she’s trying to ascertain whether or not she’s being fed a line.

Ruby leans in and stage whispers, “My mommy used to burn her pancakes too, but she could make the grumpiest person smile, and she gave the best hugs in the whole wide world.”

The little girl jumps up in excitement. “My mommy gives the best hugs, too!”

“Then you’d better let her keep burning the pancakes,” Ruby instructs before winking at the girl’s parents and walking away. She feels a pang in her heart at how quickly children grow up.

Sometimes when she wakes up in the morning, she lies in bed wondering what year it is. Will she open her eyes and find a cherub-cheeked infant cocooned in his crib while his brother watches cartoons? Will her day be filled following her boys around the woods as they stop to investigate every rock or leaf like it’s a treasure any museum would be lucky to have?

This morning was one of those mornings. Ruby reached over to touch Tom, wondering if he was already up. The feel of the cold, crisp sheets catapulted her back to her reality. Tom is gone and the boys are grown.

James

Even though I grew up at the lodge, it feels weird being back. The bed is a lot more comfortable than the one I have at home, but I still didn’t sleep well. I’m used to sitting out on the back porch at night and studying the dark sky while listening to a varied nighttime symphony. Chirping crickets and hooting owls help me decompress from the day. A cool breeze blowing through an open window lulls me to sleep. Pinging elevators and recycled hotel air? Not so much.

I attempted to sit outside by the fire pit after leaving Tara’s last night, but several other guests had the same idea. Turns out, Penny is a people magnet, and it’s hard to lose myself in reflection when they’re busy playing with her.

It wasn’t until I gave up and finally went to my room that I noticed Penny’s tag on her