Fighting Dirty - Sidney Halston Page 0,62
I woke up.”
“No eating cookies in bed—noted.” She slapped his ass this time.
“And pick up your clothes from the floor,” he yelled playfully.
“You’re too neat.”
“You’re too messy,” he retorted as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Doesn’t actually bother me, though. It feels good to know you’re here.”
“So messy is okay.”
“Yeah, but not cookies in bed.”
She laughed. “I’m all about compromise, sugar.”
“Glad to see you more like yourself,” he said. “Are we okay?”
“There’s nothing we can do until we know whether I’m pregnant or not. No sense in freaking out just yet, right? So, yeah, we’re cool.”
“I’m glad. I wasn’t sure where your head would be at this morning.” He kissed her cheek. “By the way, I have a thing to go to on Saturday night. A business thing,” he said as he buttoned his crisp white shirt. “It’s a gala. Black tie. Boring.”
“Okay.” She sat up on the bed.
“You want to go with me? I have to make an appearance. Do you have enough time to find a formal dress?” He knew that he probably shouldn’t be inviting her because the topic of the Design District could possibly come up. But he didn’t want to go without her. He didn’t want to lie to her anymore. Today, in the office, he’d resolve this problem once and for all. Once it was resolved, he’d explain things to her, and it wouldn’t really be a thing because it was resolved. Right?
“Uh, yeah. Sounds fun.” She pulled the sheets higher. “How fancy are we talking here? Fancy-fancy or fancy-shmancy?”
“Which is most fancy?”
“The latter.”
“Then the latter.” He pulled out his wallet and took out a black credit card. “For the dress.”
Her jaw fell open, and she crossed her arms indignantly.
“You’re not going to take this, are you?”
She grunted in response.
“It’s my fancy party and you are doing me a huge favor by coming with me. Please, take it. Indulge me.”
She grunted again. Being the smart man that he was, he put the card back in his wallet and then the wallet back in his pocket. He smiled, kissed her cheek, and left.
—
After lying around in the bed for the better part of the morning, JL got up, showered, and dressed. She made an attempt to make his bed, but she knew he was just going to make it again later. He wasn’t an asshole about it, which she appreciated, and she was trying to do it the best she could, but the man was obsessive about cleanliness and neatness. She stepped back and looked at the bed. Good enough, she thought.
Her phone rang in her purse, and after empting the contents on the floor in order to find it, she saw it was her mother, who’d been calling her nonstop for days. She hadn’t wanted to take it with Enzo around. But since she was alone…
“Hello, Mama.”
“JL. Glad you answered, honey.”
Honey? “What’s up, Mama?”
“I, uh…I wanted to see if you wanted to have lunch with me.” Her voice was soft yet steady. This was not Rita’s familiar tone.
“Why?”
“You’re my daughter.”
“I’ve been your daughter for thirty years, Mama, and we’ve never had lunch. What do you want?”
“I know you think I’m up to something. I don’t even blame you. But I’ve been sober for two days. I know that’s barely anything, but—”
“But it’s a start. That’s good. Real good.”
“Yeah, and you know I wanted to—”
“Make amends. Don’t forget we’ve been through this before, Mama.”
“Yes, but this time it’s for real. I ain’t getting any younger, JL. I’m all alone. I’ve pushed everyone away. One chance. One final chance is all I’m asking for.”
JL was pacing the room. There was a fifty-fifty chance she could be pregnant. She didn’t want aggravation or stress in her life generally, but especially now that she could possibly be pregnant. She wanted happiness and a relationship with her mother. A normal relationship. It was all she’d ever craved. She absentmindedly placed her hand on her belly. “Lunch. I can give you lunch, Mama.” They made arrangements, and then JL headed out to meet her mom.
—
EE’s Diner was a local spot owned by an older couple who’d been living in Tarpon Springs for ages. If you needed gossip, Esther, the owner, could tell you. If you wanted information spread, she could help you with that as well. And if you wanted great pie, EE’s was the place to go. “JL, how’ve you been?” Esther said.
“I’m good. How’ve you been?”
“Couldn’t be better,” Esther replied. “Just you today?”
“Meeting my mama here.”
Esther