“Nothing about this feels weird to me. I’d like to do it again. Maybe a proper meal that doesn’t involve elementary school boy talk and does include a proper bed.”
That felt a little like a commitment. Maybe not a huge lifetime thing, but it was a start. She could not even begin to think about anything beyond next week, but more sex with Colton was totally acceptable.
“I have a bed.” She reached for her door handle. “And I can cook for us. Unless being here is a little too close to home. I know how small towns can be.”
“Here is fine.” He leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
“Weekends don’t work for me for the next few weeks, but weeknights do.”
“Next Wednesday?” he offered.
“Done.”
She kissed him one last time and got out of the car, climbing her front steps as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Of course, the weight would return, but for tonight that was good enough. She opened the front door and glanced back to see him waiting. She switched on the light in the front entryway, and when she closed the door behind her, he drove off.
She sat on the couch, grabbed a pillow, and hugged it to her midsection. Her phone rang. It was Sierra.
“What have you been doing?” she asked.
“I had a date, sort of.”
“With Colton?”
She all but sang the words. “Yes.”
“I hope mad passionate sex was involved.” Her grin echoed in her tone.
“Maybe a little.”
Sierra laughed. “Good for you. Very life affirming. I won’t force you yet to give me all the details, but I want you to know I’m happy for you.”
“It was just one date. It may not be a long-term thing.”
“There’s no such thing as long term. All you got is now. Sweet dreams.” Sierra hung up.
Libby lay back against the couch pillows, feeling a genuine peace. As she stared at the popcorn ceiling, it was not even the least bit annoying. Well, not that much.
Her phone rang. She did not recognize the number, but thinking it might be a stressed-out bride, she answered it.
“Libby McKenzie.”
“This is Lofton Grant.”
She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the couch, as if ready to spring into action. “Lofton. Is Elaine all right?”
“I want you to stay away from my mother.”
Lofton’s voice sounded as if she had been doused in too much wine. “Excuse me?”
“You know as well as I do that she has not been well. I want you to stay away from her. She doesn’t need this kind of turmoil in her life.”
“I’m her daughter, Lofton,” Libby said carefully.
“An accident by birth doesn’t make you her legitimate daughter.”
“I’m pretty sure she would take exception. She’s the one that set these wheels in motion, not me.”
Her tone shifted up an octave. “Like I said, she’s sick, and I don’t want her being taken advantage of.”
Libby rose and started to pace the floor. “She’s always been sharp and clearheaded whenever I’ve spoken to her.”
“I’m warning you.”
“Oh, wait a minute. You’re warning me to not see Elaine? You don’t get to do that, you spoiled piece of . . .” She caught herself and drew in a breath. “You don’t get to do this.”
“Are you the one that encouraged her to change her will?” Her voice grew quieter, as if she was ducking her head and leaning into the phone.
“A will? Hold on a minute. Is this about money or your mother’s health?”
“Her health, of course.”
“Bullshit. It’s about money. And for the record, I don’t want anything from Elaine other than some family history and maybe one day a friendship. And if you ever call me again, you and I will be having our next conversation in front of our mother.”
“She’s not your mother,” she screamed. “She is my mother!”
“You’re drunk, aren’t you, Lofton?”
“I’ve had a few drinks.”
“You’ve had more than a few. Cut your losses and hang up.”
“She wants to give you Woodmont!” Lofton shouted.
At first, Libby did not say anything. She could not have heard correctly. “Woodmont? She has not said a word to me about that.”
“I don’t believe that. I heard the way you were going on about the gardens and the house at dinner.”
“She told you this?” Libby asked.
“I heard her talking to my father!”
A muscle pulsed in the side of her neck, and she rolled her head from side to side, trying to release the building tension.