Right With Me - Stacey Lewis Page 0,29

got. “Depends. Whatcha making?”

“I’m thinking chicken and rice. Your dad will hate that it isn’t steak and so will your brother, but they both need to watch how much red meat they eat.” She’s got a point. I’m pretty sure my brother would live off only steak and mashed potatoes, if he could.

Knowing my brother is coming over means I need to get the asking over with. If he hears, he’ll be worse than my mom. I wouldn’t put it past him to show up at my apartment on Friday night just to grill Mitchell on his intentions. I swear Henry thinks I’m still fifteen. He’s way too overprotective.

“Um, hey…Mom?”

She’s distracted, still taking stuff out to make dinner. “Mmhmm?” Maybe asking while she’s busy is better. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.

“Can you watch Connor Friday night?”

I hold my breath, hoping she doesn’t ask why, but I’m not that lucky. She stops rooting around in the fridge to look over at me. “Why? What’s Friday?” Her eyes go up and to the left like she’s thinking about things she might have missed, but she frowns when she comes up with nothing.

“It’s not a big deal.” Please drop the interrogation. I wave her off with a hand but it doesn’t deter her. She just turns fully to face me and waits for me to spill. My shoulders sag in defeat and I sigh. “Okay, fine. I have a date.”

Mom’s entire face lights up and she smiles. “A date? With who? Do I know him?” She doesn’t even give me a chance to answer her questions before she asks more. “What are you doing? Where are you going? What kind of date?”

“Mom!” I have to speak loudly to be heard over her and she snaps her mouth shut with a sheepish shrug of one shoulder. We both know she’s not ashamed. The woman has no shame when it comes to her kids… or anything else for that matter. “Like I said, it’s a date. We’re going to dinner. No, you don’t know him.”

The way she’s staring at me lets me know she doesn’t by my nonchalance for a second. “Name?”

Grrr. “Mitchell.”

“Mitchell what?”

Her eyes never leave me, and I start to squirm under her scrutiny. The way she’s staring at me makes me feel like a teenager about to go on her first date. It’s a strange feeling when you’re a twenty-nine-year-old divorced mom yourself. “Mitchell Anderson,” I finally relent and tell her.

The way her eyes light up and I want to kick myself. She knows who he is. Crap.

“Oooh, he’s cute!”

My eyes roll at her description. Cute is not the word I’d use to describe him. Hot, sexy, sex on legs… any of those work better than cute.

“He’s not a puppy, Mom. How do you know him?”

This time, she’s the one waving me off. “Your dad has been taking his cars to Mitchell Automotive for as long as I’ve known him. He’s good friends with Mitchell’s dad. They always hoped the two boys would be friends even though Mitchell’s a few years older than your brother. They never really got on though.”

She shrugs like this isn’t a big deal, but I can’t help but wonder why my brother, who gets along with everyone, doesn’t get along with Mitchell. Did I make a mistake saying yes to him? Kissing him?

Oh God, what have I done?

My mom doesn’t notice my panic. She’s still too busy swooning at the thought of me going on a date with him. “Of course, we’ll watch Connor honey. Have fun… and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She winks as she says this last part and I want to hurl. I will never be old enough to think about my mom and sex in the same sentence.

The front door shuts, and my brother’s voice yelling for our mom ends our conversation. I don’t know if I should be happy or not, because the likelihood of her telling Henry about my date is much higher since she knows the guy.

My older brother walks into the kitchen and stops to kiss both me and mom on the cheek before grabbing a handful of cookies out of the jar on the counter. This action earns him a glare from her because, “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of making dinner?”

He shrugs, completely unrepentant. “I already ate, so I’m allowed to have cookies.”

“Where’s Marisa?” I look back towards the living room, but I don’t see or hear her or their two kids.

Henry