Stand-In Saturday (Love For Days #2) - Kirsty Moseley Page 0,86
inviting that my brain almost malfunctions with the desperate need to kiss her.
I want her. I’m crazy about her. All week, I’ve missed her so much that it’s like I have a gaping hole inside me. I’ve spent each day just looking forward to the next time I speak to her. FaceTiming with her every other day has been the high point of my week; seeing her smile lights me up. But it’s only served to prove to me that I want more.
She needs to know I’m into her. She needs to know she has options. I need to man up and spell it out and see what happens. This might be my last opportunity. If she gets back with her ex tonight, it might actually kill me.
“Luce …” I begin.
She blinks up at me, but before I can attempt to formulate my jumbled thoughts into words, the front door swings open, and we both look over to see an older version of Lucie standing there, her eyes bouncing between the two of us, her mouth pressing into a thin, disapproving line.
twenty
Lucie
My mother does not look pleased. I can tell by the way she doesn’t blink and the way her head tilts a fraction to the left. She smiles, but it’s the type of smile she gives to people who try to tell her that pasta is not a food group. Never tell my mother that pasta isn’t a food group—if you want proof of this, ask my old cookery teacher at school.
Although she might have a smile on her face, in her head, she has already killed you twice over and is mentally swiping through suitable locations to bury your body. That polite smile is currently directed at Theo. I have the insane urge to dive in front of him and shield him with my body. Theo does not deserve the animosity I see building in her eyes.
I step away from his warm embrace, missing the contact immediately, and his hands drop down to his sides. I blink and swallow. Being close to Theo like that hazes me out a bit; it’s like he weaves a spell over me, dazzles me so much sometimes that it’s as if I were in a bubble where it was just him and me and none of our problems could permeate through. Everyone else disappears. It’s nice. I kind of wish it would last forever.
“Mamma, hi,” I greet. “The doorbell must be broken. We rang twice.” I shrug innocently.
Without speaking, she leans out of the door and presses the bell. Chimes ring deafeningly loud in the hallway behind her. She doesn’t even flinch.
“Ah, you fixed it. Great job.” I grin and step over the threshold, ignoring Theo as he lets out a little chuckle behind me. I wrap my arms around her because if there’s one thing my mother cannot resist, it’s hugs from her only child. “I missed you. I haven’t seen you for ages!”
It’s not been ages; it’s been three days. She popped into my work on Wednesday to take me for a surprise lunch (basically so she could tell me again how important it is for me to attend tonight).
I pull back, and her hands cup my face as she leans up and kisses the tip of my nose.
“Ah, Luciella, I’m so pleased you could come. This is going to mean so much to Papà. He will be thrilled to see you.”
I pat her elbows and nod. “Of course. I wouldn’t have missed it. You look beautiful, Mamma.”
And she does. She’s wearing a flowy black gown that kisses the floor. My mother has always been glamorous, but tonight, she looks stunning. Her dark hair is pulled up, her ears and neck glitter with jewels, and her lips are painted the same colour as mine. It’s the Gordio signature shade for nights out—the one Theo said made my mouth look like his favourite childhood lollipops.
“Thank you, darling. So do you. Magnifica.” She looks me up and down, her eyes glittering with affection as she gives a chef’s-kiss hand gesture that makes me laugh.
I step back and motion to Theo, who is standing tall at my side, obviously blissfully unaware that the smile Mamma is giving him is not a warm welcome, but more of an if I see you touch my daughter again, you’ll lose the ability to wipe your own arse silent warning. “I’d like to introduce you to my date, Theo Stone. Theo, this is my mother, Stella Gordio.”