All Consuming (Brotherhood by Fire #3) -Jaci Burton Page 0,27
“Who says I don’t?”
“Mother. Really.”
“Yes, really. We’re all sexual creatures, Hannah. And especially you. You’re young and vibrant, and you should be getting out there, living it up. There’s no reason why you can’t have some fun. You got divorced, Hannah. You don’t need to put all the good china in the cabinet to gather dust, if you know what I mean.”
She could not believe she was having this conversation with her mother. “Yes, I know exactly what you mean, and I’ll take that under advisement.”
“You do that. Make a date with the boy for Saturday night, too, and I’ll watch Oliver. So maybe you two can fool around a little.”
She shook her head and stood. “This conversation is over.”
She could still hear her mom laughing as she made her way into her bedroom to finish getting ready.
After putting on her makeup, she stared into the closet. Pizza and movie night was super casual. She chose black capris and a cotton short-sleeved shirt, then grabbed a lightweight cardigan since movie theaters were sometimes cold. She slid on her canvas tennis shoes, brushed her hair and came out into the kitchen, looking to see where everyone was.
The boys were still in Oliver’s room. Her mom was gone as well, which meant she was probably in her room getting ready, so Hannah went into the living room and opened her phone, selecting her book app, deciding to take a few precious moments to get caught up on the romance novel she had been reading. She was only a few pages in when there was a knock on the front door, so she got up to let Kal in.
“Hey,” he said. “You look pretty.”
She thought she looked pretty basic, but it was always nice to be complimented. “Thank you. You look nice, too. Come on in.”
He walked in, and the two boys came running out.
“Who are you?” Oliver asked, looking Kal up and down.
“I’m Kal Donovan. Are you Oliver?”
Oliver nodded.
Kal held out his hand to shake Oliver’s. “I went to high school with your mom. We’ve known each other a long time.”
“Oh, I saw your picture with my mom. You were her boyfriend.”
Kal looked over to Hannah, who shrugged. “Yup. I was.”
“So you’re old like her.”
“Thanks, Oliver,” Hannah said with a wry smile.
Kal laughed.
“This is my friend Jeff,” Oliver said. “He lives next door and we’re best friends.”
Jeff smiled to show off his missing front teeth.
“Hey, Jeff,” Kal said. “So we’re going to see the new fireman movie tonight. Did you know I’m a firefighter?”
Oliver looked over at Jeff, then back at Kal. “Nuh-uh. Really?”
“Yup. And I can’t wait to see the movie.”
“Me, too,” Jeff said. “Do you go into burning buildings like they show on TV?”
“Sometimes, but we try to put the fire out as best we can first.”
“And do you save people’s lives?” Oliver asked.
“Sometimes.”
“Cool.”
True to the attention span of seven-year-olds, the boys ran off back to Oliver’s room just as her mom walked in.
Her bright smile lit up her face. “Kal. It’s so good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too, Mrs. McKenzie.”
“Please. It’s Paige.” She hugged Kal, then held on to his arms while she inspected him. “You’ve grown up.”
“And you’ve grown even more beautiful than you were the last time I saw you.”
Hannah caught that telltale blush on her mother’s cheeks. “You’ve always known just the right thing to say to make a woman feel special. Thank you.”
“Are you coming with us tonight?” he asked.
Her mother shook her head. “No. It’s girls’ night out. Dinner and then casino.”
He turned to Hannah. “Hey, that sounds fun. Maybe I’ll go with Paige instead.”
Hannah laughed. “Knock yourself out, buddy.”
“No, you’re going with Hannah.” She pushed at Kal. “Now the four of you should get going.”
“She’s pushy, isn’t she?” Kal asked.
Hannah rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. Boys, it’s time to go.”
Oliver and Jeff ran out, Hannah grabbed her cardigan and her bag and they headed out. Since Kal had his truck, she suggested they take her car, much to the boys’ disappointment since they wanted to ride in the truck.
“It has a regular back seat,” Kal said to Hannah. “With seat belts. I promise it’s safe.”
“Come on, Mom,” Oliver said. “It’s a cool truck.”
“It looks like a souped-up version of a road monster.”
He laughed. “What? It’s a black truck with appropriately sized tires and all the prominent safety features. I promise it won’t make weird noises or anything.”
She supposed she was used to her small car, so Kal’s truck seemed