Bad Boy Blues - Jessica Lemmon Page 0,28

Her father was wiggling the door back and forth and muttering about oiling the hinges.

This entire situation, from hiding a boy in the bathroom to her mother mentioning that the blinds needed dusting, made Elli feel sixteen years old again.

“There’s a strange car in the driveway,” her mother said.

“That, uh, that belongs to Brady. My friend. Brady.” Elli hazarded a glance at her father, who stopped wiggling the door and frowned. He looked decidedly unhappy about her friend Brady.

“Who?” her mother asked, but then her eyes went past Elliott and focused on the tall, fit, drop-dead-gorgeous man strolling out of the kitchen.

“Brady Hutchins, ma’am.” He extended a hand in greeting to each of her parents. “Elli and I have been friends since she moved here.”

“Visiting. I’m visiting,” Elli rephrased. She turned to her mother. “I wasn’t expecting you. At all.”

“Your father wanted to surprise you.”

Or check in on me, Elli thought. That was one of the reasons why she’d been eager to move in with Neil. Her dad had hawk eyes when it came to her. While his version of smothering was nothing like Neil’s control, neither were ideal.

“We didn’t expect you to have company.” Her dad’s frown deepened when his gaze landed on her houseguest. “What’d you say your name was?”

“Brady Hutchins.”

“He’s a police officer here in the Cove,” Elli added, not sure if that would ease her father’s concern, but it couldn’t hurt.

“I knew your face rang a bell,” her mother said, all smile. “Hope you’re not in trouble, Elliott. Did he put you in handcuffs yet?”

Aaaand Elli’s mind went just where it shouldn’t while her parents were in the room. Brady’s laugh told her that his was in the same place.

“She hasn’t required restraining yet,” Brady said. Elli’s mom giggled, and her dad grumbled something about grabbing the bags from the car before he vanished outside.

“I’ll get out of here and let you visit.” Brady dipped his chin at her mom. “Good to meet you.”

“But your coffee,” Elli said, not wanting him to leave now that her parents knew about him. Uncomfortable questions were sure to follow once he left.

“Do you like coffee, Mrs. McKinley?”

“Are you kidding? Coffee’s my blood type.”

“Well, you’re welcome to mine. I have to pick up Lila. My dog,” he explained.

“We didn’t mean to run you off,” Elli’s mom told him.

“It’s all right. I was here long enough to deliver. Wasn’t I, Elli Bean?”

“Yes.” Elli’s cheeks flamed red. “You were.”

“I’ll help myself to the coffee.” Her mom bustled into the kitchen.

“Don’t look now, beautiful,” Brady murmured into Elli’s ear, “but the condom wrapper’s on the floor by the sink. I don’t think she’s seen it yet.”

“Oh, great.”

“Elli Bean. Breathe.” His low tone drew her in. He pressed a kiss onto her lips. A long, lingering kiss. The sort of kiss she didn’t want her dad to witness. But of course, he witnessed it.

“Sir, good to meet you,” Brady said smoothly. All confidence, this one. Where had he acquired so much of it?

“One of the reasons we came to see you,” her father said, ignoring Brady completely, “was to help lighten the load around the house so you could focus on job hunting.”

“I have a job, Dad.” Her smile was shaky.

“A real job.” Her father faced Brady. “I put in a good word for her where I work. There’s no guarantee, but she’s more than qualified.”

“If that’s what she wants.” Brady glanced at her meaningfully. He might’ve thought the gesture small—reminding her that she had a choice—but to her, it was huge.

Her father, unimpressed, grunted as he shuffled up the stairs with the bags.

“Hang in there, Bean,” Brady told her.

“Easy for you to say,” she joked. She shut the front door behind him and then dashed into the kitchen to retrieve the condom wrapper she prayed her mother hadn’t spotted yet.

“He’s terribly good-looking,” her mom was saying as she poured creamer into what was meant to be Brady’s cup of coffee. “And a police officer.”

“In our house. Acting awfully familiar with our daughter,” her father growled. He was making his own pot of coffee while Elli drank the latte Brady brought for her.

“I think it’s great that Elli’s met a nice man,” her mom said in her defense.

She doubted by “nice man” her mom meant a guy who’d stripped Elli down and sexed her up in the middle of her parents’ vacation home, but whatever.

“Look how happy she is.” Her mom said to her dad.

Elli hid her smile against the edge of the cup.