you a date, then the idiot wasn’t worth your time. And third, I’m the one who deceived you.”
Which anyone with decent vision could see, if they compared her son to him. Of course, people see what they expect to see, and she obviously never expected to see Michael Scott again. Still, he had to get to the truth fast, because she might figure it out.
She frowned. “How did you deceive me?”
“I don’t have to leave for New York for a while. I’m staying longer, and I should have come into the bar and told you.”
“Why are you staying?”
He tilted his head and tapped her chin. “Like you need to ask.”
She let out a little exhale of satisfaction.
“He seems like a great kid,” Dan added, glancing at the house.
“He is. He’s amazing. And …” She closed her hand over his, and pressed it to her cheek. “So are you.”
Baba, send me a sign. It’s Maggie, calling for help.
Nobody answered.
Maggie curled her legs under her, fitting nicely into the undersize backseat of the sports car, listening to the two males in the front discuss cylinders, horsepower, and torque.
She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Did the numbers 9:28 portend great things?
That they’d get married on September 28? That he’d kiss her nine hundred and twenty-eight times in their lifetime together? Or just tonight? That’d work, too.
She and Quinn had just spent four hours with the most delectable man she’d ever met, and all the three of them had done was laugh over burgers and basically have more fun than she’d had at a dinner since Smitty died.
Who needed a sign? Face facts, sister. You’re over the moon for this guy. Totally crushed out, as Quinn would say.
She looked up into the rearview mirror just as Dan caught her fighting a smile. He gave her a sly wink and the Fourth of July exploded in her stomach.
Not only was he a prime gorgeous hot, sexy hunk of human male, he also asked Quinn a zillion questions and listened to the answers. He never made fun of the teen talk, never excluded him from the conversation, and kept everyone laughing.
And made her blood boil with lust.
Could she possibly have a great guy to be around her son and a lust fest for herself?
But how could there be a future? Her mind whirred with possibilities and obstacles. He lived in New York. Would she move to New York?
In a heartbeat. The one that had been hammering her chest for the last three hours. Of course, she’d have to sell the bar, and after all Brandy had put into it, that would be tough. But maybe if she—
“Can I, Mom?” Quinn turned and asked the question, dragging her from the most ridiculous and premature line of thought she’d ever had.
“Uh, it’s kind of loud back here.” She put her hand to her ear. “Can you what?”
Dan looked in the mirror again, the smile in his eyes looking a lot like the one in Quinn’s. “That’s because the engine’s in the back,” he explained.
No, it’s because she was spinning stupid fairy tales.
“Can I put the stereo on full blast?” Quinn asked. “They’re Bose surround-sound speakers. Okay?”
She nodded. Maybe the first song would be a sign from the universe.
A guitar solo blared and Quinn shouted something over it, so Maggie just closed her eyes and conjured up her own signs. But all she could think of was the way Dan had kissed her and touched her on the beach. What would happen if they went further? Should she?
She sneaked a peek at his shoulders, at the dark blond hair that brushed his collar, at the hair-dusted forearm resting confidently on the gearshift.
She shouldn’t, but, whoa, she wanted to.
“Can I change the tune?” Quinn asked, sliding it to the classic rock station he liked.
A rocker wailed. “You . . . shook me all night long.”
Okay, Baba. Got it. Heard that one loud and clear. Maggie listened to the crashing rock and roll and felt her whole body coil into a knot the rest of the way home. She stayed wound pretty tight while Quinn took his captive audience on a tour of his room to examine his car posters, and the two of them Googled exotic sports cars for a little while.
When Quinn finally went to bed, she lit a few candles on the screened-in back porch, got Dan a beer, poured herself some wine, and left plenty of room next to her on the rattan sofa. It