Page 66 of Villainous Summer

I pressed a kiss to her cheek before standing.

Mom motioned to Summer. “You, too, sweetie. Don’t think you’re leaving without a hug.”

A hesitancy clouded Summer’s eyes as she bent down to wrap her arms around Mom.

Still in her embrace, my mom muttered, “You have him bring you by again, okay? Even though I tell him he doesn’t have to, he insists on bringing me groceries once a week, so I make him dinner. You should come.”

As Summer pulled herself up, she grasped Mom’s hands, her head tilted. “I’d be honored.”

Once back at the truck, I paused, keys in my hand. “She likes you.”

Summer glanced up at me, the lip balm stick an inch from her lips. “I told you she would. Why are you surprised?”

Why was I?

Hesitating, I wrinkled my forehead. “I don’t bring women around to meet my mom. Sometimes, people are weird about it. I’ve seen people shout at her like her hearing is gone, not her mobility.”

“Those people are assholes.”

Snorting, I turned the key in the ignition. The truck rumbled to a loud start. “Yeah, they are. Still—”

The years I had spent away from my mom weighed on me. She never mentioned how bad she had gotten during my absence, and if I hadn’t received the call from the hospital, I wasn’t sure she would have told me. Shame flooded my face. How could I admit I had abandoned my mom for years to live my life in Seattle?

“MS is a gradual disease. Sometimes, It can get better for a bit, but to be honest, I’ve never known a time where she wasn’t somewhat affected by it. When I was younger, it was her being tired and in pain after a long day. She had to use a cane for a while, then a walker. But then she’d get better. She’d be on a treatment plan that worked well, and she would be walking around. And then it would relapse. The wheelchair has only been for about the last year. I wish I was there before but—”

Summer took my hand. Lacing her fingers with my own, she brought them up to her mouth and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “You’re obviously here now. And, to be honest, she seems to be doing well where she is now. From what I saw, she is what my dad likes to call a tough broad.”

Her sky eyes bored into mine, a smirk on her face.

I squeezed her hand, her warm palm fitting perfectly with mine.

“Come home with me.”

A small smile appeared on her face, almost hesitant. She nodded, and a tight feeling I hadn’t realized had been coiling in my chest released.

With my free hand, I shifted into drive and continued one-handed, never letting go.

Summer

Van dropped me off at home, saying he needed to get his boat out of the water.

In truth, I appreciated the time to freshen up. As cute as my swimsuit was, I didn’t feel like wearing it all night.

I packed a small bag of clothes and toiletries, then hesitated.

Was this for a few hours or to spend the night? Was it presumptuous to pack an overnight bag for the first time? Would there be a second?

Oh Lord, we were going to have sex. It had been a long four months since having done that. If his skills on the boat were any indication, I was in trouble. In more ways than one.

Already, Van was creeping into my daily thoughts. While knitting, I wondered if he would like a blanket next.

On impulse, I snagged all the banana-flavored taffies out of the front desk candy dish and shoved them in my purse. While looking up new china, I came across teacup sets, just like the ones at his house. The West Wing used to be my own little escape, and I sat there, wondering what he thought were CJ’s best moments.

I was becoming too attached to this man. Every day, I tried to keep up with the demands of my scheme on Cory. But more and more of my thoughts were drifting toward Van.

It might have been desire. I could deal with that. I had to. It was that or creating distance with him and the idea of not seeing Van, of never texting him a random trivia question.

No, I was strong. I could do this. I could have both.

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