Page 14 of The Captain

Shit munch. My mom was here.

“I didn’t know you were coming in tonight!” My mom was a tall woman with bright blonde hair that matched my own. It was always tied up in a bun on top of her head, and more often than not, you could find some sort of writing utensil in it.

She wore her Retro Bites T-shirt and jeans that made her hips she passed down to me look slender, and her face was done up in a light “I woke up like this” style of makeup.

To put it plainly, my mom was absolutely gorgeous.

“Hey, Mom,” I said, noting out of the corner of my eye that Lincoln’s head snapped over to me at my words.

I stood and hugged her tight. Even though I’d been purposefully coming here on the nights she wasn’t, I couldn’t help but love seeing her.

“Who’s your friend?” Her light-green eyes shone in excitement, and I knew exactly what she was asking long before she actually did.

“This is Lincoln,” I said, and like the apparently very polite boy he was, he stood and held out his hand, a charming and cute smile on his face.

Cute smile? Gross, Cassie.

I cleared my throat. “Lincoln, this is my mom and the owner of the diner.”

Surprise flashed in his eyes for a brief second before he responded. “Hello, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You have a great place here,” he said, laying on the charm and making my mother’s smile grow. Don’t fall for it, Mother.

“Thank you so much!” She fell for it. Hard. “My, you are so handsome. Cass! You never said your boyfriend was this handsome.”

I’m pretty sure at that moment, my brain exploded.

“Mom! He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Ah, she’s just being modest,” Lincoln replied, coming closer and flinging his arm around my shoulders. I poked him hard in the ribs, and he grabbed my finger. “She just doesn’t want everyone to know how in love with me she is.”

“Aww, Cassie-poo, don’t be shy, honey!” I glared at my mom, and that little twinkle in her eye told me that she knew exactly what she was doing.

“You two are ridiculous,” I announced and poked Lincoln as hard as I could. He let out a breath of air and jerked away.

“Hey, we just love you, Cassie-poo. We want you to be happy.”

Lincoln enjoyed hearing that nickname way too much, and smirked at me, telling me without telling me that he was going to use that for the foreseeable future.

“We’re just studying, Mom. He’s failing a class.” I gave him a smug grin, and his teasing ceased, embarrassment clear in his eyes, and I immediately felt bad.

How come I had to feel bad? He’s standing here teasing about dating me.

“Aw, nothing to worry about, son. I wouldn’t have made it through college at all with all those tough professors you guys have,” Mom said, trying to make Lincoln feel better.

This was an untrue statement; my mom was one of the smartest people I knew.

“Just not a writer like our Cassie here.”

Our Cassie…I hate that.

“She’s good, isn’t she?” Mom boasted, immediately feeling pride when my writing was brought up. “Have you gotten to read her novel?”

“Mom,” I interrupted.

“No,” Lincoln said before I could put this conversation to bed. “I haven’t had a chance, she’s private around me.”

“Oh, honey, you should show him! It’s amazing.”

I loved my mom. I loved her support for me and that she encouraged me, but I really did not want to discuss this matter in front of Lincoln.

---