Page 21 of Tempt Me

The woman lives to cook, but instead of growing her skills at a five-star restaurant or even a café, she worked as a cook at the school. She said it’s how she knew I’d stay out of trouble.

“Hey, baby.” She stands back and grips my biceps. “God, you get more handsome every day.” As she shakes her head, she purses her lips together. The expression of adoration morphs to disapproval. “And yet, you won’t settle down and give me grandbabies. You know I’m not getting any younger, right?”

She’s in her 40s and looks amazing. She keeps her hair styled and wears a faint touch of makeup to accent her eyes.

“Yes, Ma, I know.”

“Humph. You’d think by now you could convince a young woman to give you a chance. You are college educated, you have a vehicle, you’re fit, you have tattoos….” She wrinkles her nose. “I don’t want to know where they all are on you. Or where you have piercings that I can’t see. And you’re not ugly. On top of that, you’re living out on your own.” She shakes her head with a deepening frown. “With four other guys. That’s probably the issue. No girl wants to smell body odors and dirty socks all the time.”

Mrs. Dylan walks down her front steps. Her auburn hair is tied up neatly in a bun on her head. “Mira is always talking about you needing a wife.” She stops beside me in her pink robe, knee-high white socks, and black slippers. “You know, I have a niece that might be interested.”

“Ma….” My face feels like a cherry tomato as I ignore her neighbor. “Let’s go inside.” We need to get inside before she gives me her niece’s phone number.

“Fine.” My mom smiles at Theresa. “Give me half an hour. If Dominic hasn’t found a viable dating option, I’ll call you to set it up.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Theresa rubs her hands together and trudges through the grass. I’d throw a bigger fit, but this isn’t the first time my mom has encouraged her neighbors to set me up. She’s lived in the same neighborhood since I was nine, and she’s not the type to keep our business private.

“Come inside.” She walks to the screen door, opens it, leaving room for me to join her. The living room is tidy with solidfurniture. I didn’t grow up with much, but my mom was a savvy saver and took good care of her finances.

It was either that or we lived on the street because we didn’t receive any support from my father or his family. He was in and out of prison until Levi, my younger brother, was born, and then my mom got fed up with him and kicked him out for the last time. We’ve only seen him a couple of times since then.

“Where’s Levi?” I glance around the room, noting my brother’s tennis shoes tossed haphazardly by the door.

“He’s at the field for practice.”

“Right.”

“Are you coming to the game Friday night?”

“Of course.” This is Levi’s senior year, and I’ve made all his home games. “We’ll all be there. Unless someone has to work.” Being in a small town in the Midwest, football is king, and we all served our time under Coach Hall.

“Good. Good.” She pads over to the sofa with her bare feet tapping on the floor and drops down on the cushion. “Sit.” She pats the spot next to her as the scent of chocolate fills my nose. On the coffee table is a platter of cookies. God, I love her chocolate chip cookies. “I’ve missed you.”

“I saw you last week.” I settle next to her as guilt eats at my gut. “I’m sorry I haven’t made time to stop by lately. I’ll bring the guys over on Sunday, and we’ll do some yardwork.”

“It’s fine.” She grabs my hand and holds it. “Everything will be here, and you don’t need to feel an ounce of guilt. I’ll get to the plants when I can. You have your own life to live, and it was my choice to raise two boys on my own.” Tears fill her eyesas she sighs, “Two wonderful boys who I love to spoil. You know that’s always been my priority over a pristine yard.”

“Yes, Ma’am, I do. But I can still find time to stop by and do a few things. It’s not that big of a deal. I’d do it today, but I don’t have much time.” My heart swells with love and pride for my mom. She sacrificed everything to raise us.

“I’d appreciate it, but it’s not an obligation.” She settles back into the cushions and points to the table. “I made you a sweet tea and a plate of cookies. Dig in.”

“Thanks.” My mouth waters as I pop a chunk of cookie in my mouth. “Ma, you should sell these instead of just supplying the neighborhood with baked goods.”

She clasps her hands together on her lap and fidgets with the hem of her shirt. “Have you heard of Chloe’s Bakery in the city?”

“Yes, of course, it’s one of the most popular bakeries in the city.”

“I met Chloe a couple of years ago. She’s a great woman. Extremely sweet but also savvy and business minded. We could talk about baking for hours.”

“I can imagine.”

Her cheeks pinken as she continues to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. “She’s expanding her business.”

“Oh, yeah?” I nod as I finish off the chocolate chip cookie.

“Yes, she’s leasing the empty café uptown.”

“The Jolie place?” I snatch another cookie off the plate. There’s no need to skim with just one when she has an entireplatter of them. Not to mention, she’ll send the rest home with me, and there won’t be any left the second I leave them on the counter.

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