Page 4 of Serendipity

“I’ve got a hot date,” Boone says, his eyebrows doing a little dance. He’s been seeing a mystery girl for almost a month but won’t tell us much about her. Which, of course, makes me want to know about her all that much more.

“Care to share any details yet?”

“Nope.” His grin is mischievous.

“Ugh. Why not? I don’t get it. You clearly like this girl.”

“Precisely why I’m keeping her to myself. If I bring her around the family, y’all will ask her a million questions and she’s not the type of girl who likes to talk about herself. She’s not like us. She doesn’t have a supportive family and I’m afraid this bunch would overwhelm her. I need more time with her to help her see that she can be comfortable first.”

I twist my mouth and scowl even though him saying nice things about our family warms my heart. “Okay, that’s actually a decent reason.” I turn to Naomi and Brock. “Y’all really don’t know who she is?”

Both of them shake their heads. “Not a clue.”

With a huff, I drop the subject. Maybe I’m too nosy, or involved in my kids’ business, but it’s my experience that there’s no such thing as being too involved. It’s when we let things slide that it all falls apart. Well, I’m sure there is a fine line there, but I’m also very sure my kids will let me know when I’ve crossed it.

“When you’re ready?” I ask Boone.

“You’ll be the first to know,” he promises.

“That’s all I ask. And what about you two?” I point to Naomi and Brock.

“Actually, I have a date, too,” Naomi says quietly.

It’s a struggle, but I resist the urge to dart my eyes to Brock. He likes to pretend they’re only friends and I think he truly believes that, but a mama knows her kids’ heart and his has been given to Naomi for years.

“Oh, yeah? Who’s the lucky guy?” I smile at her, hoping it looks real. I want the best for Naomi, but I can’t help but be sad for my boy all the same.

“He’s just a guy. It’s our first date, so I’m not sure about how it will go.”

“It’s Wyatt. She caught his attention,” Brock says teasingly.

My head jerks to Brock. Naomi has had a crush on Wyatt for a while now, much to my dismay – wow, just having that thought probably means Iamtoo involved – so I’m sure this is incredibly exciting for her. “No way.”

“Yup.”

“I thought Wyatt was dating Amelia?”

“Broke up a few weeks ago,” Naomi explains.

“Wow. And let me guess, she thinks you’re the reason.”

Naomi rolls her eyes. “Totally does. But it doesn’t matter, I guess. He swears it’s not the reason.”

“It’s the reason,” Boone says, laughing lightly.

We go to the kitchen, where the kids start pulling food out of the pantry and fridge. They’re always ravenous when they get home from school, so this is far from unexpected.

They sit around the island and scarf down pizza rolls they made in the air fryer, chips and salsa, Chex mix I made this morning, string cheese and wash it down with Mountain Dew. If only I had their metabolism.

I lean over the counter, my fist under my chin. “What about you, Brock? What are you doing tonight?”

“Probably just hang out around here for a while then Kyle and I will find a party.”

“And you will not be driving home after that party, right?” I advise in my best mom voice. My kids might be the best, but they’re definitely not saints. I know what goes on at parties and the reason I do is because of that honesty they give me. It might have been a long time ago, but I do remember my high school years. Underage drinking isn’t something I condone, and they know that, but it doesn’t stop them from doing it. There are definitely dedicated angels for watching over teenagers and their parents. It’s a tough business, parenting a teen.

“Right. I don’t think I’ll be drinking tonight, anyway. I have to work tomorrow and sacking groceries on a Saturday morning isn’t too much fun hungover.”

“Good plan. Not that you would know, right?” I say, my eyebrows going up.

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