Page 24 of Inevitably Yours

“Details woman, details,” Jan interrupted.

Marco beat Gus to the draw. “Five-ten, five-eleven. Dark blonde hair, cropped short, very professional. Soft brown eyes that give you warm fuzzies. Hard, angular features. I mean, you could damn near cut your fingers caressing that jawline through the perfectly groomed stubble. Which, by the way, has hints of red in the right shade, making me think he is an undercover ginger. And that voice, girl, it is liquid sin with a hint of fiery whiskey. The body of…”

Marco fell silent. Gus turned around and saw why. Andy was kissing him senseless. When he pulled away, Marco was breathless. “Enough now, love, or I’ll have to punish you when we get home,” Andy spoke low, for Marco only, but Gus had bat hearing and almost orgasmed from the heat they shared. Marco looked at Andy like he was the most delicious dessert on the planet, and Andy looked like he was about to bend Marco over the couch and punish him…with his dick.

Gus managed to get to her feet with a hand from her sister while Marco and Andy seemed frozen in time.

“Wow, sis, I don’t know about you, but I want to go out with Jesse if that is what he can do for those two.”

“No kidding.” After a few more moments of voyeurism, and Gus snapped herself out of it. “Do you have his number? Earth to Andy. Number?”

Finally, the spell was broken.

Thank God. I’m already going to have to break out the wand and some fresh Cs.

When Andy stood, he was perfectly composed, like he wasn’t just making out with his husband like it was prom night. “Of course. And for the record, you could do a lot worse. I’m telling you, he’s a good person. Steady income, even temper, loves his mother,” Andy said absentmindedly as he added the contact information to Gus’ phone.

“Loves his…did you investigate him?”

“I prefer to think of it as getting to know people who have a place in my work life and contact with those I care about. Besides, that was nothing I didn’t already know. Don’t flatter yourself, I had him vetted when I became professionally acquainted with him, not because he wants to go out with you.”

His words said one thing, but the wink and the hand to her chin said another.

Andy was good people. She would go out with Jesse and maybe, just maybe, something more than companionship could come of it with time. Gus just prayed she didn’t hurt someone Andy thought of as a great guy who loved his mother. She positioned herself on the couch, finally comfortable for the first time since her false labor started without someone rubbing her back. Going out with a great guy who wasn’t John wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

Gus didn’t remember going to bed, nor falling asleep. The last thing she remembered was deciding to date. Really doing it, not just in theory. Now the smell of french toast was teasing her, beckoning her. Come, come to the kitchen, it said. Now, while I’m still fluffy and warm and cinnamony.

A giggle bubbled up from her stomach, because that was the happy part of her right now at the thought of breakfast. She slipped her swollen feet into her fuzzy slippers. Gus imagined the smell of the french toast as a giant steam finger tapping her on the shoulder and teasing her nose. If she were a cartoon, she would float down the hall weightless, following the visible smell leading her to the food by her nostrils.

“Wow, someone is in a fine mood this morning,” a lyrical, motherly voice greeted her.

There, with a frying pan in hand transferring fluffy squares of yumminess to a plate, stood Francis Reid. A ruffled apron proclaiming, “when life gives you lemons, put a slice in your sweet tea,” protected her elegant pant suit.

Seems fitting. I have found myself with a big ole bag of lemons. Instead of grousing about it for another darn minute, I am just going to find a use for them. And I am starting right now, before I chicken out.Francis moved the pan to the side, and Gus took the moment to lean in and kiss her on the cheek with a silent good morning. Then, before she changed her mind, she started tapping on her phone and hit send.

That’s when she panicked. Crap, what did I just do? Did I really just ask a guy out with a text? Before she could dwell on it longer, she noticed a commotion at the table. It was full of friends and family. Pretty much everyone was there…except John.

When they noticed her in the room, they all scrambled to make room for her.

“Go sit down with the family, love, and I’ll bring you a special plate. I made your french toast without all the crap you don’t like. Gluten or soy or whatever it is, anyway, go sit and tell me how my grand baby is doing.”

With Erika’s egg, she was the biological grandma, but Andy and Marco made it clear that they were all family with a special place in their child’s life, regardless of blood. So, in a way, Francis had even more connection to the baby, since she de facto adopted them all.

“Butterbean is just fine. Growing like a weed and Riverdancing like an expert, as if trained by Flatley himself.” Francis brought her plate to the table and leaned down to set it in front of her.

“You mean clogging; this is the south, dear.” An uproar of laughter filled the room and gave Gus a sense of happy family. Looking over at Jan seated by Tori, it warmed her heart to see that her sister was feeling the same.

Breakfast was amazing, and Francis told the story of her name. It was a heartwarming tale, but Tori and Walker groaned how they had heard it a million times. “Mom only brings that story out when she thinks someone needs guidance. It’s not me this time, thank fuck, but it’s obviously directed at someone,” Walker spoke as he looked around the table trying to identify the needy individual. Gus was sure it wasn’t her because it didn’t really apply. However, she had been so wrapped up in her own life that she believed it could have been any of her friends. She made a mental note to chat with each one for a few minutes to see what they were going through that she might have missed.

After everyone was stuffed and the cleaning was done, they went their separate ways except Stacy and Francis. Francis folded her apron and put it on the counter and gathered her purse. She reached up and gave Stacy a pat on the cheek and a loving look. It was a touching and comical sight. Francis in her heels and Stacy in hers, but even so, Francis was the only person, even in heels, who had to look up at Stacy.

When Francis was done with Stacy, she turned her attention to Gus. While rubbing Gus’ belly, she spoke to the baby then grabbed Gus in a bear hug. Still shocks me every time how fierce this lady hugs.

“I left my apron. I made it for you, anyway, but I thought I could give it a try first. And just so you know, lemons do go great in sweet tea or in custard. You can do a great many thing with them while you are waiting on all the ingredients to make lemonade.” Gus could have sworn she mumbled something to the effect of, “Or until that moron pulls his head out of his ass, bless his heart.”

After the hug, Francis ran her hands down her suit and straightened her jacket and headed out the door. Right before it shut, she turned with a sparkle in her eye. “Did you know that even in Scrabble, Is are fewer than Es? That doesn’t mean that Es don’t have their use too. You need them to spell a great many words, but there are sometimes only an I will do. So, you play other words with the tiles you have while you wait.”

Gus was so lost, even a GPS couldn’t help her find her way. She knew the E and I thing had to do with her name, but that was it. Francis rarely spoke about nonsensical things, so Gus figured there was some convoluted message in there somewhere. But without someone out and out telling her, she would never know.

---