Page 29 of Doing It for Love

“Who is it?!” someone shouts from inside. Landon doesn’t answer, just tests the door, and when it’s unlocked, he swings it open.

“Ma?”

I bite my smile back. He calls her “Ma.”

“Landon? Oh!”

We hear a crash from past the stairwell, a muffled “Damn it,” and then the future grandmother of my children appears.

Now, I’ve always considered myself short. I’m five foot five and Landon towers over me, but he obviously didn’t get that gene from his mom. She has to be shorter than I am by a couple of inches. Her dark hair is pretty thin, but it’s pulled up in a high ponytail that makes her look younger than she is. And I’m not familiar with her smiles yet, but it looks like she’s giving me one of Landon’s fakers. Oy, not so awesome.

“Is this Libby?”

“It’s Lizzie,” Landon says.

“Hi. Nice to meet you,” I say, sticking my hand out. She looks me up and down, then grabs the tips of my fingers. I feel like I’m shaking a dead fish.

“You’re early,” she says to Landon.

“Nice to see you, too, Mom.”

“Oh, stop that. I was just saying I’m not dressed to meet your…friend here.”

“Girlfriend. And you look fine.”

I feel awkward, so I just nod like a bobblehead. Mrs. Wangford raises an eyebrow, and I should probably stop nodding, but it takes a long while for my head to listen.

“Elle is grabbing dinner. Hope you’re okay with Thai.”

She looks right at me.

I should probably say something.

“Sounds dummy.” Holy shitballs. What was I going for there? Delicious or yummy? “I mean, yes, I’m okay with it.” Fumble, fumble, fumble. I feel Landon shaking with laughter next to me, so I hip-check him.

Mrs. Wangford’s gaze flicks between the two of us, the corners of her mouth tight. “I would’ve made something, but Landon always complains about my cooking.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Bullshit. I remember the stuffed mushrooms.”

“I hate mushrooms.”

“No, you love them. It’s your dad who hates them.”

Landon rolls his eyes to me, and I force back a laugh. Landon would rather eat gum on the side of the road than stick a mushroom in his mouth. But no way am I going to argue over this with his mom…whom I just met…and it’s not really a good reason to fight.

Mrs. Wangford laughs and waves a hand in Landon’s direction. “Show Libby around while I get the table set.”

“It’s Liz,” Landon says.

“That’s what I said.”

He opens his mouth, but shuts it and shakes his head. He puts a hand on the small of my back and guides me down a hallway and toward the backyard. We pass a room where a giant dog is going to town on a pillow. I suppress my laughter yet again, stopping in the hall and pointing a questioning finger in the dog’s direction.

“Buster,” Landon says.

“…is horny,” I joke. “What kind of dog is he?”

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