Page 26 of Finding Romance
Bray groans. “We all know that Carly is like my sister. Nothing is going to happen there. We all know about her past.” The room is quiet again. Carly’s ex was a monster, and we all know it.
The room’s energy turns back to me.
“So, you need dating advice? I could call Roxy,” Gray says with a grin. I throw a pillow at him and he laughs.
“Fuck you very much,” I mutter.
“Hey, don’t knock those romance books she sells until you try them. My sex life has never been so good,” Gray states.
“We are all going to pretend we didn’t hear that,” Drew says as he pours him another drink. I spend the rest of the game wondering if Gray has a point. Maybe I do need to brush up on my skills.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Piper
Why am I nervous? I look at myself in the bathroom mirror for the tenth time in as many minutes. I look fine. I feel like this is my first date. Sighing, I open the door because no more amount of prepping can have me relaxing over this practice dating thing. What was I thinking?
“You look lovely,” Margie says as she walks down the hallway. Margie always appears calm as a cucumber. I wish I had a fraction of her ability to remain unfazed by life.
“Thank you,” I reply as I walk into the living room. Aunt Cornelia is knitting in the chair Kasen brought her. I swear between her and Margie knitting and crocheting, they could start a clothing line. A cup of tea sits on the side table and some horrible reality show about couples meeting on a tropical island plays in the background.
“So, you’re seeing a movie with Kasen?” she asks, her eyebrow rises but she doesn’t look up at me. Instead, she keeps her focus on the two sticks working back and forth in her hands. I make a mental note that I should have her teach me how to knit. She taught me to crochet when I was a kid, so knitting ought to be easy enough.
“Yep. Hey, can you teach me how to knit?” I ask.
She stops and looks up at me. “I suppose so. We can have a lesson tomorrow.”
I smile and she motions for me to come over to her. I walk up beside her chair and she looks up at me. For a long second, I think she’s going to say something important, a piece of grandmotherly advice. But boy am I wrong.
“There are condoms in my nightstand drawer. Take three. Slash that. Take five. Kasen seems…prolific,” she states and then waves me off to her room.
I half cough and half laugh. “I…uh, no. That’s not happening. It’s just a movie and some food.”
She eyes me suspiciously. “Fine, but at least take one.”
She reaches into the pocket of her robe and pulls out a small foil packet and my eyes nearly bulge out of my head.
“Aunt Cornelia! Why in the hell do you have a condom in your robe?” I squeak.
She shoves the packet into my hand. “Because safety first.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t think you want to know the answer to that,” Margie says from the kitchen.
There’s a knock at the door, and before I can put the condom in my purse, Kasen is standing there staring at my hand. He gives me a curious look and I blush.
I’m about to explain, but Aunt Cornelia eyes him up and then me. “Don’t take advantage of my niece, Kase, or I’ll castrate you myself,” she says sharply.
Now it’s Kasen who looks rattled. “Of course not, Cornelia.”
“Alright then. You two young people have fun…but not too much fun. I’m in no condition to go bail your asses out of jail,” she says as she looks suspiciously between us.
“On that note,” I say as I grab my purse, shove the condom in it, and walk out the door with Kasen in tow.
“Have fun!” Margie calls out from the kitchen as Kasen shuts the door.
“Well, that was…uh, interesting,” Kasen states as we walk down the stairs.
I groan with embarrassment. “I’m sorry about that. They are, uh…” I trail off because I lack words.
