Page 4 of Wicked Flirt
She gave up on her former hairstyle and pulled the pins from her shoulder-length hair, shaking it out. It settled in place like silk. He stopped smirking and quickly strode ahead of her through the parking lot, opening the passenger-side door of his red Audi.
She got into his car and looked up at him. “You treat your little sister nice,” she teased.
He gave her a small smile. “Joe Campbell’s influence. He taught me to treat women like I’d want someone to treat my little sister, with care and respect.”
“Then I should thank Joe. What a guy!”
He inclined his head before shutting the door. This would be easy—a pretend girlfriend to make his mom feel better without any of the headache and work of keeping a woman happy. A mutually agreeable deal that solved both of their problems. What could go wrong?
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Chapter Two
Marcus made quick work of the grocery shopping. His mom had texted him a list. Lexi took one look at it and efficiently scoured the produce section, saving him loads of time. He hadn’t introduced a woman to his mom since his ex-wife, but these were desperate times. He was her only kid, and his dad had died when Marcus was seven, shortly after being arrested on drug charges. In exchange for a more lenient jail sentence, his dad had snitched on the drug kingpin he worked for. He’d been killed while out on bail, awaiting his trial. Marcus’s mom had said all his dad had wanted was to get back home to them. To Marcus’s young ears, it sounded like if it weren’t for him, his dad would’ve lived. A heavy load for a seven-year-old.
He’d witnessed his mom’s crying many nights after that and resolved that he had to take care of her. They were more like friends than parent and kid since she’d practically been a kid when she had him, only eighteen. Growing up, it seemed his mom was doing better, until he’d witnessed her first panic attack when he was thirteen. He’d thought she was going to die, her heart racing, her breathing shallow. He’d called an ambulance and got her to the ER. Later, he found out she’d been having panic attacks for years. No matter how much he’d tried to take care of her, his love hadn’t been enough.
And now she was worse with the agoraphobia. Maybe his love would never be enough for his mom. Maybe what he needed was to bring in backup. In this case, Lexi. He couldn’t believe his luck in finding someone who understood his mom’s condition and actually knew what to do. Lexi might be a prickly man-hater, but she was great with women. Just look at all her close friends and how she’d helped her aunt get better. And, if he was being honest, she’d become a lot less prickly after he’d told her the deal with his mom.
He met up with Lexi at the register and paid for everything.
“Anything else I should know about your mom?” she asked once they were in the car.
“Her name is Lia. She used to be a secretary. She’s sweet. Soft-spoken, gentle.”
“Okay, so kinda like Sabrina.” Their mutual friend Sabrina was a relationship counselor.
“My mom’s not as good with all the feelings stuff as Sabrina, but, yeah, sweet like that.”
They drove for a few minutes in silence, his mind on his mom. It alarmed him to see her just sitting on the sofa day after day. She did crossword puzzles, watched TV, some reading, but she had no connection to the outside world. Even her friends from her old job had given up on her, and she’d been there for twenty years. Now it was up to him. As long as he didn’t push her, she seemed fine. But the minute he brought up talking to a professional or even just taking a walk with him, she got nervous, her hands fluttering in the air, stepping closer to her bedroom, her sanctuary.
He pulled into the driveway of the ranch home he’d bought her a few years back. It was the first house she’d ever lived in—after years of apartment living—and she loved it. She had a vegetable garden out back. Maybe when the weather warmed up, she’d venture to the backyard for some gardening.
He popped the trunk, gathered the grocery bags, and headed to the front door. Lexi followed and stood next to him on the small concrete porch, looking a little nervous.
“Just play it cool,” he told her. “Follow my lead.” He pressed the doorbell and waited. He’d texted his mom at the supermarket, telling her he was on his way, so she knew it was him.
He heard the slide of the chain lock, the deadbolt, and then his mom slowly opened the door. She was petite, a little shorter than Lexi, and wearing her green fleece robe over pajamas. It was a little after nine at night, but that wasn’t why she was in a robe and pajamas. She never bothered getting dressed anymore, like that took away the possibility of leaving the house. She did a double take when she saw Lexi, her brown eyes huge with surprise.
“Mom, I brought Lexi since we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day together.”
“Hi!” Lexi said brightly. “Nice to meet you.”
His mom smoothed her dark brown jaw-length hair and gathered her robe tighter around her. “Hi,” she said softly before shooting him a dark look. “You didn’t mention you were bringing company. I haven’t prepared.”
He lifted all the bags in both hands. “I brought everything you need. We won’t be staying long. We have to get back to our Valentine’s Day.”
His mom backed up, letting them in. “Of course. Thank you for taking the time to pick up my groceries. You said you’d be in town, so…” She pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry for interrupting your special night.”
He headed to the kitchen, both women trailing him. “It’s fine. I wanted you to meet Lexi anyway.” He set the bags down on the counter. “Lexi, this is the amazing Lia Shepard, queen of the paella.” His mom had been born here, but her family was originally from Spain.
His mom blushed. “Marcus!” She turned to Lexi. “He exaggerates. He’ll eat anything.”
“I love paella,” Lexi said, taking off her coat.
“That’s a beautiful dress,” his mom said. “I’m so embarrassed you caught me in my robe.”
“No big,” Lexi said. “I’m a pretty casual person.”
