Page 32 of The Sexy Part
“Absolutely. People don’t even lock their doors half the time. And the key’s usually under the mat or in a nearby frog planter. Sometimes it’s a turtle.”
She laughs. “Grandmom used to keep a key in a fake rock.”
“Did you grow up in a small town too?”
“Actually, it was more like the country. She lived on a farm in Pennsylvania. After Grandpop died, the farm shut down. It was miles to the neighbor’s house. I got very good at speed bicycling.”
“Speed bicycling sounds awesome.”
“It is. Nothing like the wind in your hair. I always took my helmet off when I got out of sight of the house.”
“Naughty girl.”
She smiles. “For the most part, I was the perfect straight A, rule-following granddaughter.”
“The bike brought out your bad-girl side. I bet you’d love to ride a motorcycle.”
“Too dangerous.” She glances around. “Good thing you’re walking me because I don’t remember how we got to your parents’ house.”
“It’s a grid, not too hard. Look up a map of town and you’ll get it in no time. If you ever get lost, head that way toward Main Street.” I gesture toward it. “All roads lead to Main Street. Mackenzie’s house is on Catoonah Street just off Main.”
“Got it. Your family’s so nice. I envy you coming from such a close-knit family.”
“You’re the first woman I’ve brought home to meet my parents.”
“Really? Your mom said you’ve had multiple relationships.”
“I knew she was talking about me! Don’t listen to her.”
“Why? Is it not true?”
“No, it’s true I’ve had relationships. I just prefer you get information about me directly from the source.”
“And you never invited anyone home to meet your parents?”
“Well, I did invite my last girlfriend, Brianna. She went to the beach with friends and texted me from there that she wouldn’t be coming. Mom always thought she was too flighty. Guess she was right since after I helped Brianna get back on her feet, she moved on.”
“So I really am the first woman at Sunday dinner.”
“Yeah, and it was dicey because not only is Mom a wedding planner, she’s an intense matchmaker. That’s mostly why I don’t bring anyone home. I don’t want her to pounce, asking about the relationship, where it’s going, you know. All that love and commitment stuff. She means well.”
“I guess it was different since I was with Mackenzie.”
“Yeah, I seem to have gotten off-track. I was just making a joke about meeting the parents. It flopped.”
She smiles and elbows me. “Does she embarrass you with stories of when you were a kid? Mackenzie and Harper already told me you used to run wild and throw food at them.”
I laugh. “Yeah, well, that’s true. Just in good fun. They threw food back too. I bet they left that part out.”
“They did.”
We walk in companionable silence for a bit. She takes a deep breath and stops to stare at the sky. “You can see so many stars here.”
“Yeah. The city has too much light pollution, and all those skyscrapers block the view.”
“It’s beautiful.”
She takes a picture with her phone and checks it. “It didn’t really capture it.”
