Page 88 of Stealing for Keeps
Austin and I freeze, and then slowly, he steps away. My hand trembles as I reach for the door and open it.
“Hi,” I say brightly.
She pushes the door wider with one hand and glances past me to Austin a foot away.
“No boys in your room,” she says. “Especially this one.”
“Mom, we need to work on our art project.” Which is true, but I had hoped we could kiss a little more before then.
“You can do it downstairs at the dining room table or in the den.” And because she’s told me a million times not to paint in either of those places because she doesn’t wantme to get paint on anything, she adds, “Make sure you put down a sheet or something so you don’t make a mess.”
I know I’ll never win this argument, so I nod. “Okay. Can Austin stay for dinner?”
She sighs like it’s the biggest inconvenience ever, and I feel like shit that she’s being so mean in front of him when his family is always so great to me.
“It’s okay,” he says. “I have plans.”
Mom finally smiles, a tight-lipped curve with no warmth to the action.
As soon as she’s gone, I shut the door again.
“I’m sorry about her.”
“It’s fine. She thinks I’m bad news, and to be fair, I feel like it right now.” He fists the hem of my shirt, but then instead of tugging it, he steps toward me.
I push up on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my body flush against him and kissing him again. Everything feels a little bit better when we’re together.
* * *
After we finish working on our art project, I walk him out. He links his pinkie with mine and swings our hands lightly between us.
“Sorry about tonight. She’s gone tomorrow night if you want to come back.” I really want him to come back.
“What’s the deal with your mom? Does she hate all your boyfriends?”
My stomach dips as the last word hangs in the air. “Did you just call yourself my boyfriend?”
“I guess I did.” He smirks. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah, I like it.”
“Good. Now how do I win over your mother?”
I laugh. It’s hard not to. “If I knew, then we’d both be happier. Since I stopped skating, nothing I do pleases her.”
“How come? You still have a lot of great things ahead of you. You might be the next great chess grand master.”
I narrow my gaze on him, but another laugh escapes. “She’s always pushed me to work hard. When I was skating, she made sure I was doing everything I could to be better. As annoying as it was at times, her constant push made me a better skater.”
“And now?”
“She wants me to throw myself into school, take extra classes so I can go to a great college and become a doctor or lawyer or something else that sounds important so she can brag about me.”
“Come on. She’s not really that shallow, is she?”
“I don’t know.” I shake my head. “I’ve stopped trying to figure her out. You should too.”
“If I don’t understand her, how can I win her over?”
