day.
Chapter Six
Awkward— the word of the day after the aborted seduction attempt. Well, it had turned out more than an attempt, and Andrea had seemed to enjoy their kisses and flirting. Yet it had ended with a hard hit of cold reality. Eva’s face would be permanently flushed with embarrassment.
They’d danced around each other until Andrea left for her lunch with Sanderson. Only then had she let her muscles relax, but she couldn’t let go altogether.
She’d kill her sister for this stupid plan and clothes, especially the clothes. What the hell had she been thinking? Closing her eyes, she let her forehead fall to her desk and wished the day over. Pulled from her misery by the chirping of her phone, she sighed and tapped the screen to connect.
Her voice was muffled when she answered. “Thank you for calling Misery Loves Company. How may I help you today?”
“Mom!” Two of the voices she loved most in the world yelled her name, and a smile bloomed on her face.
“Babies, are you two ready to come home yet?”
Teenage laughter answered. “We miss you, but Jenny met this cute Greek girl and has fallen completely in love.” Bradley snorted, and she couldn’t hold back a laugh at her daughter’s unladylike reply.
“She’s very pretty, and her accent is to die for.” The dreamy, girlish sigh caused the corners of her mouth to quirk up even farther.
“Congratulations, how about your brother? Any cute girls for him, or are you stealing them all?” Eva sat back.
Jenny, at the age of six, had told her she’d marry her kindergarten teacher. No nuptials occurred, but years of girl crushes followed. Mark and she had fought many nights over their daughter’s supposed coming out. He’d blamed her for being too lenient.
Eva cut off that line of thought. Her marriage and all their issues were in the past and would stay there.
“Mom, he tried to hit on a twenty-three-year-old lifeguard, and she patted him on the head and gave him an aw-you’re-so-cute look,” she said in a singsong voice. “I almost peed myself laughing. She didn’t seem impressed with the one chest hair he’s sporting.”
Her son growled over the line and Eva failed to hold back her laughter. “I’m sorry, honey, I really am. Maybe she will appreciate you in three more years.”
“Ha ha. I overwhelmed her with the magnificence of my manly chest hair.”
Biting her lip, she listened to her daughter’s giggling snorts and pants for breath. Man, she loved her kids. The sulk in her son’s voice sounded more like a pouty five year old than a young man of fifteen.
“I’m sure.”
People say girls have fragile egos, but they’d never spent time with a teenage boy.
“Sooo….”
She almost groaned at that one word drawn out into four syllables, which meant she wouldn’t like the question Jenny prepared to ask.
“How’s the dating going with you? Anyone special? A cool stepmom or dad would be nice.”
“Jenny.” Her tone was thick with warning.
“Don’t Jenny me, Mom. A whole summer without us? You gotta have some fun. Auntie Art dragging you to Sappho? We aren’t stupid. We know she has.”
“If you don’t mind me making a suggestion, Aunt Andy already thinks we do no wrong.”
“Bradley, Jenny, you know she has a girlfriend.”
Bradley snorted, and she could imagine his huge eye roll. “Natalia doesn’t like us, and we don’t want her for an aunt.”
Laughter would be inappropriate, but the disgust in her son’s voice made it impossible to hold it in. “I will promise you while my babies are away I’ll try to secure you a new person to torture.”
“Score!”
The weight on her shoulders and the knots in her stomach subsided. Hearing from her kids made everything better. Being a mom had turned out to be one of the few things she’d done right in her thirty-seven years.
“Okay, it’s bedtime, Mom. Snorkeling in the morning, and we have to catch the boat early.”
“I love you
Chapter Six
Awkward— the word of the day after the aborted seduction attempt. Well, it had turned out more than an attempt, and Andrea had seemed to enjoy their kisses and flirting. Yet it had ended with a hard hit of cold reality. Eva’s face would be permanently flushed with embarrassment.
They’d danced around each other until Andrea left for her lunch with Sanderson. Only then had she let her muscles relax, but she couldn’t let go altogether.
She’d kill her sister for this stupid plan and clothes, especially the clothes. What the hell had she been thinking? Closing her eyes, she let her forehead fall to her desk and wished the day over. Pulled from her misery by the chirping of her phone, she sighed and tapped the screen to connect.
Her voice was muffled when she answered. “Thank you for calling Misery Loves Company. How may I help you today?”
“Mom!” Two of the voices she loved most in the world yelled her name, and a smile bloomed on her face.
“Babies, are you two ready to come home yet?”
Teenage laughter answered. “We miss you, but Jenny met this cute Greek girl and has fallen completely in love.” Bradley snorted, and she couldn’t hold back a laugh at her daughter’s unladylike reply.
“She’s very pretty, and her accent is to die for.” The dreamy, girlish sigh caused the corners of her mouth to quirk up even farther.
“Congratulations, how about your brother? Any cute girls for him, or are you stealing them all?” Eva sat back.
Jenny, at the age of six, had told her she’d marry her kindergarten teacher. No nuptials occurred, but years of girl crushes followed. Mark and she had fought many nights over their daughter’s supposed coming out. He’d blamed her for being too lenient.
Eva cut off that line of thought. Her marriage and all their issues were in the past and would stay there.
“Mom, he tried to hit on a twenty-three-year-old lifeguard, and she patted him on the head and gave him an aw-you’re-so-cute look,” she said in a singsong voice. “I almost peed myself laughing. She didn’t seem impressed with the one chest hair he’s sporting.”
Her son growled over the line and Eva failed to hold back her laughter. “I’m sorry, honey, I really am. Maybe she will appreciate you in three more years.”
“Ha ha. I overwhelmed her with the magnificence of my manly chest hair.”
Biting her lip, she listened to her daughter’s giggling snorts and pants for breath. Man, she loved her kids. The sulk in her son’s voice sounded more like a pouty five year old than a young man of fifteen.
“I’m sure.”
People say girls have fragile egos, but they’d never spent time with a teenage boy.
“Sooo….”
She almost groaned at that one word drawn out into four syllables, which meant she wouldn’t like the question Jenny prepared to ask.
“How’s the dating going with you? Anyone special? A cool stepmom or dad would be nice.”
“Jenny.” Her tone was thick with warning.
“Don’t Jenny me, Mom. A whole summer without us? You gotta have some fun. Auntie Art dragging you to Sappho? We aren’t stupid. We know she has.”
“If you don’t mind me making a suggestion, Aunt Andy already thinks we do no wrong.”
“Bradley, Jenny, you know she has a girlfriend.”
Bradley snorted, and she could imagine his huge eye roll. “Natalia doesn’t like us, and we don’t want her for an aunt.”
Laughter would be inappropriate, but the disgust in her son’s voice made it impossible to hold it in. “I will promise you while my babies are away I’ll try to secure you a new person to torture.”
“Score!”
The weight on her shoulders and the knots in her stomach subsided. Hearing from her kids made everything better. Being a mom had turned out to be one of the few things she’d done right in her thirty-seven years.
“Okay, it’s bedtime, Mom. Snorkeling in the morning, and we have to catch the boat early.”
“I love you
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