My hand didn’t move fast enough. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have taken a sip after answering.
“Violet!” I grabbed a napkin to wipe up the coffee I’d spewed across the table.
“What’d she do now?” Ashley’s sleepy voice sounded weary.
“Nothing,” I answered.
When she reached for the coffeepot, I offered to brew a fresh pot. “Fresh is always better.” I winked. After emptying the pot into my mug, I brewed half a pot of decaf.
She nodded and plopped down next to her grandmother.
The dark circles under her eyes didn’t detract from her beauty. The hint of pink in her cheeks made me think about how she’d flushed when I kissed her.
I didn’t miss her eyes darting below my beltline just before I turned.
I needed to take Ashley away for a few hours or I’d have the worst case of blue balls in the history of forever.
Knowing we needed groceries. Or rather, I needed to add to their food supply because I ate more than the two of them combined. Shopping was the perfect excuse.
Maybe I could take Ashley to my hotel room before we went shopping.
Or maybe not. Asking her to my hotel felt slimy, no matter how nice the room was. Once again, I was foiled by my desire to deliver on my promise—to rock her world on our first night together—and my need to be the romantic hero she deserved.
“Ashley and I need to go grocery shopping later today. Do you need anything?”
“We need more tuna,” Violet answered.
“No, we don’t. You’ll make Prince fat if you insist on feeding him tuna all the time.”
“Nonsense. He’s a cat. It’s part of his natural diet,” Violet argued.
“Yes, but in the wild, he’d have to hunt for it.”
Prince chimed in with what I assumed was a vote for more tuna, making us all laugh.
When I called SSI, John volunteered to stay with Violet.
When I announced John had arrived, she rushed towards the door to greet him.
Safety be damned. When I told her I’d answer the door, she scoffed. “You just said it’s John.”
“Yes, but I intend to verify that before I open the door.”
She muttered under her breath as she waited.
“John.”
“Nathan.” He nodded in greeting before turning. “It’s good to see you, Violet. How’s the hip?”
“Still slow, but I’m healing. Nathan, don’t just stand there, invite our guest in.”
I didn’t miss her use of ‘our’, nor did John. It was useless to argue, so I followed her orders and invited him in.
His uneven grin reminded me of his sons as he accepted. It struck me again how much Jack looked like his father. They had the same wavy brown hair and amber eyes. If they were the same age, they could be mistaken for twins.
After handing John my laptop, I said, “We won’t be long.”
“Take your time. I have this handsome young man to keep me company.”
