“Oh, Sam, hush,” his mother admonished while blushing. Then her eyes narrowed on Jack. “So when can we expect some from you?”
He groaned. “Ma. Not again.”
“You’re thirty years old, mister. You’re not getting any younger.”
He looked to his father for help, but his old man grinned. “She’s right. You’re practically ancient. And so ugly. I mean, really. I might have a few desperate friends’ daughters I could set you up with, you poor, lonely soul.”
Jack shuddered. “If you love me, keep those crones away.”
Laura glared. “I know you’re both referring to Kim and Juliette. I don’t appreciate the humor.”
The waiter stopped by with a pot of coffee, and Jack thanked him profusely. “Great timing. I was needing this like you wouldn’t believe.”
“No problem, man.”
His mother didn’t wait for the guy to leave. She continued to lambast Jack about her great friends, their beautiful daughters and how he’d be doing the world a favor by giving the world future Blooms.
The waiter didn’t even bother trying to hide his grin.
“You think this is funny?” Jack asked, knowing it had passed funny and entered pathetic a lecture ago.
“Heck yeah. I got the same spiel from my mother last week. But hey, my girlfriend and I are taking it slow.”
“At least you have a girlfriend,” Laura huffed. Then she eased back on the annoyance. “Say, you don’t have any single woman friends, do you?”
Jack choked on his disbelief. His mother had no problem embarrassing herself, her family, hell, theworld, it seemed, if it would get her more grandchildren.
“Sorry, ma’am. Nope.” The waiter smirked at Jack. “What can I get you?”
“Besides a muzzle for my mother?” Jack muttered, “I’ll have the number three.”
His parents ordered, and after the waiter left, Jack watched his father subtly wipe tears of mirth from his eyes.
Jack sighed. “I thought this was a welcome home breakfast. Not an intervention for your ‘pathetic loser son’—who just happens to have his doctorate in environmental engineering, thank you very much. Mom, what gives?”
“I’m just teasing.” It hadn’t seemed like teasing. “How is your social life, anyway?”
“Um, okay, I guess. Like I told you, I broke up with Beth before leaving Seattle. But we were on the outs anyway.”
Laura tsked before taking a sip of her coffee. “That’s too bad.”
“Please. I know you couldn’t stand her. Another reason I broke it off, if you must know.”
His mother raised her gaze to his and blinked. “Oh?”
Sam laughed. “Get off it, Laura. The boy has a mind of his own. We’ll be getting those grandkids from him in his own time. That’s if watching after Josh doesn’t scare him off.”
“I love that kid.” Jack smiled. “He’s a little too much of a morning person for me, but I’m adjusting.”
“He’s so pleased to be in Ann Weaver’s class.” His mother beamed. “You know,she’sstill single. Such a nice girl. Whatever happened with you two, anyway? You were in love one minute, then dating someone else the next. I always liked her.”
He shifted in his seat. “The typical high school drama. Too young to settle with just one girl. It was our senior year, and we were going in different directions after graduation. Same old, same old.”
“Now you’re back. And you’re single. And she’s single…”
A glance at her had him rethinking his strategy to win Ann over. Why not use his mother’s knowledge? A smart guy knew when to bend. Besides, it might get her off his back about finding someone else. He just had to figure out what he planned to do with Ann once he got her before his mother made plans of her own. “So about Ann… What else do you know about her?”
His father groaned. “You’re in it now, boy. Even I can’t save you.”
