I chuckled and went back to my office to finish the few tasks that absolutely had to be done before we left for the day.
Later in the evening it was a very good feeling to walk into the Sloppy Frog with Maurice at my side and know he was my boyfriend, even though we didn’t make any large displays of affection. My fingers touched the back of his hand, and he smiled at me as we made our way out to the patio to find Lacey.
“There she is,” Maurice said, pointing at a table with a strand of lights dangling above her head.
She waved at us, the gold of her silky top glinting, then stood up and ran around the table to hug Maurice. She’d paired the shirt with a short black skirt and tall boots that gave her an extra inch. She embraced me next and smacked a kiss on my cheek.
“Thank God you two are here!” She dragged us over to the table as if we’d been about to run away and shoved us one by one in seats, then hustled around to her side and scooped up her drink again. She sipped, and it seemed to be more out of nervousness than enjoyment.
“What’s wrong, Miss Lacey?”
She waved a hand at me and her lip ring glinted as she frowned. “I ordered you two Mai Tais because they’re on special tonight. This is what’s wrong.” She flipped her hand to face me, and I nearly choked at the size of the ruby on her ring finger—Celestine hadn’t wasted any time. I couldn’t imagine how much he’d paid for the rock. Maurice let out a tiny noise as if he was feeling faint, and I rubbed his back.
“Edgar gave me a promise ring! We’ve barely started dating!”
“Why isn’t he here, with such a generous contribution to your jewelry collection sitting on your finger?” I asked.
She flopped down into her chair like a puppet whose strings had been cut. “I told him I was having a girls’ night to buy time to think.” She stuck out her tongue at Maurice. He rolled his eyes and flipped her off.
What was a good excuse to put a man off on something so serious? Hm.“Has he met your parents? You could tell him that he can’t give you such a fine ring without an introduction to the family and perhaps buy more time.”
She smirked and leaned forward, lacing her fingers together in a way that let her flash around that ring, which I thought she was more than halfway inclined to accept. “Have you met Maurice’s parents?”
“No.” My stomach dropped toward my toes at her gleeful giggle.
Maurice groaned. “You don’t want to, either.”
“Why?”
Lacey outright cackled. “Our whole family is a treat. Me and Maurice are the good relatives.”
“I do like you two,” I said.
A server came over and set pretty drinks in front of Maurice and me. The tumblers contained a white liquid on the bottom, and on top was a layer of brown with a mint sprig, and a lime was hooked over the rim. I took a sip and was hit with the taste of rum and oranges. “Nice.”
Maurice hummed in approval, but I thought it was for the drinks, not me meeting his family. He glanced at me, then gave me a pained smile. “We’re the most tolerable. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to meet my parents.” He frowned.
“Oh.” I couldn’t help it. I’d seen their reactions to the discussion and heard every single word they’d said, but my feelings were hurt. I cleared my throat. “Let me see that ring, Lacey.” She turned her hand toward me and waved it around until I snatched it to hold her still. “The marquis cut reminds me of something from a pirate cove.”
She beamed. “Right? Oh, let me tell you about the new dog I adopted! Edgar wouldn’t take her and she’s an angel, so I had to keep her.”
Maurice groaned.
Several drinks and conversations later, Lacey pointed at both of us while she swayed a little in her seat. “I’m going to tell Edgar I accept his promise. His intentions are good.” She nodded and laid her head down on the table for a second. “For the record, you two suck at being the girls in a girls’ night.”
“We’re not girls,” I said, patting her head.
“You should definitely tell Edgar you accept.” Maurice smirked. “We will make sure you get home.”
She sat up and shook her head. “I’m okay enough to take a cab. Don’t let me ruin your night.” She grabbed her purse, downed the rest of her drink, and then proceeded to totter her way toward the front of the bar.
“She won’t drive, will she? Should we take her home?”
“Nah, she’ll be fine.” Maurice’s smile wilted as he watched her go. “She would make a fuss if we tried to get her to do something different from what she already decided.”
“You werebadjust now.”
He shrugged and grinned. “That’s what she gets.”
