“Hey, honey,” she greets as we walk in and see her standing at the stove. Immediately, her eyes fall to Jo, who looks like she wants to crawl into a ball and hide. “Hi there, Jo. Long time, no see.”
“Hi, Mrs. Stephenson,” Jo says in barely more than a whisper.
“Sweetheart, you and Beau have been grown for damn near a decade now. I think it’s okay if you just call me Lynn.”
With a tight smile, Jo says, “Hi, Lynn. It’s good to see you again.”
“You too.” She looks down to see us holding hands. “I see you two finally got your heads out of your asses.”
Jo gives a small laugh. “I think I was probably the only one who had my head up my ass.”
“Yeah, you left and stayed away for far too long, but my son didn’t go after you or tell you how he felt in the first place, so I think you both were clowns.”
I nod. “Fair enough.”
“At least now that you’re back, he can stay away from Christie.”
My head falls back as I sigh. “Christie wasn’t that bad.”
Jo pats me on the shoulder with her free hand. “You just keep telling yourself that.”
“Does anyone in town like her?” I ask.
Jo responds with, “Only the guys who have slept with her.”
Mom quips, “So, I’m sure there’s a lot of people who like her.”
Jo starts cackling. “Wow, Lynn. You’re coming in hot.”
Changing the subject from my sex life, I say, “We are here to pick up Mia. I’m surprised she’s not at the table, eating dinner.”
“She already ate and has been outside chasing a squirrel for about an hour.”
“Has she even come close to catching it?” I ask.
“No. Poor thing is cute as a button but not very fast. Even if she did catch the squirrel, I don’t think she’d have a single clue what to do with it.”
“She could invite him in and have a dinner party in your kitchen,” I say.
“Just know, if she does do that, you’re not invited.”
I walk out back to grab Mia, leaving Jo alone with my mom. I figure she would follow me, but I guess she hung back. Hopefully, Mom is being nice to her. I know she said she’s happy we finally stopped being idiots, but I also know my mom isn’t good at not saying what she’s thinking.
When Mia sees me, she comes running over and jumps on me so hard I fall backwards.
“Hey, girl! I missed you too! Are you ready to go home?”
Excitedly, she wags her tail and starts running small circles around me as I get up. We get inside, and she immediately makes her way over to Jo and gives her a good sniff test.
“Hi, Mia,” Jo says, crouching down to get on the dog’s level. “You’re a pretty girl. I kind of wondered if you were real or just a figment of your dad’s imagination.”
“Ha ha,” I reply. “I told you she was real.”
“And oh, so cute. Yes, you are. You are just adorable.” She talks in a baby voice, and Mia is already eating it up.
I can’t blame her. I know just how easy it is to fall in love with Joanna Lawson.
Chapter thirty-seven
