She hands me a mug of coffee. “Drink this, you’ll feel better.” Coffee does cheer me up.
Scarlett jumps up on the counter and dangles her legs, waiting for me to perk up. I have to say, I appreciate a girl with patience in the morning, even if she likes to press my buttons. I press hers right back, though.
After a few warm mouthfuls of coffee, I place my mug down and make my way over to Scarlett and her up-to-no-good smile. “What’s going through that head of yours right now?”
She raises her brows. “Why whatever do you mean, Mr. Austin?”
“Cute accent.”
I loop my arms around her neck, feeling her hands run up and down my bare chest. “Cute body,” she says.
“Cute?” I question her.
“Smokin’. Is that better?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“You know what else is smokin’?”
I clear my throat, knowing she won’t drop the jokes until I stop responding to them. “What are you really up to? You’re in quite the mood this morning,” I tell her.
“I set my mom up with someone.”
I don’t know why the thought of this makes me nervous, but it does. Everyone knows everyone here, and you never know when matchmaking can quickly go south. “Who?”
“Jack.”
I curl my lip. “No. That’s not funny. That’s gross. He’s our age.”
“I can’t control what happens, Austin.”
“Does he know you set them up?”
“Um, yes, he was there.”
“When? When were you at Dickles?”
“Last night before you got off work.”
“You were at Dickles on what’s now called ‘Blow-Job Shot Thursdays’ with your mother?”
“She’s really found herself this last month. You know what happens when you’ve been locked up for thirty years and suddenly, you’re free to live life?”
“I’m grossed out right now, Scarlett.”
“Austin, have an open mind.”
“He’s my best friend, and she’s your mom.”
“It’s kind of perfect,” she says.
“Who initiated this?” I ask her.
Scarlett purses her lips together and pulls her hair off her shoulders. “Jack asked my mother to have dinner.”
I have to give Scarlett credit for helping her mom transform into a completely different person this past month. Casting off the burden of constant abuse has erased the look of worry on her face and brought a light to her eyes that wasn’t there when I first met her. For someone who has been someone’s property for most of her life, she’s been more than willing to change a few things, including her wardrobe, hairstyle, and spiced up her cosmetic routine. She looks like a completely different woman from when she arrived her, possibly ten to fifteen years younger, and more like a seasoned version of Scarlett. She fits in well down here and you’d swear she was at Disney World for adults the way she walks around smiling at everyone.
“Whatever floats his boat, I guess.”
