“I am happy,” I ground out. Because I was. I was content with the life I had.
Maybe. But maybe Tori made me want things I hadn’t even contemplated before. That said, I didn’t need my mother sharing her theories about my potential love life with everyone from the gas station to the grocery store.
“Can you just let things play out for me? Please.”
“Yes.” My mother straightened in her chair and clasped her hands together. I knew that meant she was feeling gleeful. God help me.
“So anyway,” I said, trying to get back on track. “The whole point of this was me letting you know I’m going out to dinner tonight, and I may or may not come home after that.”
“Oh, my gosh!” Now, she clapped her hands, looking downright delighted. “I hope you don’t come home. I hope it’s amazing. I want you to fall in love!”
I took a slow breath, gritting my teeth. “I love you, Mom. But please—I’m begging you—please don’t make things complicated.”
She let out a heavy sigh just as the doorbell rang. “That’ll be Chris,” she said, calling toward the door. She shouted for him to come in. As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, she beamed up at him, and I braced myself.
“Chris, Kincaid has a second date. He already spent the night with her!”
“Yeah, you told me that, Claudia,” Chris replied, barely concealing his laugh.
“Oh, my God, Mom.” With a groan, I dropped my face into my hands and ran them through my hair, letting them fall to the table with a thump. “Chris, could you please get her to stop gossiping about my love life?”
Chris grinned as he leaned down to kiss my mom on the cheek. Straightening again, he eyed me. “It’s a small town, man. I’m sure your mom isn’t the only one who knows you two went out. You were at the fundraiser. That was a big event for Willow Brook.” He held up a hand, as if preemptively preparing me. “Someone else saw your truck leaving her driveway the next morning.”
“Oh my God...” That was all I could say to that.
Chapter Eighteen
Tori
“Buttons?” I prompted.
The little hamster sitting on the floor blinked up at me expectantly. Lucy stopped beside me, and as always, I felt gigantic standing next to her. She was petite with her delicate build, but her personality was anything but tiny. She ran one of the best construction companies in town with her best friend, Amelia, and she didn’t take any nonsense from anyone.
Levi, who had been a few years ahead of me in high school—and, at the time, known for being probably the biggest flirt in school—walked through the kitchen and stopped beside Lucy. He pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek. “I’ll be back.”
Lucy smiled up at him. “Of course you’ll be back.”
Amelia chuckled as she reached for a drink. “Now that’s some faith.”
“She knows I’m still whipped,” Levi said dryly. “Mom says Glory is set for the night with her,” he added before heading down the hallway.
“My mom has our daughter for the night,” Lucy added. “She loves it. In fact, she says being a grandmother is more fun than being a parent.”
“It seems like most people agree with that,” Jasmine chimed in as she approached.
When I felt a nudge on my ankle, I glanced down to see the hamster curiously sniffing me. “So, why the name Buttons?” I asked.
“Because he likes to eat buttons. Or, well, play with them,” Lucy explained with a laugh.
“What does he do with them?” Luna asked, intrigued.
Levi’s chuckle echoed back from the hallway. “He collects them.”
A moment later, Levi was gone. As we filtered toward the kitchen table, Lucy elaborated, “After Ham passed...” She pressed a hand to her heart. “Who we loved. Levi was so sad. Ham was his special hamster.”
“So it took a while before he was ready for another one,” Amelia added.
Lucy nodded emphatically. “One day we were at a store, and a woman was giving away a hamster. Just one—Buttons.”
