“Children,” Mom said calmly. “No food fights. I want to hear more about Maverick.” Her forehead creased. “Didn’t you think you could tell us, honey? You know you can invite him over. Your dad and I aren’t bigots.”
“I know,” I said. “It’s new. I don’t want to scare him off by bringing him to a family gathering too soon.”
“Are you saying your family is scary?” Mom asked, affronted.
“No, but…”
“It’s a big step,” Wendy said. “I waited a month to tell you about Neil, and he was already Damon’s friend.”
“A month?” I said. “Damn. Now I’m mad at you again. How could you keep that asecret?”
“How could we not?” Wendy challenged. “You were gonna lose your shit because Neil was your favorite wingman.”
I huffed. “You did break up the team. Going out hasn’t been the same since.”
“Well, you don’t need to go out now that you’ve got a boyfriend,” she said testily.
Shit. Did I really have a boyfriend? Me and Maverick were good together. He was smart and funny. Gorgeous. The sex was amazing. I liked spending time with him. A lot. We’d slept together every night this week, showered together multiple times, cuddled and ate dinner together.
But we hadn’t reallydefinedanything yet.
Maybe we should, though, because I liked the idea of bringing him to a cookout. I’d love to see him use that sass of his on my sister. Maybe she’d finally get a taste of her own medicine.
I checked the time, then shoved the last bite of burger in my mouth. “Speaking of my boyfriend, I should head out. He’s working over at the Goldenrod Days festival, and I want to pop by and see if he needs anything.”
“Darn it, I’m missing the festival,” Dad said with a pout. “Stupid hip.”
“You do nothing but complain when we go,” Mom said with a laugh. “Honestly, you should be happy. You always say it’s too hot.”
“Well, it usually is, but that doesn’t mean I want to glue my ass to the recliner either.”
I carried my plate inside, leaving them to their bickering. Wendy and Neil followed me, bringing in some of the extra dishes.
“Do you mind cleaning up?” I asked them.
“No, go see your boyfriend,” Wendy said. “Sorry for the way I blurted that out. I didn’t realize it was true.”
“It’s okay. It’s not like I expected it to be a secret. The Matchmaking Mamas are huge gossips.”
Neil clapped my arm. “Well, we’re happy for you, man. Get out of here. I’ll take care of the grill.”
I got to the festival ten minutes later, finding a parking spot just outside downtown and hoofing it down Main Street to Rainbow Garden.
Maverick was working the block in front of his shop, pushing a cart full of flowers and handing out blooms to tourists. Under the sun, his hair was glowing with a halo. He would have looked angelic, if not for the swish of those hips.
I came up behind him and spoke in a low voice. “Are you trying to make me jealous?”
He spun around, startled. “What?”
“You look good enough to eat, and you’re just out here, like you’re not temping everyone walking by.”
He broke into a laugh. “Wow, laying it on thick, huh?”
I winked. “Just telling it like it is.”
His laugh morphed into a knowing smile. His gaze swept over me. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
I plucked at my red tank top, which was molding to my body with sweat. “What? This old thing?”
