“I’m back.” Velma returned, baby in hand.
“And I’m out.” Brek kissed his wife and sat to put on his motorcycle boots.
“Before you go. What do you think of the whole Jase-and-Heather-getting-together thing?” Velma asked. “It’s the topic of conversation tonight.”
Brek stood, stretched, and bent down to peck another kiss on Velma’s lips. “My opinion is that I don’t have an opinion.”
“That’s not helpful,” Velma replied. “Did you hear Jase is helping Heather with the prom thing she’s planning?”
“Nope.” He grabbed his leather motorcycle jacket and pulled it on, zipping it up to the collar.
“Really?” Velma asked, unconvinced.
“Believe it or not, we don’t sit around and gab all day,” Brek replied.
“That is not entirely true,” Heather said. From what she’d witnessed that afternoon, the boys talked a lot.
Brek grinned at her. “Don’t spill the secrets.”
“So, we’re going to the prom,” Velma told him.
He stared at her a beat. “Of course we are.”
“I’m just wondering when you’re going to ask me to be your date.” Velma bounced Lily and grinned up at her husband.
“My ring on your finger?” he asked.
“Well, yeah.”
“Done deal.” He kissed her again, and then Lily’s head.
“You should never just assume anything,” Claire said to his back.
“Brek, did you get that DJ’s name like we talked about?” Heather asked. “For my prom?”
“Shit, yeah,” he said. “I’ll text it. He said he’s in.”
“You know you’re the best, right?” Heather asked.
Brek grunted and did a two-finger wave before heading out.
Claire stood to top off her glass. “I’m gonna make Dean ask me. He’s gonna have to do a full promposal.”
Cotton stuck in Heather’s throat. Flashbacks to high school and a very uncomfortable prom night with no date. That wasn’t now, though. She had a sort-of boyfriend, not that they’d labeled anything yet. But he was helping her plan prom, and they were sleeping together, and he was holding her hand. So, yeah, he was her prom date.
She’d just go with that.
20
Chapter Twenty
Senior “Senior” Prom Countdown: 3 Days
Heather was in Jase’s bed, again. She’d met up with Jase at his apartment after her girls’ night and then they’d continued their weekend fun late into Monday night. She ran her hand over his pillow. Around four a.m., he’d kissed her and told her he was heading down to the shop to get some work done. A few extra hours of sleep had done the trick, but it was time to get up and head to work.
She rolled from the bed, dressed, and headed downstairs.
Music blared from the speakers in the flower shop. Shirtless Jase was in his zone again—a private dance party to Warrant while he worked on a vase of gardenias. She paused at the foot of the stairs that led from his apartment to his shop, drinking him in.
