Chapter 18 – Ramona
Chapter Eighteen
Ramona
“ W hat took you so long? I’ve been dying to call you, but Beau said you’d call me. I just had to wait, but we both know waiting isn’t my strong suit,” Alise whines into the phone, causing me to giggle.
I should’ve known that she was going to be chomping at the bit for information about last night. What I didn’t expect was for her to call Beau to get it instead of waiting for me to call her. “Beau would know best, since he doesn’t respect boundaries.”
“Explain.”
“Beau walked in on Cooper and me…” My voice trails off as I try to think of a discrete way to explain what happened last night. I have no idea what ears are listening. “In a compromising position, twice. Once last night and once this morning.”
“Compromising position. Oh! Do elaborate, please.”
There is no way in hell I’m going into detail about what happened last night, not on the phone or in person. Alise is my best friend, and I tell her everything, usually, but I want to keep this one just for me. “No.”
“You don’t love me,” she pouts, but I’m not falling for that shit like I usually do.
“I love you. That’s why I told you the small bit of information I did. If you want to hear anything else at all, stop complaining.”
“Fair enough.” Alise giggles, and the sounds of Darius speaking in the background filter through the phone. I can’t really make out what he’s saying, but he sounds excited. “Yes. We’re going to Coach Hendrix’s condo, and yes, his brother, Beau, will be there. No, I don’t think we’ll get to see Cole, but you can ask Auntie Mel if she can convince him to come say hi after the game.”
“Why wouldn’t Cole come to see his brothers?” I don’t know much about the third Hendrix brother other than what I could find on Google when I was internet stalking Cooper. What? It’s what I was doing. No sense in trying to explain it away. I needed information, and the internet was the best place for me to get it quickly.
“Cole and Cooper kind of hate each other.” Seriously? As much as Cooper talks about his family, I expected them to be thick as thieves. What happened that tore those two apart?
“But they’re brothers?”
“Yeah. Trust me, it’s a long story that isn’t my place to tell. Sorry, Darius will have to settle for only two Hendrix brothers today. Kyle is in college out in the Midwest, so he won’t be there either. Fingers crossed you can meet him at Christmas, but that depends on his own hockey schedule.”
Christmas? Wow, she really is planning for things between Cooper and me to be for the long haul. It’s only the end of September, and we haven’t even defined what this is between us, but Alise is making plans for the holidays already. I’m usually a planner, needing to know every little detail and outcome before deciding, but I just want to be here in the moment with Cooper. Whatever happens happens.
Darius says something to Alise, and she laughs loudly. “I have no control over what Ramona does. If you have a request for which Hendrix brother you’d like to join your family, you’d have to ask her.”
It seems Alise isn’t the only one planning my and Cooper’s future. I open my mouth to respond when a new voice filters through the line. “I’m okay with you choosing either, dear, but I have a feeling Cooper might be opposed to you choosing his brother.”
Okay. That voice can’t belong to who I think it does because there is no way my best friend would let me say all of those things when the subject of our conversation’s mother was sitting right next to her and could hear every word.
“Ummm… who was that?”
“Auntie Mel,” Alise responds sheepishly, and I curse softly. Maybe she has another Auntie Mel.
“As in Cooper and Beau’s mother?”
“One and the same.”
Fuck. Shit. Damn. I’m going to kill my fucking best friend. I’ve never been more embarrassed in my fucking life. Now I need to figure out how to tell Cooper that his mother has a pretty good idea of what we were up to last night. Not to mention Darius probably heard everything, as well. Fingers crossed he had his earbuds in like usual, although I highly doubt that since he was asking questions earlier.
“You’re officially on my shit list. You’re supposed to tell someone they’re on speaker phone when you answer the phone.”
“Sorry.” She sounds sorry, but I don’t budge. This is definitely a violation of the best friend code we came up with when we were ten years old. “I was so excited when you called I forgot to mention that I was driving, so I put the phone on speaker.”
“Or that Mrs. Hendrix was in the car with you,” I growl, trying desperately to keep my composure. I’d love nothing more than to cuss Alise out right now and let her know exactly what I think of her stunt, but Mrs. Hendrix is in the car. If Ma has an issue with swear words being used, I can guarantee that Mrs. Hendrix will have a problem with the amount of f-bombs flowing through my head right about now.
“No need to feel embarrassed, sweetheart, and please call me Melanie. Everyone else does.”
Her voice is sweet and gentle, just as you’d imagine someone’s mother sounding, but Ma sounds the same way when she meets someone new. We call it the ‘company voice,’ and if I want the company voice to stay firmly in place, I better make a good first impression.
“Sorry, Ms. Melanie. You know I can’t do that. I would like to keep all my teeth inside my mouth if you ever meet my Ma,” I respond politely, holding my breath to see what else she has to say.
Cooper and I just kissed for the first time last night, his brother has caught us dry-humping on the foyer floor, and I’ve embarrassed myself in front of his mother on the phone. Now I have to meet both of them face to face for the first time and be seen with the entire family in public. Jesus, maybe I can find a way to rethink our plans for the day. Darius and Alise can go to the game, do the tour, and take all the pictures they want, while I hide out and try to wrap my head around everything that’s happened. Suddenly, this is too much too fast, but I have a feeling no one will be okay with this plan.
“Fair. I tell my boys the same thing. Speaking of your mother, Alise tells me Cooper met her yesterday.”
Alise has a big goddamn mouth. What happened to chicks before dicks? I know she is friends with Cooper and their moms are practically sisters, but couldn’t she have kept something to herself?
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And he behaved?” Judging by her tone, Melanie Hendrix isn’t a woman to be trifled with.
I’m slightly tempted to tell her he didn’t just to see what she’d do, but I change my mind. I’d love for Cooper to live through the night, and if Ms. Melanie is anything like Ma, it wouldn’t be a guarantee if she knew I wasn’t acting like I had home training when I met someone’s mother.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sure my mother is halfway in love with him already.”
“That’s good, but what’s not to love about him, right?”
“Right.” My mouth snaps closed. I sure stepped in it this time.
I could have just let the comment go. I didn’t have to say anything at all. Now Cooper’s mother is no doubt planning our wedding, no matter how insane that might be. Not any more insane than implying I’m in love with Cooper already.
Thankfully, Alise swoops in to save the day. “Okay, then. So we should be there in about twenty minutes. I have a bag for you and a surprise.”
“A surprise? Why does that scare me more than it excites me?”
“Because you know me so well, but trust me, this is a very good surprise.”
Trust isn’t something I have a lot of right now when it comes to Alise. Don’t get me wrong, I trust her with my life and to have my back if shit goes south in a fight, but to bring me clothes to wear in front of Cooper and his family for the first time? I’m not so sure about that.
“The best,” Ms. Melanie chimes, trying to ease my worries. “She did well, and I helped, but don’t tell Cooper. It’s just as much a surprise for him as it is for you.”
A secret even his mother doesn’t want him to know. This can’t be good. “Why am I even more worried now?”
“Stop stressing, Mona. Just do whatever it is you planned on doing before calling me, and we’ll be there soon,” Alise responds before hanging up.
“Easier said than done,” I mumble into the empty room before flopping back onto the bed.
I showered and changed into another one of Cooper’s shirts and sweats I stole from his closet, but do I really want to stroll out there wearing these? Ms. Melanie, Darius, and Alise will be here in twenty minutes, probably less because Alise loves to keep people on their toes. I can’t even imagine what she’ll think if she finds me wandering around her son’s apartment like I own the place. I could just hide in here until they come. Alise will hopefully have a presentable outfit for me to wear, and then I can meet Ms. Melanie and Beau.
For the first time in my life, I completely understand what my mom means about never leaving the house without a change of clothes. You never know when you’re going to run into the guy you may or may not be dating’s mother and brother for the first time. Technically, this is the second time I’ve seen Beau, but I didn’t stick around for Cooper to make any introductions.
Too bad Cooper has other ideas. “Are you okay in there?”
Cooper strolls into the room with another cup of coffee for me and a bowl of fruit. I swear this man’s love language must have something to do with food, because all he keeps doing is feeding me.
“More food?” I giggle, accepting the cup of coffee from his hand and taking a large gulp.
“I figured since I interrupted your breakfast, you might want a snack.” He presses his lips to my forehead, placing the bowl of fruit on the nightstand. “Momma, Alise, and Darius should be here soon, but I have a feeling you already know that.”
“Sure do. And I have to warn you, Alise pressed me for details about our evening together with your mother in the car.”
“Ah, yes. Beau can’t lie to Alise. He told her everything when she called him this morning.”
“That little shit.” I giggle, flopping down on the bed, my coffee sloshing all over my hand.
“Be careful, Beauty,” Cooper chastises, grabbing the cup from my hand and placing it on the floor. He carefully examines my hand, checking for any sign of injury. When he finds nothing, he plants a kiss on the inside of my wrist before threading our fingers together.
“So, what is this really about?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I turn my head away from him, looking at the door into the hallway, but he grips my chin, forcing me to look at him.
“Beauty. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
God damn it. The puppy-dog eyes again. “This is your mother, Cooper. Meeting your mom is a big deal. I was already freaking out about having to face your brother after last night. What the hell are we going to tell them?”
There it is, the million-dollar question. I can’t say that I haven’t wondered about that very thing since he asked me to go to the game with him today and wear his jersey in front of millions of people. At the time, it wasn’t a big deal, but now that I’ve had time to think about it, I’m sorta freaking out.
“We can tell them whatever you want to tell them,” Cooper responds calmly. “If I’m being honest, I’m playing everything by ear at this point. We can tell them we’re together, or we don’t have to say anything. My family will understand.”
Okay, that’s reasonable. I’m sure they’ll have questions, but Ms. Melanie seems like a rational woman. She probably has a million questions she wants to ask both of us, but if Cooper tells her it’s not the time, a part of me thinks she’ll respect that or at least wait until I’m out of earshot to ask them.
“I am going to head to the arena early with Beau to meet with Coach and the general manager. It seems they haven’t made an announcement about why I’m not on the lineup for the start of the season. Usually, I wouldn’t think anything of it, but I don’t want to put you in the spotlight until you’re ready.”
“You want to hide us away?”
“No, never!” he responds vehemently. “I’d call every reporter I know right now and tell them I’m in a relationship with an amazing woman while also asking them to respect our privacy.”
“I don’t know much about reporters, but I doubt that would work.” I lay my head on his shoulder, my mind trying to make sense of everything he’s saying.
Cooper Hendrix, the star center of the Portland Timberwolves, is a big deal. Everyone wants to know when he’ll be back on the ice or if the rumors I read about him retiring this season are true. Those rumors are only being fueled by the team not issuing any type of statement, probably to boost ticket sales.
“It probably won’t. They’d hear I was in a relationship for the first time since my rookie season in the NHL and want more information about you. They’d probably hunt you down at work, show up at your house uninvited, and bother Darius at school. I don’t want that to happen, so I’m going to do everything I can to protect both of you from that.”
The man should be allowed to have a life outside of hockey. In the short time I’ve spent with Cooper, I know he’s devoted to his family and will do anything for them, just like me. But I wonder if hockey has now become a job instead of a passion. According to the internet, Cooper is a little old for a professional hockey player, but? he’s still hanging on to that life, for whatever reason. I’m not entirely sure, but it seems like for the first time in a while, he’s learning there is more to life than hockey.
“Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil when you’re with someone in the public eye. I understand if that’s too much for you, but I’d selfishly request that you at least try before telling me to take a hike.”
And there it is: my choices. Either accept that the potential for being in the spotlight is there if I want to have any kind of romantic relationship with Cooper or step away and miss out on something that might be life-changing.
“I’m willing to try, Cooper. But I have more than just me to worry about. There’s Darius and Ma. I don’t want our relationship to have a negative effect on their quality of life.”
“So we’re in a relationship?” I can hear the excitement in his voice at me agreeing to at least try to see where this goes.
“We’re in a relationship.” I smile as he presses his lips to the top of my head.
We sit there in comfortable silence, neither one of us moving a muscle, and it’s nice. But Alise’s shouts coming down the hallway break it. “I’m coming in there. You both better be decent.”
We turn toward the door and see her walking into the room, one hand outstretched in front of her to make sure she doesn’t run into anything and the other covering her eyes.
“We should make her continue walking around like that,” Cooper whispers into my ear, but I decided against it.
“We’re decent.”
“Thank fuck,” she says before rushing toward us and wiggling between Cooper and me on the bed. “Now get out, Coop. You need to get to the arena, and I need to squeeze details out of Mona about last night.”
He checks the time on his watch before scooting over to make room for Alise. “I have some time. Let me introduce Ramona to Momma and Beau first. I also want a chance to chat with Darius, if that’s okay.”
“Sure is. We’ll be out in a minute.” She shoos him away with her hand before turning her entire body toward me.
“I don’t think he was asking you, Alise.”
“Doesn’t matter. I answered. Now, shoo. I’ll give her back to you in ten minutes, tops.”
“Make it five,” Cooper responds, bending down to place a gentle kiss on my lips. “If she gives you a hard time, just holler, and I’ll come running.”
“She’ll be fine. Now get out.”Alise stands and starts pushing Cooper toward the door before successfully shoving him over the threshold. She slams the door shut in his face and locks it for good measure before plopping back down on the bed next to me. “Tell me everything.”
It took much longer than the promised ten minutes to explain to my best friend what had happened since I left my place yesterday. She oohed and ahhed in all the right places, but she was only interested in getting to the juicy bits, which, much to her dismay, I never share. As punishment, she took it upon herself to get me ready to meet Ms. Melanie.
“Are you ready to meet your future mother-in-law?” Alise asks as she double-checks my hair.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. We’ve just decided we’re dating five seconds before you rudely interrupted us.”
“Doesn’t matter. You two are a done deal. I can feel it in my bones.”
“Whatever you say.” I sigh and then decide to push my luck. “So does that mean you’re ready to snag your own Hendrix brother? Then we really will be sisters, since I’m supposedly marrying Cooper and all. “
“It’s not the same thing, Ramona.” Alise’s shoulders deflate as she turns away from me, her arms instantly wrapping around her waist. Shit. I pushed too hard.
“I’m sure if you figure out a way to talk to him, everything will work out exactly as it’s meant to.”
“Whether it’s meant to be or not, there is too much between us to take that chance. If things don’t work out, it would ruin not just our lives, but it would complicate everyone else’s lives, as well. You’re gonna need to settle for just being my sister in spirit.”
“Sorry, I pushed.” I wrap my arms around hers, squeezing her tightly. “I just want you to be happy, Alise.”
“I’m happy when you are happy.” She spins around in my arms, smiling brightly, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “And I’m deliriously happy that you two found each other with no help from me. It proves that you’re perfect for each other.”
“If you say so,” I grumble, releasing her and checking my reflection one more time.
I’m still reluctant about the surprise Ms. Melanie and Alise put together for me, but at least my outfit looks amazing. Apparently, we all have similar outfits, except my surprise and Alise’s red Beats hanging around her neck. She uses them for the entire game because of the noise of the crowd and wants to make sure we can find her at all times, hence the bright red headphones. Either way, this is the perfect ensemble for a hockey game.
I have on a pair of light-wash wide-leg jeans that hang perfectly over the sand-colored heeled boots Alise snagged from my closet. We paired that with a cream-colored turtleneck sweater and a long forest green cardigan I know weren’t in my closet or drawers at home, but I look good, so I’m willing to let that slide. Alise kept the makeup simple with just complexion-correcting cream, mascara, and Summer Friday’s pink sugar lip butter balm. After much debate, we kept my hair simple, as well, letting it hang loosely around my shoulders, but Alise brought me a Timberwolves beanie to complete the outfit.
“How do I look?” I spin around in a circle, wanting to ensure she gets the full view of my outfit.
“Like a million bucks, of course.” Alise threads her arm through mine, practically dragging me out of the room toward the other end of the house.
I didn’t do much exploring when I came in last night, and since Cooper insisted on waiting on me hand and foot since I woke up this morning, I haven’t stepped foot out of his bedroom.
Alise pulls me to a stop in the center of the walkway. “I believe it’s safe to assume that you haven’t left the bedroom since you arrived. Here’s the ten-cent tour. This is the dining room to our left. Kitchen to the right with a breakfast nook that has a perfect view of the park. Straight in front of us is the living room.”
The areas are nicely decorated in muted browns and blues, giving the place a warmth I wasn’t expecting. Don’t ask me what I was expecting. Maybe a bachelor pad with leather couches and sports paraphernalia covering every surface. I’m very happily surprised. I can see myself curling up on the small light gray couch pushed up against the window or making use of the amazing gourmet kitchen to make dinner for when our families come to visit. Umm, what? I need to pump my brakes and stop getting ahead of myself.
“Are you even listening to me?” Alise bumps my shoulders with hers to get my attention.
“Of course, I am. Dining room. Kitchen with an awesome view of the park. Living Room. Balcony.” I regurgitate all the information she just gave me before asking one of my own. “And where does that door go?”
“To the balcony and to the left of that is?—”
Alise doesn’t even get to finish her statement as I hear Darius shout loudly, “You two are such cheaters!”
I quickly head toward the sound of Darius’s voice and find him and Cooper sitting on the couch with some video game control in their hands. Darius is using any means necessary to break Cooper’s concentration. Beau is leaning over the back of the couch, giving Darius pointers on how to best distract his brother.
“You could always have Ramona sit on his lap. I hear that’s the best distraction for him these days.” The minute the words leave Beau’s mouth, Darius’s nose pulls up in disgust as he makes a gagging sound, causing everyone in the room to laugh loudly.
“And Cooper calls that the study. However, it’s more of a man cave than anything.” Alise throws her arm over my shoulder, shaking her head at the boys’ antics.
“It’s not our fault you chose to play against a professional hockey player in NHL ’25 .” Beau chuckles as he turns towards us. “Hello, ladies.”
Beau is slightly taller than Cooper, but not by much. They have the same warm eyes, but Beau’s are hazel. His hair is curlier and longer than Cooper’s, tucked under a backward baseball cap. His large, muscular arms are covered by a Timberwolves hoodie, and he’s wearing dark-colored pants.
He winks at us, and I have to resist the urge to swoon. These Hendrix brothers are dangerous to the entire female population. I’ve only met two of them so far, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the four of them together are a force to be reckoned with.
“We’re teaching this young man a valuable lesson about life.”
“And what, pray tell, would that be?” I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Never play NHL ’25 with two very competitive NHL hockey players.”
Alise nods her head in agreement. “He isn’t kidding. These two compete about everything. Auntie Mel said that their pee wee hockey coach moved Beau to goalie when they turned fourteen because he was tired of them fighting about who had the most goals all the time.”
“No, he moved me because I gained about twenty pounds of muscle and grew four inches. My big brother wasn’t really my big brother anymore.”
“Shut it, you ass. You might be taller, but you’ll always be the second-best Hendrix.” Cooper chimes in, his eyes never leaving the television screen.
“Don’t even try to understand those two. I stopped years ago.” Alise giggles, wrapping her arm through mine and pulling me further into the room.
We stand behind the couch near Beau as Cooper decimates Darius’s team, scoring goal after goal before pausing the game. “We’ve known some of these players for years, but we also play this religiously. Sorry, kid. Them’s the breaks.”
“You could’ve taken it easy on him, you know?” I giggle, knowing this won’t sit well with Darius. I’m going to have to physically pry the controller out of his hands to get him to stop playing. He’s just as competitive, if not more so than the other two.
“We let him play as the Timberwolves. That’s as big of an advantage as you can get. We are the best team in the league.” Beau reaches forward, giving Darius a noogie before turning toward me. “I’m Beau, the best Hendrix brother. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Ramona.”
He grasps my hand, slowly leaning toward it before a pillow smacks him in the side of his head. “Stay away from my woman, Beau.”
Alise rolls her eyes at the silliness before stepping between us. “No flirting with your brother’s girlfriend. It’s very rude.”
“Oh, if I was flirting with her, she’d no longer be my brother’s girlfriend, now would she?”
Darius finally pulls his attention from the television. “Wait. You’re dating Coach Hendrix?”
My mouth opens and closes like a fish as panic bubbles in my stomach. I knew we’d have to say something to Darius at some point, but this moment went a lot differently in my head. Cooper and I would sit down and have a conversation with him, probably over dinner, and explain as much as we could about what was going on.
“Yeah, little man.” Alise strides toward him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. “Isn’t it amazing?”
I don’t hear Darius’s response as Cooper pushes to his feet and storms toward us. “Beau.”
I can tell by the sound of Cooper’s voice that he’s lost his patience with his brother, and it’s hot as fuck. I’m a strong, independent woman who can protect herself, but there’s something about how Cooper is ready to come to blows with his brother for flirting with me that does it for me.
“I swear on everything that is holy, Beau, if you don’t get away from her?—”
“Boys. Behave.” I whirl around at the sound of Ms. Melanie’s voice as she strolls toward us. “I won’t have Ramona thinking you were raised in a barn.”
Melanie Hendrix is the perfect mixture of both of her sons. Her shoulder-length blonde hair is so similar to what I’ve seen of Beau’s, brushing against her neck. She’s wearing a forest green sweater and a crisp white shirt laying neatly over the collar. Her eyes are so much like Cooper’s that it makes my breath catch in my throat, even with being hidden behind a pair of round, brown tortoiseshell glasses. Her khaki pants have a crisp pleat running down the center toward her slipper-clad feet.
“I would never think that, Mrs. Hendrix,” I say, trying to diffuse the situation. She doesn’t need to know that I much prefer her son acting like a caveman.
“Suck-up,” Beau mutters as Cooper grabs his neck into a headlock.
I’ve seen Melanie Hendrix in passing at Alise’s house and around town, but this is the first time I’ve met her directly. I have no idea what to do with myself. Beads of sweat pebble on my skin as I try to think of a way to properly greet her. Do I hold out my hand for a handshake, give her a hug, or wait for her to make a move first? The decision is made for me as she wraps her arms around my shoulders, pulling in for a motherly hug. The act catches me by surprise, but I quickly recover, wrapping my arms around her waist. I relax into her arms, the smell of a warm spring day and soap wrapping around me. “Now, dear, what did I tell you about calling me that?”
“Sorry, Mrs... I mean, Ms. Melanie.”
She cups both my cheeks, her eyes scanning my face as a warm smile spreads across hers. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, too. Darius and Alise wouldn’t stop talking about you on the ride here.”
“All good things, I hope?”
“The best,” she responds, patting my cheek softly before stepping around me to address her sons. “Time to stop playing those video games. You two need to get going or you’ll be late. Darius, grab your backpack and get started on your math homework. I can help with any problems you have while Ramona and Alise eat.”
“Yes, ma’am,” all three boys answer in unison, following her directions to a T.
“I’ll see you both when you get to the arena.” Cooper plants a kiss on Ms. Melanie’s cheek and then mine, leaning in close to whisper in my ear. “I’ll have a jersey waiting for you at the will-call window.”
I don’t say a word, only nod my head as he walks past us. I should follow behind them and chat with Darius, but I don’t move a muscle. My mind is still trying to process everything that has happened in the last ten minutes.
“I made some sandwiches to go with the soup I brought from home for lunch. I wasn’t sure if you were hungry, but I heated a few servings on the stove. Eat as much as you want.” Ms. Melanie grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze before heading out of the room after the boys
“What the heck just happened?” I ask no one in particular, but Alise immediately answers.
“Auntie Mel happened. She knows a thing or two about keeping a group of boys in line.”
That’s an understatement. I can’t get Darius to move that quickly on a good day. Getting him to do his math homework before Sunday night? That’s damn near impossible. “What magical power does she have, and where can I get it?”
“Practice, my dear. Practice,” Ms. Melanie says from in the kitchen as she fills up a bowl with soup.
I spin around and head out of the study, my eyes flicking to Darius to make sure he is doing his math homework as instructed. He’s a good kid. We never have issues with him doing his homework for other subjects, but math isn’t his best, and he avoids doing it until the last minute. To say I’m surprised that he is willingly doing any homework on a Friday would be an understatement.
I smile warmly at her, grabbing the bowl of soup she offers me before taking a seat at the small table in the breakfast nook. “Thank you for helping him do his math homework. I really need to get him a tutor.”
“No need for that, Ramona. I’ll tutor him.”
“Ummm…”
“Before you say no, I offered to tutor him on the ride up here, and he graciously accepted. I used to teach math at the high school before I retired. It will give me something to do with my time. We can talk about a schedule and everything later.”
I open my mouth to make an excuse, but Alise interrupts me. “Give it up. When Ms. Melanie sets her mind on something, she won’t rest until she gets it. Just accept the help and be thankful.”
This really is a win-win situation for me. Darius will hopefully have an easier time in class, and I’ll no longer have to fight with him to get his work done. “Thank you, Ms. Melanie. I appreciate it.” I raise my voice slightly so Darius can hear me from his place in the dining room. “What do you say to Ms. Melanie, Darius?”
“Thank you, Auntie Mel.”
“Auntie Mel?” I question.
“That’s what she told me to call her. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is, sweet boy. If it’s okay with Ms. Melanie, it’s alright with me.”
“It’s perfectly fine.” Ms. Melanie smiles down at me as she places a perfectly toasted grilled cheese sandwich and plate beside my bowl. “Now, I heard from Alise that you’re a fan of Mormon Wives .”
“A fan? That’s an understatement.” I giggle, finally taking a bite of the soup Ms. Melanie made.
I bite back a moan as the sweet but tart taste of the tomato soup hits my tongue. My fingers itch to get a hold of my notebook and start jotting down ideas, but I resist. Few people know about my notebook, and I’d like to keep it that way. My emotions are still a little raw from everything that happened yesterday, and the moment Ms. Melanie sees me jotting down ideas, she’s going to ask me questions I’m not ready to answer.
“Good. I’ve been rewatching season one with Cooper. I’m on episode five, ‘The Book of Truth.’ Ms. Melanie heads toward the study, leaving no confusion that Alise and I are supposed to follow her.
Alise doesn’t miss a beat, grabbing her bowl off the table. “Oh, that’s one of our favorites! We hate Whitney and are 100 percent team Demi for sure.”
“For sure,” I respond, grabbing my bowl and plate to follow them when something Ms. Melanie said catches my attention. “Wait. Cooper watches Mormon Wives ?”
“Oh, dear,” Ms. Melanie says in mock horror, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “He’s going to be so angry that I told you. Can we keep this our little secret?”
I stride into the study, placing my bowl and plate on the small table in front of the couch before turning toward her. “Only if you never tell my ma that we watched the show without her.”
I hold out my hand, and Ms. Melanie clasps it tightly in hers. “I think you have yourself a deal.”
As meetings with your boyfriend’s mother go, I think I knocked this one out of the park.