Chapter 17
17
Lainey wasn’t kidding; her dog really was a scaredy-cat. But, as usual, bacon saved the day. She was a pretty border collie. If he had to bet, Lainey took her to a groomer every other week who specialized in abused animals. He’d noticed the high-priced dog food that was in the fridge.
“You’re living large, aren’t you, Xena?” Mateo remembered the show called Xena, Warrior Princess, and as a teenage boy, he sure wasn’t watching it for the plot. Xena was hot.
He crouched down and let Xena nibble half a strip of bacon out of his hand. It reminded him of the pregnant pit bulls at Pepper’s place. Gideon had followed up for him, so he knew that three of the girls had lived to give birth to their pups. One didn’t make it through the birth. As for the males, they were still being evaluated to determine the best ways to rehabilitate the dogs, or if that was even possible.
The whole thing made him sick.
Mateo stopped thinking about it and turned his attention to the beautiful girl in front of him. He gave her a good scratch under her chin and the dog leaned against him. Yep, she liked to be petted, just like her mama.
He got back to cooking. He would have liked to spend more time in bed, but after years in the Navy, sleeping past oh-five-hundred was impossible. He’d cuddled Lainey for an hour before he had to get up and find something to eat. Despite his promise to eat the flan mixito for breakfast, he was looking for some protein, and he’d found it. Lainey was a woman after his own heart. Her refrigerator was packed with good stuff. Mateo even found her waffle iron, which he could now plug in on the other side of the sink.
He wasn’t sure what Lainey would want for breakfast, but he wanted to be prepared for anything. Mateo prepped the fixings for a Spanish omelet, and got the batter ready for the waffles, then cut up the strawberries to go on them. He couldn’t help himself, though; he had to fry up some bacon ahead of time. A man needed protein, and there was the added boon of having met Xena.
Xena walked into the kitchen and leaned against him.
“You want another piece?”
She walked away from him, toward a half-filled water bowl and an empty food bowl that was on a stool. It was probably raised higher for Xena so she didn’t lose her balance.
“I’ll get you your breakfast, girl.”
He fished out the package of food that was labeled Xena and breakfast. There was one that was titled dinner. Of course. His woman was a bit OCD. Mateo stopped right where he was.
His woman?
Xena came over and rested her muzzle against his thigh. “Just a moment.”
His woman?
When had Lainey become his woman?
How about the moment I started defending her to the Lieutenant?
“Dammit,” he muttered to himself.
He turned around to get the kitchen scissors so he could cut into the pre-packaged dog food and found Lainey frowning at him.
“Matt, why are you swearing?”
Shit.
“No reason.”
“Really? You seemed kind of vehement. Are you regretting sleeping with me?”
He couldn’t stand the vulnerable look on her face.
“Absolutely not. I was thinking about what one of my friends said when I first met you. He was totally on point. He said I was going to fall hard and fast.”
“And that’s something to swear about?”
She was standing there in an oversized sleep shirt, with her hair tousled, looking like her dog had just died. He thought fast.
“I just hate it when Brax knows me better than I know myself. I did fall hard and fast.”
Her beautiful blue eyes got wide. “You did?”
“I did. I talked to another friend, Kostya, about you. I told him how honest and kind you were. I explained about you making cookies for the old couple down the hall. I told him how smart you were, and how you wanted to make a difference for lower-income people who wanted to get loans for start-up businesses. I told him how you went out of your way to find an Argentinian recipe to make me cookies from my home, which were delicious, by the way. Then I told him how being around you makes me feel better about myself.”
“You said all that?” She smiled big.
Mateo nodded.
“What did Kostya say?”
“He said I’d better spend more time with you.” And that wasn’t a lie, but goddammit, he better get to tell her the truth pretty damn soon.
“Then that works out great, because I’d like to spend more time with you,” she grinned.
Matt had left after helping her tidy up the kitchen and taking off the duct tape. Lainey had to admit, being able to use all the sockets in the kitchen really made a big difference. Xena came over and jumped up onto the couch beside her.
“He’s a good guy, isn’t he?” she asked her dog. “You came out from your doggy bed and everything.” She couldn’t believe how much Xena trusted Matt. That never happened.
Xena pushed her muzzle under Lainey’s hand, demanding to be scratched.
“Do you want scratches, or are you giving me strength to call my mother? You know how she loves her Sunday talks. Whereas I would prefer a tooth pulled without Novocaine.”
Xena whined and pushed even closer.
“You understand. You’re a good girl. Let’s get this over with, shall we?”
Lainey pressed on the key that would call her mother.
“Well, it’s about time, MacLaine. I have left four messages for you, without a return phone call. I raised you better than that.”
“Mother, I told you that Sundays are my day to call family. I’ve been telling you that since the day I moved to Virginia.”
“Well, this is urgent.”
Lainey sighed. “It’s always urgent.”
“I’m not feeling well, and the doctor says that I need to take things easy, just like your sister.”
Lainey frowned. “What exactly did the doctor say? Is there something in particular that is wrong?”
“I have a brain tumor.”
“What? Oh my God, Mom. When did you find out? Have they done a biopsy?”
“They’ve done exhaustive testing. This new doctor, who is an absolute quack, took blood and put me in one of those tube scans?—”
“You mean an MRI?”
“Whatever they’re called. They roll you into a coffin and give you terrible music to listen to and tell you not to move. She’s a new doctor. For thirty years, I’ve had the same doctor, and now we have this new woman. Can you believe it? A woman!”
“Have you seen a neurologist? An oncologist? A surgeon?”
“She’s a total quack. She hasn’t referred me to any specialist like she should. She had the nerve to tell me that my headaches were probably caused by stress, and I probably had anxiety. She said that a lot of women benefit from taking a pill and seeing a therapist. As if I was a common case. She even wrote that down in my official file! MacLaine, it was mortifying. Can you imagine someone calling me common?”
“She didn’t call you common,” Lainey corrected. She felt a headache starting. Maybe she needed an MRI. “What else did your doctor say?”
“MacLaine, weren’t you listening? She typed it in my file that I was neurotic, where nurses and everybody could see. I told her to remove it immediately. She said she couldn’t because it was her diagnosis. I told her she had to, because her diagnosis was wrong, and if she didn’t erase what she had typed, your daddy would get her fired!”
Yep, definitely a headache.
Think about Matt. Think about Matt. Think about sex. Think about really stupendous sex.
“—your father called the hospital administrator to get her fired. We belong to the same country club. Your father assured me that the administrator was going to look into it. But I’ve called her office every day, and she’s still there. So, I’m going to die of a brain tumor and nobody cares.”
“Mother, I care. All of your children care.”
“When I told Bennett, all she did was complain about the food at Charleston Place and Spa. She didn’t even offer to have Trey call his fraternity friend who’s a dermatologist.”
Lainey tried to bite back a laugh. It didn’t work. Of course, she snorted.
Of course she did.
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop that disgusting habit?”
“I’m sorry, Mother.”
“Now that you know I have a brain tumor, you have to come home and assist me. There is no way that I will be able to continue to chair the Historical Society by myself.”
“I thought Noreen Lancaster has always wanted to co-chair with you.” Lainey suggested.
“I can’t believe you even brought her name up. She is shrill and uncouth. I can’t believe that she actually belongs to the Daughters of the American Revolution. I am still looking into that. I think her great-grandmother forged her documents.”
Lainey shoved her face into a pillow to cover her laughter.
“MacLaine! Are you listening to me? This is my hour of need. You cannot deny me.”
When she was sure she had her laughter under control, Lainey started talking.
“Mother, I can take off two days from work before your Anniversary Gala. I don’t have any more time accrued,” Lainey crossed her fingers at her lie. “That way I can help you with the preparations.”
“Lainey, I don’t need help with the preparations,” her mother said sharply. “That’s what the help is for. I need your emotional support. We will have eight of the state’s most influential people staying at Magnolia Run for the weekend. Others are flying in from across the country, including from our nation’s capital. I will expect you to act as another Simpson hostess. I have recently talked to Luke Abercromby’s mother. He and his fiancée broke up six months ago. She and I agree that you two would look very good as a couple for the weekend, if you could lose fifteen pounds. I will arrange to have him at the gala.”
Lifeless Luke?!
“Mother, I’m seeing someone.”
“That doesn’t matter. We need someone of a certain caliber. Normally you wouldn’t attract a man like Luke, but as a favor from his mother, he will act as your beau for the evening.”
“That won’t work for me. Either Matt Agular is coming with me, or I’m not coming. End of story.”
“Good God, you’re dating a Mexican?”
“No, I’m dating a scientist.”
“He can’t come. A scientist is even worse. They have no social skills.”
“Do you want me there?”
“You have to be here. If you’re not, people will talk.”
“Then I guess Matt will be coming.”
“At least tell me he will look good in a tuxedo.”
A quick mental view of Matt Aguilar in a tuxedo made Lainey’s blood run hot.
“Mother, he’ll look good, I promise.”
“All right. Be here first thing Thursday morning before the Anniversary Gala.”
Please God, let Matt be available.