Chapter 73
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
“ Y ou look fantastic.” Priss gave a complimentary whistle. “All the women will be jealous.”
Mesmerized by her reflection, she was amazed at not only finishing the costume but that it had come out nearly as good as the picture on the website.
“You think so?” How would it feel to be the one envied this time? She could count on one hand how many parties she had attended in her life and still have two fingers left over. One, she had left in tears when she was ten, and the other two, she had left after a couple of hours.
“Oh, yes!” Priss assured her. “Doesn’t she, Lana?”
When Lana didn’t answer, Larissa looked at her sitting on the bed, texting on her phone.
“Lana?” Larissa tried to draw her sister’s attention. “Is there a problem with one of your patients?”
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I was checking on a patient’s status.”
Larissa could tell Lana was concerned. “Anything I can do?”
Lana’s gaze shied away from hers. “I’ll let you know.”
Her sister had been acting weird ever since she had come over with Priss. Larissa had never seen her so distracted where a patient was concerned. Working in the emergency room, Lana was much better at remaining emotionally detached from patients than she was. If patients needed aftercare or to be hospitalized, they were handed over to other physicians. Lana must have taken an interest in the patient for her to be checking on their progress so often.
Either that or she didn’t agree with Priss.
Would she be making a fool of herself?
“I like the outfit. I just don’t know if it would be considered a masquerade costume. I think it looks more Halloween-y.”
Untying the red scarf at her neck, she unfurled it to expose the two holes she had sewn into the material. She situated it over her eyes and tied it at the back of her head. “Better? I didn’t want to scare Jace in case Mom brought him in here.”
“Sure.”
Lana’s tactful comment had Larissa regretting her choice of costume for the umpteenth time.
“Maybe I shouldn’t go. I only said I would go because I lost my temper with Moon.”
“That’d be a good idea—”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You look great.” Priss walked to the bed to snatch Lana’s cell phone away. “It’s a masquerade party at a motorcycle club. I bet most of them will be wearing Halloween costumes. You’re making a big deal over a party where their main goal is to get laid.”
“That’s not my goal,” Larissa said hollowly.
“Of course not,” Priss assured her. “Yours is to make sure Moon isn’t buttering anyone’s roll.”
Her lips parted. “You think he is?”
“Oh my God! No!” Priss gave her and Lana irritated glowers as she fought to keep Lana from snatching her cell phone back.
“Quit worrying about the hospital, Lana. You’re not on duty. In case you’re not paying attention, we’re having an emergency here.” Giving Lana her phone back, Priss then gave her a threatening glance when she tried to open it again.
Lana shoved the phone into her purse. Her silent perusal made her wish she were still reading her messages. But then Lana gave her a thumbs-up.
“I love it! You wearing the scarf as a mask totally works.”
As far as reassurances went, it sucked, but she was out of time. Killyama had promised to meet her at the clubhouse so she wouldn’t have to go in alone.
Turning back to the mirror, she wanted to pat herself on the back for getting the costume finished in time. She ran her hand over the silky material of the sleeve. She could hardly wait to see what Moon had to say about her costume. Untying the scarf at the back of her head, she re-tied it at her throat.
Priss came up behind her to fluff up the back of her hair where she had messed it up before giving it an extra coating of hairspray.
Lana crossed one leg over the other as she watched. “Did Moon tell you what he’s wearing?”
Larissa swatted the can away. “No. He wants to keep it a surprise.”
Turning from the mirror, she saw Lana staring at Priss and her suspiciously.
She flushed when Lana didn’t buy the bill of goods she was selling, which earned a shove from Priss.
“All right,” she started to admit, moving away from Priss before she could be shoved again. “I called Killyama, and she finagled it out of Train for me. He’s going as some guy who all the women on the Internet are crazy about. His costume consists of a pair of sweatpants, with his underwear band showing, a cap, and a hula hoop.”
Both of them stared at her as if they thought she was joking.
“Huh?” Priss asked.
“You’re joking?” Lana seemed just as confused. “How is that a masquerade costume?”
She had been just as clueless when Killyama had told her.
“I’m not joking.” Lifting her cell phone off the nightstand, she pulled up Moon’s inspiration. Pressing Play on the screen, she turned the phone toward Priss and Lana.
Priss sat down next to Lana on the bed.
“Wow.” Lana raised her eyes to meet hers. “Is Moon that limber?”
Larissa rolled her eyes. “If he is, he damn sure hasn’t shown me.”
The man on the video jumped up to grab the branch of a tree. Then, holding the limb with one hand, he raised his legs until he made an L shape. Sliding the hoop over his feet, the man then settled the hoop around his waist before dropping his legs again. When he put his now free hand back on the tree limb, the hoop started twirling at the jerking movements of his hips.
“The guy does resemble Moon,” Lana observed. “I wish the front of his hat didn’t shield his face.”
Priss gave a slow smile. “Me and you both, sister. You sure you’re not holding out on us, sis?”
“Moon’s tattoos are different than this guy’s. Besides, Moon might be good-looking, but coordinated, he isn’t.”
All three women watched the video for several minutes. Finally, Larissa was able to tear her gaze away from the gyrating hips.
“Moon would get a concussion trying to do that trick,” she told her sisters sarcastically. “He nearly broke his neck climbing a ladder to change a light bulb in the hallway.”
Priss kept her gaze centered on the phone. “What time are you two leaving for the party? I might hang around for a while.”
Larissa turned the phone around to see the influencer had dropped from the limb to use the hoop as a jump rope. The guy was a physical specimen that, as a doctor, she wouldn’t mind researching to find his genetic code … to replicate it for the good of women worldwide.
Closing her phone, she put it in the pocket of her jacket. “Save yourself the trouble. He’s working late, and he doesn’t even know when he’ll get off. Killyama promised to stick with me until he shows.” She fiddled with her scarf again. “I wanted to go late, but he told me that he’s going to beg Shade to let them get off early if they don’t take a break.”
“Hmm.” Priss gave her a sympathetic look, which she didn’t believe for a second. “I could throw a costume together and go, too.”
She didn’t believe for a second Priss’ motive was selfless, but Larissa didn’t discount the idea. She would feel more comfortable with Priss there.
“What would you wear?”
“A hula hoop.”
Lana started laughing so hard she fell back on the bed.
“Har, har.” Glowering at Priss, Larissa went to her vanity to pick up the lipstick she would be wearing. She would put it on before walking into the clubhouse. “You’re just a barrel of laughs.”
Lana rose up, wiping her tears of laughter away. “She wasn’t joking. I can see her wrapped around Moon all night. Be careful, Larissa. Priss might steal your Last Rider.”
“ Hmph ,” she snorted. “She’ll give him back when she realizes how much popcorn he goes through. And I certainly don’t see her putting up with his weird habits.”
“Like what?” Priss asked dubiously.
“At night, he’s constantly checking on Jace. He’s only let him sleep in the nursery one night since he’s been born. He’s got cameras all over the place, except for the bathrooms and our bedroom, and thinks I don’t know.”
From Priss’ expression, nothing she was saying was a big enough turnoff to change her mind about wanting to see if Moon would exhibit his skills using the hula hoop at the party. It was time to pull out the big guns.
“And he never puts the toilet seat down.”
“Never mind.” Priss wrinkled her nose. “I’d rather stay home and read a good book. Killyama will be there. You can talk to her until Moon gets there.”
“Are you sure?” Larissa guiltily adjusted her scarf. “I wouldn’t mind if you went.”
“I would stop while you’re ahead.”
Deciding to take Lana’s advice, she headed for the bedroom door with her purse and cell phone.
In the living room, she gave Jace numerous kisses before giving him back to her mother.
“Thanks again. I appreciate you keeping him tonight. We shouldn’t be too late.”
Holding Jace in the crook of her arm, her mom started rocking him, her face filled with confusion. “Moon said you wouldn’t be back until morning.”
“No, I just want him to think that’s the case.”
“Okay. Then I guess I’ll see you later tonight.”
After saying good night to her sisters, Larissa grabbed her keys off the hall table.
“Larissa …” her mother called out, “text me a picture of Jesus in his costume for me.”
Larissa paused. “Why?”
“So I know which one he is. Since you won’t be staying, I thought I would check the party out when you get home.”
Her mouth dropped open, appalled at the thought of her mother going to a Last Rider party. Killyama had filled her in on how wild the parties could get.
“You can’t go,” she said firmly.
The disciplinarian in her mother came out. “And may I ask why not?”
Larissa told her the truth. “Mom, there is no way. Dad would turn over in his grave.”
“ Pfft . Then your dad shouldn’t have up and died on me.”
“He had a heart attack after you convinced him to join the Mile-High Club on the way back from Hawaii.”
“Are you going to throw that at me again?” Her mom bristled. “The man was in perfect health. How was I supposed to know he had a bad ticker? Am I supposed to never have sex again?”
Larissa was dumbfounded at her mother’s memory.
“You started having sex with younger men six months after Dad died. You could at least stick to men your own age.”
“No way. I won’t put myself through that again. Younger guys have longer—”
“Lives,” Lana hurriedly finished for her.
“O … kay …” her mom drawled out. “I was going to say dicks, but we can go with that if you’re too embarrassed with me discussing sex with you.”
“We are.” Nodding fervently, Larissa left before her mother started talking other merits of being with younger men.
Poor Jesus. She should really warn him that her mother had set her sights on him. He had given her ride home. The least she could do was drop the hint for him to get a physical and to increase his health and life insurance coverage.
He wouldn’t be the first kill for her cougar mother. She’d hate for Jesus to be her fourth.