Chapter 2
Chapter two
The Horizontal Mambo
Beau
“Do you know how much I love you?” I ask. “You’re the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen. Can we just lay in bed all day and do nothing?”
A pair of big brown eyes look up at me.
“What do you think?” I ask. “You think Jack would be mad if I called into work to stay home and snuggle with you?”
All I get in response is a nose pressed against mine.
A cold, wet nose.
Okay, so maybe cuddling with my 80 pound golden retriever in the morning isn’t exactly romantic, but I don’t care. Mia is the only lady guaranteed to never break my heart.
She gives a small lick to my cheek and then stares at me.
I know what she’s after.
“Are you ready for breakfast?”
She jumps up—a flash of blonde hair flying off the bed and running for the kitchen.
I guess it’s time to get up.
I pull the covers off and follow the cute pup. As I fill up her bowl, she does a little dance. Her nails lightly tap on the tile, and I make a mental note to trim them later.
I open my mouth to ask her if she wants to spend the day with Grandma, but I snap it closed before any sound escapes.
I know this dog, and the moment I mention the G word, she’s going to get too excited to do anything else.
She’ll give up on breakfast and won’t give me a moment of peace until we leave.
I’ll wait until we are about to walk out the door to open that can of worms.
The next half hour is spent switching out my glasses for contacts, showering, and packing a lunch. When I finish getting ready, I ask Mia if she wants to go to Grandma’s, and sure as shit, she turns into the equivalent of a human who just won the lottery.
As I’m opening the door to let her into the truck. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and pull it out to see a text from Christie.
Christie: We still on for tonight?
Me: Yeah. I’ll be over around seven.
She replies with a winking emoji. You’d think the knowledge of knowing I’ll get laid tonight would excite me, but I’m not exactly jumping for joy.
Sure, the sex is good—great even—but she and I both decided from the start that sex is all it would be.
I don’t consider myself a playboy or anything of the sort. It’s not like I have this agreement with multiple women around town, but Christie and I aren’t going to go any further. We both know that. I’m not in the business of making women think there’s something there when there’s not.
Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I climb into the driver’s seat and back out of the driveway. I roll down the window so that Mia can hang her head out.
Slowly, I make my way through the streets of Lilly Leaf Falls. As much as I hated this place when I got here, I’ve grown to love it.
It has that nice small town charm you can’t help but fall in love with.
The kids were dicks back in the day, but now, everyone is so nice.
It’s the kind of place where people still hold the door open for each other and wave as you drive by.
Maybe it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I now consider it home.
I take my time on the short drive to my mom’s, so Mia can enjoy herself a bit longer. Her nose is going crazy, trying to sniff everything she can. I’m so glad I adopted her a few years ago. People say she’s just a dog, but she helps me not feel quite so lonely.
Man, that sounds sad even in my head.
Oh well. If the shoe fits.
Soon enough, I pull into my mom’s driveway. Mia doesn’t wait for me to open the door on her side. Instead, she hurdles over the center console and bolts out right after me.
I hurry to get to the porch, worried she’s going to bust through Mom’s screen door. Thankfully, my mother gets there before I do and swings it open before any damage can be done.
“Hi, Mia girl!” She cries as the dogs squeals in excitement. They get out their greetings before Mom says, “Come on. Let’s go in the kitchen and get a bone.”
“Do you have a bone for me?” I joke.
“Better.” She smiles. “A cup of coffee.”
“Sold.”
I follow her into the kitchen and take a seat at the small corner table. She pours two cups of coffee and walks over to set a steaming mug in front of me.
“Thanks for bringing Mia over today,” she says. “She always makes my day a little brighter.”
Over the past five years, my mom has lost her husband and her other son. She’s had a hell of a rough road, so I’ll do whatever I can to brighten her day.
“You’re welcome,” I say. “I’ll do anything to get you off of the when are you giving me grandkids train.”
She laughs. “Yeah. Good luck with that. So, what time do you have to be at the auto shop?”
I glance at my watch. “I’ve got some time.”
She takes a sip of her coffee and then wraps her hands around the mug to keep them warm. “So, what’s up, kid? Anything new and exciting going on in your wonderful world?”
“Not really. Same shit, different day.”
“You need to get out more,” she quips. “So, do you want me to drop Mia off at your place before you get home?”
I take a drink big enough to burn the roof of my mouth. “Actually, I was thinking you could keep her for the night if you want.”
She looks at me over the rim of her glasses. “Oh? What are you going to be doing?”
“I have plans. If you want to bring Mia home, that’s fine. She’ll be okay.”
“Of course, I’ll keep Mia, but don’t you dare try to avoid the question I just asked you.”
Not wanting to meet her gaze because I know what’s coming, I mumble, “I’m hanging out with Christie.”
She rolls her eyes. “I should’ve known.”
“Hey, weren’t you the one who was just telling me I needed to get out more?”
“Not with her.”
“What’s wrong with Christie?” I ask.
“Nothing is wrong with Christie. She’s nice enough.”
“Then, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that you already told me the whole thing with her isn’t going anywhere.”
“So?” I question.
“So, don’t you think that maybe you’re just playing the horizontal Mambo with Christie to avoid any kind of real relationship?”
“Ew, Mom.” My face contorts in horror.
“Would you rather me call it boning?”
“God, no!”
“Stop avoiding my question…again.”
I take a deep breath, trying to think of which answer might appease her. “Look, Christie and I are just having fun. Gives me something to do every once in a while.”
When I say it, I realize how bad it sounds.
“But if you’re messing around with Christie, you aren’t going to be able to find a real relationship with someone you may actually really like.”
“It’s not like women are flocking to sign up to have a real relationship with me, Mom.”
Her eyes narrow in on me. “And how the heck would you know?”
“I’ve dated before and had relationships.”
She rolls her eyes again. “Not anything serious.”
“What’s this about?” I ask. “Is this your way of telling me to avoid casual sex?”
“Honey, you can dip your pen in whatever ink you want. I’m just saying…” Her voice trails off.
“What? What are you saying?”
“Maybe you’re scared of putting yourself out there. You got your heart broken a long time ago, and you don’t want it to happen again.”
“You’re reading way too much into this. I’m fine. I’ll date someone when I’m actually interested.”
“Do you think you’ll ever be as interested in someone as you were in—“
I cut her off. “Don’t even say her name.”