Page 31 of Embracing the Change

So…no.

He couldn’t do it again.

“I’m manning the bar,” he shared unnecessarily as she made her way to him. “And before you place your order, I need to tell you that I was unable to change Hale’s or Judge’s minds about our enforced weeklong cruise.”

She stuttered to a halt and shot him a killing look he knew wasn’t aimed at him, even if it physically was.

Unfortunately, he had to continue. “I also spoke with Tom, hoping I could appeal to his level head, and he’d intervene. This, too, was unsuccessful.”

The conversation with Tom had been his second least favorite of the three, considering Jamie was certain Tom would step in, so hearing he wouldn’t was far from fun.

Nora tossed an exasperated glance to the ceiling before she stalked behind the bar with him.

She put her miniscule bag that probably only fit her lip gloss on the bar, along with her phone, and lifted her arms with bent elbows, gold bangles jingling and flared sleeves fluttering as she waved her hands and waggled her fingers like a magician would do, all while she stated, “I called Mika, Genny, Chloe, no joy. I won’t share what they said, because I sense you got the same from Hale, Judge and Tom. I then requested a rescue from Allegra and Valentina, which meant I faced further defeat. Both of them have been corralled into this farce by Cadence. Nico, however, said he’d find a speedboat and rescue us.”

Valentina was her last born, a daughter.

Nico was her second born, her only son.

Jamie had met all her children, mostly in passing at the various charity events she organized. Though, on occasion, they’d dropped by her apartment when he and Nora were having dinner or watching a movie. He liked them all, even if they were nothing like their mother, who, until recently, he’d liked enormously (and he would again, after they got over this bump).

Her children were, to his surprise, a lot like Judge, Dru and Cadence, except they were married, or in Valentina’s case, partnered up without the intention to ever marry, but with a life commitment.

And he was unsurprised that Nico would ride to her rescue.

The only person who hated Roland Castellini more than Jamie did was his son.

You didn’t fuck over a son’s mother.

He’d tried to teach his father that, and failed, only because AJ Oakley paid attention to no one but himself.

“Where’s the muddler? I desperately need to muddle something,” she mumbled irately, looking around the bar area.

And damn.

He had not forgotten that the woman was almost always uproariously funny.

Maybe especially when she was annoyed.

He just didn’t need the reminder.

“Nora,” he called.

She turned her head and tipped it to look up at him.

The perfect opportunity for a kiss, and worse, with her lips glossed with her usual perfection, he badly wanted to give her one.

Goddamn it.

“We’re going to have to make the best of this.”

“I haven’t given up on Nico.”

“I’m not sure a speedboat would catch up to us at this juncture or make it with the fuel limits.”

“It feels like we’re crawling.”

“We are. We’re probably going seven miles an hour.”

---