Page 119 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

“We totally cockblocked you and Buck’s dad, didn’t we?” Claire looks horrified.

“Yes, honey, you did, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make.”

Millie wrinkles her nose. “Thinking about parents doing it is weird.”

“Mr. Butterson is hot,” Claire says.

Millie looks scandalized. “Ew. He’sold.”

“Careful throwing that word around unless you want to walk the rest of the way home,” I threaten. I don’t mean it, obviously. I wouldn’t make teen girls walk home at night in the dark.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think you’re old,” Millie backtracks. “You look like maybe you’re thirty, but then that would mean you had your daughter at fourteen and that’s really, really young.”

“I’m thirty-seven. I had my daughter when I was twenty-one, which is still young to have a kid, especially when the dad ends up being a waste of air.” I wave a hand around. “Back to the point, though, ten minutes is not a long time, and you are doing yourself and the guy you’re with a huge disservice if you don’t help him help you get there. And do not, I repeat,do not everfake an orgasm. No one wins. Especially not you.”

The GPS tells me to turn right in half a mile.

“Wait! Go straight! Don’t go right.” Claire grabs the back of the passenger seat. “I’m not ready to go home yet. Can we take you out for coffee or ice cream or something? There’s areally awesome café a couple miles down the road and I have so many questions. Unless you’re planning to meet up with Mr. Butterson after you drop us off?”

Claire is way too curious for her own good.

And while the idea of rendezvousing with Sidney is intriguing, it’s almost better that this happened. It means prolonging the anticipation. And forcing us to see each other again before we get naked together. Which wouldn’t have been entirely gratifying since his son may have come home in the middle. It was a terribly thought-out plan.

“I have to pick my daughter up in an hour. We can hit the café.”

Forty minutes and a decaf almond milk latte later, I drop the girls off at Millie’s house, armed with all sorts of girl power, and drive to Michael’s house. I have messages from Sidney, asking if I made it home more than half an hour ago.

Skye: Just dropped them off and I’m picking up my daughter, I’ll fill you in once I’m home. Hope the chat with the boys went okay. Dinner was lovely. X

I message Violet next to let her know I’m in the driveway.

Thirty seconds later she comes tripping down the front steps. She basically throws herself into the passenger seat. Michael is standing at the front window, waving.

“Everything okay?”

“Yup. Everything’s fine.” Her voice is high and reedy.

“Are you sure?”

“I did something stupid, and we need to leave, so I don’t have to keep looking at my mistake. I might have to quit Mathletes.”

I back out of the driveway and head for home.

“Can we stop at McDonalds? I need a milkshake and fries,” Violet says while wringing her hands.

“Uh oh, you’re willing to risk a case of the moops? Whatever happened must have been bad.”

“Michael kissed me.”

“With or without your permission?”

“With. Sort of. Ugh.” She bangs her head against the seat. “So stupid.”

“He sort of had your permission? What does that mean?” I point to the glove compartment. “The lactose pills are in there. Take two, so tomorrow isn’t another day of mistakes and regrets.”

She pops the glove compartment open and rummages around until she finds the bottle, then does some rummaging around in her backpack for her water bottle. She downs two pills, spills water down her chest and huffs dramatically. “Ali, Kiernan and Toby left half an hour ago because Ali finally got his license, and he offered to drive me home too, but Toby ate a pile of raw onions at dinner and I think Kiernan forgot his deodorant this morning and there was no way I was sitting in the car with two stinky boys, plus you were coming to get me and I wanted to hear all about your date, which I still want to hear about. How did that go?”

“Deflector deflecting. Tell me what happened, Violet.”

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