Page 16 of Audra: The Prequel

Audra took a sip of her red wine. “Mmm. Good. How’s your rum and Coke?”

“Strong. I think it’s rum, rum, and Coke.”

She laughed. “So tell me about yourself. I know you’re from Arkansas. Does your family still live there?”

“Yes, my parents still live there. I don’t have any siblings—” He broke off when her phone rang.

Audra checked the screen. “This is my mother. Excuse me.” She put the phone to her ear. “Hi, Mom. Is everything okay?” Her mother knew she was out with a man, so the reason for the call must be important.

“Honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to call you, but Kerilyn has been agitated for the past fifteen minutes. She ate a big bowl of ice cream and says she’s sleepy but refuses to go to bed without her pink blanket, and I can’t find it.”

“Mommy, where’s my blanket?” Audra heard her daughter’s distressed voice in the background. She sounded like she was in the midst of a full-blown panic attack.

“I don’t know why she’s so attached to that thing,” Audra told her mother. “It’s in the hamper. She spilled apple juice on it. There’s another blanket—the yellow one with the blue rabbits on it. She likes that one almost as much and should fall asleep if you cover her with it.”

“Oh yes, the yellow blanket. Okay, I’ll look for it.”

“It should be in the bottom drawer on the right of her dresser. I’ll hold while you check.”

“Honey, you don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t mind.” Audra shot a quick glance at Damon, who was politely averting his eyes and pretending not to listen.

“One second.”

She could tell her mother was moving through the house.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Rose asked.

“Yes,” Audra replied, keeping her voice neutral.

“Found it!” Relief flooded her mother’s voice.

Kerilyn’s dramatic moans stopped, replaced by a squeal of happiness.

“You should see her little face,” Rose said.

“Sounds like she stopped whining.”

“She did. Thanks, honey. I won’t bother you again.”

“It’s no bother, Mom. Talk to you later.” Audra hung up and shot an apologetic smile at Damon. “Sorry about that. I have a daughter.” He didn’t blink or react to that declaration, so she continued. “My mother called—well, you heard. My daughter, Kerilyn, insisted on having her very special blanket before she would go to bed. The only time the blanket doesn’t matter is when she sleeps in my bed.”

“No need to apologize.”

Audra smoothed her palms over the cloth napkin across her thighs. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re a lot nicer than I expected.”

His eyes narrowed in amusement. “Really? What did you expect?”

“I thought you’d be kind of… arrogant. Cocky.”

“I’m both of those things.”

She laughed out loud. “Well, you’re also a gentleman, polite, and easy to get along with—so far.”

He continued to watch her.

“You’re staring,” Audra said.

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