Page 26 of The Boyfriend Swap

“Follow my lead,” he mimicked in an authoritative raspy female voice.

“You followmylead. Not the other way around,” I corrected. “And that sounds nothing like me.”

“Whatever you say, Mrs. McAndrews,” he said with a laugh before flopping onto his back. “If you’re through with your lesson, I’m going to catch up on my beauty sleep. I worked until closing last night. Wake me up before dinner? Do I need to put on my Sunday best?”

Before I launched myself on the bed and strangled him to the edge of consciousness, I left him alone.

An hour later, the four of us were eating dinner at the stone table in my parents’ kitchen. Since the first guests would arrive tomorrow afternoon for Christmas Eve, tonight would be the only informal dinner we shared as a family. I hoped my mom would be busy fussing over last-minute details for the following day and my dad too sidetracked with work to make it an extended affair. An “eat and run” scenario would be ideal.

“Where in the city is your rent-stabilized residence located?” my mom asked Perry. She took a bite of quinoa salad and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

Perry sipped his French Chardonnay. “Hell’s Kitchen, ma’am. The backyard of Broadway.”

“Drop the formalities and call me Barbara. We’re practically family, after all,” my mom said, causing me to choke on the corn tortilla in my mouth.

While I attempted to dislodge it from my throat, Perry patted my back. “You okay, Cherry Bomb?”

Once I got my bearings, I muttered, “It went down the wrong pipe.”

“Good thing Perry was around to save you,” my mom said.

“Sid would rather spend all day doing document review than meet a client near Times Square,” my dad said with a chuckle.

“Perry doesn’t know what document review is, Dad.” I raised my hand to preempt his next words. “Please don’t bore my boyfriend with an explanation.”

My dad gave me a wounded look. To Perry he said, “I bet she refuses to go to your neck of the woods.”

“We both prefer spending time at my place,” I said.

“Sidney’s practically moved into my studio.” Perry spooned more salad onto his plate. “This is delicious, Barbara.”

My mom’s face brightened at Perry’s compliment, while my dad placed his fork on the edge of his plate. “That explains why you’ve been late to work so much lately.”

My mouth opened and shut without a word. “I’m always on time in the morning, if not early,” I argued. I was never late to work because I didn’t want to give assholes like Michael Goldberg any ammunition to use against me.

Perry placed his hand on top of mine. “Sorry about that, Mr. Bellows. I try to get her out the door, but she clings to me like static every morning. She says she misses me too much when she’s at the office.”

I removed my hand from under his, desperate for a subject change. “Will Lauren be here tomorrow or Friday?” Lauren was one of my cousins, and I knew from Facebook she and her husband were arriving on Christmas morning, but it was the first thing out of my mouth.

Ignoring my question, my mom said, “Has Sidney seen you perform much?”

I said, “We haven’t been dating long—”

Interrupting me, Perry said, “My luck finding professional gigs has been a little thin lately, but I’ve been standing in for the singer of a cover band every Tuesday night. Sidney comes to the bar every week. She says it’s because she loves my voice, but I think she wants to make sure I behave myself.” He winked at me.

My mom’s mouth dropped open. “Sidney hasn’t been the jealous type since Jake. This must be serious.” The color drained from her face and she frowned at me. “I shouldn’t have brought up the ex. I’m sorry.”

“Your daughter and I have no secrets from each other. I know all about Jake,” Perry said.

As my face burned the color of my hair, I kicked Perry under the table. Was this what he considered following my lead?

When my mom stood up and brought her dishes to the sink, I allowed myself a small breath. Dinner was almost over. Once my parents retired to their rooms, they’d leave us alone for the rest of the night. Perry could watch television in his room or listen to his music collection. I wanted to call Will and see how things were going with Robyn.

My mom turned away from the sink. “I have an idea.It’s a Wonderful Lifeis on television tonight. How about the four of us watch it?”

“I’m sure Dad has work he needs to do tonight. Right?” I turned to my dad, certain he’d never choose an old movie over work.

He stroked his chin. “A two-hour break wouldn’t kill me.”

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