Page 88 of Sweet Thing

“I needed a ride.”

“She needed a ride!” Aurora cackled and almost spilled her drink. “Okay, honey. Whatever you say.”

I rolled my eyes, determined to move on. “So how’s the knee?”

“Fine! My tennis-playing days are over, but I can still move from the fridge to the wet bar. How’s the Big Ponder going?”

“I’ve barely had time to think about it. Babies take up a lot of headspace.” Hot hockey hunks, too.

“Well, I think you’re a great person for doing it. Just don’t get complacent. Not that being a nanny isn’t a good job, I just don’t think it’s for you. You should be a photographer! Or a film director. Or a cam girl.”

“A cam girl?” She couldn’t possibly know what that was.

“Yes, one of those girls who strips on camera. For money!”

I stood corrected. “I admire your sex-positive attitude and confidence in my ability to make money like that, but it’s not for me.”

“Or a musician? You have such a sweet voice and Tilly loves your songs. Or how about a travel blogger? I loved watching your videos when you were away. I felt so close to you. But then you stopped a couple of months ago.” She shifted her feet from the sudsy water to the towel-covered footrest. “Did you get bored with it?”

“Just so busy. Those videos take work.”

Aurora assessed me, those all-seeing eyes piercing into my soul. “It was around the time you went incommunicado.”

While my lip and cheek healed after the mugging. I could have covered the bruises with makeup, but no amount of Maybelline could have disguised my mood.

“I texted every day. I just didn’t video call for one week, and that’s all you remember.”

“And no more fun videos of you and Rosie eating spicy soups and washing elephants!”

“We were in Europe by then. Elephants were thin on the ground.” I sounded so defensive.

She nodded, her stare unflinching. “Your dad was worried about you, out in the world. I told him you’ve always been stronger than you seem.”

“I’m not his little girl anymore.”

“But he’ll always see you that way. And how you respond might look like you’re rebelling against his worldview.” While I searched for a response, she added, “Like dating one of his teammates.”

I chuckled nervously. “You think I went out with MacFarlane to show Dad I’m all grown up?”

“To show somebody.”

Eighty-plus sure came with a lot of insight.

“I don’t date people to stick it to Dad, Aurora. That would be childish.”

She grinned. “But fun! My father once tried to lock me in my room to stop me from going out with the Masterson twins. Oh, they were trouble. But I climbed down the ivy trellis and met them in a little red Corvette at the top of the road.”

“Twins?”

“One of them was a real charmer while the other one had muscles to die for. You really needed the combo to get the best experience.” Her phone buzzed and she checked it. A shriek pierced the salon air. “Look at what your brother just sent me!”

Someone had created a video of Lars in his Rebels uniform with a baby strapped to his back like Yoda when Luke was in Jedi training. Lars was surrounded by nightclub strobe lights before he inevitably punched Rowan under a disco ball. AI finally being used for good.

“Conor says it has two hundred thousand views!” Another cackle. “Wish I had a young man fighting for my honor. Or an old one.”

“He didn’t do it for me. They have their own beef.”

“Sure they do. But still, we need to be careful this doesn’t send him off the deep end.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “He didn’t do so well when his dad died. Full bottle of tequila, I heard. Couldn’t play.”

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