Page 49 of All In Good Time

“Derek.” her mom tried it and nodded. “Well, heisvery handsome.”

“God, Mom. Please act normal, okay? He’s going to come down here, and I don’t want to weird him out.”

“He didn’t look very weirded out earlier.”

That she really didn’t want to explain. “He’s just very resilient. Now can we pretend nothing happened and when you see him you act like it’s the first time you’ve ever met him?”

Her mom smirked and shook her head. “Itisthe first time I’ve ever met him.” She chuckled, and walked to the pantry to grab a plate, dishing more of the bubbling eggs off the pan and onto the dish.

On cue, the heavy beat of Derek’s footsteps came down the stairs, and Becca shot her mom a loud look before Derek walked into the kitchen.

Unlike Becca, he was all charming smiles and relaxed shoulders from the moment he entered the room. “Good morning,” he greeted, crossing to stand next to Becca.

Her mother smiled at him and walked over to the table. “Hello, Derek, is it? It’s nice to meet you. I’m Amanda, Rebecca’s mother.” She stuck out her hand, which Derek took easily and clasped between both of his. His face morphed easily into faux surprise.

“Mother?” He gasped. “I thought you were going to say sister.”

Becca’s jaw dropped, and her eyes rolled so hard she thought they might get stuck at the back of her head. Damn insufferable.

Her mom chuckled and let go of Derek’s hand. “You’re too sweet.” She placed the newly filled plate on the table in front of Becca’s neighboring seat. “You showed up on a great day. I made my Valentine’s Day breakfast special.”

That seemed to catch him off guard a bit. “Valentine’s Day?” He shot Becca a look, and she shrugged. Clearly, neither of them had remembered. “I didn’t realize that was today.”

“Well, it is. Normally, Rebecca would take her breakfast in bed today. Maybe you’d both prefer that?”

Becca felt like she might as well jump out a window. Her mom knew exactly what she was doing, per the tiniest smirk on her face.

Derek laughed out loud, his eyes sparkling with delight.

Oh, she issoglad they were getting along.

“Mom.”

“That’s very thoughtful, but I think she’s embarrassed enough.” He didn’t have the guts to meet her eyes, and Becca could only get her annoyance across with a glare at the brief glance he gave her from the corner of his eye.

“Thanks, guys. I’mreallyfeeling the love today.” Becca pulled out her chair and threw herself down into it. She picked up a piece of heart toast and bit into it. It rewarded her with a satisfying crunch that did little to quell her annoyance at becoming the butt of their joke.

Derek followed her lead and sat down in his chair. However, instead of taking in the food, he leaned over to her. “Okay, okay. I’ll back off now.” In her periphery, she saw him tilt his head. “Happy now?”

She rolled her eyes and dipped a piece of her bread into the golden yoke of her over easy egg. “Whatever.”

Derek’s otherworldly charm worked as well on her as it did everyone else. She forgot quickly about their egregious teasing and settled easily into the exchanged conversation.

She hadn’t seen her mother in weeks, and she certainly hadn’t expected her to meet Derek this way, but she was glad they had met.

After the meal, Derek rose from his seat and told them he needed to go. She offered to ride with him to school, but he said he had some stuff to do beforehand and that he would see her later.

The sink was already running as her mother finished the last of the breakfast dishes under the running water.

“Sorry I teased you so much, B,” she said, and Becca sighed.

“It’s fine. I knew you were joking.”

“Yeah, but I’m not joking about being surprised seeing you in bed with a boy. Not exactly what I was expecting from a girl who barely even has crushes on anyone—even if that clearly isn’t the case here.”

Becca frowned, her mood dimming at the remark. “I’ve had plenty of crushes.”

Her mom looked over her shoulder, her eyebrow raised. “Have you? Why haven’t I heard about any?”

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