Page 28 of X's and O's
I eyed his closet though. Specifically the tux hanging in a clear garment bag, shoved behind all the hockey jerseys. “Can I borrow that?”
Hendrix spun around on his chair, following my line of sight. “What for?”
I shrugged. “Want to impress a girl.”
“The girl you’re stalking?”
“You call it stalking, I call it courting.”
“You just had me break into a private database to get her details. That’s illegal in pretty much every state.”
“I’m not understanding your point.” I snatched the suit from his closet. “And I also don’t care. Later.”
I thundered down the stairs of the modest home I’d grown up in, heading for the front door. In the living room, I paused, noticing a bunch of fresh-cut flowers in a vase. Half of them were violets.
“Perfect.” I plucked them up, shaking the water off the stems.
“Where exactly do you think you’re going with my flowers?”
I spun around and grinned at my mother. All five foot three of her. I bent down to kiss her cheek. “I’m just borrowing them.”
She studied me and then the suit clutched under my arm. “You’re about twelve years too late for prom, you know.”
“I’ve got a date.”
She blinked, and her mouth dropped open before she could pull it together enough to form words. “You do?”
I cocked my head to one side. “Why do you look so surprised?”
“Because as far as I know, you’ve never dated.”
“Great. My own mother thinks I’m a loser.”
She laughed, rubbing a hand up and down my arm affectionately. “Stop it. I do not. But am I wrong? You’ve never brought a woman home before.”
I booped her on the nose. “That’s because I’ve never found one I thought good enough to meet you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Brown noser.”
I shifted the flowers and suit in my arms, trying not to wrinkle it. “This one is different though. Want to know a secret?”
She nodded eagerly. “Of course.”
“I think I’m in love with her.”
Something peaceful settled on my mother’s face. It was the way she looked at Xavier, one of the brothers who came between me as the eldest and Hendrix as the youngest. Xavier had married his high school sweetheart straight out of college, and they already had two kids, even though he was two years younger than me.
“Really?” Mom asked.
I nodded.
“And she feels the same way?”
I remembered Violet sprinting down the street to get away from me. “She’s playing hard to get, but I’ll win her over.”
“The suit and the flowers are a great start. Women love a man when he’s all dressed up.” She smiled at me fondly. “Do you have time to stay for dinner?”
“Not tonight. But Sunday night, always.” I kissed the top of her head. “Say hi to Dad for me.”
