Page 34 of Once Upon a Boyband
“I’m happy to help,” I say. Across the room, Percy and Mimi move to the door, and I step into the hallway, following after them as they head toward Mimi’s room. “Can you send me instructions? I don’t think I remember enough to do it on my own.”
“I’ll text over a detailed list of instructions. It’s the same one our volunteers use, so it’s basically a full play-by-play. That should make it really easy.”
“Perfect.”
“Be sure to pull it up before you go to the barn though,” Sarah adds. “Because the reception is terrible out there. You won’t have service.”
“Got it,” I say. “I’m with Percy right this second, but as soon as I drop him off, I’ll head straight there.”
It’s stupid I’m so excited to do this since Adam won’t even be there, but it feels good that he called me. That after just one date, he trusts me to unlock his house and take care of his animals.
“Thanks, Laney,” Adam says. “I owe you one for this.”
I almost tell him I’ll accept payment in kisses, but I don’t have the nerve to say it in front of his sister, so I simply say, “Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to help.”
We say goodbye, and I hurry down the hall to Mimi’s room. She’s just sitting down in her favorite chair when I step through the door. She looks up and smiles, eyes twinkling. She’s had a good day today, her mind clear and sharp. “I thought you might have left without saying goodbye,” she says as she holds out her hand.
“I would never.” I take her fingers in mine and crouch down in front of her.
She gives my hand a little squeeze. “Thank you for spending your evening with a bunch of old ladies.”
“Are you kidding? I won ten dollars and a new foot spa. This was a perfect way to spend my night.”
“Pretty sure you meanIwon a new foot spa,” she says. “But I’ll let you keep the ten dollars.”
“You’re terrible, Mimi,” Percy says. “And I love you dearly.”
Mimi smiles up at him, warmth in her eyes. He told me once how terrified he’d been to come out to his grandmother, but she’d surprised everyone in the family when she’d patted seventeen-year-old Percy on the cheek with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Percy. I already knew, baby. And it doesn’t change a thing.” Then she’d asked him to make her a tomato sandwich with a side of french onion chips, and that was that.
“I love you too, but get on out of here before Mr. Martinson comes. You’ll cramp my style if you’re still hovering over me like a bunch of hens when he shows up.”
“Understood,” Percy says with a laugh.
I lean forward and kiss her on the cheek. “Bye, Mimi. I’ll come by next week, okay?”
Percy only grumbles a little when I explain why we can’t go get our typical post-bingo dinner like we planned.
“You can always come with me,” I say, “then we can go get food after.”
“Are you kidding?” he says. “I spend all day taking care of other people’s pets, and you want me to spend my eveningdoing the same thing? Remember, I don’t have the same sexy lumberjack incentive that you do. There is nobody who is going to kiss me thank you at the end of the night, so I’ll just go home, please and thank you.”
“You’re still calling him a sexy lumberjack? Even after you saw him when he picked me up on Friday?”
“Until he shaves, he’s a sexy lumberjack,” he says as I pull into his driveway.
I roll my eyes. “I won’t even see him. He’s not home. That’s why he called me in the first place.”
He looks at me like I’m five cards short of a full deck. “So feed the dogsslowly,” he says. “Make sure you’re there when he gets home so yournext timecan be tonight.”
I sit up a little taller in my seat. The thought hadn’t occurred to me, but now that Percy has suggested it, I realize it’s not a terrible idea.
“Yeah,” Percy says, clearly reading my expression. “Laney’s gonna get her some.”
“Stop it. I am not.”
But as he climbs out of the car and I back out of his driveway, turning toward Hope Acres, I can’t help but hope that maybe Percy is right.
CHAPTER TEN
