Page 45 of Keep My Heart
‘Forget about them. It isn’t their life. It’s yours, and you’re the only one who knows what happened. It’s not fair for them to say what you should or shouldn’t have done.’
She smiles. ‘I really like talking to you. You always make me feel better. It was like that in high school, too. If I was having a bad day, you always made it better.’
‘Didn’t Chris do that?’
‘No. He was too wrapped up in himself and football to notice if I was having a bad day. And he’s not much of a talker. He’d rather watch TV or be looking at his phone than talk.’
Seriously, why did she stay with him for so long? She’s funny, sweet, and fucking gorgeous. She could have any guy she wants, so why’d she stay with a jerk like Chris?
After breakfast, I follow her back to her mom’s house.
‘You can wait here,’ Lyndsay says, coming up to the car as I get out. ‘I just need to run in and tell my mom I’m leaving.’
As she says it, her mom comes out of the house, smiling when she sees me.
‘I was hoping she wouldn’t come out here,’ Lyndsay mutters.
‘It’s fine.’ I walk up to her mom, smiling. ‘Hey, Mrs. Davis. It’s good to see you again.’
‘Nick, call me Patty.’ She laughs. ‘You’re not a kid anymore.’ She does a quick glance of my body, then says to Lyndsay, ‘He’s sure changed a lot, hasn’t he?’ She winks at her.
Lyndsay clears her throat. ‘Mom, we were just leaving. I just came home to drop off the car.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘We’re not sure yet, but Nick doesn’t have much time. His mom’s party is this afternoon.’
‘Your father is such a sweetheart to do that for your mother,’ Patty says to me. ‘He’s setting such a good example for you boys, that is, if you ever get married.’ She smiles. ‘Are you seeing anyone, Nick?’
‘No, not right now. I’m trying to make partner at my law firm so I don’t have much time to date.’
‘Mom, we really need to go,’ Lyndsay says.
‘Nonsense.’ Patty waves her hand in the air. ‘I’m sure Nick has time to come in for a cup of coffee.’
‘But don’t you have to leave?’ Lyndsay asks. ‘You have to get to your hair appointment.’
‘She just called. She’s running behind and moved my appointment to 11. C’mon. I never see either of you. Can’t you just come inside for a minute?’
Lyndsay glances at me, then back at her mom. I can tell shedoesn’t want to disappoint her mom, but doesn’t want me feeling like I have to go inside.
‘I’d love some coffee,’ I tell Patty.
‘Wonderful! I’ll go start a fresh pot!’
As she goes back inside, Lyndsay walks up to me. ‘You don’t have to do this.’
‘She’s your mom, and she never sees you, and she really seems excited about that coffee.’
‘But what about our .?.?.’ Lyndsay pauses, like she’s searching for the word. ‘Pretend date?’
‘Part of dating someone is meeting the parents, getting to know their family. This will be good practice for when you have to bring a guy home to meet your mom.’
She smiles and rolls her eyes. ‘My mom already knows you. She’s known you forever.’
‘As a kid. She doesn’t know me as a grown man. I’m totally different now.’
‘You kind of are,’ she says, that flirty smile appearing again. ‘Just don’t tell my mom this is a date. I don’t want her getting her hopes up.’ She walks off, giving me a view of the back of her in that dress. Damn, she’s hot. Her body looks even better now than it did in high school.
