Page 45 of Beat of Love
“Oh.”
“Now, let me fix your makeup.” Amelia lifted her arm, dangling her makeup bag from her forefinger. “I know you don’t have much, so I brought mine.”
“Mimi.”
“No arguments, Mom.” She pointed to the chair. “Sit.”
Brandy sat.
And ten minutes later even she had to admit the results were stunning.
“See?”
Her daughter had skillfully blended brown and green eyeshadow, darkened her brows with a pencil, and layered on mascara. A light dusting of powder toned down the shine of herskin, and her lips were outlined with russet and filled in with matching color. Her freshly washed and blown out hair hung in a thick fall down her back. “I look …” She trailed off.
Amelia grinned. “Mysterious and alluring. Absolutely gorgeous.”
Their eyes met in the mirror. “Thank you.”
“Jeez, Mom. No tears. And you’re almost late, so hop along.”
She “hopped” along, calling goodbye to the twins slouching on the sectional, but stuttered to a halt when Preston called after her, “I’ve slipped condoms in your purse, Mom.”
Rolling her eyes, she called out. “There will be no sex tonight.”
The first time she went out with Stas, he hadn’t even kissed her cheek. It had been a fun evening at the popular Italian restaurant but ended when he walked her to the truck. They parted with him saying, “I had a great time. Drive home safely.” Thinking sex was on the cards tonight was pushing it. Besides, did she really want to go there with Stas?
You’ve gotta start somewhere, Brandy.
Then the import of Preston’s statement hit her.
Her son was just shy offourteen. Where the hell did he getcondomsfrom?
She backtracked. “Preston Springer, where did you get the condoms?”
“I asked Raff.”
She gaped at her son. “What?” she croaked.
Preston squinted at her. “I bumped into Raff this afternoon and asked if he had any to spare.”
“And the man just handed you condoms?”
“Of course not. Jeepers, Mom. Calm down. Iexplainedit was for you. That you had a date tonight.”
Her legs gave way, and she set her ass on the armrest and enunciated, “Just to be clear, you asked Rafferty Lawson for condoms this afternoon and told him it was forme.”
“Yeah. Why are you so upset? You need to practice safe sex, Mom. We do not need another baby sibling.”
“I amnothaving sex tonight. And you, Preston Springer, are grounded for the next twenty years.”
“Harsh,” Olivia muttered.
“Jeez, Mom. Why’re you punishing me? I’m only looking out for you.”
Ugh.
She bolted up and stormed from the house as if the hounds of hell were behind her.
