Page 60 of Ice Ice Maybe
Without another word, I snagged the spoon from her hand and set it on the counter, then pulled her tight against my body and kissed her. Immediately, my senses were on high alert. The material of her satin nightgown was so thin, I felt every curve of her body against mine as we kissed. And considering my current state of dress, this was a dangerous game we were playing. Especially since she now had solid evidence of how much I was enjoying this moment. Too bad it would be short-lived.
Someone cleared their throat in the kitchen, and I was certain it wasn’t Zena or me. We pulled away from the kiss, both of us turning to see Mrs. Dalton standing there in her own red nightgown, a grin on her face.
“Looks like we all had the same idea,” she said, gesturing to the ice cream on the counter.
Mrs. Dalton mentioned nothing about what she had seen, although she glanced down at my underwear, catching an eyeful before I slid behind Zena. Seemingly unfazed, she grabbed a bowl and began dishing out her own ice cream. As she dug into the carton with the scooper, the familiar lyrics of Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer” escaped her lips, her hips swaying to the rhythm as if this were another ordinary late-night snack in the comfort of her own home.
Zena and I exchanged a look, a silent conversation passing between us. What were we supposed to do now? I had no clue. All we could do was sit down at the table, eat the ice cream, and try to act like everything was normal, even though it was anything but. After a couple of minutes of awkward, silent ice cream eating, I finally spoke up.
“This is good,” I said.
“Yeah,” Zena agreed, her voice barely above a whisper. “Superb.”
It was a riveting conversation, no doubt.
Mrs. Dalton set her spoon down, her expression softening. “I wanted to apologize for what you saw earlier when you came in. I don’t know what came over me, but you’ll be happy to know that you’ll have your own hotel room tomorrow night after the game.”
I waved my hand, trying to appear nonchalant, even though I was over the moon to know I would have my roomie back. “Don’t worry about it. You got caught up in the moment. It’s very easy to do.” I hoped she understood the double meaning behind my words after she had caught us as well, albeit not as indisposed as they were on the couch.
She nodded, a knowing smile playing on her lips. “Very easy.” She leaned forward, her eyes darting between Zena and me. “It’s obvious what’s going on between you two.”
I froze, my spoon hovering midair.
“Don’t worry—I’m okay with it,” Mrs. Dalton continued.
I let out a deep breath and nodded. “That’s a relief, because I care about Zena. A lot. I hope you know that.” I reached for Zena and grabbed her hand, squeezing it.
Mrs. Dalton shook her head dismissively. “Are you kidding me? That is obvious. You’re a wonderful man, Nolan. I’m thrilled you two hit it off.” She paused, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “One word of advice, though. Try to keep your clothes on whenever Everett is around.”
“Of course,” I said, thinking that Zena had such a cool mother. “And if you don’t mind, maybe you and Mr. Dalton could extend the same courtesy to us.”
“Amen!” Zena said, as we all shared a laugh.
“Deal,” Mrs. Dalton said with a smile. She leaned closer, like she wanted to share a secret. “So, are you two ready to take this game to the next level?”
Zena and I exchanged a confused look.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“We need to win Everett over,” Mrs. Dalton said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “He’s a tough nut to crack, but I have the perfect plan. Are you up for it?”
I straightened up in my chair, determined. “Yes! I’ll do whatever it takes, of course.”
A smile spread across Mrs. Dalton’s face. “Perfect! The only thing we need to do when we get back to San Diego is plan a wedding.”
Zena and I froze, our mouths hanging open as Mrs. Dalton scooped more ice cream into her bowl.
A wedding?
Whose wedding exactly?
And why would I be involved?
I must have misheard her, but needed confirmation.
“I’m sorry, you lost me there with the part about the wedding,” I spoke up.
“Don’t worry, I’ll fill you in soon,” Mrs. Dalton said. “Right now, the focus should be on winning the next two games before heading back to California! And I need to get this bowl of ice cream up to Everett before it melts. Good night.”
