Page 31 of Boss Me Around

“Yeah, he’s leaving in a couple months I think, getting out of town before the winter weather hits.” I give her arm a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry. If I’d known Matty McGuire was the Matty you liked, I could have warned you. He’s a cutie and always seemed like a cool guy, but he’s probably not looking for anything serious or long term.”

Nora sighs. “Yeah, I figured. That’s my luck with men. And he didn’t seem happy when I pulled up beside him last night behind the bakery. He couldn’t get rid of me fast enough, in fact. I thought it was because he was worried about me interfering with his mob meeting but maybe he felt like I was getting clingy or something. He didn’t text me after the fair, either. Even though he said he would, so…”

I wince on her behalf. “I’m sorry, honey. I don’t know what’s wrong with the men around here. If I were a dude, I would be camped out in your front yard with flowers and hot caramel lattes every day, hoping you’d give me a chance to date you. You’re the total package.”

Her lips curve in a doubtful smile. “Yep, the whole package. I’m a twenty-nine-year-old woman who still lives with her grandmother, can barely drive without hitting some innocent, non-moving object, and who has a crippling fear of animals.”

“You’re also smoking hot, generous, fun, creative, and kind,” I say. “And guys like it when they’re better than you at something. Your future boyfriend can take pride in being the best driver in the relationship. It’ll make him feel better about the fact that you’re a wildly successful businesswoman and the most fashionable human in Minnesota, if not the world.”

Nora giggles behind the rim of her mug, swallowing her gulp of coffee before saying, “Thanks. You’re right. I do have plenty to offer. If Matty McGuire doesn’t see that, he’s not worth my time.” She shrugs. “And if he’s tangled up in the mob, that’s none of my business. I’ll stick to living my best life and buying cupcakes from Stone Bowl Bakery and hope he leaves town before he gets on the wrong side of Cassie Ann’s people.”

I lift a fist in the air. “That’s the spirit. But I will do a little checking around, just in case. I owe it to Christian to let him know if his brother is getting involved with dangerous people.”

Nora cocks her head to one side. “Yeah? Because he’s your employee and friend? Or because, after your flirting yesterday, he’s…something more?”

I snort out a laugh. “Nah, we’re just going to stay friends, turns out. And coworkers. That’s it.”

“Okay. If you say so,” Nora says. “But in my experience, men don’t fake being drunk to get you away from other men unless they’re interested in being more than your friend.”

“You could tell he was faking?”

She gives a little roll of her eyes. “Oh, yeah. I mean, he was playing the part just fine, but he didn’t smell like alcohol, not even a little bit. After growing up with my parents, I know what a drunk smells like. And that they don’t sober up as fast as Christian seemed to once he got behind the bar.”

I hesitate, but can’t resist asking, “So is that why you and your brother moved in with your grandmother when you were little?” I don’t remember when Nora and her older brother moved to town—I was still a baby—but she was in some of Wren’s elementary school classes growing up. And I dimly remember my mom being worried about the Boudreaux kids.

“Yeah,” Nora says. “My dad went on a bender and left Mom alone with us for weeks. Mom had been doing her best to get sober, but being abandoned was hard on her. She started drinking again, fell asleep with a lit cigarette in her hand, and nearly burned the house down. My brother Aaron and I carried her out in time, but it was a close call. Aaron was only ten and I was barely seven and Mom was heavy.”

I wince. “Oh man. I’m so sorry, Nora.”

“Yeah. It was scary.” Her gaze grows distant as she adds, “It scared Mom, too. That’s why she sent us to Gram. She said she’d get her act together and we’d move back in with her and Dad soon. She visited us a lot the first few years, but she was still drinking and struggling to hold down a job. The visits started getting fewer and farther between and then…she was gone for good.

“Wow,” I murmur. “Did you guys ever patch things up? Like, once you were an adult?”

She shakes her head. “I haven’t seen either of my parents in over a decade. I’m not even sure if they’re still alive.”

“Ugh, I’m so sorry, Nora,” I say again, my heart hurting for her. “I mean, I haven’t seen my dad since I was too little to remember it, but at least I know he’s alive and well, living his best life with his second batch of kids in Florida.”

Nora’s lips turn down at the edges. “But that’s hard, too. To know your dad stuck around for some of his kids, but not for you and Wren. At least I can take comfort in the fact that my parents were garbage at all relationships, not just the ones with their children.”

“You have a point,” I say. “But I’ve never worried about it too much. My mom is the best. One parent like her is worth three normal parents, and I’ve never missed having a dad. Can’t miss what you never had, right?”

She sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe you can. I miss my sexy boyfriend who comes roaring up to my house on his motorcycle and takes me skinny-dipping at his secret swimming hole by the lake. The one who tells me that I work too hard and should take some time off to finish all my half-completed art projects while he pays the bills for a while. He’s pretty groovy.”

I echo her sigh. “Yeah, that sounds nice. Not the art project stuff because I have zero art skills, but the motorcycle and skinny-dipping part.” Making a mental note to add an outdoor adventure of some kind to the role-playing list, I step back to peer through the window set into the back door, checking on Kyle and Keanu. “Want to help me give Keanu a bath?” I ask Nora. “He rolled in something nasty by the fence, and I want to make sure he’s nice and clean before Barrett and Wren get home this afternoon. Might be a good chance to work on feeling more comfortable with animals.”

Nora squinches her face as she sets her now empty mug in the sink. “I know I should, but that would involve a lot of touching Keanu in places I’m not sure he wants to be touched, and I’m not ready for that just yet. We’ve come a long way since he tried to kill me for making scrambled eggs in his presence, but baby steps forward still feel best.”

I smile. “I honestly don’t think he wanted to kill you. He just wanted your eggs. He was a psycho about jumping up on things when Barrett first adopted him, but I hear you. Baby steps are still good steps. Oh, and speaking of steps, would you want to go to cardio boot camp class with me Wednesday night at the high school? It’s supposed to be a great workout and I could use a fitness buddy. I always find an excuse to skip working out and eat popcorn and watch movies with Kyle instead.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Nora says, moving toward the door. “I need a workout buddy, too. We could also check out Carolina’s yoga class early Friday before you head to work, maybe. She’s a great teacher.”

I purse my lips, fighting a wave of jealousy at the thought of spending time with another woman Christian’s slept with. Now that I know just how fun being naked with him is, I’m even more jealous of his former—and future—lovers than I used to be.

But I can’t let my envious side show or Nora will put two and two together to draw “I’m sleeping with my brother-in-law” conclusions. So, I settle for humming uncertainly under my breath and saying, “Let me get back to you on that. By Friday I usually want to squeeze in every last bit of sleep I can before I head to work, but I might be up for it.”

I show Nora out and head back to the yard, calling Keanu in for his bath while Kyle pouts on the deck, annoyed by being left out of the bath time fun. Kyle’s a surprisingly good swimmer, but he makes a huge mess in the bathtub, something I found out the hard way when I left the door cracked in the bathroom at home and he decided to bust in and join me for a soak a few weeks back.

I love Kyle, but I’m not on board with being naked with my pets.

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