Page 73 of All I Desire

“Whoa.” That would also affect Remy since he lives on his sailboat at that marina. Well, when he’s not staying with Leilani. “That’s a problem.”

I mash my lips together. Yeah, the near-clear gloss looks better. More “thirty-two-year-old professional-with-her-shit-together” rather than “unstable woman whom your son is fucking.”

“I’m meeting with some other marina tenants tomorrow,” Sadie says darkly. “I was planning on doing more research tonight.”

I toss the gloss into my bag. “Thanks again for doing this, especially when you’re dealing with all the marina crap. I hope you track down some good info. I wasn’t going to ask you, but my brother’s out of town and I couldn’t get out of Chunky duty. Just check on them every so often. Or stay, if you want. You know the wi-fi password.”

“Pfft. No worries. I’ll just be here, plotting the overthrow of the marina and eating your food. You still have those frozen pizza bagel things?”

“Sure do. Help yourself. Okay, bye kids.”

Sin looks at me, bored. Chunky’s not paying attention because he’s sniffing Sin’s tail. Sadie’s moved to the kitchen, her bright red head in the freezer.

“Have fun, don’t drink too much, and don’t say inappropriate things to his mother,” she calls out, her voice muffled.

“I might do those very things,” I respond with a laugh, then grab my keys, purse, and a bag with two $30 bottles of wine that I’d bought for the party.

Of course, I won’t. Making a good impression on Matthew’s mom is the only thing I want out of tonight. Even if she is, as he put it, difficult. I’m excellent with difficult people, and can win almost anyone over with my charm.

* * *

The uncomfortable fizzingin my stomach grows the closer I get to the address Matthew gave me. The house is on a part of the island I rarely visit, mostly because it’s filled with giant, new, waterfront mansions. They’re all rentals or owned by people who visit the island for a week once or twice a year. Most look like sprawling replicas of Tony Montana’s house in Scarface, in my opinion. Gaudy, ostentatious, tacky.

Even Matthew was a bit apologetic when he explained where his mom had rented. “She likes things flashy,” he said in a quiet voice. “I’m not like that.”

His place is a middle-of-the road ranch house with a porch and a backyard. Sure, it was probably on the expensive side since it’s in that fly-in community, but it’s nothing luxurious. Matthew’s joked that the garage-hangar is probably worth more than the house, and he likes it that way, given his love of engines and his plane.

When I found out the exact location of the mansion his mom had rented — a place that’s the architectural equivalent of Paris Hilton — I decided not to invite my parents to the party. Oh, Ma would have been fine. She’s like me. Ginger Hastings can talk with anyone, about anything. Even though she’s eccentric with her tarot cards and moon bathing, she’s adorable enough that it would take a Mussolini-like monster not to love her.

My father, on the other hand… I grin as I turn onto the mansion’s street. Dad would be the proverbial turd in the punchbowl, eyeballing the bougie decorations and rubbing his big, callused hand over his black, punk rock tattoos while downing a beer from a bottle.

Although we grew up well-off, we weren’t the richest people on the island. And Ma and Dad made sure we didn’t abuse our privilege. Dad would always remind us not to. “We’re not going to be snobs, we’re not going to throw our money around like assholes, and we’re not going to abuse our privilege,” he’d growl. “We’re going to use what we have to help others that are less fortunate.”

As I drive, I think about Dad and Matthew the other night and I smile. They seemed pretty chummy, actually, and I suspect Dad admires Matthew for being a pilot and knowing how to fix engines.

It was a relief to see them getting along. Dad’s been lukewarm about most of the men in my life. Well, except for Chad. He actively hated him from the start, and toward the end, I was worried Dad would be arrested on felony charges if he ever ended up alone in a dark alley with him.

But that’s all in the past. I’ve had no Chad nightmares in recent weeks, my parents got along with Matthew, and his daughter doesn’t seem to completely hate me. To further cement my position as her dad’s coolest friend, I found some BTS stickers online and ordered them. I can’t wait to see her face when I give the K-pop swag to her today.

I turn into the driveway. The gate’s open and I pull in. Ugh. The mansion, which looks like a cross between a Spanish mission and a German lodge, is more sprawling and tackier than I imagined. Why would a small family need a place this big for the weekend? Gah.

I pull in next to Matthew’s truck and note that there are a few other cars in the driveway, all luxury vehicles. My stomach is now twisted into a tight knot. What if his mom and stepdad are super uptight? Will I be able to control myself for a couple of hours? I can be friendly and charming like Ma for only so long. Two hours is about my limit, and then it’s like my tongue gets an invisible dose of truth serum.

As I’m climbing out of the car, the front door swings open.

“Hey, babe.” Matthew’s grin relaxes me almost instantly.

He walks toward me and my muscles soften. “Hey you.”

He’s wearing cream-colored, linen shorts and a pale blue T-shirt. No shoes. “So preppy and handsome,” I say, leaning to kiss his cheek. Mmm. He smells like his usual soap.

When his hand cups my jaw and his nose nuzzles my face, I sigh pleasurably.

“You look gorgeous, Natalia.”

“Thanks,” I whisper.

It’s all going to be okay. He’s here and we’re going to have fun. He wants to introduce me to his mom, and that’s one more step toward a more serious relationship. That’s all.

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