Page 90 of Mr. Red

“God yes. Preferably strong,” I say without thinking. My eyes widen in disbelief at saying the statement.

Without missing a beat, she replies, “Is there any other kind?”

She’s funny. Thank goodness she has a sense of humor. She bends down and pulls out what looks like cleaning supplies in a spray bottle. “Never-been-used spray bottle. I keep some goods around when we have company.” She winks.

I smile. Not my first choice, but alcohol needs to happen right now. “Your house is beautiful! I’ve never seen a home on stilts before,” I say.

“Thank you. Matt helped us build it. Did he tell you anything about it?”

“He doesn’t say much.”

She looks in the direction of her son. “No he doesn’t, but he had better be a perfect gentleman.”

I start laughing, thinking about what a douchebag he was when we met. I’m not sure I should tell her the details. “He’s very chivalrous when he wants to be.”

Matt turns, flashing his crooked grin. And as a way to change the subject he turns to Libby. “Mom, what can I help you with? Are we barbequing?”

“Yes, I got those special hot dogs you told me about. The things they come up with these days.” She shakes herhead.

My face must be the color of Santa’s suit. He told his mom to get tofu dogs. She must’ve been thrilled.

“How’s your sister doing?” She gets ice in the glasses.

“She’s hanging in there. Scarlett and her friends have been helping her fit in. Have you had any issues here?”

“You know if we did, your father knows how to take care of it.”

“Yeah, I figured you guys would be fine.” Matt walks out to the porch.

The saying “Don’t Mess with Texas” rings through my head.

Libby hands me a drink after a final stir. “Thank you!” I take a sip. I go to stand up to join Matt, but instead, she stops me.

“So, how long have y’all been dating?”

I sit down in an inconspicuous manner. “A few months now. It’s flown by.”

“Yes. Matt said he was bringing someone special home. I’ve been waiting for those words to come out of his mouth for years.”

“He said ‘someone special?’” My stomach flutters.

“He did.” She gives a small smile.

“He doesn’t tell me a lot about his feelings.”

“You have to read in between the lines with him sometimes. He’d be great at poker.”

“He’s great at anything.” I roll my eyes as Libby laughs. “Anyway, Dani seems to be liking Washington. You stayed with her, right? Did you enjoy your stay?”

“It was much nicer in Washington than it is here for the summer. I didn’t get out much. That new house he bought there sure is something.”

I laugh a bit. “Yeah, bachelor pad on steroids.”

She laughs too. “So what are you two going to do when Matt is through with his project?”

Getting right into it then. I wish I knew what the future holds for us. “I’m not really sure,” I say, with my grin fading.

She stares at me for a bit while I stare back. Not sure why we’ve entered a staring contest.