Page 31

A quiet growl ripples through my throat. “Look, I’m sorry, Jimmy. You’re just too young for me.”

“One of these days you’re going to see what you let slip away. I hope it’s not too late.”

Leaning forward, I look out the window. We’re finally approaching my house, and my hand is on the door handle. “We’ll see.” I’m out before the car even comes to a complete stop. “Thanks for the lift.”

Ditching my shoes and the plastic bag at the door, I head straight for the shower. I carefully place Chad’s tee and boxers on my bed. As soon as I finish getting the paint off me, I’m back in his clothes, surrounded by luscious Chad-scent. Why, brain? Why tonight?

I know the answer. Chad is sexy and strong and good. Very, very good. Straight As, captain of the football team, military, future sheriff, future dad… porn on dates? Talk about a wild card. He’ll make some lucky girl a great husband one day. In the meantime, I’ve got to keep my eyes on my dream.

For now, I snuggle down in the sheets, burying my nose in the neck of Chad’s tee.

“Hellooo?” Emberly’s voice rings through my cottage, pulling me from a deep sleep. “Anybody alive in here?”

“Aunt Tabby!” Coco’s little voice joins my bestie’s, and I sit up fast.

Then I clutch my head and sink into my pillows again. “Oh, shit.”

“Hey!” Two bodies bound onto my bed, climbing to the top to lay beside me. Emberly pulls the blanket off my face. “How’d the date go? Uh, oh.”

“What’s wrong?” Coco’s little body struggles to sit up beside me.

“Aunt Tabby looks a little green around the gills.”

“I am not.” I grumble—softly so as not to shatter my skull.

“You need to wake up now, Aunt Tabby. Mama says if you sleep all day it messes up your arcadian rhythms.”

My eyes squint through the blasting sunlight. “My what?”

“Circadian!” Emberly laughs and reaches across me to muss her daughter’s hair. “Your circadian rhythms.”

“What’s Circadian, Mama?”

“It’s your body clock.”

Coco starts to laugh, bouncing on the bed. “I’m not a clock!”

Pulling the blanket over my head, I struggle to crawl lower. “Five more minutes!”

Emberly catches me. “What do you need? Ibuprofen? Emergen-C? Hair of the dog?”

“Mama!” Coco cries again, rooting around beside me like a little piglet. “Aunt Tabby doesn’t want dog hair!”

I poke my head out of the blanket considering it. “We drank tequila. I don’t have any tequila.”

“Ooo…” Emberly nudges me in the side with her elbow. “A tequila night. Sounds naughty.”

Coco stops worming around and gets still. Emberly and I are lying head to head on my pillow facing the ceiling. I think we’re going to have a moment of calm when my goddaughter’s thoughtful voice breaks the silence.

“Mama says tequila makes you pregnant,” she announces.

Our heads snap to facing each other, eyes bugging out. Then we both explode with laughter, and I roll over, catching Coco around the waist and moving her between us. She squeals with delight and wiggles all around as Emberly tickles her.

“That’s right,” my friend says. “You never, ever drink tequila unless you’re with the man you’re going to marry.”

Dark brown eyes widen at me. “Were you with the man you’re going to marry, Aunt Tabby?”

“No!” I answer fast, cutting off Emberly’s snorts of laughter. “I was with Mr. Chad, and he made this… modified tequila sunrise. We weren’t doing shots or anything”