Page 37 of This Time Around
Andy’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open when he realized where the conversation was heading.
“Close your mouth, Andy. You have hunks of pork stuck in your teeth,” I told him.
Andy covered his mouth with his napkin. “Do not,” he mumbled behind the cloth. That’s right, Wendy brought out the good napkins, dinnerware, and cutlery that she only used for special occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and now my return to the fold. I preened just a little bit more but only on the inside, and only for a second, because I needed to avoid a potential disaster.
“I’ve never seen anyone do a better Marilyn Monroe impersonation than Milo,” Dave said proudly.
“Of course, that’s the routine you remember,” Doris said to her husband. “You still have a thing for her.”
“Hey, she was a beautiful woman,” Dave countered. “I wouldn’t have traded you for her though.” Dave leaned over and kissed Doris’s cheek.
“Oh, you,” Doris said, blushing prettily.
“You might want to take lessons from Grandpa Dave,” I said, leaning into Andy. “He’s a smooth operator.”
“Marilyn Monroe, huh?” Andy asked, smiling from ear to ear.
“Among others,” I said proudly.
“I never knew you wanted to do drag,” Andy said. He lifted his thumb and wiped something off the corner of my mouth. He held it up to show me a smear of barbecue sauce before he licked it clean. I could only blink at him because my blood was moving south in a hurry. “Milo?”
“Oh, um… It was something that just happened. I had fun doing it while in college, but I got so busy with work that I just kind of lost touch with my friends in the business.”
“Who was your drag mother again?” Doris asked. “She was a real hoot.”
“Dame Alotta Bang Bang was my drag mother,” I answered. “Lady Bea Trix was my drag grandmother. Both of them are retired, but we meet for lunch about once a month.”
“What was your drag name, Milo?” Andy whispered in my ear. “Lady Likes Cocksalot?”
“I’m not ready to reveal that to you yet,” I replied haughtily. “And none of you will either,” I said dramatically pointing my fork at each person gathered around the table. “I’ll share that information when I’m good and ready.”
“Oh, I bet it was Good-N-Ready.”
I leaned forward so that only he could hear me. “Why do you think I had slutty drag names? I was a classy lady, Andy.”
He had the nerve to snort.
“Keep it up, Slugger.”
“Awwww,” Wendy said from the foot of the table. “It’s been so long since I heard that cute little nickname.”
Andy reached for my hand beneath the table and gave it a firm squeeze before he resumed eating like it could be his last meal.
After we finished dinner and cleared the table, I expected everyone to start returning to their homes since it was a work night, but everyone seemed reluctant to leave. I sat close to Andy on the couch while we continued to chat about our lives and get caught up. Andy kept drawing lazy circles on the base of my neck, making me acutely aware of his presence. It was hard to focus on the conversation with him touching me, but I somehow managed.
When it was time to say goodbye, I soaked up all the love and well wishes before following Andy to his truck. He was quiet on the short drive to my house, but I didn’t have to wonder where his mind was because I could see the goofy grin on his face in the light from the dashboard.
“Well, thanks for a lovely evening,” I said once his truck came to a stop in my driveway.
“Whoa, where are you going so fast?” Andy asked when I reached for the door handle.
“It’s getting late and I have to be at Books and Brew at five thirty in the morning,” I told Andy.
“Can’t I even get a goodnight kiss?”
I released a long, soft sigh because I knew damn well what the goodnight kiss would lead to. I didn’t want to go to bed without kissing Andy, but I also knew that he’d end up in my bed for the night if I leaned across that console and pressed my lips to his. Why did I suddenly feel so shy about that?
Andy chuckled and shut off the truck when he saw that he was going to win the battle.