However, I was smitten with Levee Williams, so the world would have to wait until she was ready to tell them. It sucked, but whether people knew or not didn’t change our relationship.
She was still mine.
I smiled to myself, and I knew that my mom saw it when she laughed.
“Don’t think I’m letting this go. I Googled her. She’s a kind of a big deal.”
I’d told Levee that we’d keep things quiet for a while, but my mom was safe. Right?
“I guess. I mean, she’s not that famous. She’s never done a duet with Lionel Richie or anything,” I teased, knowing the distracting effect it would have on my mom.
Her eyes grew wide at the mere mention of his name. “Do you think she knows Lionel?”
I slung an arm around her shoulders. “I doubt it, but if it will stop the inquisition, I’d be happy to ask for you.”
“No, you are going to ask her because you know I’m obsessed with that man. The inquisition will most definitely continue. Tell me about her. Are you two serious?” She tugged on my arm until I followed her to our old dining room table, which I’d been using as my desk for the last few years. I’d never even taken the time to refurbish it. Or, more accurately, I didn’t want to change it. Dad had built that table. Even repurposing it felt wrong.
I settled on the wooden stool next to her. “We haven’t been dating long, but I think it might become serious.”
I’m in love with her.
Fuck.
“Nice girl?”
“I really think you’d like her.”
“Well, I can’t like her any less than I did that last one. What was her name again?”
“Lexi.”
“Yes.” She lowered her voice and mumbled to herself, “I hated that bitch.”
“Mom!” I scolded on a laugh.
“I’m sorry. She was”—she exaggerated a shiver—“toxic.”
“She wasn’t that bad… Well, not all the time. But yes, Levee is definitely better. She’s so funny.” I glanced away, smiling as I remembered her laugh. “And smart. She’s not at all who you’d expect her to be. She’s really down-to-earth and kind.”
I scrubbed my hands over my jeans, wishing Levee weren’t so far away. How the hell was I going to go a month without that woman? I looked back up to find my mom watching me with a gentle smile.
“She’s amazing,” I breathed.
Her smile grew. “I already like her, then.” She patted my leg, squeezing it firmly before asking, “How’d you meet Miss Fancy Pants?”
I scratched the back of my neck. Shit. I’d known that this question would eventually come up, and while I hated to lie to my mom, there was no fucking way I was telling her the truth. She would have freaked if she knew how I’d really met Levee.
Evade.
“We…umm, frequent one of the same places. I saw her a couple times before I got the nerve to talk to her.” After the partial truth, I decided to switch gears and distract her with humor. Waving my hands over my chest, I said, “I mean, no way she could resist all this.” I threw in a bicep curl for good measure.
“Oh, please. Put those wet noodles away. I saw a picture online of her with her ex-boyfriend. All I’m going to say is you’re lucky you got my sense of humor.”
“Wait? Who’s her ex-boyfriend?”
“I can’t remember his name. One of those big football players.” She waggled her eyebrows while fanning herself.
I wanted to gag—then Google this guy. “Gross!”
She laughed, pushing to her feet. “Okay, well, I have to get back to work. Bring Levee over for dinner sometime.”
“Okay, Ma.”
She gave me a quick hug then headed for the door. “I’ll see you later. Don’t forget what I said about those crotch shots.”
That time, I really did gag.
I was sitting outside on my porch swing with a cigarette burning between my fingers and Sampson at my side when my phone finally rang.
“Hello,” I answered, thrilled to hear Levee laughing on the other end.
“On the first ring? Really, Sam? You couldn’t even make it look like you weren’t holding your phone.”