“GOOD AFTERNOON, MY LOVELY GIRL.” Jackie Miracle entered Curious Things with a flourish that left no doubt as to where Milo inherited his flair for the dramatic. She walked to me briskly, yet graciously, and kissed the air near my cheeks. Somebody’s been watching her favorite black-and-white films again. “You look beautiful, Maegan.”
I looked down at my tan tweed jacket, high-necked ivory blouse complete with a frilly bow in the front, navy-blue pencil skirt, and brown, knee-high boots that had a respectable size heel to them. I’d worn the same outfit plenty of times before and never received such high praise.
“It’s not the outfit; it’s the woman beneath it,” my mom declared, clearly seeing the confusion I felt over her remark. “There’s something different about you. Same beautiful clothes, same beautiful face with intelligent, green eyes, and adorable freckles, yet something is different.”
Growing up, I hated my freckles. When I was little, my mother had told me that my freckles were left behind after angels kissed my nose and cheeks. I had looked at Milo and demanded to know why the angels didn’t kiss him. Milo had started crying and wanted to know why the angels were mad at him. I said it was because he had boy cooties, of course. Mom just told him that the angels had blessed him with a different kind of sparkle. Milo demanded to know what kind, and she said he’d figure it out someday.
I spent my teen years and early twenties trying to cover my freckles with foundation. Yet, Elijah found them cute and gave me an endearing nickname, and suddenly I was smiling when I looked at them in the mirror. Angel kisses, indeed. Ugh! I didn’t want to become one of those women who allowed a man to determine their worth, not even one as sexy as my new neighbor. Not that I wanted to go back to hating my freckles, I just wished that I could’ve concluded that they were cute on my own.
The twinkle in my mother’s eyes told me that Milo had been blabbing about my visitor yesterday. She was probably already working on the seating chart for the wedding rehearsal dinner before Elijah crept back across his yard in the pre-dawn light after an amazing round of oral sex. I loved the consideration Elijah showed to my tender pussy, who saw more action since I first met Elijah than probably the entire previous year. His “kiss and make it feel better” motto was one that could easily become an addiction. Of course, I wouldn’t be telling my mother any of that.
“Don’t pry, Mother. It’s unbecoming of a lady.”
How many times had I heard that phrase growing up? “Walk, don’t run, Maegan.” “Speak in softer tones, Maegan.” “Stop beating the boys at all the games, Maegan. They don’t like that.” It went on and on until I was afraid to be myself. I crafted and molded myself into the image my mother wanted for me, but I was fucking miserable. I wanted to laugh heartily, run wild with the boys, and throw my game for no one. We butted heads, my mother and I, fighting fiercely during the first two years of high school, but that all changed my junior year when reality dealt me a hateful blow. Then she was everything I needed and more—my mom, my best friend, my advocate, and my hero. I pushed those thoughts aside because they often led me back to a dark place I hoped to never revisit.
“But ‘being a lady is boring,’” she repeated back to me before pulling me into a hug. “It’s not nice to remind your mother of her past foolishness.” There wasn’t an ounce of scorn in her voice. She dropped her Jackie O pretense and kissed my cheeks for real. “I love you so much, Maegan. I only want you to be happy.”
“I am happy.” I pulled out of her embrace and looked into green eyes that were identical to mine. “Look at me and really see me, Mom. I am very happy. I have an amazing family, the best friends a girl could ask for, and a career that I love.” It was more than most people had, and I’d humbly accepted it as my fate years ago.
An image of a dark-haired Adonis with sexy, brown eyes sprawled in my bed while I worked his cock with my mouth or fist sprung to mind, reminding me of how right he felt in my bed and body. Don’t get your hopes up, Maegan. It was just one night. Don’t forget how tense he was after that first mind-blowing orgasm subsided. He was ready to bolt. Keep your guard up!
“So, what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Can’t a mother just want to have lunch with her daughter?”
“Yes, I suppose she could.” I knew better though. “Bonnie, I’m going to head out to lunch with my mom. I won’t be long. Would you like for me to bring you something back?”
“Don’t you worry about me, Maegan. I brought my lunch, but thank you for asking me. Take as long as you’d like since you’ll be rooting around in some dank cellar or musty attic tonight,” Bonnie replied.
“Cellar? Attic?” My mom sounded pretty damn disappointed that my life didn’t drastically change the second that tall, dark, and sexy entered my world. “That’s how you plan to spend your Friday night?”
“Part of it,” I answered. I had no idea if, or when, I would see Elijah again. I was no longer the kind of girl who sat around their house waiting for Prince Charming to ride up on his white steed and save the day. I had a business to run, memories to make, and amazing treasures to sort through with my trusty sidekick, Memphis.
“I can’t wait to hear what you find. It always amazes me how some things never go out of style and everything else seems to come back in to style eventually.” My mom waved her hand in the air to encompass my shop. “You really have a beautiful, unique store, Maegan. Your father and I are so very proud of you and Milo.”
“Thanks, Mom. That means the world to us.”
“It’s obvious that you’re not going to reveal any secrets to me about your new neighbor, so how about you tell me the latest between Andy and Milo. Are those two still circling each other?”
I think Milo and I were doomed to be miserable the minute we both fell for our best friend’s older brother. It works great in books and movies, but not so much in real life. I limped away from the experience a little tattered and bruised but with my dignity intact. Milo was an entirely different story. He and Andy had dated during high school and seemed so in love. Milo was crushed when Andy broke things off when he went to college. I thought he moved on with his life until Andy moved back to Blissville two years ago bringing an air of mystery with him. He was also less cocky and proud, which made him even more attractive to Milo. But like my mom said, they circled each other as they both waited for the other man to make the first move.
“Oh yeah, and it’s hilarious.” I was so grateful to have her focus off me that I happily threw Milo under the bus and ran over his ass. “They think they’re being discreet, but they’re anything but.”
“It’s too bad they can’t work past their differences.” She sighed dreamily as we stepped out into the cold, winter day. “They make such a beautiful couple.” She wasn’t wrong. “Hmmm,” my mother said as she looked up toward the second story of our buildings.
“What?”
“It’s tragic that you have all that wasted space on the second story. I understand you need storage space, but you have a basement beneath the buildings you could use for that. The second-story spaces have separate rear entrances because they used to be apartments years ago. Have you and Milo given thought to remodeling the space to make them into apartments again? There’s significant income earning potential there.”
“And we just happen to know a single, hunky carpenter.”
“I never even thought about that,” she said with wide-eyed innocence.
“We have talked about it, but we thought it would be best to try and recoup some of the money we spent remodeling the first-floor window fronts.” I tipped my head to the side. “But there’s not a lot of work that needs completed and we would start recouping money right away.”
My mom looped her arm in mine as we started walking toward the diner. “I agree. Let me know what Milo says about the idea.”
I knew exactly how he was going to respond, so I needed to wait for the right moment.
“He’s joining us for lunch, so that would be a perfect time.”
“No!” Milo shook his head vehemently. “It’s too soon after the other renovations.”
“Why don’t we get an estimate to see how much work and money is involved before we rule it out?” I asked calmly. Mom was just trying to snag a son-in-law by hook or crook from one of her kids, but I was thinking of the earning potential.
“Mae,” Milo said, imitating our mother’s vexation like a pro. “Why are you pushing so hard for this? I’ve seen our profit and loss statements. We’re doing good, so why can’t that be enough?”
I didn’t know why, but it wasn’t. I was always trying to wrangle some new goal or dream. I’d achieve one thing and set off in search of the next without enjoying the spoils from my previous conquest. I chalked it up to my personality rather than looking for deeper meanings, because I didn’t want to dwell on things I couldn’t change. Mom gave me the perfect excuse to push this idea harder than I normally would.
“If we were flipping houses, maybe I could see the risk, but you’re talking about apartments. There’s often high turnover with tenants and a lot of ugliness that comes along with being landlords.”
I sat up straighter in my chair. “Flipping houses?”
“Now you did it,” our mother said, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. Sylvester would be so jealous. I almost expected to see yellow feathers fall out when she opened her mouth to speak again. “It’s too bad you guys don’t know a carpenter who could take on big projects like that.” Smooth, Mom!
“What are you talking about?” Milo asked. “Have you forgotten about Andy? He could do it with one arm tied behind his back.” It was nice to see him drop his pretense to stick up for his ex. I thought we might be making some progress in our Milo Still Loves Andy mission.
“What can I do with my hands tied behind my back?”
A nicer sister would’ve told her twin that his heart’s desire was in earshot, but I was desperate to see one of us happy for fuck’s sake.
“Hello, Andy.” My mom once again channeled Jackie O when she rose to her feet to greet Andy. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Mrs. Miracle,” Andy said, smiling at my mom as she sat back down. Then he pinned Milo with a questioning look. “You were saying?”
“Milo is thinking about flipping houses,” I announced. Milo’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head before they narrowed to mere slits in a warning for me to shut up. “My mom mentioned that we would need a carpenter who could take on big jobs like that. Milo said you were man enough—excuse me, carpenter enough—to get the job done.”
“Did he?” Andy asked uncertainly. “Hmmm.”
“I wanted to renovate the spaces above the shops to make them into apartments again, but Milo wasn’t impressed,” I told Andy. “He mentioned flipping houses as an alternative.”
“Flipping houses takes a lot of capital unless you get really lucky and find a diamond in the rough.”
“I’m good at digging until I find the good stuff,” I assured Andy. “Why don’t we get a ballpark cost analysis for both types of projects. Can we do that?”
“Sure, but it’ll be a really rough estimate since I don’t know the details on a specific house you’re looking to flip.” He tipped his head to the side and thought a minute. “I actually have a house in mind. How about I come by tonight to look at the spaces above the shop so I can work up an estimate?”
“That’s great, Andy. I’m not available tonight, but Milo is free to let you into his—our—back door.” Milo’s face flamed red with embarrassment, and I knew he couldn’t wait to get even with me.
“What? You don’t have a date?” Andy asked Milo.
Milo tore his eyes from mine and looked at Andy as if seeing him for the first time. Did he know he rubbed his tongue along his bottom lip or that Andy couldn’t seem to look away from the slight back and forth action.
“Nope,” Milo finally said.
“Huh. What time do you want me? To come over,” Andy hastily clarified.
My mom sat straighter in her chair and winked at me. I sipped my Coke and watched the various shades of red color spread across Milo’s face as his emotions seemed to run the gamut between embarrassment, need, and everything in between. Still, Milo was a cool customer.
“Meet me at Books and Brew at five thirty, and I’ll give you the key to look around at your leisure.”
“Okay,” Andy said like it was no big deal, but I saw the flash of disappointment in his eyes. Milo would’ve seen it had he looked at Andy to gauge his reaction. “See you tonight, Milo. Have a good afternoon, ladies.”
Nothing was said for several minutes after Andy left until Milo set his fork down and looked up from his plate. “You both will pay dearly for this.”
“What?” Mom and I asked innocently at the same time.
“I mentioned turning the second story into apartments not that long ago,” I said defensively. “This isn’t new.”
Milo batted his eyelashes and fanned his face dramatically. “I do declare, Milo. I wish you could find yourself a strapping stud for a carpenter. Oh, I know! Beefcake Andy!”
Okay, once was a fluke, but twice was fate.
“Strapping stud, huh? It’s nice to know that you still notice, Milo.” Andy chuckled as my brother squirmed in his chair. “Beefcake Andy is a new one though. It’s kinda catchy. I was trying to come up with a slogan the other day. The best I could come up with was Handy Andy, but I like yours much better. Perhaps I should change the name of my business and slap that on my T-shirt,” he pondered out loud.
“Really, Maegan?” Milo demanded, giving me the same death glare that Dad received from Mom on many occasions. “Not even a little hint that he’s standing behind me again?” All coolness from earlier was gone as Milo looked back at Andy. “Forget something, Just Andy?”
“Actually, yes,” Andy said. All traces of humor slid from his face. “I forgot that I have a prior commitment tonight and won’t be able to meet you after all.”
“I’m sure you do,” Milo replied dryly.
“It’s not what you think, Milo. Anyway,” Andy said in frustration, “I would cancel if I could, but…”
“I’d never dream of asking you to cancel your plans on a Friday night. We’ll do this some other time.”
“Milo…”
My brother pinned Andy with a look that expressed how firmly he’d shut that door. “I’ll call you next week.”
“Are you two happy?” Milo asked once Andy walked away dejectedly. “I can’t remember the last time I felt this humiliated.”
“Seventh grade,” I suggested. “You forgot the words to the song you picked to sing in the variety show.”
“Oh my goodness!” My mom threw her head back and laughed. “You practiced that song every day in the bathroom mirror for a solid month. How could you forget the words?”
Milo grinned wryly then shrugged. “Nerves. Performance Anxiety. It happens in more places than the bedroom, you know.”
“Divine intervention,” I added. “You told them you were going to sing Bette Midler’s ‘The Rose’ then planned to sing ‘Like a Virgin’ instead. It’s a good thing you got stage fright or you would’ve risked a suspension from school.”
“Were you planning to imitate masturbation on a makeshift bed?” Mom asked.
“Who said anything about pretending?”
Mom and I laughed riotously at Milo’s response. I could easily imagine the horror on the staff’s face if Milo had pulled off his plan—pun intended.
“I’m so happy that I entertain the women in my life,” Milo said huffily.
“I’m sorry, Milo. Let me make it up to you.”
“How?” he asked cautiously.
“I know just how you really want to spend your Friday night.”
“I’m not crawling around in people’s dirt and dust to find ‘treasures’ with you and Memphis.” I thought his little air quotes were adorable.
“Oh, come on,” I cajoled. “You always have a fun time when you come with us.”
“True, but I’ll still pass.”
“Okay, you can stay home and pine after—”
“Fine, as long as you promise not to bring him up.”
“Deal.” I extended my hand across the table so we could shake on it. I didn’t point out that his part of the deal was ambiguous. He didn’t specify a timeframe, so I decided to bide my time. Our mom didn’t agree to anything of the sort and chose every opportunity to work Andy aka Handy Andy, Beefcake Andy, and Just Andy into the conversation during the remainder of our lunch.