frame.
âYour place is beautiful,â Margaret said thoughtfully. Then she smiled. âCare to show me the rest?â
Pleased, she gave her mother a short tour. âItâs not that big, but itâs a prime location. I was lucky to find a place so close to the restaurant.â
âIâll bet.â For the next few minutes, Margaret oohed and aahed
over the furnishings, the layout, and Annaâs small touches. She met Sterling as well and was instantly charmed by the small ball of fuzz. When they were done, Anna led them to the living room, where they sat on the sofa to catch up before Gray came to get them for dinner.
âSo, tell me more about this man of yours,â her mother insisted. âHe must be special if heâs taking
both
of us out.â
âHe is special.â She couldnât keep the enthusiasm out of her voice. âI really like him, Mom. He makes me feel things I havenât felt in a long time.â
âLove?â
The word caused a shiver, and not in a bad way. âMaybe. Itâs soon, but who knows? Heâs exciting, and so sexy.â
âDoes he treat you right?â
âYes, he does. And he walks me home every night after work.â At her motherâs curious look, she added, âHeâs one of my prep chefs.â
Surprise morphed on the other womanâs face, then she hooted with laughter. âHot damn! Heâs exciting, sexy, and youâre the boss of him, so to speak. The best of both worlds.â
âTrue, but heâs no pushover. Wait until you meet him.â
âIâll do that.â
âWhat about you? Dating anyone?â
Her mother was still a pretty lady. Though she was smaller in stature than Anna, it was from her that Anna had inherited her brunet hair, brown eyes, and general facial features. She wore her hair shorter than her daughter, cropped at the collar and feathered in a flattering style around her face.
Her mother flushed. âNobody special. Iâve been to dinner a couple of times with a man from church, but itâs not serious.â
Anna gaped at her. âWhich is why youâre blushing like a teenager? Spill it!â
After a few undecided seconds, she relented. âHis name is Bruce, and heâs three years older than me. A widower with two grown children and three grandkids. Heâs a retired high school principal.â
Her motherâs soft tone, her mannerisms, said more than words possibly could. âIf he makes you happy, go for it. Iâm happy for you.â
âThanks, baby. I am rather fond of him,â she admitted. âAnd I liedâhe is sort of special.â
They spent the next few minutes reminiscing, until a knock on the door interrupted their talk. âThat must be Gray.â
Hurrying to the door, she opened it to find Gray dressed to kill in a tailored black suit that set off his gold-streaked brown hair. He was holding two bouquets of flowersâone sporting white buds, one with red. The red ones he handed to Anna, and gave her a searing kiss. Right in front of her mother. Who, Anna noted when she was released, had risen from her seat and was staring at Gray.
âHello,â he said warmly, crossing to her. âIâm Grayson James, or just Gray. Annaâs told me so much about you.â
Taking Margaretâs hand, he kissed it in an old-fashioned gesture, then handed her the white roses. Anna swore that her mother nearly swooned.
âThank you for the flowers,â she said, beaming. âAnna, do you have a couple of vases for these?â
âOf course.â Walking up to Gray, she kissed him again. âThank you from me, too.â
The heat in his eyes said she could thank him laterâafter Mom was tucked in bed.
Margaret monopolized Grayâs attention while Anna put the flowers in water and set them on the dining table. In fact, the older woman was flirting shamelessly, while grilling the
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