Theater with him. Derek was so surprised I had never been on a date, that he wanted to show me what I was “missing out” on. I agreed, but only as friends. I knew if Collins McGregor ever walked back into my life again, though, he would be the one I wanted to go on a real date with.
So here he was at my father’s church, asking me on a date. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to take my little sister to the music room. Want to come?”
Collins McGregor’s face looked surprised at first and then embarrassed. “Oh, I didn’t see you there behind your sister,” he said bending down to speak to Nydia. “I’m Collins McGregor. How are you?”
“Hi,” Nydia said with a mischievous grin. “You’re very handsome, like a prince. Are you and Sam screwing?”
Gah! “Nydia,” I said, turning beet red, “Where did you hear that? Never mind.” I smiled and shrugged at Collins McGregor. “You just don’t know where kids pick up things like that.”
“Mom said it,” Nydia said. “When you and Mr. Princely Lips picked us up.”
Of course, where else would kids pick up sayings like “screwing” from? Their drunken erotica-reading moms. “Gotta love my mom,” I said, hugging Nydia too tightly. I ruffled her curls and said, “Come on Princess, let’s get you to the Music room. I hear they have a harp in there that you can play with.”
“I want a drum set,” Nydia said.
“We’ll see,” I said leading her to the Music room down the hall from the Sanctuary.
Collins McGregor’s face was stuck in a state of amusement and something which I couldn’t define. He followed me along the way, a few steps behind me, his presence as intense as always. Once I turned around to see if he was still there, and he just smiled, as we walked along. Even behind me, I could feel his eyes blazing on me, and the thrill of that made Lola very happy, while Serious Susan looked on with caution.
After I got Nydia situated in the youth music class, I turned around to see Collins McGregor leaning up against the wall of the hallway outside of the Music room. He was studying my face, from my eyes to my lips and back to my eyes again. It was intense, and it was hot. It could be below zero and snowing in Southern California, and I’d be burning up.
“This is a nice cheerful music room,” Collins said. “Did you learn to play piano at a place like this?”
“No,” I shook my head. “Growing up, we didn’t have a place like this. We had a hand-me-down old piano from Grandma that was always in the living room so I kind of taught myself how to play piano.”
“Wow,” Collins McGregor said. “You play rather well.”
“Do you play?” I asked.
“If you can call it playing,” he said shyly. “I pretty much taught myself how to play but eventually broke down and hired a teacher. I thought it would help me to wind down, but I find I’d like pursuing other means of release.”
“Oh,” I said softly, feeling as though he was implying something else. “You mentioned you have a younger brother,” I asked. “Does he live with you?”
Collins McGregor’s face twisted into a look of uncertainty. He didn’t look like the Owner of Collins Companies at the moment, but the little boy with angelic blonde curls. How I wanted to run my fingers through his hair and pull him to me. Lola had her pom poms out, while Serious Susan had her arms crossed. My id and ego in full force.
“No,” Collins McGregor said. “He doesn’t live with me, but I’m trying to get him to. He’s pretty troubled, and that’s probably because he didn’t know he
So here he was at my father’s church, asking me on a date. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to take my little sister to the music room. Want to come?”
Collins McGregor’s face looked surprised at first and then embarrassed. “Oh, I didn’t see you there behind your sister,” he said bending down to speak to Nydia. “I’m Collins McGregor. How are you?”
“Hi,” Nydia said with a mischievous grin. “You’re very handsome, like a prince. Are you and Sam screwing?”
Gah! “Nydia,” I said, turning beet red, “Where did you hear that? Never mind.” I smiled and shrugged at Collins McGregor. “You just don’t know where kids pick up things like that.”
“Mom said it,” Nydia said. “When you and Mr. Princely Lips picked us up.”
Of course, where else would kids pick up sayings like “screwing” from? Their drunken erotica-reading moms. “Gotta love my mom,” I said, hugging Nydia too tightly. I ruffled her curls and said, “Come on Princess, let’s get you to the Music room. I hear they have a harp in there that you can play with.”
“I want a drum set,” Nydia said.
“We’ll see,” I said leading her to the Music room down the hall from the Sanctuary.
Collins McGregor’s face was stuck in a state of amusement and something which I couldn’t define. He followed me along the way, a few steps behind me, his presence as intense as always. Once I turned around to see if he was still there, and he just smiled, as we walked along. Even behind me, I could feel his eyes blazing on me, and the thrill of that made Lola very happy, while Serious Susan looked on with caution.
After I got Nydia situated in the youth music class, I turned around to see Collins McGregor leaning up against the wall of the hallway outside of the Music room. He was studying my face, from my eyes to my lips and back to my eyes again. It was intense, and it was hot. It could be below zero and snowing in Southern California, and I’d be burning up.
“This is a nice cheerful music room,” Collins said. “Did you learn to play piano at a place like this?”
“No,” I shook my head. “Growing up, we didn’t have a place like this. We had a hand-me-down old piano from Grandma that was always in the living room so I kind of taught myself how to play piano.”
“Wow,” Collins McGregor said. “You play rather well.”
“Do you play?” I asked.
“If you can call it playing,” he said shyly. “I pretty much taught myself how to play but eventually broke down and hired a teacher. I thought it would help me to wind down, but I find I’d like pursuing other means of release.”
“Oh,” I said softly, feeling as though he was implying something else. “You mentioned you have a younger brother,” I asked. “Does he live with you?”
Collins McGregor’s face twisted into a look of uncertainty. He didn’t look like the Owner of Collins Companies at the moment, but the little boy with angelic blonde curls. How I wanted to run my fingers through his hair and pull him to me. Lola had her pom poms out, while Serious Susan had her arms crossed. My id and ego in full force.
“No,” Collins McGregor said. “He doesn’t live with me, but I’m trying to get him to. He’s pretty troubled, and that’s probably because he didn’t know he
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