patiently, looking so at ease, so comfy in his skin at this strange-to-him location, it infuriated her. And made her want to grab him and make a mad dash back to the airport.
A loud, happy-sounding screech from the festivities hit her ears. She recognized it as coming from Angelique Love, her sister’s BFF from high school. It affirmed the fact that there truly was no escape.
“Nothing. Let’s get this over with.” She squared her shoulders, ignored the lingering tingly sensation between her legs and ears, thanks to Joey’s earlier efforts, and marched toward the backyard.
Joey caught up with her and slipped his hand into hers as they turned the corner of the house and faced the crowd. It took about ten seconds for her mother to discover her presence.
“Oh honey, look,” the woman yelped, grabbing Paige’s father and making her somewhat wobbly way across the lawn. “It’s Paige!”
“Oh boy,” she muttered under her breath as she plastered on a smile and gripped Joey’s hand tighter. “Here we go.”
“You know, I think you’re building this up to be worse than it actually is,” he whispered.
She looked at him, then shook her head and let go of his hand. He draped his arm around her shoulders and put his lips near her ear. “Relax, DiFerrari. It’s only family.”
She shut her eyes. “Paige,” her mother drawled. “Finally. What a relief! I’m so happy you’re all right.” Her mother yanked her into a bony-armed hug then passed her over to her father. Both of her parents reeked of booze and stress.
Good to know some things never changed.
“And who is this fine looking young man?” her mother crooned as her father released her.
“Mom, Dad, this is Joey,” she announced, reassembling her ponytail. “We’re . . .”
“We’re engaged,” Joey blurted out.
Paige’s mouth dropped open. He gave her mother his biggest, sweetest smile even as her father made a rumbling, disapproving noise.
“Uh, what?” she finally managed to splutter.
Joey dropped to one knee in the grass. Her mother shrieked with delight. Her father’s frown deepened. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Leslie and Angelique running toward their little tableau at the edge of the party.
“Pay-age!” Her sister turned her name into two syllables and a decibel above their mother’s drawn out squealing. Paige closed her eyes and let Joey take her hand. Then she was engulfed in hugs, perfume and booze, and a sort of sick familiarity she had forgotten how much she hated.
As she got dragged away by her sister and friends, she craned her neck over the tops of their heads to beg Joey to rescue her. But he wasn’t looking at her. He was accepting a beer from her father—who was smiling now and introducing him to Leslie’s fiancé, even as her mother twittered and hovered around him like a tiny, irritating bird.
“So, spill it,” Les demanded as she plunked a bottle of wine on the table in the middle of them all. “Details. All of them. He is amazeballs, Paige. How did you keep him a secret so long?”
Paige sighed and downed her first glass of Chardonnay in two gulps. Angelique refilled it with a nudge to Leslie’s arm. She smiled weakly at the two of them and took in that the party must be on the downslope by now. The food table looked decimated. A loud game of touch football was going on behind the tent. Some men were shooting hoops in the driveway. Groups of women her mother’s age were fanning themselves and getting steadily drunker.
“How is your mama?” she asked Angelique. The girl’s dark eyes flashed. “I heard.” She patted Angelique’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, she’s fighting it with everything she’s got. You know Lindsay Love. A little ole cancer isn’t gonna defeat her. She has way too much interfering to do and future grandbabies to spoil.”
Leslie gave her friend a quick squeeze. Angelique shook her head. Paige knew how fractious the girl’s
A loud, happy-sounding screech from the festivities hit her ears. She recognized it as coming from Angelique Love, her sister’s BFF from high school. It affirmed the fact that there truly was no escape.
“Nothing. Let’s get this over with.” She squared her shoulders, ignored the lingering tingly sensation between her legs and ears, thanks to Joey’s earlier efforts, and marched toward the backyard.
Joey caught up with her and slipped his hand into hers as they turned the corner of the house and faced the crowd. It took about ten seconds for her mother to discover her presence.
“Oh honey, look,” the woman yelped, grabbing Paige’s father and making her somewhat wobbly way across the lawn. “It’s Paige!”
“Oh boy,” she muttered under her breath as she plastered on a smile and gripped Joey’s hand tighter. “Here we go.”
“You know, I think you’re building this up to be worse than it actually is,” he whispered.
She looked at him, then shook her head and let go of his hand. He draped his arm around her shoulders and put his lips near her ear. “Relax, DiFerrari. It’s only family.”
She shut her eyes. “Paige,” her mother drawled. “Finally. What a relief! I’m so happy you’re all right.” Her mother yanked her into a bony-armed hug then passed her over to her father. Both of her parents reeked of booze and stress.
Good to know some things never changed.
“And who is this fine looking young man?” her mother crooned as her father released her.
“Mom, Dad, this is Joey,” she announced, reassembling her ponytail. “We’re . . .”
“We’re engaged,” Joey blurted out.
Paige’s mouth dropped open. He gave her mother his biggest, sweetest smile even as her father made a rumbling, disapproving noise.
“Uh, what?” she finally managed to splutter.
Joey dropped to one knee in the grass. Her mother shrieked with delight. Her father’s frown deepened. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Leslie and Angelique running toward their little tableau at the edge of the party.
“Pay-age!” Her sister turned her name into two syllables and a decibel above their mother’s drawn out squealing. Paige closed her eyes and let Joey take her hand. Then she was engulfed in hugs, perfume and booze, and a sort of sick familiarity she had forgotten how much she hated.
As she got dragged away by her sister and friends, she craned her neck over the tops of their heads to beg Joey to rescue her. But he wasn’t looking at her. He was accepting a beer from her father—who was smiling now and introducing him to Leslie’s fiancé, even as her mother twittered and hovered around him like a tiny, irritating bird.
“So, spill it,” Les demanded as she plunked a bottle of wine on the table in the middle of them all. “Details. All of them. He is amazeballs, Paige. How did you keep him a secret so long?”
Paige sighed and downed her first glass of Chardonnay in two gulps. Angelique refilled it with a nudge to Leslie’s arm. She smiled weakly at the two of them and took in that the party must be on the downslope by now. The food table looked decimated. A loud game of touch football was going on behind the tent. Some men were shooting hoops in the driveway. Groups of women her mother’s age were fanning themselves and getting steadily drunker.
“How is your mama?” she asked Angelique. The girl’s dark eyes flashed. “I heard.” She patted Angelique’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, she’s fighting it with everything she’s got. You know Lindsay Love. A little ole cancer isn’t gonna defeat her. She has way too much interfering to do and future grandbabies to spoil.”
Leslie gave her friend a quick squeeze. Angelique shook her head. Paige knew how fractious the girl’s
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