The Gamble

“’Night, Neens!” Mindy called back.

“Yeah, Neens, later. Max, bro, be safe,” Brody said.

“Always,” Max muttered and slammed my door.

Max disappeared from the window but suddenly Mindy was there. I smiled at her through the window then saw her flatten her hand on it. I lifted my hand and flattened it against hers. She gave me a funny, little smile that I didn’t quite understand before her hand disappeared and she walked away.

I hummed while I fastened my seatbelt and Max got in beside me. My mind was on Mindy being so very sweet as well as the baked, marble cheesecake I most recently consumed, washing it down with Amaretto.

“In a good mood?” Max asked, starting the truck.

“I love Mindy,” I announced.

“Figure she loves you too, Duchess, you’re a match made in hell.”

I didn’t really listen to his words, I just kept talking. “That cheesecake was yummy.”

“You blitzed?” Max asked, his hand on the back of my seat, his torso twisted to look out the rear window to pull out.

“I’m tipsy, not blitzed.”

Max twisted back and pulled into the road. “What chance I got you won’t pass out on the way home?”

I waved my hand in front of me and declared, “Oh, I’ll be fine.”

“Right,” Max muttered.

“Can we listen to music?” I requested and Max turned on the music.

Five minutes later I was dead to the world.

Chapter Eight

Concoctions

“Oh… my… God! I love your house!” I heard my mother cry.

I blinked away my weird dream into the morning sunlight shining into Max’s loft and I saw his empty pillow. Why I was dreaming about my mother, I didn’t –

“And you’re gorgeous!” she exclaimed.

My heart stuttered and my eyes went wide.

“No,” I whispered, threw the covers back and stopped dead when I saw my body. I was na**d except for a pair of white, lace panties.

My mind flew back to last night, waking up in Max’s arms as he carried me from the car to the house. Me telling him I’d be okay to walk. Him putting me on my feet at the foot of the spiral staircase. Me stumbling up, taking off all my clothes but my underwear and my shoes and falling face down in bed.

And that was it.

Oh.

My.

God.

“I love it here!” my mother shrieked, the sound jerking my mind from my dismaying thoughts and my body into motion. “Steve, I want to move here.”

I heard male mumblings but I’d located Max’s shirt from last night on the floor and snatched it up. I shrugged it on, buttoning it at the same time I was running across the room and down the stairs.

I hit the bottom and saw Mom standing, looking out the window, her arms up and straight out at her sides as if she was calling to the Mountain Sun God to shine his blessing on her. Max was standing a few feet away from her smiling, wearing nothing but his pajama bottoms. Steve was standing as close to her side as he could get with her arms spread wide, also smiling. Steve’s smile was indulgent to Max’s entertained.

“God’s country!” Mom declared loudly.

“Mom, what on earth?” I asked, walking toward them and Mom whirled.

“Neenee Bean!” she screeched and rushed up to me, throwing her arms around me and giving me a fierce hug.

I forgot to be shocked by Mom’s surprise visit when I felt her arms around me. Mine went around her and I hugged her tight.

“This feels good,” I whispered into her hair.

“Oh yes, sweetie, the best,” Mom whispered back.

I felt her hands gather up my hair and she pulled away, holding my hair at the back.

“I like your hair this long,” she observed, her eyes doing a Mom Scan.

“Thanks, you look good,” I observed, my eyes doing a Daughter Scan, seeing Mom looked fit and healthy, her skin tan, her hair perfectly dyed the blonde she declared she’d never let go and pulled softly back in an attractive, mature-lady’s ponytail at her nape. Her turtleneck and slacks were trim, neat and fashionable.

All pure Mom.

“Swimming three times a week, gardening, golf and a good diet. And you have to moisturize, Neenee Bean, day and night. Don’t forget.”

“I don’t.”

“I know, sweetheart, your skin is flawless, always was. Though, Nina,” she admonished, her eyes narrowing on my face, “you shouldn’t go to bed with your makeup on. If I taught you nothing, I taught you that.”

“You wanna let the big, bad stepdad get a hug in or are you gonna keep her all to yourself?” Steve’s rumbly voice asked from close and I stepped back and looked up at him.

Steve was big and tall, had gone only slightly soft, not losing his lean physique or his broad shoulders. His hair was all gray and he didn’t care most likely because it was a thick, silvery gray and it suited him. Unlike Mom, who was dressed for lunch with the girls, Steve was wearing jeans, comfortable walking shoes and a flannel shirt. He’d been a maintenance engineer and before he retired he’d supervised a complex of eight buildings.

He was also a lovely man.

“Hi Steve,” I said and slid into his arms for one of his deep, tight, bear hugs.

“Good to see you, doll,” he said to the top of my head.

“You too, Steve.”

“Oh!” Mom cried and Steve let me go so we could turn to her but he kept an arm around my shoulders. When we faced Mom, we saw she was addressing Max. “We get to know each other I’ll get to hug you.”

It was then I remembered to be shocked by Mom’s surprise visit. And at that moment, I added horrified.

“Mom!” I snapped and Mom turned to me.

“I get to do it when he doesn’t have a shirt on too. I’m calling it now,” Mom declared.

“Speakin’ of that,” Max muttered, grinning broadly but heading to the stairs. “I’m gonna get dressed.” He looked at me when he passed and said, “Babe, can you start coffee?”

“Um… yes,” I replied.

His eyes dropped to my shirt and I caught them darkening before he turned his head away and went up the stairs.

“Nina, sweetie, this house, that view, that man. My God!” Mom cried.

“Nellie, darlin’, this place is open plan. Max can hear you,” Steve informed her.

“So? We’re all family now. He’ll have to get used to me,” Mom decreed madly and marched toward the kitchen. “I’ll make coffee, rustle up breakfast. Neenee Bean, you go wash your face and moisturize.”