Page 66 of Miss Fortune

“Yes, please.”

He hopped out of bed, putting on his athletic shorts and nothing else. Damn, I’d never tire looking at the man.

I heard him answer the buzz, stretching in bed and waiting for him to tell whoever it was we weren’t interested in buying. But a familiar voice had me sitting up quickly.

“Mom?” No. No way. My parents didn’t travel. And they most certainly wouldn’t come all the way from Iowa to LA to surprise me.

But Caleb was in my doorframe within seconds. “Your mom and dad are here.”

“Shit.” I was naked and dreaming of an amazing breakfast after amazing sex with Caleb. Not at all equipped to deal with my mother and father. “You didn’t buzz them in, did you?”

He was already hunting for his shirt. “Because leaving them outside your building was the proper thing to do?”

No. Of course it wasn’t. I had my underwear and bra on when the knock came on my front door. “Is it too late to pretend we’re not here?” I whispered.

He chuckled. “Afraid so. I thought you were supposed to be all about change of plans.”

I shook my head, slipping on my pj bottoms with the purple puppies on them and a T-shirt. “Surprises are great unless they include the parents.” The best I could do with my hair was to throw it into a ponytail. I was freaking out. But weirdly, Caleb wasn’t.

“I can say you were, uh, stopping by.”

He quirked a brow. “Stopping by for what, exactly, on a Sunday at eight in the morning?”

“I have no clue. How do you feel about pretending you’re the handyman?”

His smirk was adorable but annoying. “Mildly insulted given how much more creative you could be with the type of service I provide. I answered your intercom, Daisy. I think we’re past the pretense of me just happening to be here. Are you concerned about them judging you for having a man stay the night?”

“No, of course not—I’m a grown woman. But I don’t want you trapped into what I’m sure will be a pile of assumptions and have you freak out as a result.”

Again with the brow. “I’m not freaking out.”

No. He wasn’t. He was calm. “Why not? Isn’t meeting my parents way out of your comfort zone?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Pretending with parents comes natural to me. And the way you’re freaking out makes me curious to meet them now.”

The knock persisted. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t give you a chance to escape.”

He leaned in for a quick kiss. “How bad can it be?”

Famous last words.

I stopped in front of my front door to take a large breath before opening it, hoping my expression said “what a surprise” instead of “what the hell.” “Hi, Mom, Dad. What are you doing here?” I put on my best fake smile.

As I’d expected, my mom scrutinized me from head to toe before bouncing her gaze over to Caleb. “We wanted to come and see you. Imagine our surprise when your intercom was answered by a strange man. Can we come in? Or did you lose your manners here in California?”

It wasn’t the state of California which had me tempted to slam the door and tell her to go away so I could go back to this morning’s original activity. “Come on in. Mom, Dad, this is my friend Caleb. Caleb, these are my parents, Gina and Warren.”

My mom was already walking around my living room, scrutinizing my space and judging. I imagine some of it was nostalgic since it had come from my grandmother’s house. She suddenly turned toward Caleb. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“You as well. How was your flight in?”

“Long. We meant to come by last night, but our flight was delayed, and we didn’t get to the hotel until after midnight.”

Thank goodness they hadn’t showed up last night considering we’d been hot and heavy until the early morning hours.

“We had thought we’d take you to breakfast this morning, buttercup.” My dad used my childhood nickname. “Know of any good places to eat?”

“You’ll need to put on some real clothes,” my mother sniffed. “And if you wish to invite your friend, you can.”