Page 60 of The Do-Over

So, I did. He was solid, lean but muscly and warm under his t-shirt. All those hours doing construction-y things in the hot Texas sun, getting all hot and sweaty…

“Nice,” I said, much too loud, and snatched my hand away.

“Strong genes, this one. Strong genes make good babies,” Mimi said.

I choked on the sip of soda. Good God. Before she had us married with two kids and a dog, I waved Bria over. “I want you to meet someone.”

“I do like your hair,” Mimi said, eyeing Bria with interest. “You think I could do something like that?”

My mother ignored her and shook Bria’s hand. I imagined her taking a tally of Bria’s tattoos and piercings, the way her t-shirt was a size too small and her shorts a hair too short. “It’s nice to meet you. How do you know Persephone?”

“Persephone?” Nate whispered with a chuckle. “Where did that come from?”

“Never mind,” I muttered, eyes on the scene in front of me.

“Through Hope House,” Bria said.

Mom’s head tilted to the side. “Now, what is Hope House exactly?”

“They help us integrate back into society.”

“Where were you before?”

With an exaggerated sigh, Bria cocked a hip. “Prison. Didn’t Persephone tell you any of this?”

Only those who knew the signs would have noticed the way my mother’s eyes narrowed just so, the way her hand curled around the edge of the table, the way the corners of her mouth tightened. “No, she did not.”

Joel Allen slid a pizza on the table. “One more coming and drinks, too.”

“You look familiar,” Bria said, squinting at him. I bit back a smile. She knew exactly who he was. I’d told her all about my family.

Beaming, Joel Allen preened under the attention. “You might have seen me—”

“You that guy who wears the pizza outfit and waves at people on the street?”

Joel Allen’s smile deflated, and he sputtered around for his words. “No, I’m the anchor for KKRE.”

At my side, Nate snorted.

“Bria, why don’t you stay, have a bite?” my mother offered, ever polite.

“Nah, that’s okay. I have to get back to our game. Nice to meet you all.” She backed away from the table, catching my eye with a smirk.

Mathias, Olivia, and Lilah wandered back in time to eat with us. We divvied up the pizza. Mom passed.

“Three hundred calories a slice,” she said, and sent a knowing look in my direction.

“Good point, Roberta,” Joel Allen said, aiming a look of his own at my sister.

“I’ll take two pieces,” I said, holding up my plate, doing my best to ignore my mother’s frown.

With a smile, Nate obliged me. “Let me know if you need more when you finish those.”

See? Top-quality fake boyfriend material. And he hadn’t left my side once. Along with keeping up our charade, it made it impossible for my mother to get him, or me, alone. I needed to be careful. I could get used to this.

“Well, I’m going to see if this establishment has anything resembling a salad.” Mom stood and drifted off to the concession stand.

“Since you’re all here and Mom already knows, I can tell you the good news,” Phee said, pushing her uneaten pizza aside. “Guess who’s in the running to get a permanent anchor position?”