Page 38 of A Shared Mind

Mama laughed. “How about a good, old-fashioned meatloaf? I was just about to go to the store myself. You need anything?”

One thing for sure, I couldn’t ask Mama to pick up some condoms for me. The thought of it made my skin crawl.

“No, uh, I’ll stop in town before we get home. We’ll come over once we’re settled.” That was the best way to handle it.

“Oh, then if you’re stopping anyway, can I send you my grocery list? I’m in the middle of starting a new project, and I’m waiting for a delivery of clay. This way, I won’t have to go to town.”

I chuckled. Mama did her damnedest to stay away from the rumor grapevine in town because, as she always said, “I have no earthly desire to become the object of it.” I couldn’t blame her. In the least. Some folks in Sterling City were just plain mean.

“Yeah. Send it to me and don’t get pissy if I pick something you wouldn’t ordinarily buy. Love you.”

Mama cackled loudly before the call ended.

I put the phone in the pocket of my jeans, gathered all my clothes, and loaded them into my garment bag. After I checked the bathroom and all the drawers again, I went down to the lobby and checked out.

Twenty minutes later, I double-parked on Justin’s street and sent a text that I was downstairs. Justin hurried down the front steps with a suitcase in hand, which I hurriedly took from him and put behind the seat with my garment bag.

“Ready?” I opened the passenger door and he hopped inside, buckling his seatbelt before I shut the door.

I walked around and got in, staring at him. “You okay?”

“A l-little n-nervous.” He quickly scrubbed his hands on his denim-covered thighs, staring out the front windshield.

That would never do. “Come here.” I leaned closer to kiss his sweet mouth.

At first, he was stiff, then he finally kissed me back, which was exactly what I wanted. He needed something else to think about besides having him meet my mother.

He placed his hands on my cheeks and kissed me with fervor. His tongue tasted like something tart. Cherry?

We pulled back and I brushed his bangs off his head. “Better. What did you eat?”

There was a cute giggle he emitted that was surprising. “The last piece of chocolate-covered cherry candy. They’re my weakness. My mother used to eat them all the time, and I used to sneak them when she wasn’t looking, though I think she knew. She hid them in one of the cabinets that I could reach instead of higher ones. Do you like them?”

I fastened my seatbelt and shifted into gear, slowly driving down his street toward the highway. “I like chocolate, and I love cherries. It’s that sugary syrup on the inside that I’m not partial to.”

Justin turned in his seat wearing a bright grin. “Oh, then you’d love these. No syrup. They’re just chocolate covered dried cherries. It was the last one in the box, so I’ll order more if you want to try them.”

The idea of the two of us making any kind of plans for the future—even if it was just sharing a box of candy—appealed to me very much after what had happened in my past. “Can’t wait. So, we have to stop at the grocery store for Mama. She’s going to—”

Just then, my phone beeped, so I grabbed it from the pocket of my jeans and slid it into the cupholder. When it automatically connected to the truck’s Bluetooth, I glanced at the dashboard to see a text from Mama. “And, right on time is Miss Pansy’s grocery list. Can you open it? My code is a really hard one. One-two-three-four.”

Justin picked up the device and punched in the numbers I’d announced, smiling as he turned the screen toward me. “That’s not very safe, you know. Experts say you should have a unique, random password.” His smirk was beautiful.

“Yes, I’m well aware of the advice, but I forget random passwords, so one-two-three-four is something I can remember. I got tired of being locked out of my phone.”

Justin giggled again. “Should I open the text?”

“Please. Let’s see what we’re in for.”

“Okay. Uh, this is a quote, ‘Son, don’t be cheap. Buy the brands I list, not the generic versions. Thank you. Love you.’ Whoa, this is a very detailed list.”

Justin then went on to read the list to me—brand, size, and product—in that sexy voice I’ve liked since I met him. My dick started to swell the longer he spoke.

“Do you know what meatloaf mix is?” Justin grinned.

I chuckled. “That would be a veal, pork and beef mix that the head butcher at the Sterling City Shop and Go mixes especially for Mama.”

“Ah. Chef’s secret. That’s cool. So, what will your mother think of me? Does she know anything about my alleged demonic possession?”