Page 86 of Tricked in October
The high from her night spent with him would have to take her throughout the day. She had to go meet her mama at Sweet Cakes, and the encounter had her feeling stressed out.
Her mama had sent her a text that morning asking her to stop by the bakery to discuss something urgent. Kelsey had to bribe the kids with treats at the bakery to get them to hustle.
They paraded into Sweet Cakes, dressed and teeth and hair brushed, but looking not too happy. There had been at least two feuds on the drive over, and Kelsey’s house was only a few minutes from the bakery. She didn’t have the patience for it and part of her was a bit thrilled they were extra ornery today since she’d be dropping them off with the O’Henrys soon.
But the thrill was short lived when she saw her mama’s expression and instantly apprehension stirred in her gut.
“I want a cookie,” June whined.
“No, cake. A cake pop,” Zach demanded.
Charlotte fussed and wiggled to break free from Kelsey’s arms.
“How about June gets a cookie and Zach gets a cake pop? Everyone wins.”
“Yes!” June jumped.
“Tell your gran what you want and I’ll put Charlotte in a high chair at the big table in the corner that faces the tv.”
Her mama winked at Kelsey before tending to the children. “Hi, loves, you come in the back with Gran and pick out what you want.”
Kelsey fastened Charlotte into a highchair while the baby resisted, working up a fit that would be a doozy. Quickly, Kelsey flipped the tv on and the noise and moving images on the screen was enough to distract Charlotte long enough for Kelsey to set an applesauce pouch in front of her. Hopefully it would buy her some time before her mama came to the rescue with cookies.
Kelsey checked her phone in her rare spare moment of downtime. She found a few new texts from Isabella and Davis. A tingle zipped through her as a memory from that morning flickered through her mind.
Hard pecs, solid biceps, and firm abs. Tempting and so close, like a front row seat to a concert. Except they were close enough to touch.
“All right, here we are,” Mama said in singsong with Kelsey’s two littles following behind her like they were baby ducklings.
Her mama set a plate of mini cookies in the center of the table. Both Zach and June had a cake pop in their hands. It would appear that not only were the kids going to the O’Henrys a bit fussy, they were also going sugared up. The only thing working in their favor, the kids would most likely crash in about two hours and take a good nap for them.
“You three enjoy your treats and behave while your mama and Gran have a chat,” Kelsey said as she backed away from the table hesitantly.
She and her mama slipped behind the display case where her mama leaned a hip into the counter.
“So? What is it?” Kelsey hopped onto the counter.
Her mama chewed on her lip, tugging the sleeves of her sweater over her fingers and fidgeting with it.
“Mama? You better spill it right now before I start thinkin’ the worst.”
“There’s two things.”
Kelsey exhaled. Okay, two things. Maybe if they were two small things, that would be okay. If they were two big things, someone better be ready to scrape her demise off the floor and put her back together because honestly, she didn’t think she was strong enough to overcome anything else.
“Okay maybe it’s more like three things,” her mama admitted.
“Mama!”
“I don’t think it’s a big secret that Howard…err…Mr. Hoffman and I have been spending a lot of time together lately. And…well…the two of us have decided to make a real go at this.”
Shock overtook Kelsey’s body. Overtook her ability to form words. Howard Hoffman and her mama were dating? Since when? She’d been aware that he’d been helping her lately. He had come to her rescue more than once over the past month. But the thought of the two of them dating had her feeling uneasy.
“C’mon, love bug, say something,” her mama coaxed.
Kelsey’s eyes burned. “I don’t know what to say.”
“For starters, you could say you’re happy for me. I haven’t felt this way about a man in, well, maybe never.”
