“What’ve we got here?” She reached for the tray.
“Eggo waffles with maple syrup and butter, orange juice, bacon, and coffee. And a big kiss for a great mom.” Brandon leaned over and kissed her, giving her a hug before he pulled away.
“I love this service,” Jen said. “You can’t get the kiss and hug at the pancake house.”
“You probably could if you played your cards right.”
“Very funny. Now what’s this all about? You must want something.”
Ever since he was little, Brandon had always plied her with special favors and treats whenever he wanted a certain toy or privilege. When he was younger, he had drawn her pictures or picked her flowers. Once, when he was six, he had proudly given her a toad he’d found on the school grounds. Now that he was older, he generally prepared food or did housework to soften her up for whatever he wanted. She pitied the women he would know when he was a man. They wouldn’t have a chance against him. By that time, his charm would be perfected to a fine art.
“Mom.” He drew the word out to two syllables. “I just wanted to fix you breakfast in bed for a change.”
“And I certainly appreciate it.” She stuffed a slice of bacon in her mouth. “It’s delicious. Now, did you have anything you wanted to ask me?”
Brandon grinned, unable to hide any longer that he did indeed have something to ask her.
“Can I go with Matt and his mom and dad to the lake this weekend? They’re taking their boat, and it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Matt Phillips was Brandon’s best friend. His father and mother were both registered nurses. Matt was their only child, and they often invited Brandon to go with them to their lake cabin.
“Did Matt’s parents ask you, or did Matt?”
“Mrs. Phillips did. Is it okay?”
“I suppose so.” Jen knew that Brandon would be as safe with Jack and Carrie Phillips as he would be with her. They were conscientious people and never took chances on the water. “Is Carrie working today?”
“I think she’ll be home. Matt said she started vacation yesterday. They’re going to leave tomorrow after Mr. Phillips gets off work and come back Sunday afternoon.”
“I’ll call her when I get to work.” Jen took a sip of her coffee. “Or maybe I should hold off giving my permission till I see what you fix for dinner tonight.”
“Oh, Mom!” He managed two syllables again, and she chuckled. She thought for a moment.
“How would you like to have company for dinner?”
While tossing and turning overnight, she had decided to forgive Will his slip of the day before. After all, she wouldn’t want a man who wasn’t concerned for her well-being. As long as he didn’t go overboard with it, she thought she could overlook it.
Wait a sec, she thought. What do I mean, I wouldn’t want a man who wasn’t concerned? Who said I wanted a man, period!
She shook her head. It’s just one dinner, she thought, and he did say he wanted to meet my son.
“Sure,” Brandon said. “Who is it? Some new dude you’re dating?”
“I’m not dating this ‘dude,’ as you put it. I just met him a couple of days ago. His name is Will Anderson. He’s an FBI agent who’s been assigned to assist our department with these murders.”
“FBI? Wow, sure! Wait’ll I tell Matt!”
“Now I don’t want you to bug Will tonight. He’ll be our guest, and I expect you to be polite.”
“I’m not going to bug him.” She thought Brandon did a passable job of appearing indignant.
“Uh-huh. I know you. You’ll expect him to tell you about every case he’s ever been on. If you have your way, the poor man’s food will get cold while he tells you stories.”
“Okay, I promise. I won’t bug him till after he’s done eating.”
“Worm.”
She ruffled his hair, and he grinned.
“You must like him a lot, huh, Mom?”
“He’s okay.”
“Yeah, I bet he’s more than just okay. You never brought any guys home to meet me before. This FBI guy must really be something.”
Jen stared at her son in amazement. For thirteen, he was amazingly astute. What have I done here, she thought, created a monster?
“You’ve met guys I’ve dated,” she protested.
“Yeah, when they came here to pick you up. You never invited any guys here to eat with us.”
“I haven’t? I guess I never thought about it.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Isn’t it about time you left for school?” Jen scowled. “You’re going to make me late for work.”
Brandon giggled and kissed her again.
“Sure, Mom, whatever you say.”
He left the room, still giggling. Jen leaned back against the pillows, thinking over what he’d said. He was right. She’d never brought any male she’d dated home for dinner. She hadn’t even thought about it when she decided to invite Will; it had just seemed natural to bring him home to meet her son. Brandon had picked up on the significance of that fact before she had realized it herself.
She set the remains of the breakfast aside and got to her feet, sighing. She looked at her reflection in the dresser mirror across from the bed and grinned self-consciously.
“Your kid’s right, you know,” she said to her reflection. “You do like this FBI guy, don’t you?”
Still grinning, she headed for the shower, anxious now to see if Will had plans for the evening.
CHAPTER 21
Judging from the expression on Will’s face when she invited him to dinner, he was more than a little relieved that she wasn’t holding
