Mel set the pan down on the stove. “In the guest room, Ipromise.”
She nodded slowly. “Okay.”
“I hope you don’t mind.” Mel gave her best innocent puppy face.“I was texting with Daniella and she mentioned you were out and asked if Iwanted to do movie night like old times.”
“Oh.” She’d never begrudge Mel and the kids a night of hangingout. And, honestly, she didn’t mind that it was at her house. But it meant Melknew she’d spent the night elsewhere. Her kids were one thing, but shecertainly didn’t owe her ex an explanation.
“How was the date?” Mel asked.
Fuck. There went that. “It was good, thanks.”
She expected a jab or maybe a suggestive look, but Mel offeredneither. “Coffee?”
“Sure.” She’d had a cup with Quinn, but perhaps another shot ofcaffeine would make this whole situation a little less bizarro.
“I got it.” Cal hopped down from his stool and went to the coffeepot.
Mel opened the packets of frosting and started squeezing themover the rolls. “None of us had anywhere to be first thing, so I popped out forbreakfast. They’re nothing compared to yours, of course, but us mere mortalshave to make do the best we can.”
Cal handed her the coffee. “I said we could do cereal, but M saidwe should at least aim for the middle.”
“Good life lesson, right?” Mel bumped her hip lightly to Amanda’sas she passed with the pan of now-frosted rolls.
Amanda chuckled in spite of herself. “In some instances.”
“Will you join us?” Mel asked.
“Yeah, Mom. Join us.” Daniella, who’d been mostly quiet, got upfrom the island. “We can sit at the table even.”
Part of her wanted to start laundry and do yoga so she coulddrive out to the bakery before lunch. It was such a small ask, though. And itmight help things with Mel get back on an even keel. She didn’t want hardfeelings, but even more, she didn’t want Cal and Daniella to pick up on anyweird energy between them.
She agreed and moved to grab plates, but Mel waved her away.Daniella got napkins and Cal snagged utensils from the drawer. In under a minute,they sat around the table with coffee and breakfast and she’d not lifted afinger. That might be as strange as all of them having breakfast together inthe first place.
“They really aren’t as good as yours.” Mel licked her fingers andoffered Amanda a wink.
“They’re not bad, though,” Cal said.
Daniella rolled her eyes. “That’s because you’d eat anything.”
“True.” Cal nodded affably. He turned to Amanda. “How was lastnight? We were all talking about how crazy it was for you to stay oversomewhere.”
There was a thump under the table and Cal let out an “ow.” Amandalifted an eyebrow at Daniella, who’d clearly been the instigator. “It was nice.And I’m going to leave it at that.”
Daniella let out an exasperated sigh, but Cal grinned. “You knowthis means you’re not going to be able to say, ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’tdo’ anymore when it comes to girls.”
Despite sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by her kids andher ex-wife, her mind flashed to the night before. She’d seen a different sideof Quinn and the truth of the matter was, the more she saw, the more she liked.“How about, when you’re my age, you can do whatever you want.”
Cal laughed, but Daniella scowled. The latter gave her pause.Daniella had seemed okay with, if not keen on, the idea of her dating. Butsomething had changed. She didn’t know if it had to do with Quinn specifically,but she clearly wasn’t happy. Amanda filed the detail away. No way in hell wasshe having that conversation in front of Mel.
Before they finished eating, Cal put in a request for realcinnamon rolls before he left for college. Daniella concurred and invited Melto join them. Mel offered a playful shrug and, when Amanda didn’t protest,accepted. The whole thing gave Amanda a sense of unease. Less the invitation itselfand more because Daniella seemed so pleased by it. She’d have to do somedigging the next time they were one-on-one.
But today was not that day. With breakfast done and everyonesufficiently amped up on sugar and caffeine, the day ahead took on a new levelof urgency. Despite her reflexive tendency to join the bustle, if not directit, she remained seated. Dishes were loaded into the dishwasher, the last ofthe coffee found its way into travel mugs, and everyone scattered to work orshower or whatever else beckoned.
Once she was alone, she contemplated the laundry and the yoga andall the other chores she generally busied herself with. But still, she didn’tget up. Instead, she sipped her coffee and shut off the worry about Daniella’sweird behavior and Mel standing at the oven in her pajamas and how she probablyneeded to do something about both those things. And she thought about Quinn andthe way Quinn made love to her and how soon they might be able to do it again.
* * *
“Second date, huh?” Kiera gave Quinn a look of suspicion over therim of her coffee cup.
“There’s no reason to sound so surprised.” Aside from the factshe’d only managed a couple of second dates after a couple dozen fix-ups. Zerothird dates. And not a single hookup to speak of.
Kiera smacked her lips together, clearly dismissing theassertion. “So, what, ten more and maybe you’ll think about sleeping together?”
She pressed her own lips together, but silently. Her way ofsaying nothing and everything at the same time.
“You didn’t.”
She angled her head.
“Oh, my God. You did.”
She sipped her coffee, enjoying the emotions play so clearlyacross her sister’s face. “Again, there’s no reason to sound so surprised.”
Kiera folded her arms and leaned forward on the table. “I beg todiffer.”
“Okay. I’ll give you that one.” As much as she didn’t relishdiscussing her sex life with her sisters, they knew she’d been celibate for thelast two years. Kiera harassed her about it, Alana respected it, but both ofthem had started to worry about it.
“Tell me everything.”
“I will not.”
Kiera frowned. “Come on. Not the X-rated version or anything, butsomething. Even Alana
