“It really is,” Skylar said.
Amanda looked to her son, and Jinx gave her a single, deep nod.
“Okay.” Amanda’s tone said, This is out of my control. I’m just going along with these crazy people. “I’ll get it.”
“Great. Anything else?” the clerk asked.
“I’ve got a few more things.” Amanda gestured to the dressing room. “But I’d like to look at shoes and jewelry for the dress. My son’s taking me dancing tonight.”
The clerk smiled. “I’ve got just the pair of heels to go with it. You’re going to love them. Come on, let me show you.”
Skylar started off after them, but Jinx grabbed her wrist and hauled her back.
“We are big.” His intensity thrilled her. “But you can count on me. You can trust me, Skylar.”
As Jinx pulled into his mom’s condominium complex, she said, “She’s lovely.”
He glanced at her, unused to that soft voice. “Skylar?”
Her mom nodded, curiosity in her eyes. “Is there anything there? I mean, I know you’re seeing someone else, but the chemistry between the two of you is off the charts.”
“I broke up with Lori.”
“Oh, I didn’t know.”
“Yeah. Last night.”
“Because of Skylar?”
“Because I…” Because it’s big this thing, us. He couldn’t believe she felt it, too. He wouldn’t let his hopes get too high, though. He could’ve misunderstood. She could’ve meant something else entirely. “Yes, because of Skylar. I’ve been in love with her for two years. She never gave me the time of day.”
“Until now.”
“I don’t know, Mom.” He pulled into a parking spot right alongside his SUV.
After the boutique, they’d gone back to the hotel. Oddly, Skylar hadn’t come to the hair salon with them. Said she’d had a few errands to run. He’d given her the keys to his car and hadn’t heard from her since.
But she was back at his mom’s place, and he couldn’t wait to see her.
When he met his mom in front of her car, she stopped on the sidewalk and pressed her hand to his forearm. “I do. I see the way she looks at you—and it’s a mix of…honestly? She looks at you with awe. Like she can’t believe you’re real. But, also, there’s fear there. I don’t know her story—only that she’s a single mom—but I think you need to be careful with her. If you can do that, I think you two could have something special.”
“I don’t know what she wants.”
“Ask her. If you’ve learned anything from watching your parents, it’s that you have to listen to each other. Ask her what she wants and always, always find ways to compromise.”
He could hear how important it was to her, so he said, “I will.” But she didn’t know that he’d wait as long as necessary, and he’d give Skylar whatever she needed to feel safe with him. He wasn’t going anywhere.
They headed up the stairs to his mom’s unit. Before unlocking her door, he turned to her, taking in the stylish haircut, the warm chestnut color, and the professional make-up job. “You look great, Mom.” Sophisticated, elegant. “I didn’t bring Skylar here because I think you’re not beautiful enough. I don’t care how you dress or whether you blow dry your hair. I just want to see you living again. That’s all.”
“I know that, I do. And even though I resisted, I’m actually amazed at what a good haircut and some make-up can do for my attitude. I feel…” She grinned. “Pretty badass.”
He opened the door, and they both reared back at the strong scent of cinnamon and pine.
“What’s going on?” His mom pushed past him.
Skylar had transformed the place. A Douglas Fir took up one corner of the room, tinsel and ornaments glittering in the multi-colored string of lights. She hadn’t seen them enter, as she stuffed wrapped presents inside the stockings she’d rested on top of the squat entertainment center.
Her ass shook as she sang along with Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run.” When she leaned over to pick up another present, she cut a look to the doorway and jerked up. “Oh.” She shut off the music. “You scared the bejesus out of me.”
Late afternoon light spilled into the room, and everything looked so damn cheerful.
“What have you done?” His mom touched the garlands hanging off the curtain rod.
Skylar hugged the present to her chest. “Is this all right? I wanted to surprise you.”
“But Christmas is over.”
“Oh, if you’re worried about the cost, I got this tree from a man who was clearing out his lot. He gave it to me for free. And the ornaments are all from CVS. They were seventy-five percent off. But, I mean, you can store everything for next year.” Her gaze slid to his with a grimace that said, Did I mess up?
But his mom rushed over to her, throwing her arms around her. “Thank you, Skylar. This is wonderful. I would never have done this for myself, but I love it.”
Skylar hadn’t known Amanda long, but the haircut and color, the new clothes, shoes, and jewelry had definitely lifted her spirits. And the way she grinned while her dance partner spun and whirled her on the parquet floor—well, she looked radiant.
Jinx watched his mom with a foul expression. “What’s up with that guy?” He turned back to Skylar.
“What do you mean? They’re having fun.”
“Why’s he so into her?”
“Um, because she’s beautiful and they have a lot in common.” He was being protective, and it was adorable. “They’re a good match.”
The moment Amanda had entered the club, with its black banquettes and gaudy chandeliers, the walls covered with signed photos of the rat pack, she’d lit up. A fifties-style band played “Come Fly with Me,” and she danced with the owner of the car racing facility. He was the one who’d told Skylar about this place, had thought Amanda might like it.
He was right.
“If he thinks my mom’s just some hookup—”
She rested her hand on his arm. “No, he doesn’t. He’s fifty-nine-years-old. His wife of thirty years died five years ago, and it took him a long time to even think about dating. The past year he’s been going out because his kids are worried about him.”
“You got all this while I went to the bathroom?”
She smiled. “No, it took longer than that. But you were too busy watching your mom smoke all the other drivers on the track.” She tipped her chin to the dance floor. “Look at her.”
Gavin swirled Amanda around the dance floor. He dipped her, and her leg kicked out. She laughed as she settled back in his arms, her new haircut letting her hair swing right back into place.
Jinx watched in disbelief. “I’ve never seen her like this.”
“I think she’s going to be okay. Even if she never sees Gavin again, she’s had this night—this whole day—to open her eyes to a world of possibilities.”
“She thanked me.” He seemed a little choked up. He reached for his gin and tonic but didn’t drink. “She said when she first moved here, she went out to dinner a couple times and saw a few of the sights, but nothing really interested her. The clubs with loud music and flashy clothes, the restaurants, the casinos…it wasn’t her scene. But today, you opened up a whole new world for her.” He reached for her hand. “She’s going to call that company about being a test driver.” Emotion gripped his features. “I’ve wanted her out of the ER for years. On one level, she’s trying to keep people who’ve been in terrible accidents alive, since she couldn’t be there for her husband and son. But, on another, she’s reliving it every single day. I’ve wanted her to move on, to see a whole new canvas, for so damn long.”