“Spider remember.” He got up and walked toward her, stretching along the way. “Grandmama brush Spider?”
Jayne laughed. “Maybe later, baby. We don’t have time right now.”
My mom scratched his head. “I promise to brush you tomorrow, okay?”
He leaned into her hand, sleepy-eyed once again. “Kay. Tomorrow. Treats now?”
Jayne rolled her eyes. “I’ll give you and Sugar treats before we leave tonight.”
“Speaking of,” I said, “I should pull the bus around by the guest house or dad’s going to have a hard time getting any cars out of the garage.”
“Go ahead,” my mom said. “Unless you need us to sit down and buckle up?”
“No, you’re fine. Just didn’t want to start driving if you weren’t expecting it.” I went up to the driver’s seat and moved the coach back to the guest house.
By the time I returned to the bedroom, my mom was holding Spider like a baby and he was purring his head off. Sugar was still asleep or pretending to be. Jayne was looking through her clothes, trying to decide what she was going to wear this evening.
At least Spider hadn’t made any comments about the way my mom looked. Or if he had, I hadn’t heard them. Or she hadn’t minded.
My mom could be a little self-conscious about her looks. I knew she took great care of herself and spent a fortune on skin care, but there was only so much moisturizer could do for zombie skin. Although she was religious about her routine. It even included an extensive vitamin regime meant to supply her system with everything it needed to keep her in the best shape possible, inside and out.
She’d been nervous about meeting Jayne for the first time because of being a zombie. Thankfully, Jayne had been incredible about it, and I believed she’d genuinely come to love my mom. Easy to do, because my mom was awesome, but of course, I was biased.
“I hate to break up the snuggle party,” I said. “But we should get moving.”
“I know,” my mom said as she gazed down at Spider. He swatted at a strand of her hair. “But look at this sweet baby. He’s adorable. Aren’t, you cute thing?”
Spider looked at me. “Spider cute.”
“And he knows it,” Jayne said.
A knock on the bus door put both cats into alert mode.
“Sin?” my dad called out. “Car’s out front for you. Keys are in it.”
“Hang on. I’m coming,” I called back.
“I’m right behind you,” my mom said. “I’ll be back, Spider. You be a good boy while your parents are out tonight.”
“Spider always good, Grandmama.”
She grinned, then waved to Jayne. “See you later.”
“I can’t wait,” Jayne said. “It’s going to be a great show, I just know it.”
“Fingers crossed,” my mom said.
With my mom following me, I headed for the RV’s door. “Thanks for letting us use one of your cars, Dad. That’s very generous.” I wasn’t sure he’d ever let me borrow one before. Not one of the sports cars anyway.
He smiled. “Anything for my daughter-in-law.”
I snorted. “That seems about right.” My mom kissed my cheek as she slipped past. “We’ll see you later at the show. Maybe not until after, but we’ll be there.”
“And then for dinner,” my mom reminded me.
I nodded. “It’s a plan.” Then just for good luck, I added, “Break a leg.”
Chapter Ten
Jayne
Vegas felt like my kind of town. Just thinking that made me feel a little traitorous. The North Pole was definitely home and always would be, but the glitz and glamour of Vegas was undeniably fun.
Something about the place charged me up. Maybe it was that whole “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” bit. Royals didn’t ever really get that option. No matter where they were. Even in the palace.
Normally for an official store visit, I would have worn something appropriate for that kind of royal duty. A navy pantsuit with a silk blouse or an outfit similar.
But this was Las Vegas, and we were going to see Dead Sexy right after the store visit, and I was feeling, well, a little wild. Also, Sin and I were basically having a second honeymoon, and that kind of energy made me want to wear something more flattering than a standard navy pantsuit.
I mean, there was a navy pantsuit on my side of the RV’s wardrobe, but I was not putting it on. Not just yet. It was too early in our relationship for my husband to forget I could be hot. Not that he had. But there would be other places that suit would get worn.
Vegas was not it.
That was why I was currently in black satin cigarette pants and an iridescent blue sequined spaghetti-strap tank top that nearly matched the color of my hair. I’d paired the outfit with strappy black heels, and the look was on point. Super sexy and very Vegas.
For the actual store visit, I was going to add the matching black satin suit jacket, which definitely made the outfit appropriate for the royal duty part of the evening. At least for Vegas. If this was Boise, the employees would probably look at me like I’d OD’ed on my aunt Martha’s eggnog fudge if I showed up in this.
But in this town, I had a feeling no one would bat an eye.
Sin had given the outfit a second look, however, and that made me feel like I’d accomplished what I’d set out to do. He was still looking, but the fact that he was behind the wheel of his dad’s really expensive sports car was starting to make me think I should have already put the jacket on.
I pointed at the windshield. “Sin, honey, eyes on the road. If you wreck this car, your dad will kill us.”
“No, he won’t. He’ll kill me. He won’t say a word to you.”
“Okay, great, but that’s not going to make me feel better.”
He sighed. “I’m watching the road. But it’s hard to do when my wife looks like a supermodel.”
I grinned. “You don’t look bad yourself. Kind of like the supermodel’s sexy European boyfriend.”
His brow wrinkled in amusement. “European?”
“Well, you’re doing that whole dark suit, white shirt, no tie thing. Always looks European to me.”
“I did bring a tie for the store. That one with the House of Frost crest. And I’m wearing my lapel pin and my fancy fake watch.”
I frowned. “What fancy fake watch?”
“The one Davide put in the jewelry case. Wasn’t I supposed to wear that?”
I snorted. “Yes, you were, but that watch isn’t a fake.”
“What?” He sat up straighter. “All of your royal jewelry is fake.”
“It is, but you can’t really fake a Patek Philippe with that many diamonds on it and still have people think it’s real.”
His gaze darted from the road to his wrist, then back again. “Are you kidding me? How much is this thing worth?”
I thought about that for a moment. “I’d say…about as much as this car?”
He seemed to be gripping the steering wheel a little tighter suddenly, which I liked, but the look on his face told me it wasn’t from some urgent need to drive more safely. “You have to be kidding.”