One corner of her full mouth twitched. “So no hug?”
Her words were so unexpected, he couldn’t process them. When he did, he started laughing. She joined in, the sound bright and clear. God, she was incredible. Later, when he was alone, he would think about the fact that she’d said “clit” in front of him. He would do a lot more than think about it, but that was for another time.
“Not a lot of hugging in the army,” he told her.
“Probably for the best. There could be some misunderstandings.” She stretched out her long legs. “You’re not wrong. I do have six years to figure it out. I just wish I’d figured out the problem four years ago.”
“You can only go forward. What’s your goal? And none of that ‘I want to be happy and save baby seals’ crap. Realistically, where do you see yourself?”
Her eyes widened. “I really was going to join Greenpeace.”
He grinned at her. “Sure you were.”
“Okay, not that, although I support their cause.” The smile faded. “At some point, I hope not for years, Lillian will leave us, and then I have the contents of the house to deal with.”
“And the cats. We need to all be clear on that. Cats equal you.”
She laughed again. “Oh, Mason, I’d thought Charles II was winning you over.”
“Him, I like. It’s the other fourteen I’m less sure about.”
“Fine. I get the contents and the cats. At that point, I have more than enough inventory to open an antique store.”
“Back in Florida?”
“I don’t know. It’s where I live.”
He wanted to point out she could live here, but didn’t know how that would sound to her. Besides, it wasn’t as if anything was going to happen between them, so why did he care where she lived?
“In the meantime, because I want Lillian to live forever, I’m coming up with my plan. Right now it involves getting some business experience and working more hours. While I’m here, I’m going to do a preliminary inventory of the house. Just broad strokes. A real inventory would take a year. Is that good enough for you, Soldier?”
“It’s a start.”
“A start is more than I had yesterday.”
* * *
Harlow told herself not to read too much into Kip’s decision to pick up his mom and bring her to the club, leaving Harlow to arrive on her own. She told herself the move made sense—Judy had never been to the club and was uncomfortable about finding her way. It was the kind thing to do and spoke well of Kip as a person. Harlow had read somewhere that a woman should pay attention to how a guy treated his mother because it was an indication of how he would treat his wife later in life.
Which sounded great, but left Harlow arriving alone. She was still dealing with the knowledge that her father had cheated on her mother, the fight with her mom, and now having her future mother-in-law inflict her opinion on a possible wedding venue. She’d felt unable to say Judy couldn’t tag along, but suddenly wished her own mom was there as well.
Harlow opened the large door and walked into the air-conditioned comfort. In deference to their appointment, she’d put on a light blue summer dress and high-heeled sandals. She’d spent the morning of her day off running errands and doing laundry. After she was done here, she was hoping to talk Enid into hanging out for bit—assuming she could catch her friend between her two jobs.
Harlow sat on a bench by the entrance and texted Kip that she was here. The reply came immediately.
It’s Judy. We’re nearly there. The golf course is so beautiful.
Harlow knew that Kip couldn’t text and drive, but giving his phone to his mother? It was one thing to hand it to Harlow, but his mom?
She held in a shudder, then slipped her phone back in her bag. Five minutes later, Kip and his mom walked in and walked toward her.
“Rusti’s meeting us at two,” Harlow said. She turned to her future mother-in-law. “Hi, Judy. Thanks for joining us.”
She did her best to keep her tone friendly. She’d agreed Judy could come, so she couldn’t be upset that the other woman was here. As for her mother not being with them, well, apparently she was still in California, not bothering to communicate with her only daughter.
Judy, about five-three and overweight, looked around. “This place is really nice, Harlow. It’s a private club?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You pay a membership fee?”
“Yes. Monthly, and there’s probably an initiation fee. I’m not sure. I’m on my dad’s membership.”
Judy’s lips pressed together. “But you still have to pay for everything you do, like tennis or golf or eating here.”
Kip smiled at his mom. “It’s a country club, Mom. That’s how it happens.”
“But why do you pay a membership fee and then pay for everything else? What’s the point of that? Why not golf on a public course and eat in a restaurant? It would cost less.”
“It’s exclusive,” Harlow said with a smile. “Here you can make reservations for tee times and spa treatments.”
“But you’re still paying double.”
“Mom!” Kip looked at her. “Maybe less questions?”
“All right. I just don’t understand the whole point of clubs like this.”
Kip shot Harlow a frustrated look. She smiled back when what she was thinking was, You wanted to bring her. Once again she thought that her mom would have smoothed things over with Judy or distracted her.
Rusti appeared right on time. She was a petite redhead with the personality of a born people pleaser.
“I’m so excited you’re considering having your wedding here,” she said in her Southern drawl. She shook hands with Kip and Judy. “I’ve known Harlow forever. We played tennis together when we were little. My parents are members, and my grandparents.” Rusti laughed. “It’s a family thing.”
She smiled at Harlow. “Come on, Miss Bride. Let’s go look at the facilities. On the way you can tell me how far along you are in your planning.”
“I’m just starting.”
Rusti gave her a knowing look. “Oh, no. Overwhelmed by options?”
“A little.”
“Once you make a few choices, everything gets more manageable. The venue informs the date and the number of guests. The wedding dress is a big one. The rest is easy. If you have your wedding here, you can choose as much help as you want. I’ve had brides I see once six months out and then not again until the day before the ceremony. Other brides like to pitch a little tent in my office and live there.” Rusti laughed. “What makes you happy makes me happy.”