Page 47 of Love Expert

I should wear the pecs.

“Magnolia?” He wanders closer and clicks his fingers in front of my face. “Hello?”

“Hmm?”

His lips quirk up on one side. “Shirt? You said the green would make my eyes pop, but I sometimes get compliments on the white.” He shakes the pair in front of me. “White makes my tan more tan, and sometimes, in the right light, you can kinda see my ink through the fabric.

“Ink.”Am I a dopey puppy, too? “You have ink right there on your…” I swallow. And still, my throat remains desert dry. “Right there on your chest.”

“Yeah.” He inches closer and brings his eyes down to my level. “I do. Which shirt should I wear?”

“The, uh…” I have no thoughts. My thoughts have abandoned me. “The?—”

“I like the green, Dad.” Jeremy muscles his way between us and snatches the olive shirt from its hanger. “Looks good.” He tosses it at his father and spins to face me. “What kinda ingredients do we need for dinner? If you want, we can go downstairs together and get them out.”

“Go have a shower, buddy.” Billy sets his hand on Jeremy’s shoulder and moves him three full feet to the right. “Daily showers are important, and you wouldn’t make Maggie smell your stinky butt all night, right?” He flashes an uncharacteristic grin, one that shows teeth and maybe even puts a twinkle in his eyes. “He’s gonna go have a shower.”

“But Dad?—”

“Right now.” He pushes his son and reclaims the space we lost. His chest is just…right there! “Did you, uh…” His lips curl into a grin. “Have a good day?”

“Yeah, I?—”

“Dad!” Jeremy bangs his fist on the doorframe.

I startle and glance over my shoulder at the boy who has already stripped his top half bare.

“I need help to start the shower.” He grins much the same way his father does, but with fewer teeth, and a smudge around his lips that could either be chocolate… or dirt. “Or maybe Maggie could help?”

“I’ll do it.” Billy tosses the white shirt onto his bed and drags the olive shirt over his head. He grips Jeremy’s shoulder and marches him along the hall. “You’re being a punk,” he grumbles. “I know what you’re doing, boy. You’re not sneaky at all.”

My phone vibrates in my back pocket, followed by a single chiming ding.

Frowning, now that my brain is back and my stomach grumbles mercilessly, I take the device out and unlock the screen to find a text from Devina.

In my car and on the way. He’s still coming, right? Driving for an entire hour only to be stood up would be humiliating. Looking for a little encouragement…

Smiling, I wander to the edge of Billy’s bed and sit, then I tap out a response with the sound of two Caster boys bickering in the bathroom.

Maggie:

He’s still coming. I’m literally inside his house right now. He’s nervous, too, so don’t stress so much.

Devina:

He’s nervous?? Are you sure?

Maggie:

I’m definitely sure. He was deciding between two shirts when I arrived. He wants to impress you, so he wasn’t sure if he should wear green to emphasize his eyes, or white to show off his chest a little more.

I hit send and cough out a soft laugh.

Maggie:

He went with the green, so maybe you could mention his chest too… ya know, if you’re impressed by it. He’ll meet you at Picnic Point at seven, and he’s bringing an entire basket of delicious goodies. Be patient with him though, okay? He’s rusty as hell at this dating thing, and he’s a little rough around the edges.

“You are eight years old!” Billy snaps in the bathroom. “You don’t need to concern yourself with that stuff! You just need to do your homework and make it through another ten years without me or Ramone having to arrest you.”