MacKenzie Fire(38)

I hurry through conditioning my hair so I can be dressed and ready to go by the time he’s up. Maybe I can even get him to take me into town for lunch. Then we’ll see if he’s really dating that Banana Hannah girl. We can go right into the diner together and see how she reacts. That way, I’ll know everything I need to know before our big party at Boog’s.

I have to make sure he doesn’t try to get out of that little soiree. I’m really looking forward to meeting all these people who should have been in the waiting room while Sarah was being born. There’s something going on here in this town, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it. I don’t like the idea of my best friend being isolated without any friends to hang out with. A girl can go crazy without time to gab and gossip.

Luckily I do hair, so I get to do it on the job all day long. Being a lawyer makes that almost impossible for Andie. She breaks laws when she gabs. How lame is that, I’d like to know. Why she ever decided to be a lawyer is beyond me. She’s super smart and good at it, but damn, attorneys are no fun. She and I almost broke up over it. I’m so glad she met Mack and changed back to her old self.

I’m almost done drying my hair when there’s a knock at the door. I don’t have any makeup on, but that doesn’t stop me. I crack it open and smile, expecting to see Ian there insisting I let him use the facilities. I’m slightly disappointed when I find it’s Maeve, but try not to let it show in my expression.

“Morning, sweetie. Ready for some breakfast?” She smiles, moving her whole head of hair up a little in the process.

I smell toast and it makes my stomach growl. “Sure. In about ten minutes, is that okay?”

“Sure thing. Everything’s out on the table, just serve yourself.” She turns to leave.

I open the door more fully and put my whole head out. “Is Ian still sleeping?”

She hesitates at the top of the stairs. “Oh, no, he’s long gone.”

I can feel my face fall. “Long gone? As in how long? How gone?”

“He’s up for chores at four. I suppose he might be back for breakfast around eight, though.”

“Eight?” What in the hell am I going to do for two hours? “Okay. See you downstairs.” I start to go back into the bathroom, but Maeve’s voice stops me.

“You want me to take you somewhere?”

I stick my face out again. “Oh, no, that’s okay. I’ll catch up with Ian later. I have things I can do.” Like watch my nail polish dry or something equally stimulating.

“I can call him, if you like. If you need him for anything.”

My face goes a little red. Did I sound that desperate to see him? God, I can’t let his mother know I want to get in his pants. Ack! “No, no, don’t bother. I’m fine, really, I am. I just need to finish with my hair and I’ll be down.”

The sound of a loud bang comes from down at the bottom of the stairs and a rush of cold air follows. It glides over my skin, making me want to draw back into the bathroom where it’s still steamy.

“Hey, Ma?!” Ian’s shouting loud enough to be heard from one corner of the house to the other. He must be standing in the foyer. “That city girl up yet?”

The smile takes over my face before I have time to school my features, and Maeve catches it. She smiles too as she shouts back down the stairs. “Yes, she’s all bright eyed and bushy-tailed, as a matter of fact!”

“Good! Tell her to get her buns down here. I got something to show her.”

“I guess you’re getting a tour of some sort,” she says to me in a low tone before leaving to go down the stairs.

“I’ll be done in ten minutes!” I yell.

“You’ve got one!” Ian says back. “I’m not waitin’!”

I slam the door and drop the hair dryer on the floor in my rush to make myself presentable. The plastic end of it goes flying off and hits the wall, but I ignore it. If I had a nickel for every time that happened in my life I’d no longer have to go to work on Tuesdays. My hair goes up into a knot with an elastic holding it in place and my makeup is limited to mascara and eyeliner.

Boom. Done. Who says I’m high-maintenance?

Wrapped in my short, silk robe, I sprint on tiptoes from the bathroom to my bedroom and throw on pink thong underwear, matching lacy bra, jeans from yesterday, and a college sweatshirt that has seen much better days. Since I spent so much time on the ground yesterday, I figure I’d better be prepared for more of the same today, especially when Ian’s going to be my tour guide.

I wonder what it is he wants to show me. I hope it’s him naked. I’m totally ready to melt some snow. I’ll show him to give me sneak-attack orgasmic foot rubs. He has no idea who he’s messing with.

My new boots slide on with a whisper and I’m ready to go. I don’t know how serious he was about that one minute, but I don’t want to chance missing out on whatever this is. I grab my purse and throw it over my shoulder as I run out of the room.

Dashing down the stairs, I stop at the bottom, realizing as I look at the coat hooks next to me that my leather bomber is out in the bed of the truck and covered in amniotic fluid.

The front door opens and Ian sticks his head inside the house. “Well, come on, I don’t have all day.”

“I don’t have a jacket. Andie got her goo all over mine yesterday.”