Luann McLane - Moonlight Kiss

“Only until five tonight. My hours will get longer when business picks up.”

“Well, then, let’s do appetizers and then go out to dinner,” her mother suggested. “Don’t you agree, Paul?”

He nodded. “I’ll call Mitch and see if he and Nicolina can join us. I’m sure Mia will want to come too.”

“Sounds good!” Addison said. “I’m beyond excited to see you both.” She walked them to the door and did another happy dance, but then paused. Should she invite Reid? Would asking him to meet her parents be too forward? And what would her parents think about her already seeing someone new?

Addison walked over and sat down in the big chair where Reid had massaged her feet. She couldn’t walk past it without thinking of him.

“Hey there, Addie. Why are you looking so glum?”

Addison looked up to see Mia walking toward her. “Do I look sad?”

Mia sat down on the ottoman. “Well, more like pensive. Dad just called and said that your parents are in town.”

“You just missed them.”

“Well, then, why the sad puppy-dog face? Aren’t you glad to see them?”

“Yes, I’m super-pumped! Mom always did like surprises. What brings you here?”

“Oh, I have someone interested in a wedding. I could have called but I wanted to get out of the office for a little bit. After losing in extra innings last night both Noah and Ty were grumpy.”

“ I still haven’t used the tickets that Reid and I won. I’ve been meaning to do that.”

Mia reached inside her purse. “Here’s a schedule.”

“Hey, bring me a stack and I’ll put them on the front counter.”

“Super idea. I’ll do that. Speaking of cutie-pie Reid, how are things going? Does your pensive mood have anything to do with him?”

Addison shifted in the seat and nodded slowly. “I can’t make up my mind whether to invite him to appetizers and dinner tonight.”

“Why? Because you think it will freak Reid out?”

Addison played with the fringe on a throw pillow. “Yes, maybe, and my mom and dad might think I’ve gone off my rocker, already seeing someone.”

Mia reached over and gave Addison a shove. “Would you just listen to yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

“Let me ask you something. Do you want Reid there tonight?”

Addison nodded. “Yes,” she answered softly.

“Then don’t worry whether Reid will get freaked-out. If he does then you know where you stand with him right now. Knowing is so much better than wondering. And as for your parents? You need to remember to please yourself, not everyone else.”

“I know . . . I know. Habits are hard to break, Mia.” She put her fingertips to her temples. “This is why I should have taken a break from guys, like I told myself.”

“Life just doesn’t work that way. Look, and remember this: If your parents do voice concern or even disapproval, it’s out of love so don’t get mad at them. But ultimately, it’s your choice.”

“How’d you get so smart?”

Mia sighed through her grin. “Made lots of mistakes and cared about all the wrong stuff. Like having a closet full of shoes. Because my dad showed his love for me by buying me gifts I thought that things—possessions—made me happy. In the end, Addison, all we want is each other.” She started fanning her face. “Oh boy, this is going to make me cry!” She swiped at a tear.

Addison leaned over to give her cousin a hug. “I’ve missed you so much. Thanks for being here for me.”

“Hey, Reid might not give you the answer you want, and Uncle Paul and Aunt Mel might balk a little bit, but they are two of the most nonjudgmental people I know.”

“Why is love so scary? It feels like I’m jumping off of a cliff.”

“Because it means so much to us. But sometimes you just have to go for it. Like Cam says, you have to swing for the fences if you want to hit a homerun, but that also means you’ll strike out.”

“I’m sooo damn tired of striking out.”

Mia stood up and acted as if she were holding a baseball bat. “You just have to keep swinging!” She swished her arms through the air and put a hand to her forehead and pretended like she were watching the flight of the ball. “Would you look at that? Homerun!”

Addison giggled. “You’ve been spending way too much time at the baseball park.”

“I know. That’s why I came over here.” She clasped her hands together and grinned. “Oh, I almost forgot. Nancy Walker is the woman I wanted to tell you about. She just got engaged!”

“A friend of yours?”

Mia nodded. “She’s the secretary over at the city building. I met her when I bailed Cam out of jail.”

“That just sounds so wrong.”

“Yeah, quite a story to tell our grandchildren, right? ‘Grandpa and I met when he came to my rescue after tossing a Coke into a customer’s face. Oh yeah, and then I jumped on the asshat’s back and tried to pull his ears off. I bailed Grandpa out of jail, we got stuck in an elevator together, and the rest is history.’”

“Mia, you crack me up.” Addison laughed. “So, Nancy the secretary is getting married?”

“Oh yes . . . I got a bit off track. I do that a lot. Drives Cam crazy. Nancy has been in love with Tucker, the maintenance man at the city building, for, like, forever. Nancy gave Tucker such puppy-dog eyes when I was waiting for Cam. I told her that she should, you know, flirt a little. She said some nonsense about that ship having sailed ages ago but I saw them out together not long afterward. Isn’t that just the coolest thing? And now they’re getting married! Nancy and Tucker are tying the knot.” She raised her hands above her head. “I just love it. Anyway, Nancy proudly showed me her ring when I saw her at Wine and Diner, eating lunch the other day. I told her she’d better invite me! And then I gave her one of your cards.”

“So, do you think they’ll want something simple?”

“Oh no.” Mia waved a hand through the air. “Nancy said that Tucker wants her to have her dream wedding. When I told her about the barn renovation she thought that setting would be perfect. They both grew up in Cricket Creek so it should be a fairly large reception. They’re talking next spring.”

“Their story is so romantic! I’ll make a note of it and tell Sara. So, I guess I shouldn’t give up, then, huh?”

“Exactly.”

“Well, Reid is still skeptical, but at this rate and with some good publicity, I think that next spring we’ll be pretty much booked up.”

Mia nodded her agreement. “Dad is really trying hard to find a photographer. I wish Uncle Paul lived closer. Your dad does some wonderful work.”

“Maybe he knows someone. We should bring it up tonight.”

“Speaking of, I need to get back to the stadium or I’ll end up staying late, and I don’t want to miss a minute visiting tonight.”

Addison stood up. “I need to get back to work too.”

“Hey, Addie, I didn’t mean to get into your business. I just want to see you happy. Your deserve it.”

“No, I’m so glad you stopped in. I needed someone to talk to. I’m going to invite Reid. And you were right, you know.”

“About what?”

“It’s all about the kiss.”

Mia’s smile turned soft and dreamy. “Yeah, it sure is.”

SARA SAT DOWN ON THE FRONT PORCH SWING NEXT TO Reid and handed him a glass of sweet tea. “Why are you staring at the cell phone like it’s a snake about to strike?”

“I just listened to a voice mail from Addison.” He looked up from the phone and took a swallow of the cold tea, letting it cool his parched throat. The weather had turned considerably hotter, leaning more toward summer than spring. “Damn, that’s good. Mom still makes the best tea, strong but not bitter and not too sweet. How does she do that?”

Sara gave him a deadpan look. “Forget about the tea. What did Addison say?”

Reid inhaled a deep breath and blew it out. “Her parents are in town for the night. She wants me to have appetizers at her place and then go out to dinner with them.”

Sara raised her arms in the air. “So?”

“What do you mean . . . so? Dinner with her parents? Oh, and Mitch Monroe, his wife, Nicolina, and Mia are going to be there.”

“Again . . . so? You’re not intimidated by them, are you?”

Reid gave her a scowl. “No, of course not. I mean, it did cross my mind that Addison would never be interested in a country boy like me, but I’ve gotten over that.”

“Good, because that’s nonsense. Not only that, but did you forget that you graduated from the University of Kentucky with honors?”

“I mean, I’d really like to meet Melinda Monroe, but . . .” He took another drink of his tea and sighed once more.

“But what?” Sara rocked the swing back and forth, waiting.

“Stop swinging.”

“It a swing, Reid. It’s what you’re supposed to do.”

“No, I’m serious. I don’t feel like swinging.”

Sara planted her feet on the ground, making the swing come to an abrupt halt. “You wouldn’t be so testy if you’d just stop fighting this tooth and nail.”

“I know.” Reid nodded. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m starting to have some hard-core feelings for her.

“You’re in love with her.”

Reid glanced at Sara. She knew him inside out so there wasn’t any reason to deny it. “Yeah, I am.”

“Let me guess: Meeting the parents puts a serious spin on your relationship with Addison and it scares the pants off of you.”

Reid looked at his tea, wishing it were something stronger. “I’m not scared, exactly. I’m worried.”

“About what?”

“Addison’s been through so much. I don’t want to cause her any more heartache. Maybe I need to slow this thing down.”