“Oh, really,” he drawled out. “With that Nikko fellow I presume. The one I almost caught you with in the bushes last summer?” he tormented.
“Jay! You said . . .” she protested, eyes widening and looking nervously at her mother.
Jay just laughed. “That was last summer, baby cakes. Plus, I’ve already told your mom about it a long time ago. She suspected anyway the way you moped around last summer, and I can’t keep secrets from my wife.” He held up his hands in surrender.
Her eyes narrowed angrily, but a glance at her mother showed her smiling. “Really?” she asked, fully facing her mother now.
Lou nodded. “Ronnie, I was young once too. Mom’s sometimes don’t like to admit they know what is going on when they really do. I know you’re responsible. I trust you. But, are you sure you want to go . . . with him,” she asked, leaving most of the question unasked.
“Mom, I know the timing sucks. But, he made a good point. I’ll go crazy just sitting around all the time. I do like him, too,” she added, blushing slightly.
Lou looked at her daughter. She didn’t want to interfere, but she had to know if her daughter was aware of all the talk that circulated around Nikko Marino. “He’s got quite a reputation you know. Monica’s mentioned it.”
Ronnie knew what Nikko was all about, and knew her mom was just worried about her, but the thought of being cooped up, confined to the house for however long, just got her ire up. Rolling her eyes, she let out her frustrations.
“I know, Mom. I knew last summer too. I don’t want you to think I am entering into this with blinders on. I’ll be careful. But, I’m not getting serious. He isn’t. I know that. I know my limits. I have made them clear to him. It’s just fun. I even called Margaret, and Brad. Let them know I was in town. It could take months for us to even get a trial date. I can’t leave Florida. Might as we’ll hang out with some of my friends. You’ll be working. You can’t babysit me every minute of every day. I’m not staying home twiddling my thumbs. I’m not in jail yet!”
“Whoa, sorry,” Lou interrupted her daughter’s mini tirade. “I know you’re an adult. But I also just can’t stop being your mom, can’t stop worrying. I know Nikko is nice. I like him too. He is very charming. I just don’t want you to get hurt.” The concern was evident in her tone and in her eyes.
Ronnie felt guilty for going off on her. She apologized. “I know Mom, I’m sorry too. It just feels like I’ve already been sentenced. I don’t know,” she muttered.
Finishing his beer, Jay interrupted, “Honey, you’re not in jail yet. Have fun. Just watch out for your heart is what I think your mom is trying to say. With guys like, Nikko, and as young as he is, he’s just not the settling down type. Not usually anyhow. That’s all.”
Ronnie turned to Jay. She loved how he could read her mom so easily. “I understand Jay, I do. I will keep that in mind. I promise,” she muttered for her mom’s benefit.
Jay smiled broadly. “Okay, good. No more fighting. Let’s have a nice dinner, and I’ll try to keep the teasing down to a minimum. Just let me go wash up first. Plus,” he added half way across the room, “I want to hear about the meeting with the lawyer.”
“That went very well,” Lou called out to him. “He’s got some great ideas to pursue. Go, we will get everything on the table,” Lou urged when he paused by the door to their bedroom.
Jay went, and the ladies set to the task at hand. Butterflies persisted in Ronnie’s stomach, however, because she had made a decision about tonight and now she was beginning to have some doubts. If what Jay was saying was true, a leopard didn’t change his spots. And Jay would know. After all he had been a confirmed player for quite some time before he met her mother.
When Nikko showed up around eight o’clock, the sun was just beginning its descent over the Gulf of Mexico. As he pulled into the driveway of the secluded cabin, Ronnie opened the door and waited for his car to come to a complete stop before she made her way to the passenger side. He quickly got out, hustled around to her side, and reached for the handle of the door just as she did. He didn’t want to screw tonight up.
The electricity from the contact of their hands gripping the handle at the same time was intense. It shot through him like lightning. She looked absolutely mouthwatering in the peasant style blouse, one shoulder completely revealed. Her skin was bronzed from the sun. He could see the pulse at the base of her neck beating, and the urge to press a kiss there almost had him doing just that. The skirt, some type of clingy material, fitted her generous hips, tapered then flared out just above her knees, the grey and white diagonal stripes subtly accentuated her curves. It revealed her shapeliness. He wanted to touch her, everywhere. She wore her wavy hair down, just below the shoulders, and her scent was citrusy. Fresh. He wanted to taste her. Everything about her he found exciting. He didn’t know if he could be a gentleman, and on his way over he vowed he would try to show her a different side of him.