Chapter 3

We necked and kissed a bit longer, then went to separate bathrooms to clean up.

Afterward, Mike borrowed my car to run some errands. I was almost relieved when he didn't ask me to go with him. As much as I enjoyed his company, I'd gotten used to having a fair amount of solitude. Having him here was wonderful, but almost overwhelming.

On his way out the door, I pressed a twenty into Mike's hand and suggested he pick up some condoms. He laughed and shook his head. "Lynne, I may be a broke college student, but I think I can pay for my own condoms."

I snagged his collar and pulled him in for a kiss. "Well, I'll be benefiting from them, too."

"Good point." He folded the bill and slipped it into his wallet. I kissed him again, and he wrapped me in his arms and pulled me close. "If you keep that up, I won't be going anywhere."

I wriggled loose. "And then we'll be wishing we had the condoms."

"True. Anything else you want me to pick up while I'm out?" I couldn't think of anything,, but agreed to call his cell if I did.

Alone in the apartment, I danced from room to room, almost giddy. Mike was handsome and sweet and an excellent lover. Just the thought of his hands and mouth on me made me all melty around the edges. We hadn't--quite--gone all the way yet, but it looked like this evening was a sure thing.

I flopped on the couch and dialed Margay.

She picked up almost immediately. "Lynne! I am so glad you called."

"How's your mom""

Margay growled, a much different sound than Mike had made a short time ago on this very couch. "The woman is driving me up a wall, Lynne. She's tired, because she's healing, which makes her cranky. Cranky like a two-year-old. She has all these holiday traditions that just have to get done, even though there's no one here but us to see them, and she can hardly do anything one-handed, so I have to do them all. And of course I don't do each and every one exactly her way, which makes her even crankier."

I made a sympathetic noise. "Poor you."

She laughed. "Don't encourage me. How's the houseguest working out? Driving you crazy yet?"

I smiled, thinking of Mike. "Not at all! Mike's been great. Helped with the dishes and the cooking without even being asked. We went to the Holiday Market this morning and had a great time. And-" I stopped, uncertain how much I wanted to say.

"Aaaannnd?" Margay prompted.

"Margay, the man is drop-dead gorgeous. Dark hair, blue eyes, fantastic build..."

She whooped. "Lynne! No robbing the cradle!"

"It's not like that." I grimaced. It was true that Mike wasn't some boy my son's age. Still, it did feel exactly like that.

"If you say so." Margay didn't sound convinced. "Lynne, I haven't wanted to say anything too soon after you lost Jerry, but if you think you're ready to start dating again, there's this guy Andy works with that I think you'd really like. He's about your age, been divorced four or five years now, really nice. Maybe after the holidays I can invite you both over and you can scope each other out."

"I don't know, Margay." Hadn't I been thinking about dating again just the night before? It wasn't as if Mike and I had a future together. But I didn't want to think about someone else right now. "Let's talk about it after the holidays."

"Sounds like a plan."

We chatted for a few minutes more before Margay sighed. "Lynne, I've got to run. I told Mom I'd help her decorate six dozen reindeer cookies for her senior something-or-other group. Behave yourself with Joe College, okay? Don't do anything I wouldn't do?"

Of course not." I had every intention of doing exactly that, but there was no way I could share that with her. I had to admit, it sounded pretty bad over the phone. Mike was right that our relationship was nobody's business but our own. Still, it was the first thing of any significance in my life that I hadn't been able to share with Margay, and the thought made me wistful.

Mike came back in good spirits, a clutch of plastic bags dangling from his fingers. He dropped a couple off in the kitchen and deposited the others in his room.

I intercepted him with a kiss and a hug on his way back through. "Did you find everything you needed?"

"You bet." He kissed me again. "Including, of course, condoms." He winked. "I don't think we'll run out."

I pressed against him. "We can make the attempt."

"Sounds like fun." He kissed me and stepped back. "First, though, I thought I'd cook us dinner. As long as you don't mind me getting creative in your kitchen."

He was offering to cook me dinner? "Not at all. Want some company?"

He grinned. "Love some."

While I minced tomatoes and onions, Mike sauteed scallops and shrimp in a light butter sauce and boiled fresh angel hair pasta. My contribution was blended with a bit of olive oil and vinegar and distributed on slabs of toasted French bread.

When we sat down at the table, Mike watched intently as I speared a shrimp and twirled pasta onto my fork. "How is it?" he asked after I'd chewed and swallowed.

"Amazing!" I shook my head in disbelief. "Where did you learn to cook like that?"

He grinned and took a bite of his own dinner. "Taught myself, mostly. I used to watch a lot of cooking shows."

"You could do this professionally."

He shook his head. "No. I couldn't. Doing it for dozens of people, night after night, would suck the joy right out of it. I'll settle for having a professional kitchen and throwing dinner parties."

I had to grin. "You've got it all figured out."

"I try to." I kept staring at him until he flushed and lowered his fork. "What?"

I shook my head slowly. "You cook. You wash dishes. You're an amazing lover, and you've got a brilliant career in front of you. How has some smart young woman not snatched you up yet?"

"Ah, well." Mike squirmed, poking at a shrimp with his fork. "School keeps me pretty busy, for one thing. And ... I really don't meet that many eligible women."

I couldn't keep from raising my eyebrows at that. "Really? I'd think you'd be surrounded by them, up at college."

He shrugged. "There are a few women in my program, but most of them are taken, or as mired down in schoolwork as I am. There are plenty of undergrad's around, but ... they're so young."

That was pretty rich, I thought, considering that he was at least fifteen years my junior.

Before I could voice that thought, he held up a hand. "It's not an age thing. It's a life experience thing. Most of the girls in my classes have never lived away from home, never had to support themselves without help from mommy and daddy. They don't have careers. They don't have homes of their own. They don't have any real plans except for finishing up college. They don't have any..." He waved a hand helplessly. "Any depth."

If I were ten years younger... I shook my head hard to clear away that thought. "I still have a hard time believing these cute young things aren't throwing themselves at you from all directions."

He gave me a mischievous grin. "Now, I didn't say that. I get my share of offers, and I've probably had more than my share of hookups. But there's no one even close to taking me off the market."

I couldn't suppress a swell of relief. I tried to make sure it didn't show on my face. "You'll find someone someday."

Mike frowned. "Maybe. I hope so. And when I do, I hope she's someone like you."