He turned the SUV lights off and he was at my door by the time I hopped down which meant he had a steadying hand on my elbow when I did. That hand slid down so his fingers could lace in mine as he pulled me out of the door and slammed it. Then he walked me across the dry, very black blacktop asphalt to his front door.

Weirdly, it seemed the snow had been trimmed at the side of the drive, it was so perfectly removed. So I guessed when you had gobs of money you had money to spend on people manicuring your snow.

Interesting.

The door was thrown open before we got to the semi-circular set of eight steps (I counted) that got narrower and narrower until we hit the top. Another dither died when I saw the elegantly attired, extremely attractive blonde woman with a soft updo wearing a light pink cocktail dress and high heels smiling gleefully at us.

I wasn’t overdressed. Fraking brilliant.

“Chace, my darling and Faye,” she gushed, stepping out into the chill night air and throwing her arms wide. “I’ve been on pins and needles all day. No!” she cried, “All week.”

I smiled up at her then grew a little concerned because she wasn’t big, I wasn’t big but Chace was, she wasn’t moving and her step would not hold all three of us unless we huddled together like a miniature football team.

This problem was sorted when we made it to her and she threw herself in Chace’s arms, forcing him to let my hand go and round her with them thus not taking up much room.

“Ma,” he muttered.

“Chace, my beautiful boy.”

That was sweet.

He pulled back but she didn’t. Her arms went from around his shoulders so her hands could frame his face and she beamed up at him a second before letting him go and turning to me.

“Faye,” she said, throwing her arms wide which meant one of them slammed into Chace but although he shifted (as best he could which meant one of his cowboy booted feet had to step down a step) she didn’t seem to notice.

I moved quickly into her arms in order to conserve space and gave her a tight hug.

“Mrs. Keaton,” I whispered in her ear then pulled back but not out of her arms. “Chace talks about you all the time. I’m so pleased to finally meet you.”

She dipped her chin bashfully and fluttered her eyes and really, even though she was older, she worked it.

Then her eyes moved over me and something changed in them that wasn’t bad but it wasn’t altogether good either.

“You’re a beauty. A true beauty. Natural.” Her arm left me and her hand lifted as if she was going to touch my hair before it fell away and she moved minutely back. “Red. I thought a blonde would suit Chace better but I was very wrong.”

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“And please, call me Valerie. Mrs. Keaton sounds so… so…” her eyes slid to the side before coming back to me so she could finish, “stuffy.”

“Valerie it is then,” I replied on a smile.

“Ma, you think we could move inside?” Chace prompted.

She jumped away from me, clasping her hands in front of her and I fought the urge to reach out to her in case she tumbled over the step to the inside.

“Of course, of course, let’s get you inside and those coats off. I’m dying to see Faye’s dress. From what I can see, it looks beautiful.”

I heard Chace sigh as I felt his fingers curl around my elbow, we moved in behind her and all stopped in a huge foyer with a massive chandelier hanging down over it, the gazillions of crystals dancing prisms everywhere.

“Enrique,” she said to a man wearing a white shirt and dark slacks standing close by, “please take Faye and Chace’s coats. We’ll take drinks in the sitting room. Faye, what would you like to drink?”

Chace was helping me out of my long, cream wool coat as I shifted my little black clutch from hand to hand and answered, “A glass of white wine.”

“Excellent,” she smiled at me then her eyes went to Chace, “Beer, darling?”

“Yeah, Ma,” Chace muttered, handing our coats to Enrique.

Taking in Chace without his long, wool black overcoat, the skirt around my hips, hand down my panties orgasm, I had to admit, was helped by the fact he was in a very well-tailored, dark blue suit with an open-necked blue shirt the color of his eyes. His belt buckle with the suit was subdued western but still western and the cowboy boots were all Chace. Still, like his mother and I, he made an effort and, as was his way, succeeded wildly.

Enrique moving off with our coats, Valerie led the way to the “sitting room” which was the most formal room I’d ever been in in my life. It was done in soft pinks that were nearly cream and just plain creams. Even in a room that formal I took my cue from Valerie and Chace who settled in like it was your everyday family room, Valerie in an armchair, Chace and I side by side on a couch.

As I was tucking my purse next to me, Valerie said, “I didn’t know what you liked, Faye, and Chace told me you seemed to like everything except pineapple on pizza. But we’re not having pizza so I told Donatta to do it up but avoid pineapple. I hope you brought your appetite.”

“I always do,” I replied on a smile. “But just so you know, I like pineapple just not on pizza.”

“Excellent!” she cried with more excitement than was needed then clasped her hands in front of her again and leaned from her pinky-cream armchair toward Chace and me on the creamy-cream couch and she noted, “Chace tells me you’re a librarian.”

“I am,” I confirmed.

To which she exclaimed, “I love books!”

I laughed softly and shared, “I do too. It’s kind of important to like them when you spend all day around them. What’s your favorite book?”

This was a mistake. Huge. Though I couldn’t fathom why.

Still, I saw it. She sat back sharply, her face grew pale, the fingers of her hands in front of her started fidgeting, her eyes darted to Chace and she looked suddenly terrified.

I felt my body get stiff at her reaction but Chace prompted quietly, “Your favorite book, Ma.”

Her eyes skittered to me then back to Chace and she whispered, “I…” but stopped.

It then occurred to me that she was worried what her favorite book would say about her. She wanted me to like her and she wanted this so much, she was terrified of just being her.

“I have lots of favorite books,” I cut in and her eyes came back to me so I smiled gently and went on, “Let’s see, there’s Rosamund Pilcher’s The Shell Seekers and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. Then there’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg and Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins. I could go on and bore you for hours,” I told her. “And I haven’t even started on the romance novels.”

The fear left her face and she leaned toward me again. “Oo, I like Carly Phillips.”

I leaned toward her, smiling big. “I do too. She’s awesome. The Bachelor,” I told her one of my favorites.

“The Playboy.” She gave me one of hers.

“The Heartbreaker.” I one-upped her.

She sat back again but this time grinning, “Those Chandler brothers…” she trailed off needing to say no more.

“I know,” I agreed.

“Where’s my beer?” Chace asked.

I looked to him and burst out laughing then I looked back at Valerie and said through my laughter, “I’m sure you know this but Chace watches way too much sports on TV. I’m trying to expand his horizons by introducing him to my television shows but he’s reluctant. I’ll admit, my shows are geeky, Valerie, but they’re awesome. So I guess romance novels are way out of his realm of exciting dinner conversation.”

She smiled at me and replied, “Then we’ll endeavor to find something Chace likes to discuss.”

“Do you know the Avs chances at the Stanley Cup this year?” I asked.

“No,” she answered.

“Then perhaps we can talk him into explaining ballistics,” I suggested and it was Valerie’s turn to burst out laughing.

Enrique came in with a tray of drinks and as he handed them around, Valerie wiped a non-existent tear of laughter from her eye and belatedly replied, “I fear, Faye, as interesting as my son is, if he explained ballistics, I would find it outside the realm of exciting dinner conversation to the point I’d fall asleep.”

“Luckily your furniture is comfortable because I probably would too. Though I’d be worried I’d get my makeup on it if I stretched out to take a ballistics induced nap,” I told her.

“Then we’ll retire to the less formal family room when Chace tells us about ballistics,” she told me. “I don’t mind makeup on my furniture but the furniture in there is much more comfortable.”

“Two sleeping women in cocktail dresses. Terrific. Let’s do that. You can sleep, I can put on the game,” Chace muttered and my eyes shot to Valerie.

“See!” I cried.

“I do indeed,” she replied, grinning at me.

I took a sip of my wine, swallowed and lifted the glass to her. “This is delicious, Valerie.”

“Do you know wine?” she asked.

“Not even a little,” I admitted. “Just what I like to drink.”

“Then you must go to Napa. You don’t have to know wine to go to Napa. You just have to like it,” she told me.

“Sounds the perfect vacation destination,” I replied, she grinned again, seeming relaxed and looked at Chace.

“Lovely, darling. Faye enjoys wine like I do.” She lifted her own wineglass. “Such a bother, Misty and all her cocktails. I never quite –”

Chace got tight at my side. Valerie got visibly tight across from us, her face paled and fear filled it again.

I instantly forged into the awkwardness and did it gently.

“I grew up in Carnal, Valerie, I knew Misty and that was very sad. But Chace and I are up front about things.” For the most part, I thought but did not say, and went on, “But that was a while ago and Misty’s not here to drink cocktails and although that’s upsetting, we’re here to enjoy wine and each other’s company so we should learn from the loss of a young vital woman and do that.”

“Of course,” she muttered, looking uncomfortably at her knees.

“Valerie,” I called and her eyes skittered to me. I leaned forward when I got them and continued, “We don’t know each other but we already have something important in common and that is we both care a lot about Chace. Please don’t think you have to handle me with care. He thinks the world of you and shares it. So I knew I would too. I hope I win you over tonight so we can find out if we have more in common than Chace and Carly Phillips. But we should start that being open with each other and letting it shine through. Don’t you agree?”

“You’re very forthright,” she said softly.

I wasn’t really. I was just being forthright then for her and Chace.

“I hope you don’t mind that,” I said softly back.

“Not at all, Faye,” she whispered.

“Good,” I whispered back then carried on. “Just so you know, I’m normally very shy and quiet. But when the town’s most handsome cop turned his eye my way, I got a little sassy.”

She gave me a small grin and kept whispering to say, “I can imagine that happens.”

I gestured to myself with my wineglass. “Living proof right here.”

“Uh… do I exist in this conversation?” Chace asked, Valerie sat back, I sat back and Chace’s arm on the back of the couch instantly moved to curve around my shoulders.

“Sorry, we were having a moment,” I muttered, suddenly kind of embarrassed.

His arm curled me toward him so my eyes were forced to lift to his and when they did he murmured, “Yeah.” But it was a “yeah” filled with approval.

He followed this with a lip touch.

I squirmed at his side and when his mouth left mine, I whispered super soft, “Your Mom.”

“Don’t mind me,” she chimed in and Chace didn’t uncurl me even though we both looked to Valerie to see her again beaming. “I think a man who’s confident in displaying affection is very attractive, even and especially my son. Therefore this is something I taught him.”

So I had her to thank.

I’d find another time to do that.

Instead, I just grinned.

Chace uncurled me and asked his mother, “Are we gonna eat in this millennium?”

“Chace, so impatient!” she snapped without any rancor whatsoever but on a doting smile.

“Not impatient. Hungry. I’ve been in an SUV for two hours and it’s eight o’clock.”