Mama’s Boy by Avery Flynn
Chapter Four
Fiona
Fionawas trying not to hyperventilate as she hid out in her sister’s cubicle behind the glass ant-colony wall at the Natural History Museum. All of it had seemed like a good idea an hour ago when she was in her apartment eating sugar cookie dough and feeling like shit.
Now it was real.
Really real.
Like watching one of those fake documentary-type shows where people did cringey things that always made her nearly die of secondhand embarrassment—except this time she was the one doing the cringey things.
Her youngest sister, Felicia, took a drink from her Honeypot Ants Are the Sweetest mug before giving her a reassuring smile. “It’ll be all right. Just go out and be yourself.”
Yeah, that was exactly what she couldn’t do. “I’m supposed to be Fallon.”
Their sister was one of the biggest hard-asses either of them knew. An ER nurse married to the formerly Most Hated Man in Harbor City (aka hockey star Zach Blackburn), Fallon took no shit. Meanwhile, Fiona taught third graders and was gullible enough to believe jerk-face cheaters who failed to mention they had a significant other.
Felicia rolled her eyes. “I have a better chance of being Fallon than you.”
That might be true—of course, it was coming from the family scientist and ant researcher—but it wasn’t what she needed to hear right now. Sometimes having amazing and brilliant sisters was a giant pain in the ass.
“Well,” Fiona said, straightening her shoulders and trying her best to gird her loins, however in the hell someone did that. “You’re not the one with the perfect plan to avenge Nana and her brilliance being ignored by an asshat.”
“I’m beginning to think you might need a hobby,” Felicia said. “Have you thought about taking up knitting?”
“If I did, I’d use those sharp sticks to poke a hole in Dixon Beckett.” There, that sounded like something she might think but Fallon might possibly actually do, so transformation complete? She maybe could have talked herself into believing that, but then Felicia giggled. “I need you to be my hype man here. Tell me I can do this.”
Felicia pushed up her glasses. “If there’s anyone who can pull it off, it’s you.”
Fiona gulped. She could do this. She could. All she had to do was— She glanced at the ant colony wall, and her stomach dropped.
There on the other side was Dixon Beckett. He looked bigger in person and meaner, judging by the way he narrowed his dark eyes and scanned the room like he was the wolf and she was the bunny. Plus, he was definitely sweatier, but it made him look more intimidating and sexy, as if he’d just gotten done chasing down an international drug lord. Dammit, this was why her brain was always a mess and she made shitty decisions about people. Dixon Beckett wasn’t any of those things. He was an asshole, pure and simple. There was nothing redeeming about him. Not even the way his biceps stretched the arms of his dark-blue sweater.
Look away, Fiona. Gird your loins!
“There he is.” Fiona pointed him out.
“Ooooh.” Felicia’s eyes went wide, and she gave Fiona a shaky side smile. “I believe in you. You’ve got this.”
Fiona pressed her fist to her belly. “I do?”
“Maybe.” Felicia gave her a quick hug. “Do it anyway. Be brave.”
Feeling like one of her transfer students facing down a whole new classroom full of nine-year-olds who’d known each other since their au pairs set up their infant playdates, Fiona let out a deep breath and marched away from the ant researcher’s area and into the public part of the exhibit.
Think bitch.
Badass.
In control.
Hates dogs.
But she loved— Nope! Do. Not. Go. There.
Belly swirling, knees knocking, and palms sweaty, she walked directly into Dixon’s path and stared him to stillness. “So, are you a serial killer or what?”
