Mama’s Boy by Avery Flynn

Chapter Fifty-Two

Dixon

He let Fiona into the booth ahead of him and then slid in beside her. There was plenty of room, but still he couldn’t help but make sure they were so close, they practically were hip to hip. Underneath the table, Fiona rested her hand on his thigh—not high enough to cause anyone who might see a shock but not low enough to make him think of anything else except how much he couldn’t wait to get her back up to her apartment. It was a lot like whatever he should call this thing they were doing. It was enough to make him want more and not enough to satisfy him.

“So,” Faith said as soon as their waiter left with their orders. “Now that we aren’t surrounded by all of the Hartigans—”

“You took him to a family brunch?” Hadley’s voice carried above the din of the packed restaurant, garnering them more than a few curious looks. “And he survived?”

“Just barely,” Fiona said. “He told everyone he was a Rage fan.”

“Wow,” Hadley said with a shake of her head. “That must have gone over great.”

“You have no idea.” Faith jumped in before Dixon even got a chance to open his mouth. “Nana had to save them both, and then they just ran out. Where’d you two get off to?”

Fiona’s cheeks turned pink. “None of your business, Faith.”

“Oooohhhh,” Faith and Hadley said in unison.

“She only gets snippy when she’s been really bad,” Hadley said in a mock whisper to Faith before turning back to face them. “I love it. Don’t worry, you can fill me in the next time we have girls’ night out. I won’t make you spill it all in front of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Silent.”

As if anyone could get a word in with these three.

“We’ve got to figure out when that’s gonna happen,” Faith said. “My schedule’s been a mess lately.”

The rapid-fire exchange ended when they took out their phones and opened up their calendar apps while Fiona looked over at Dixon and shot him an I-told-you-so look. She didn’t need to worry. He’d put up with Nash and Griff for decades—this was nothing.

Relaxing back, he stretched his right arm out over the back of the booth and then tucked her to his side. She melted against him, resting her head in the pocket of his shoulder. While the three women discussed dates, he curled the silky ends of her dark hair around his fingers and watched the waiters maneuver through the crowded bistro.

Like the rest of Fiona’s neighborhood, as he’d learned over the past two weeks, Tooley’s was low-key and relaxed, the kind of place where they got to know their regulars and considered themselves part of the community, not just a business. Or maybe it was just that being with Fiona made him feel like he was home no matter where he was. The only other place where that had happened had been Gable House those summers when he, Nash, and Griff had the run of the place.

“Don’t think we’ve forgotten about you, Dixon Beckett,” Faith said as she laid her phone screen-side down on the table. “We want to hear all your deepest, darkest secrets, starting with why one of Harbor City’s most eligible bachelors is still single. What aren’t you telling us?”

“Faith!” Fiona said and then turned to him, her face scrunched up in apology. “Ignore her. She was dropped a lot as a child.”

“What?” Hadley said, her gaze intent in that way only a woman’s best friends could get when they thought someone was taking advantage. “It’s what we all want to know.”

“I wasn’t always single,” he said. “My wife died a few years ago.”

Really, there was no reason to go into more details. Especially not when the other women winced, immediately apologetic.

“I’m sorry,” Faith said. “I shouldn’t have pried.”

“You always pry.” Fiona glared at her sister, scooting closer to him in what was no doubt a protective gesture. “It’s kind of your thing.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “They obviously care about you and are just looking out for you.”

Before any of the women could say anything else, the waiter showed up at their table, loaded down with plates in an impressive balancing act that would be at home in a circus. They dug into their food. He couldn’t help but watch as Fiona closed her eyes with pleasure with her first bite of eggs Benedict. And to think she’d actually thought she could make it six dates without enjoying even a single taste of food.

“Now, before you can interrogate Dixon anymore, please understand that this is just for fun,” Fiona said a little too brightly. “It’s a bet. Don’t ask, he won’t tell what for. It’s all very hush-hush.”

The challah French toast that had tasted like heaven a second ago turned sour in his mouth.

“A man of mystery, huh?”

“A very straightforward one,” Fiona said with that unnervingly cheerful teacher-at-a-pep-rally tone heavy in her voice. “I’ve known since the beginning. We agreed on our terms before we went out on our first date.”

Hadley eyeballed him over the rim of her coffee mug. “And those were?”

“Six dates and no more.” Fiona cut the eggs Benedict on her plate into smaller and smaller bites but never actually ate one.

“What date number are you on?” Faith asked.

“Five,” he said, the word coming out like a curse.

“After everything that has happened,” Fiona said, “it was really the perfect solution as I make the transition from gullible Old Fiona to savvy New Fiona.”

“I like all of Fiona,” he said before he could stop himself.

She looked over at him, her eyes softening as she smiled at him. “Well, I like all of you, too.” She looked at the other women, who were wearing matching looks of oh-fuck-this-is-going-to-end-badly on their faces. “Total honesty. It’s so refreshing.”

Faith and Hadley exchanged a look as guilt burned a hole in Dixon’s stomach. Total honesty. Fiona deserved that, and he’d tell her everything—eventually. She’d understand. She loved to win, too; he’d seen it in how she interacted with her family. If they could just hold out and stop dating until the end of the year, then they could be together. A double win. He just had to figure out how to present it. He took another bite of French toast, warming up to the idea. He could make this work. It was just a pause. A short break. They could do that.

“And your plan about Nana with her skin—” Faith jumped in her chair. “Ow! What was that for?”

“My foot slipped,” Fiona said with a completely insincere smile. “Sorry.”

Hadley jumped in with, “So when’s date six?”

“We don’t know yet,” Fiona said. “His cousins are planning them.”

“You and your cousins are close?” Faith asked.

“We are.” But not so close that he hadn’t blocked their numbers and was doing everything it took—including staying almost exclusively at Fiona’s apartment—to avoid them.

Fiona started telling her sister and best friend about how Dixon, Nash, and Griff had spent summers together at Gable House where there were attack geese, a long line of dogs named Peacock, an island out in the middle of a huge lake, and an old house that looked like something from a fairy tale. Hearing about it from her perspective brought home the reasons why he was doing this and why it mattered so much that he be the last man standing. Grandma Betty had been everything to him growing up. Now that she was gone, he couldn’t lose out on the last piece of her.

All he had to do was figure out how to explain his plan for a break to Fiona. He could do that. He had to. He wasn’t willing to lose her.