A Sophisticated Seduction

Mom's Friends Are Quick To Judge

Excerpt:

I always loved to witness people's faces when they realized that part of her. The fact that she was so girly girl, so badass and totally awesome enough to ride a motorbike with class.

"Emma, is this true?" he reared his head to stare at me whilst mom did the same.

"No lie," I shrugged. "She's an amazing woman."

"Well I have to confess that no other questions will be asked," dad sat back and gazed at Regina in awe. "You've just earned an A somehow in my books easily. Maybe I should have asked that question first."

"Really? No questions about my parents' jobs and my grades?" she teased, pouting at him.

Mom snorted and dad threw his head back and laughed heartily.

xxx

For the entire day before Christmas, I can safely say that about six hours were spent in last minute preparations.

When I say preparations, by all means, it's not the kind that involves baking cakes and eating cookies that mom had made just for me. This glass jar filled with my precious chocolate fudge delights remained within the house whilst I spent half day outside holding a freaking ladder for my father.

I was fuming.

If you could have seen me out there, wearing a pair of mom's winter boots whilst the snow glistened on the grass. Green garlands wrapped around me as if I was a human hanger whilst one arm was lifting up a straw basket filled with shiny balls of various colors. He had me out there and I couldn't even move about freely because every time I did, even to scratch my arm, the basket would shake and he'd warn me about cracking the balls.

My neck was growing stiffer, arms hurting like hell and still dad assured me that it would be over in a couple of minutes. A couple of minutes turned into another four hours as we went around the entire house and decorated it without eating lunch. The amount of time he spent talking to the neighbors was really incredible because that's one thing about dad that never changed. The fact that he'd select any random person and move from one topic to the next easily. That's how he was, a chatterbox and it was really getting on my nerves because he and the next door neighbor Harry couldn't stop talking about cricket.

Every single neighbor that passed us by that day, dad had something to say to them.

Just around one, my lifesaver came outside bearing some delicious looking food upon a plate.

It was probably the most delightful feeling of all to witness her coming towards me with a glorious smile on that beautiful face. Dressed in a red wool jersey with long, bunched up sleeves and black pants, me knowing that there was another pair of leather pants under that. She had on these cute light brown boots with fur around the top.

Brown eyes warmer than even the sun hidden somewhere above us, she carefully pried the basket out of my aching hand and handed over the food. Without a care in the world as to who was watching me, I sat on the wooden chair that Harry once occupied and gobbled up baked beans, potato salad and rice like a beggar who had gone a week without a meal.

"Shoots," dad suddenly realized that it was after lunchtime and smiled down at me, "it's all that time already? Wherever did the morning go?"

"You think?" I scowled.

Regina sent me a look and noted the fuming light in my eyes. Tilting her head sideways, I was gazed at intently whilst my cheeks puffed out from chewing an abundance of food.