Sweet As You

(7) Kathie Jane

I groaned. "No. It wasn't like that."

"Couldn't he be anymore alone?" Her lips lifted into a crooked grin. "You should talk to him."

"I think he hates my guts." I keep glum out of my voice.

She snorted. "What are you talking about? Who hates you?"

"That guy, apparently."

"That's just ridiculous." She clicks her tongue, tapping a fingertip on her chin. "In his defense, though, you motorboated his—"

"Jess."

"What? You motor—"

"My nephew's coming over. Try not to use motorboat and crotch in the same sentence."

Jessica smirked. "I'm not a good influence around kids."

"Just try."

"Aunt Kathie, mommy said I get to stay with you on weekends." He gives me a cheeky grin, fiddling with the sleeve of his tuxedo.

I giggled. "That's great, buddy."

Noticing that I wasn't alone, Ethan sheepishly looked down to his shoes.

"Oh, you're suddenly shy? This lady here—"

Jessica clears her throat as if to signal me that I'm omitting something.

I rolled my eyes. "Ethan, this beautiful lady here is my friend Jessica."

She beams at him. "Hi, Ethan. It's nice to meet you." She stick out her hand.

Out of manners, Ethan shakes her hand. "Can I dance with you?"

Jessica gave me a winning smile. "Sure. How can I say no? Women would be losing their panties over you when you grow up."

"Jess." My voice held a warning tone. "Keep it PG-13."

She looked puzzled. "What did I do?"

"He's four and a half. If he learns something inappropriate, his mother's going to kill me," I whispered.

"Oh," slowly, she snaps her fingers. "Oh. I did mention lady underwear," she whispers back, nose crinkling with realization.

We both turned to a confused Ethan.

"Come on, handsome. Let's dance." Jessica leaps off her chair and offered Ethan her hand which he took happily.

I watched them head to the dance floor. I'm torn between awe and a sinking feeling. I look around, desperate for company but saw my mother coming over instead. She was with a friend and her son.

Oh, no.

"Kathie, sweetheart," she enthused.

I shoved the corners of my lips up and stood.

"Sweetie, you remember Carol, right?" Mom sips on her champagne, stealthily wagging her perfectly groomed eyebrows at me.

I turn to Carol and the guy looking over the dance floor. "Of course, I do," I chirped.

"Hi, Kathie. You're growing more beautiful every time we meet." Her eyes wrinkled, her earrings sparkling from the lighting.

"I can say the same thing to you." I leaned and placed a hand over the corner of my mouth like I was telling her a secret.

She chuckles. "Oh, Kathie, you're such a dear." She tugs on her son's sleeve. "Sweetie, I want to introduce you to the finest lady you'll ever meet."

He turns around slowly and slides his phone back to his pocket. He had one of those smiles that reaches his eyes naturally. "Josh Finnegan. Nice to meet you."

"Kathie Lewis." We shook hands.

Josh gestured to the dancing couples in the dance floor. "You wanna dance?"

My mother's smile grew. I'm not even entirely single and she's ushering guys my way.

"Sure." I took his hand and let him lead me to the dance floor.

We danced for a bit. Coaxing a laugh out of him is unchallenging. He's laid back and... interested. When the song ended, I made sure to conclude the conversation and excused myself with a fancy bow that made him chuckle.

I glance over the direction of my mother talking with Carol. Now would be the time to hide. I have the feeling Josh is just first of a long lineup of guys she is setting for me. My mood dramatically lifted when I saw my way out.

I snuck to the furthest end of the table, waving at guests who said 'hi' along the way. "Can I join you?"

Cade Parkinson lifted his gaze from his phone. The guy has his dark hair slicked back to perfection and he's got a talent of wearing tuxedos very well. His eyes assessed me behind his glasses. "No, thank you."

Uh, okay? Wasn't expecting that. "It wasn't really a question." I sat on the vacant seat across him.

"Why ask then?" A finger pushes his glasses to the bridge of his nose. I wouldn't say his tone was repulsive. A tad bit unfriendly, yes. The glasses gave him a shadow of mystery in him. Maybe, a little intimidating but that's not something I can't handle.

"My way of taking a seat anyways." I grinned.

His lips twitched, head tilting slightly. "Shouldn't you be somewhere else with someone else?"

"What do you mean?"

"There are guests waving you over to their table. I'm sure they're dying to blab with you," he pointed out.

I laugh at the straightforward remark. "Well, I want to seat with you. You could use some company, Cadey."

"Excuse me?" His brows knotted.

"Hmm?"

"It's Cade."

"I know, silly."

"You called me Cadey," he deadpans.

I gave him an innocent smile. "Yeah, I did."

He lets out an irritated sigh. "Is this a habit of yours? Butchering people's name?"

"Nope. I developed a habit of calling you Cadey about a minute ago." I bat my eyelashes in overstated innocence.

He shakes his head.

I hold up a hand. "In my defense, I'm the one saying your name."

"In my defense... my name," he says, his voice flat to match his poker face.

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