The Scheme

I opened my eyes to find Brian studying me. He hadn’t taken a sip of his coffee yet. I shrugged, bringing both hands to the oversized mug. It felt strange, sipping with a straw, so I pulled the straw out and brought the delicious drink to my lips. Taking a deep swallow of the cold liquid, I frowned. It was good, but nowhere near as good as my mama’s.

Brian laughed at my reaction. I’m sure everyone else would’ve loved it, but as the cold cocoa hit my tongue, all I could think about was Mama’s sweet hot chocolate, fresh from the stove.

“That bad?” he asked.

“No, not at all. It’s my issue.” I picked up a chocolate shaving and popped it in my mouth. “It’s good, but it’s nothing like my mama’s. Hers is made from scratch. Real milk chocolate morsels melted in a pan, two percent milk, and topped with marshmallows.” My breathing slowed as I recalled the memory. I peered up at him through my lashes as a soreness spread in the back of my throat at the thoughts of home.

He ducked his head, sympathy leaking through his eyes. “Do you miss home?”

I hated how transparent I was when I tried my hardest not to be. I averted my gaze, focusing on my oversized mug. “Sometimes.” My voice turned quiet as a flood of emotions rushed to the surface. “But it was time to leave.”

I picked at the pink straw, flicking my fingernail against the edge. “It’s always been Mama and me . . . especially when my dad left us.” I narrowed my eyes, zoning in on a chocolate shaving which had fallen on the table. I didn’t want to see the look of pity in his eyes that I knew was clearly there. “It’s why I originally went to see that psychic . . . I needed to know if Dad had left us for good.” My voice was barely above a whisper as familiar pain shot straight to my chest. You’d think the blow would’ve lessened over the years, but it hadn’t.

Evangeline had predicted that my father was never coming back. He’d left us when I was eleven, moved in with another woman, and never looked back. I had kind of sensed it in my gut that he was never coming back, but I’d tried to deny it. After Evangeline’s prediction, I could finally stop wishing for it and help my mother move on.

“But then she met Hank.” I exhaled heavily, finally raising my head to meet his eyes. “She never fully got over my father, but I’m happy for her,” I said, smiling. “It’s just . . . sometimes I miss when it was just Mama and me.” I reached behind me, pulling my hair to the front, using it as some sort of curtain. I was suddenly shy for letting my vulnerability shine through.

I’d known it was time to leave the comfort of my home when Hank had stepped in and I’d started to feel like the third wheel. I’d always thought my mother was a crutch, keeping me in Bowlesville. In reality, I had been the one using her as an excuse to never leave.

I shook my head to break me from my mood. “It’s exactly as the psychic predicted. Even though it hasn’t happened yet, he’s going to marry her. Hank’s told me his plans. It’s just a matter of time.” At that, I felt the despair lighten a little. “I’m so silly, right? Big girl missing her mama.”

I chuckled at my own patheticness. His gaze upon me didn’t falter. If anything, his eyes softened as he placed his hand on mine, shooting a tingling sensation up my arm.

“It’s okay to miss home. Nothing wrong with that.”

Warmth spread throughout my fingers. When I pulled my hand back, Brian brought the coffee to his lips as I stirred the chocolate drink with my pinky.

“So, Brian, is coffee your beverage of choice?” I changed the topic quickly to take the focus off me. My voice shook as I spoke. I shouldn’t have revealed such intimate details to someone I barely knew.

“When I’m at work, yeah. But out of work, beer it is.” He smirked, reclining in his chair. “I’m a workaholic, alcoholic all at once.”

That garnered a laugh from me. “So, how about you? When did you move here?”

“Six months or so ago. You?” He cocked his head in my direction.

“A month ago, but it feels longer. It’s kind of weird moving from a place where you know everyone to a place where you know no one.” I perked up, remembering the nervous jitters I’d felt that first day of work. I could’ve sworn Nana, my late grandmother, had been watching me from above, because Sarah had introduced herself as soon as I saw her.

“It’s okay, though. I’ve made friends. As you can see, I’m very likable.” I gri

The laugh lines were evident on his face. “You’re fu

“Fu

“With Trey. He’s a really good friend from where I grew up. His parents are divorced. His mother still lives in Madison, but he moved to NYC to work with his father, who’s a big real estate mogul. He’s a transfer, just like me.”

“How do you know each other?”

“From high school and . . . he dated my sister for years.”

I blinked at him with fake shock. “They’re not together anymore, and his balls are still intact?”

He winced. “Well, my sister dumped him. If it had been the other way around, let’s just say we wouldn’t have been friends anymore.”

I clicked my tongue. “Two brokenhearted transfers from Madison move to New York City to mend their wounds by scouring the city for women to ease their pain.” I felt a wide grin spread across my face. “You can sell the movie rights to Paramount.”

He shook his head slightly. “None of that is happening over here. No time for the ladies. Not now, at least.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, well, my story is much more interesting than yours. Beautiful nurse and her quest to land the doctor of her dreams, versus banker Brian and his addiction to work. My story sounds like a sitcom.”

His lips curled up into a smile as a deep chuckle escaped him. Brian reached for the sugar to pour more into his coffee. And I thought I was a sugar fiend. I should’ve asked him if he wanted coffee with his sugar.

“So . . . what’re you going to do about Stiff?” he asked.

“Stiff?” I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion.

“The doctor.”

I gave him an ‘ah ha’ face. “Oh, you nicknamed him that because he gets stiff every time he sees me?” I cracked up at my own joke, and he just shook his head again, that now familiar amusement crossing his features.

“No, really. What’re we doing about him? I thought we had some sort of deal.” His smile widened, and I wondered what he had in mind.

“What’s in this for you?” I asked, my curious smile matching his.

He tipped his head back and then winked. “That’s what I’m sticking around to find out.”

I let out a carefree laugh as my eyes assessed him. “It’s not what you think.”

His lips turned downward in a pout that could almost rival mine.

“Give me time to think this through.” I stuck my pinky into the whipped cream then into my mouth, and then I swirled my pinky and repeated the motion. Maybe the hot cocoa wasn’t the same, but this whipped cream had to have been homemade or something. It was hella good.

I sighed. What was I going to do with him? Sarah was supposed to be my wingman. I glanced up again and repeated the process of swirling my finger in the whipped cream and sticking it in my mouth. How would it even work if Brian were to help me land my doctor?

I guess I could get Dr. Hot Pants all jealous, use two wingmen. Yeah, maybe that would work. “I’ll have to mull it over. I’ll sleep on it and get back to you.”

Pursing my lips, I put the straw in my mug and started to slurp it down. When the drink was finished, I rested the oversized cup on the table. “What’re you doing on Friday? Wa