Victoria didn’t have time to dissect John’s meaning when he’d called her “my love.” Instead, she carefully wandered back to the living room where John’s two mothers sat. Both of them chatted comfortably on the couch, while Victoria gripped a plate of Halloween cookies in one hand, a small pitcher of cream in the other. She nearly dropped both when she saw what was neatly stacked on the coffee table ahead of them. Victoria stopped short in front of John, who carried hot coffee behind her.

One pile was her folded flannel shirt and bra.

The other pile was John’s flannel and undershirt.

Dang it.

Silently, she set the plate of cookies beside the clothes, taking care not to touch them. Victoria didn’t want to claim ownership of the lacy black bra that was folded at the middle, it’s straps gently placed in the hollow of the cups. She also took care to not look at the women as she made her way to the easy chair at their side.

“Thank you, dear,” Sandra said with a gentle smile.

John spotted the clothes immediately after she had and calmly placed their coffee cups beside the cookies. He shot both of the women a piercing glare before joining Victoria at the easy chair. As he lowered himself to perch on one plush chair arm, he cleared his throat. “No need to fold my laundry anymore, Mom.”

Victoria kept her eyes in her lap.

The women’s laughter tinkled with good humor. “Oh, Johnny, go ahead and wipe the scowl off your face,” Margaret chided. “We know very well what the morning after looks like.”

“Mother.”

“Victoria,” Sandra interrupted. “What do you do for a living?”

She had no choice but to participate in this conversation while her discarded clothes just sat there taunting her. Victoria looked up and tried to smile. “I teach at Pembroke University, in their English department.”

“Impressive,” the women said in unison. They both went for their coffee at the same time and settled against the couch.

“Thank you,” she breathed.

“Victoria and I are working on an internship together,” John said. “We’re hoping it will be a successful partnership between the library and university.”

“Is that a fact?” Margaret asked in a sardonic tone that matched her son’s. “It looks like a pretty good partnership already.”

Victoria shifted in her seat. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few days,” she admitted. As she addressed the women, she watched her tone and kept their relationship as vague as possible. Only last night had Victoria declared how she wanted to drop her mask and get real with John. In the cold light of morning, in front of his mothers, she wondered if she may have spoken too soon.