“Jeez. Touchy.” She eyed him while she chewed. “Are you introducing her to the family soon? Because that might distract Mom from this whole Marcelo Silva business.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m trying to take things slow,” he told her, and tossed the rag into the sink. “And you know Mom.”

“She can be subtle,” Tatchi said soberly, then snickered. “Oh my God, I couldn’t even say that with a straight face.”

Cade circled the counter, sat back down, and flicked her on the back of the head. “Brat.”

“Jerk.” She snatched his coffee cup in retaliation. “Can I at least be there when you tell Mom you’re living with a woman you haven’t introduced her to yet?”

“Can I be there when you tell her you keep resisting her attempts to set you up with Marcelo Silva because you’re dating a botany major from New Jersey who grows his own weed?”

“Okay, fine, nobody tells Mom anything. On to more important questions—can I have a friend over tonight? I have a study group.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?”

“For the purposes of our parents, yes. And also, does you being sober mean I can’t smoke weed in your house?”

“God, I hate you,” he sighed, and got up to get himself another cup of coffee.

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

A week and a half later, Olivia found herself facing her curious friends in Sadie’s living room for Whine and Wine Wednesday. As expected, she—and her relationship with Cade—were the center of attention.

“Now, when you say ‘awesome’,” Sadie asked, said from her perch on the couch with a glass of wine in one hand and a mini egg roll in the other, “are we talking about his penis?”

Rebecca sighed. “For God’s sake, Sadie.”

“What? Not all of us have sampled the goods,” Sadie said, then turned back to Olivia expectantly. “Well?”

“Don’t you want to wait for the others to get here?”

“Good idea,” Rebecca said at the same time Sadie said, “Hell, no. They snooze, they lose. I want the dirt.”

“Okay, well,” Olivia began, then stopped at the knock on the door.

“Dammit,” Sadie grumbled, and stomped to her front door. “Good, you’re here. Wine over there, food over there. Help yourselves, but do it quietly, because Olivia’s about to tell us all about Cade’s penis and I don’t want to miss anything.”

“I see nothing around here has changed,” a low voice said drily.

“Hey, Sam,” Olivia called out. “Hi, Amanda.”

“There she is,” Sam said, and crossed the room for a hug. “I hear you’ve had an eventful couple of weeks.”

“Just a little,” she said, and reached up to tap his dimpled chin. “What happened to the scruff?”