“Are you done annoying me? Shouldn’t you be hanging out with your best friend?”
“Yeah, just grabbing us some snacks, and heard you and the bird talking about me.”
“Oh my God, I wasn’t?—”
He cuts me off, “Not what I heard.”
“Don’t you have friends your own age?” I ask.
“Yeah.” He shrugs easily and I roll my eyes again.
My mom comes into the room, and brightens when she sees Parker, which results in him giving me a raised eyebrow taunting look. I just shake my head.
“Parker, do you and your mom want to join us for dinner later?”
I shake my head at him from behind my mom’s back so she can’t see me.
He smiles widely. “Sounds great.”
I scowl at him. My mom turns back to face me, and notices. “What’s that look for?”
“Yeah, Lil, what’s it for?”
“You know why,” I grumble.
“Well, fix your face, and be nice,” my mom scolds while Parker makes faces at me from behind her back this time.
“Hunky Parker!”Jerry Lee interjects.
“Huh, that’s a new one.” My mom chuckles.
Parker smiles even wider, and I groan. “Now I know how Sutton felt.” I walk away from all three of the beings that want to embarrass me. “If anyone needs me, I’m going to be dancing on the roof until Iaccidentallyfall off.”
CHAPTER 7
Parker
Even though Idon’t live with my mom anymore, I show up to her house without warning because I’m her son. Her one and only child, her baby boy, and I know she can’t stand to be away from me.
“Mom?” I call out as I walk through the front door. I hear a thud and I start to go toward the source.
She pops out from one of the back rooms that’s her art studio and blows her hair off her face. “You know you can’t scare me like that when I’m in the zone.”
“Thought you heard me.” I shrug and she shakes her head, wiping her paint-stained hands on a towel.
“Yeah? Thought I heard you over my music while I’m completely focused?”
“Anyway,” I divert, “want to go to dinner at the Baker’s?”
“Tina invite us? Or did Lily inviteyou?”
“So youdidknow when she was coming back into town,” I accuse.
She gives me a knowing look. “Does it matter?”
“Yeah, it does because she has some boyfriend,” I grumble.
“Is he here?”