Page 103 of Old Habits
“No,” Jovie and I answer in unison.
I discretely free my aching fingers from Jovie’s iron grip. “Is Andy here, too?” I add.
She nods. “In the kitchen with Mom. Dad’s reading in the living room.”
“Cool.”
I lay a hand on Jovie’s back and gently guide her into the foyer, feeling the slight resistance in her step as she passes by Sara.
Well, this night just got a whole lot longer.
“Will? Jovie? That you?” Mom calls out from the kitchen down the hall.
“Yeah, Mom,” I say.
She appears in the doorway wearing an apron and a bright, red smile. “Oh, Jovie! You look wonderful.”
Jovie’s cheeks flush pink. “This old thing?” she asks, gesturing to her skirt and blouse.
“If I had calves like yours, I’d show them off, too. Hell, at one time, that’s exactly what I did…”
I wince. “Mom…”
“I’m just saying…” she teases. “Would you two like a drink? We have wine!”
“Yes, please,” Jovie says, barely hiding the desperation behind the words.
Mom smiles. “Sara, do you mind?”
Sara frowns and fires a few silent daggers at each of us through her eyes. “Sure,” she mutters.
She heads toward the kitchen with fast, purposeful steps.
I glance at Jovie’s amused grin and tap her ankle with my foot. Her lips slide down but her eyes continue to twinkle behind her lashes.
I nudge her into the living room where my father sits, lounging back in a loveseat with his iPad.
Jovie takes a seat on the couch. “Hello, Dr. Myers,” she says.
He glances up and nods. “Jovie,” he greets. “You look well.”
“Thank you. You do, too.”
“How are your teeth?”
I roll my eyes as I sit down beside her. “Dad…”
Jovie chuckles. “They’re still in there, last I checked.”
He grunts. “Well, if that changes…”
“I’ll be sure to give you a call,” she says.
Mom and Sara walk in with four fresh wineglasses and Andy nipping at their heels. He rushes over to me and I help him up onto the couch to sit with us while Sara takes an armchair.
“So, what are we talking about?” Mom asks.
“Oh, nothing,” my father answers as she hands us our glasses. “Jovie’s teeth are in her mouth.”