As Hot as It Gets

He dragged both hands through his hair before resting them on Mia’s slender hips. “Honestly? The thought of going home makes me want to throw up.”

There was a beat.

And then, “What if I went with you?”

His jaw hit the floor. “Are you serious?”

She nodded, though he didn’t miss the brief flicker of anxiety in her gaze. “I’ve got Thanksgiving weekend off, so I can be your moral support if you want.”

“What about Danny?”

“We don’t usually do anything special. Last year I went with him to Angie’s parents’ house, and I felt totally out of place. He was invited there again this year, so he’ll be all right if I leave town with you. I’m sure Angie’s parents will let him spend the weekend with them.”

Jackson was still floored—but also touched. Very, very touched. Mia’s offer to accompany him to Abbott Creek for the holiday was unexpected but absolutely welcome. He saw it as yet another sign that he was chipping away at her resistance toward a long-term relationship with him. As each day passed, she was acting more and more like a girlfriend than a temporary sexual partner, and as reluctant as he was to go home, he knew he couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

Her gesture was a step in the right direction. A promising omen that she cared about more than having sex with him. That she cared about him as a man, and not just a lover. So much that she was willing to be there for him during what was bound to be an extremely painful visit to Texas.

But if he was finally going to face his demons, he refused to be the only one.

“I’ll make you a deal,” he said quietly. “I’ll go home and talk to Shane—and yes, I would love it if you came along, sugar—but only if you keep an open mind about your mother.”

Mia frowned.

“She’s already back in your life,” he pointed out. “And Danny clearly wants her here, which means you can’t get rid of her so easily this time. So as long as she’s stickin’ around, would it hurt to hear her out? I’m not sayin’ to completely drop your guard and open your heart to her again. Just give her the benefit of the doubt.”

Several seconds ticked by, and still Mia didn’t utter a word.

“C’mon, darlin’, just promise to keep an open mind,” he coaxed. “Can you do that for me?”

Her shoulders sagged in resignation. “Fine,” she muttered. “I guess it wouldn’t kill me to try.”

Two weeks later

“Isn’t this so exciting, Mia?” Brenda bubbled happily as the three of them walked into the apartment.

Mia smiled in spite of herself, then blamed the reaction on the high she was still riding after watching the Warriors clinch a playoff spot. She and Brenda had sat together in the stands, and as her mom cheered for Danny and his teammates with unbridled enthusiasm, Mia had been reminded of the fact that her mother wasn’t all bad.

When she wasn’t chasing after her next husband or drowning her sorrows in a black hole of Häagen-Dazs, Brenda had been a lot of fun. She was like an endearing child, possessing a knack for spontaneity and an unmatched lust for life. Except there was a flipside to that, because children weren’t equipped to handle adult problems, and so when faced with the not-so-fun grown-up parts of life, Brenda reacted…poorly, for lack of a better word.

Mia refused to let herself forget that, even as she tried to keep her promise to Jackson and remain open-minded about Brenda’s motives for being here.

And shockingly enough, her mother was here. This was the second weekend in a row that she’d made the long drive from Reno to San Diego, which showed some serious dedication on her part. That alone was enough to make Mia wonder if maybe her mother was sincere about making amends.

“It’ll be even more exciting when they win the state championship,” Mia said in response to Brenda’s exclamation.

“Which we will.” Danny’s green eyes glittered with confidence as he followed them inside.

Just like last weekend, he had decided to skip the Friday-night post-game festivities so he could spend time with their mother, and he was already heading for the DVD stand to pick out a movie for the three of them to watch tonight.

As he huddled over the row of cases, Mia drifted into the kitchen to brew some coffee. Brenda trailed after her and leaned against the counter while Mia clicked on the coffeemaker.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to Reno with us on Thursday?”

Mia searched her mom’s eyes and detected nothing false in her earnest expression. Brenda had asked both her kids to spend the holiday with her, but while Danny had jumped at the chance, choosing to be with his mom over his girlfriend, Mia was secretly glad she’d already made other plans. Her mother’s invitation might seem genuine, but she still didn’t entirely trust the woman.

“I promised Jackson I’d spend Thanksgiving with him and his family,” Mia answered as she grabbed two ceramic mugs from the cupboard.

“The two of you are getting serious, huh?”

Her shoulders instantly stiffened. “Not really,” she said vaguely.

The last thing she wanted to do was talk to her mother about her relationship with Jackson. Brenda asked about it each time they saw each other, but Mia didn’t feel comfortable confiding in the woman.

Especially when she couldn’t put a label on her own feelings about the subject. She’d been seeing Jackson for three months, which was about, oh, two and a half months longer than she’d anticipated their fling lasting. But it wasn’t a fling anymore—she’d finally forced herself to accept it. And yet it wasn’t a serious relationship, either.