For Better or Worse

“She doesn’t,” Alexis said in a wary voice. “She wants it in three.”

Chapter Three

THINGS THAT COULD ANNOY a grown man:

His mother stopping by at seven a.m.

Things that could kill a grown man:

His mother stopping by at seven a.m. before he’d figured out how to gently get rid of last night’s female companion.

Josh Tanner was still in bed, mentally running through his list of fail-proof methods for getting a woman out of his apartment in the kindest way possible, when he heard his front door open and close.

His eyes closed and he groaned audibly. There was only one person in his life who had a key to his apartment, and Sue Tanner had yet to fully absorb what Josh meant by for emergencies only.

The cute brunette came out of the bathroom, where she’d been borrowing Josh’s toothbrush without asking, and gave him a puzzled look. “Is someone here?”

As if on cue, there was a cheerful knock on his bedroom door. “Joshy? Are you decent?”

Josh sighed as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and walked unabashedly naked, and decidedly not decent, to the dresser.

“April, honey,” he said to the woman as he pulled out T-shirts and sweatpants for them both, “prepare yourself to meet my mother.”

“Your mother?” she squeaked in a high voice that sounded remarkably similar to the sound she’d made when she’d—

“I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it. For her sake and his own.

“Joshy?”

Good Lord.

“Mom. A minute?” he called.

April hurriedly took the clothes he handed her. They’d be huge on her tiny frame, but they didn’t have time for her to wiggle back into her skintight dress.

He pulled a plain white tee over his head, tugged on the blue sweats, and after a glance to make sure that all of April’s crucial bits were covered, opened the door.

“Oh hi, honey,” his mom said, all smiles. “I thought you might still be asleep.”

“Sure you did,” he said, automatically sidestepping to block his mom’s attempt to peek into his bedroom.

Just because he’d learned to endure Sue Tanner’s meddling didn’t mean poor April had to.

But just as he was about to suggest his mother come back a bit later, he caught a waft of vanilla perfume as April crowded around him, already reaching for his mother’s hand.

“Mrs. Tanner. It’s so nice to meet you.”

Oh boy.

The only thing worse than a woman who didn’t want to meet his mother was one who did.

He needed to get rid of both. Pronto.

But first . . . caffeine.

He bent to peck his chatty mother’s cheek before moving into the kitchen to get some much-needed coffee.

“Well aren’t you lovely, dear,” Sue was cooing to April. “You have just the prettiest eyes. I bet my son noticed those right off.”

Josh held back a snort of laughter as he reached for the canister where he kept his expensive Italian-roast coffee beans. Yeah. That had been it. Her eyes.

April had a fantastic body and a great smile. She’d found him after his band’s set last night at the Irish pub around the corner, and after the requisite five-minute conversation to make sure she didn’t set off any of his crazy warning bells, he’d brought her back to his place.

Truthfully, she wasn’t the best lay he’d ever had. But that didn’t mean she deserved an interrogation from his mother.

“Leave her alone, Mom,” he called.

His mother ignored him as she led a beaming April into the kitchen. “I’m so sorry to intrude on your morning like this!” his mother exclaimed.

Now Josh did let out a snort.

“Oh gosh, no problem at all,” April gushed. “I’m just disappointed you got here before I could make us all some breakfast.”

His mug clattered to the counter. What now?

“Oh, aren’t you sweet as sugar. Now you just let me take care of that. I’m here to make pancakes! Josh loves when I make pancakes.”

“You know what else I love?” he muttered loudly over the whir of his coffee grinder. “When you call first.”

“So you don’t want my pancakes?” his mom said, finally shifting her attention away from April.