Haunted Love

Chapter 14 Part 16

Chapter 14

"Would you like another pillow, a cold drink perhaps?"

Lindsey watched her mother fret over Thane and she laughed a little inside. What had gotten into the woman? Instead of her usually immaculate silk suits and coiffed hair, she was in a snug pair of jeans that showed her trim figure and a lovely orange blouse that brought out her coloring. Her beaded sandals and matching earrings kept her from looking too domestic.

Joan sniffed the air and put her hands to her cheeks. "Oh my, I think my cookies are burning." She patted Thane on the shoulder lightly and smiled down at him. "Let me get them out of the oven and I will bring you a cold glass of lemonade."

Joan swept from the room, leaving a lingering scent of her expensive jasmine perfume behind. Lindsey watched her mother walk away and she shook her head in confusion. Thane was lying on the couch in old gray sweats and black socks. Normally Joan would order someone so casually dressed to make themselves presentable. She knew her father had never gotten away with anything other than a three piece suit since they had moved to Alabama.

So what was Joan up to?

Thane leaned back and put his hands behind his head as he watched Lindsey's narrowed eyes and pursed lips. She sure was cute when she was mad...and being around Joan for more than twenty minutes was making her see red.

When Lindsey looked at him he wiggled his brows and smiled seductively, "Is your mom making you jealous?"

He almost laughed when Lindsey gave him a bland look. "If by jealous you mean huffy, then yes, she is." She folded her arms across her bosom and scrunched up her face. "I just can't figure out her game. I feel like she is up to something...like she is playing a game and we are her pawns."

Lindsey bit the tip of her thumb nail as a million horrible ideas raced through her brain. Maybe her mother was going through some sort of mid-life crisis that made her tolerable. Maybe she was having an affair and had finally learned to relax...of course Lindsey would have to kill her for cheating on her father, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

She walked to Thane and kissed him sweetly on his lips. He hummed and wrapped an arm around her waist when she tried to pull back. "I can tell from the look in your eyes that you are dying to go and talk to your mother alone." He kissed her once more to ease her frown. "But I feel like I need to point out that she has been very helpful today. I can't remember the last time I have had someone wait on me hand and foot." He scratched his chin thoughtfully and cocked a brow, "I think it was when I was eight and I had chickenpox, but my mom still made me get up and get my own juice. Your mom, however, is bringing it to me. She is winning some major brownie points in my book."

Lindsey lifted her chin and looked at him through lowered brows. "Don't get used to it. That woman is up to something and I aim to find out what it is."

She started to walk away but Thane grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him, "Can you wait to run her off until after she brings me my cookies?" He took a deep breath and sighed, "They smell amazing."

Lindsey laughed and shook her head. "Don't let her fool you. Those cookies are not made from scratch and the lemonade is from a container. I saw her pouring it into a jug and hiding all of the evidence before she warmed up her cookies in the oven."

Thane groaned as he reached for the T.V. remote. "You're denying an injured man his comforts."

Lindsey threw a pillow at him, "I'll comfort you later."