A Place Called Home by Jo Goodman Read Free Book Online

he liked it. It was what he had been taught as a child but he was finding that many of his friends’ children were permitted lots of familiarities, usually by adults who were not their parents. Gina had tried to get them to call her almost anything but Miss Sommers until Mitch gently put his foot down. “It looks like she’s getting her purse,” he told them. Indeed, Gina seemed to be wrestling with her Sak. “She’s probably got the straps caught in her wannabe stick shift.” He looked both ways, made certain the coast was clear, and sent the boys ahead to help her. Gina would be so appreciative. They would undoubtedly clamor for a ride in the SUV.
    “Maybe later, guys,” she was telling them as Mitch approached. By the tone of her voice, Mitch judged it was probably at least the third time she’d said it.
    “Just say no, Gina. Believe it or not, they get that.”
    She slammed the door, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Sorry, guys. You heard your uncle Mitch. No.”
    The twins, having perfected the hangdog expression of monumental disappointment, turned on Mitch in unison. He felt the double blow of soulful brown eyes—their mother’s eyes—and pouty lower lips. He simply canted his head to the side, indicating they should hightail it into the house. “And take off your shoes in the breezeway!” he called after them. To Gina, he said, “That was low.”
    She shrugged. “‘Just say no, Gina,’” she mimicked. “Isn’t that what you told me to do?”
    “You know I meant that you should give them a clear answer one way or the other.”
    “Hmmm.” Gina glanced over her shoulder at him as she entered the garage. “Then maybe you’re the one who needs to give clear instructions.”
    Mitch sighed. She really had her back up.
    Gina yanked off her boots in the breezeway. “Don’t ever correct me like that again in public, Mitch. I’m not one of the kids.”
    He bit back the obvious reply— Then don’t act like one.— and said instead, “The potty mouth has no place around the kids.”
    “What are you doing, like, reading every parent magazine? You think they haven’t heard it before?”
    “Not from their parents or mine. I’m trying not to let them hear it from me, and I’d like that they didn’t hear it from you.”
    “They weren’t even around yet. You were just worried about the other parents. As if they’ve never said anything like that.”
    Mitch slipped Grant’s book bag onto the same forearm that held Case’s. He used his free hand to rake his hair. “Look, I’m sorry, Gina, if I embarrassed or offended you.”
    “ If? ”
    He sighed heavily this time. “I’m trying to apologize.”
    The arms that were crossed tightly under Gina’s breasts relaxed slightly. “Go on.”
    “That’s it. I’m sorry. I’m feeling my way here. I haven’t had time to read a magazine about parenting. I’ve hardly been able to read what I have to to do my job. I could use your help, and if you can’t give that, I could at least use your understanding.”
    Gina was silent a moment, studying his face. There was about a snowball’s chance that she wasn’t going to forgive him. As much as these recent choices of his had inconvenienced her plans, there was a part of her that admired Mitch for taking it all on, almost without blinking an eye. Steady. Decent. Sincere. It didn’t hurt that he was handsome as sin either. She took one of the book bags from him, stood on tiptoe, and gave him a kiss full on the lips. “I still want to boink you,” she whispered against his mouth.
    Mitch wasn’t exactly proof against the firm little body she thrust against him. “Yeah,” he whispered back. “Boink works for me, too.”
    She laughed and grabbed his hand. “C’mon. Before Case and Grant get curious.”
    No chance of that, Mitch thought as he rounded the corner into the living room. The twins were already sitting cross-legged and catatonic in front of the TV, their jackets only partially