Tame the Beast : Small Beach Town, Single Mom Romance

“As a heart attack,” she deadpans and thrusts two colorful monstrosities at me. “Which one would make you feel happier?”

“Neither.” I don’t particularly care for happy at the moment.

“Cats it is then,” she shoves the other one back and an hour later the inside of the pink cottage is unrecognizable.

By the end of my first day in Loverly Cave, I have met more people than I could remember, was told by a cute but slightly scary grandma in a neon pink Addidas suit that by tomorrow I will have a whole list of best baby names complied for me and was branded as another daughter by Jennifer and Rick Levine—Joy’s parents.

I was overwhelmed. That’s what I was. I’ve never had this before and when I went to call my dad at night and told him about it all he said, “Looks like I won’t be moving to Chicago after all. Remind me the name of this town?”

I don’t know what he meant by that because I definitely wasn’t staying here. I wasn’t moving.

Right?

3

Matteo

“I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.” – Steven Wright

“Matty.” Mom’s voice pulls me away from a stunning brunette with a nice rack who I’ve never met before. Tourist. Just how I like them.

“Yes, Ma?” I reluctantly turn my head away from the girl but not without sending her a little wink enjoying the pink creeping onto her cheeks.

Although, she’s not the first wink of this morning. There is an abundant supply of willing bodies at the bar and it’s not even ten AM yet.

And here I thought I wasn’t going to make it home for the spring break.

“I can’t die in peace,” my mom announces all of a sudden, and I stiffen right before furrowing my brows and hurrying her way.

“What do you mean? Why are you dying? Are you sick?”

“I can’t die in peace knowing my son is a manwhore.”

Ah, it’s that kind of morning. Got it.

And here I was just thinking that being home wasn’t bad. Apparently, my loving, amazing mother can’t get behind my lifestyle which includes sampling as much of the fine bodies offered to me as I can.

I’ve been away to college for the past four years and every time I come for a visit, it revolves around me settling down. And while she was tame about it before, this time around it’s as if someone switched my dear mother—the kind Willa Loverson—with an evil doppelganger.

It also doesn’t help that her friends feed the delusions as well and now the three of them are sitting opposite from us, all wearing grave expressions and nodding sympathetically.

Jenny Levine—the most recent addition to the crazy committee—even has tears in her eyes.

Five-star performance.

Sighing, I step away from her and go back to prepping the bar for the busy day ahead.

“Mother, you are not dying.”

“But what if I am? Would you want my soul to wander aimlessly through the afterlife? Actually, now that I think about it, it wouldn’t wander. No, I’m one hundred percent convinced it would haunt you until you put me out of my misery and found a nice girl or a boy. Really, anyone who is not just looking for a one-night ride!”

A shudder runs through my spine at the image she planted in my mind. Damn, eternity is a long time to be haunted by my mother’s ghost because that’s the timeline on when I plan to settle down.

Also, I’m pretty sure almost every girl I take to bed has a notion of “more” with me. So, really, she should stop blaming my companions. They are not the problem here. But it will be a dark day when I admit to being the problem.

The answer: my mom and her unrealistic expectations are.

“Don’t you have some kind of a meeting to get to?” I ask them all.