His Fair Lady by Kimberly Gardner Page B

because what was there to say? Instead he stroked her hair and rubbed her back and waited for the storm to blow itself out. At last it did, and she was quiet and still against his chest.
    “Better now?” he asked and pressed his lips into her hair.
    She nodded and sniffed. “I guess. Yeah.”
    “You want to talk about it?” He’d rather hit himself on the head with a hammer than talk about it, whatever it was, but he could man up. Still, when she shook her head, relief was sweet even if it had a definite guilty flavor.
    “I’m just having a lousy day.”
    She was lying. He knew it, and she might even know he knew it, but Mark let it go and settled for action instead.
    “I’m coming in with you.” He opened the door on his side of the car.
    “You don’t have to.”
    “Stop telling me what I don’t have to do! I’m going to take care of you, and you’re going to let me.”
    “Kyle’s probably home. He can—”
    “Kyle schmyle. Kyle can bite me.”
    Josie laughed. “He might like that a little too much.”
    Mark felt heat rise to his cheeks. He had no idea what to say to that, so he got out of the car and slammed the door.
     
    KYLE WAS HOME. His laughter echoed down the stairs. Josie heard it as well as the sound of his voice as she and Mark climbed the last flight up to her apartment. It sounded like somebody was in there with Kyle, but she couldn’t tell who. Josie stuck her keys in the pocket of her jacket before reaching for the doorknob.
    She opened the door and, with Mark close behind, stepped into her living room and froze. Mark ran into her back, and Josie stumbled forward a step.
    At least now she knew who Ky had been laughing with. Her mother sat on the couch, a mug of something in one hand. Kyle sat beside her, also holding a mug and mirroring her pose. They both looked up, twin smiles turning to frowns as they got a look at Josie.
    Crap!
    “Sorry, have to pee really bad.” Josie dashed for the hallway, reached the bathroom, and only then tossed a “Hi, Mom” back over her shoulder before she slammed the door.
    Leaning back against the wood, she closed her eyes. What was her mother doing here? Then she remembered the conversation from weeks ago.
    This weekend was spring festival, though the weather still felt more like winter, and her mom had promised to come for a visit that very weekend. Under normal circumstances she would never have forgotten such a promise. She might even have dissuaded her mom with the proper reassurances and claim of being “too busy to breathe.” But she had forgotten, and now here was her mom with her suitcase and her ever-present container of homemade whatever. Not that she’d seen the “container,” but her mom never went anywhere without some food item prepared by her own hands.
    God, her mom was here! And she was in the living room with Mark!
    Not alone, at least. Kyle was in there. The traitor. Why hadn’t he texted her that her mom was here? She would have to hurt him. Later.
    Right now she had to clean herself up, comb her hair, and put on her happy face.
    Josie had just finished with the concealer and was dragging a brush through her hair when someone tapped softly on the door. Oh God, it was her mother. But no, her mom would have just barged in. It must be Kyle. Josie opened the door a crack.
    “Are you okay? Why were you crying? Did he do something? Want me to kick his ass?”
    Josie snorted a laugh and pitched her voice low for his ears alone. “Oh Kyle! Let’s see, in order of questions asked: I’m fine. I’m fine. Maybe I’m crying because I’m PMSing. Mark didn’t do anything. And no, I do not want you to kick his ass. I do, however, want to know why you didn’t tell me my mother was here.”
    This last was spoken in a scolding hiss.
    “I texted you, girlfriend. Where the hell was your phone?”
    “In my bag, turned off since I was at rehearsal. You know we can’t have phones on at rehearsal.”
    “So what was I supposed to do,