“Was it really that bad?” Harper asked, her face a picture of concern.
“It wasn’t great, but I guess the point I’m making is that we should step in and support people in those situations, not gossip about them. I’m really impressed by how this town has changed; Minnie’s kids seem to have had a lot of love and support that wasn’t as obvious a generation ago.”
Mitch thought about that and how hard that was for the girls. They’d both carried a lot of baggage for a long time and it was time to put that aside. He knew that Lucy marrying Chase would mean she would be well loved and protected. Chase was a great guy. He wanted to be that guy for Minnie, if she let him.
Right now, more than anything, he wanted to see her, but he knew she was seeing the kids after work, so he had to wait. He wasn’t a man that liked waiting but he was coming to see that if he wanted to be with Minnie it was probably going to require a lot of waiting, a lot of patience, and some acceptance that he wasn’t going to be the center of the universe for her. He would be a part of it and sometimes he’d orbit to the middle, but the kids would do the same and that didn’t bother him at all when he ran it through his mind.
Minnie was worth it. He just hoped she felt the same about him because today’s incident could easily have pushed him out of her universe entirely. Still, he wasn’t giving up without a fight.
It was after eight when Mitch finally found himself once again outside Minnie’s door. He had a feeling this was a path he’d be treading often, if he was welcome.
He gave a gentle knock, and the woman herself opened the door and met him with a smile. She had on a pale blue T-shirt that matched her eyes and rolled up plaid pajama pants, and she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
“So, I smell truffle fries?” She leaned forward to see what he was holding behind his back.
“You only like me for my fries,” he teased, stepping in and kicking the door shut behind him.
“Not only for your fries but they’re definitely part of your charm, Mitch.”
“You think I have charm?”
She shook her head at him. “You know I do. Now hand over the fries.”
She went to grab them, and he took her wrists and held them between them, the bag of fries dangling from his fingers. “What’s in it for me?”
She leaned forward and brushed her sweet lips across his. He got a waft of apple shampoo, and a surge of hope ran through his body.
“I suppose that’s worth a fry.”
“Just one?”
“I also have a double bacon blue cheese burger. What can I expect for that?”
She let out a laugh that made his heart swell. “You, Mitch, are shameless.”
He didn’t need to entice her with food, although the delicious smells that filled the apartment were alluring. She wanted him and she had since the first day she’d seen him. Somehow, today, she’d accepted that maybe she could actually have him.
“I am kind of shameless when it comes to you.” His hands were still around her wrists. “You kind of own me, though.”
“I own you?”
“Woman, have you not noticed me mooning over you for weeks?”
“I just thought that was part of your role as a good neighbor.”
“Do all your other neighbors do this?” His mouth crashed down over hers, claiming her. His tongue slid in past her lips, dancing against her own. He pulled her closer, and she heard the rustle of the paper bag hitting the floor. Then, her body was flush against his. He felt solid, and he tasted like heaven.
When the kiss broke, she struggled to speak, but she found her voice. “Not all my neighbors, just you and a couple of others.”
He knew she was teasing, and he grinned. “I might have to talk to them, let them know all kissing will now be done by me.”
“Just kissing?” She was feeling brazen, and they’d danced around each other long enough.
“I don’t know.” He ran his hand up her arm and pushed the hair away from her neck and kissed her in that sweet spot just below her ear. “I’m sure there are a couple of other duties I’d be happy to take on, if you were willing.”
She was more than willing. At this moment as he kissed his way down her neck and across her collar bone, she considered that she might have been born willing. “I might be.”
He pulled back, his lips left her body, and she instantly regretted her choice of the word might. “I am willing, but you still need to understand that I’m a work in progress.”
His hands captured hers, his thumbs ran small circles over her wrists. He kissed one, then the other. “I’m a big fan of progress. And to me, progress means any forward movement.”
“Exactly. I can’t go backward, Mitch, I have to go forward . . . I’ve worked too hard . . .”
“Can we go forward together, then, maybe? I don’t care how slowly we go. I just want to be a part of your life, and we don’t need to decide right now how that looks.”
She looked up at him and searched his face. She could tell he was genuine. He was the real deal, and she could trust herself to trust him.
“Great.” She reached up and pulled his head down until his lips were a breath from hers. “Can I ask you one thing, Mitch?”
“Anything.”
“Am I ever going to get to finish a serving of your truffle fries?”
She knew the answer to that before he answered. “Definitely, but probably not tonight.”
Epilogue
It was without a doubt the most opulent wedding Minnie had ever attended. That wouldn’t be what she would remember about it, however.
She would remember how happy her Katie, Olly, and Sophie looked as they walked down the aisle in the bridal party. She would remember the way Chase caught his breath when his eyes fell on Lucy standing at the end of the aisle, on Kevin’s arm waiting to walk toward him. She was so beautiful in her ivory dress, and she looked exactly like a princess, which was fitting for a wedding taking place in a castle-like house.
She would remember the sweet, sexy vows they read out to each other. Vows that made everyone smile and blush just a little. She would remember her mother squeezing her hand as the happy couple kissed and the way she had to blink back her tears in that moment. She’d remember the feel of her shoulder pressed up against Mitch’s as he sat on her other side, providing warmth and comfort and support.
And this moment, she’d remember this moment.
The speeches were done, and it was time for dancing. Minnie didn’t like to be the center of attention but she wanted to do something for Chase and Lucy, something to show her love and her appreciation for all they’d done, not just for the kids but for her. She knew for certain she wouldn’t be here were it not for them. If Lucy hadn’t helped with the kids, if Chase hadn’t come and found her, she’d have missed all this.
It wasn’t just them, either. Her mother and Kevin had given her children love and shelter, there was Marissa who had given her a home, and Chloe and Sarah who had given her friendship and support, and Moose who had given her a job. She was one lucky woman and she knew it.
It wasn’t like every minute of every day was perfect. There’d been moments when she had considered having a drink, thought about how easy it would be to just have one, but she hadn’t done it and these people were the reason why. She didn’t want to let herself down, and she couldn’t let these people down.
She looked across the room to Mitch who was leaning against a doorframe, talking to Moose, without breaking his conversation he gave her a tilt of his chin. A familiar tilt she now knew meant you’ve got this.
Minnie reached for her guitar and took to the stage in front of the band who was ready for her.
She cleared her throat, and heads turned toward her.
“Excuse me, everyone, I just need a moment of your time.”
A hush fell across the room, conversations stopped and heads turned her way. Lucy blinked in surprise, and a smile lit her face.
“I wanted to
say a thing or two . . .” People nodded encouragingly, egging her on. “Unfortunately, I’m a very poor public speaker and I find it very hard to put my thoughts together when I’m emotional, and like many of us today, I am feeling very emotional.”
“Hear, hear,” an elderly man called from the crowd, obviously one of Chase’s people.
“For a lot of years it was Lucy and me against the world, she’s been my rock and my soft place to fall all in one, and I know there are times it’s felt like no matter how hard she worked to get ahead, I’ve pulled her back. In the last couple of years especially, she’s held our family together. I’m sure there were days when she felt tired and overwhelmed but that has never stopped her. Her capacity to love has been boundless, and then she met Chase, and I think her own generous spirit is equalled by his, which is perfect. So, I’m going to sing a song that sums up how they live their lives and I hope you all enjoy it and I hope we can all take a leaf out of their book and follow suit.”
Then, she started playing the familiar James Taylor song that summed up everything she wanted to say but didn’t have the words for, “Shower the People.”
It didn’t take long for the dance floor to fill with people who were all singing along to the sound of her voice and smiling at her. All the people she loved: her kids, her mother and Kevin, all her new friends, and Mitch.
Her voice caught, but it didn’t matter that she was a happy, misty-eyed mess. It didn’t matter that she’d made mistakes or that her family might not look exactly like everyone else’s. All that mattered was that she was loved by this sweet, crazy bunch of people. That’s what she’d remember.
If you liked Any Way You Spin It, please leave me a review. Good reviews make an author’s day.
Sign up for my newsletter at www.moniquemcdonellauthor.com for information about new releases, promotions, and giveaways.
You might also like my other novels.
Upper Crust Series
Any Way You Slice It, An Upper Crust Novella
Any Way You Dream It
Any Way You Fight It
Any Way You Plan It
Any Way You Want It
Any Way You Build It
Any Way You Spin It
My stand-alone novels and novellas
Mr. Right and Other Mongrels
Hearts Afire
Alphabet Dating
Building Attraction
A Fair Exchange
Snowbound, a Chicklit Christmas Novella
My new series the Something series will begin soon with the first novel, Something of a Spark, featuring a girl with a few too many secrets and a sexy fireman who only has one rule—no secrets.
Acknowledgements
I hope you enjoyed reading Minnie’s story.
First off, I owe a huge thank you to the lovely members of Writers’ Dozen who support my writing and keep me on track.
Without my wonderful writing friends, I know I could not continue and a special shout out to Rae and Terri for their feedback on this book.
Thanks to my beta readers for your ongoing help—especially to Renee, Betty, and Terri whose help I found invaluable.
Thanks to cover designer Erin Cawood for the gorgeous cover design and to Chrissy Wolfe at EFC Services, LLC for the editing.
Finally, a thank you to my regular readers who write reviews for my books, e-mail me, and tweet me about my stories. Knowing you’re out there reading my stories and anticipating the next one gives me more joy than you can possibly imagine.
And finally, to my local friends Diana and Gill who never see me without asking about my books and begging me for the next one. Sometimes I have felt like no one else cared if I ever wrote another word but them, so a huge shout out for all the moral support.
Table of Contents
Any Way You Spin It
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
If you liked Any Way You Spin It, please leave me a review. Good reviews make an author’s day.
Acknowledgements
Any Way You Spin It: An Upper Crust Novel (The Upper Crust Series Book 7) Page 18