Operation Date Escape

fruitcake with a side of nut roll because this woman was definitely nuts.
    “Uh, well, yeah. We try and stay in shape around here,” he replied with a warning glance to his friends who were snickering in the background. “The job can get pretty physical.”
    “Of course.” She smiled at him.
    “Speaking of which,” he said, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but I really do need to get back to work.”
    “Yeah, he’s got dish duty today,” Nate called out with a grin.
    The woman glanced toward the kitchen area. “Oh, well let me get those for you while you taste the cakes.” She set the tray on the dinner table and took a forkful of one of the miniature slices. She lifted it to his mouth. “Here’s the first one. It’s lemon crème.”
    “Um...” Cole muttered around the forkful of cake she’d just shoved in to his mouth. “Don’t you think your daughter and her husband-to-be should be the ones sampling these?”
    “Absolutely, but Kelsie’s got a full schedule of cleaning s this afternoon so I decided to─”
    “Kelsie?” he gasped, half-choking on the tangy lemon cake still left in his mouth.
    “My daughter,” she prompted as she handed him the fork. She shoved the tray his direction and then stepped around the island to the kitchen area where a few dirty dishes awaited. “Now try the raspberry crème,” she called out to him.
    “Something you forgot to tell us, Maxwell?” his captain asked with a grin.
    “Look, Mrs. Collins...” he began as his gaze shifted from the tray of cakes to Kelsie’s mother.
    “Miss,” she interjected.
    “Excuse me?”
    “Collins is my maiden name ,” she said as she turned on the water and reached for the dish soap on the counter by the sink. “I never married. But seeing as how you might end up part of my family, I’d rather you call me Melinda.”
    Had Kelsie told him that her mother had never married? She might have, but his head was spinning so badly at the moment he wasn’t sure which way was up.
    He was stunned. “Kelsie told you we were engaged?”
    She waved her hand. “Oh, heavens no. My daughter’s determined to avoid marriage at all costs after her last disastrous one. ” She turned to face him. “But now that my daughter’s met you, she’s rethinking that decision.”
    He r words brought a smile to his face. “Kelsie told you that?”
    Her eyes were the same vibrant shade of green as her daughter’s. And amazingly enough held the same expression of guilt as Kelsie’s had when he caught her trying to slip away from the restaurant.
    “Well, not exactly,” she admitted, sending his happiness down a notch. “But I’m her mother and I can sense these things. My daughter really likes you.”
    Okay, it was time for him to set Melinda Collins straight on that misconception. But first he needed to clear the room of unwanted spectators , something he wished he’d done before Kelsie’s mother went off on her wedding cake spiel.
    He turned to find the rest of his crew kicked back in their Lazy Boys, footrests up, and taking in the scene as if he and Kelsie’s mother were putting on some kind of theatrical production for their benefit.
    He cleared his throat. “I’d like a word in private with Miss...er, Melinda here if you boys don’t mind.” He inclined his head toward the hallway outside.
    Grumbling, the men dropped their leg rests, pushed out of their recliners and filed out the door, no doubt disappointed they were not going to get to hear any more of this crazy conversation.
    Once they’d gone, he turned his attention back to Kelsie’s mother. “I think you should know that your daughter and I aren’t going to be seeing each other again.”
    Her cheerful expression fell. She turned off the water, grabbed a paper towel and dried her hands as she walked back around the room dividing island. “It’s the breast thing, isn’t it?”
    “What?” he gasped.
    She clicked her tongue at him. “Just like a man, always wanting bigger and better.”
    He couldn’t believe he was standing there discussing Kelsie’s breasts with her mother. Not that he’d brought the subject up.
    “There’s nothing wrong with your daughter’s...uh, body. And just to set the record straight, not all men think bigger is better.”
    She studied him for a long moment before replying. “Then do you mind my asking why you aren’t going to take her out again?”
    It wasn’t like Kelsie had given him a