The Prenup

Hands clasped together with excitement, Sarah asked, "Will it be somewhere fancy?"

"Medium fancy. He is a member of the big Golf Club by the lake just outside of town and wants us to meet him there. The steaks are good."

Mimi gathered the cards on the coffee table in front of them and shuffled. "Do you play golf?"

"In junior high, I did with my dad and his drones."

Faking a yawn, Sarah stretched her arms, spreading her fingers wide. "I suppose I should go read. There is going to be a test tomorrow. And it's my understanding that newlyweds need time alone." Grinning, she made a mock vomiting sound as she gathered the playing cards from Mimi. Pony tail bobbing, she and her music disappeared down the hall into her cave of a room.

Eyebrow lifted, he grinned at his pretty cupcake. "And are you planning to run away and read tonight?"

"No. I've done my reading for the day. We ate sandwiches and there is stuff in the fridge if you are hungry. I went to the store."

Resisting the urge to place his stained hands on her, he bent forward and kissed the top of Mimi's head. Dusty and streaked with grease from the day, he needed a shower. "Wife, you smell like popcorn."

"Sarah asked me to make her some before dinner. It was pretty good."

"What do I have to promise you, to get you to make me a sandwich while I shower?" Her mouth was very kissable. "And some popcorn."

"Pearls and diamonds? A pony? A duck that can sing?"

He placed his hands on his hips. "Mouthy girls sometimes get spankings."

The tip of her pink tongue showed between her lips and she lowered her voice to make sure that only he would hear. "Promises, promises."

"You minx."

"There is something I would like in trade for making you dinner, if it's not too silly."

"Am I going to need a shower after?"

"I don't think so. Would you read me to sleep tonight?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Sometimes it's hard for me to sleep in a new place and the energy here is weird."

He knew it was. Sarah and he were used to it. If despair and bad choices had a smell, his mother left that patina on everything around her. "That I can do." He loosened his shirt as he headed down the hall. "No mayo." The door to his childhood bedroom was half open. At the end of his bed, Mimi's suitcase sat with a stuffed tiger draped across the top. Was the toy hers? The stuffed animal looked well loved with his flattened torso and areas of thinned fur. It takes a lot of hugs for a stuffed animal to reach peak cuddle. Calling to him like a siren, the hall shower beckoned.

Grit had found its way everywhere.

***

Wearing a flannel nightgown her mother would approve of, Mimi slid into bed next to Adam. Even covered from head to toe in a granny print of baby roses, her lush curves invited him. Only Sarah's room being next door, and the paper-thin walls kept him from reaching for her. He hadn't thought about how hard it was going to be to resist the temptation of her sweet self. "And where is your tiger?"

Her cheeks pinked. "I stuffed him in a drawer."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm a grownup and it's a little weird for an adult woman to sleep with a stuffed tiger."

"Go get him, imp."

"You won't tease me?"

"I might, but it's okay. You are in a new house, in a new bed. Go get your comfort animal."

She placed one hand on the center of his chest and said, "But you are my comfort animal."

"Go."

Mimi scampered over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. He hadn't noticed it was cracked open before. She said, "I had to leave a gap so he could breathe."

Drawing back the covers, he invited them both into the bed's warmth. "Get both your butts back in here."

With a huge grin, she returned to wiggle her way under the covers. Insuring she would stay toasty, he tucked some of the blanket under her. "And what am I reading tonight, Mimi girl?"

"The three bears..." She handed him her kindle. The goldilocks on the cover looked decidedly grown up.

"Are you sure the tiger is old enough to hear this one?"

She nodded happily, pretty red curls falling across his pillow. At least this bed was a queen. He settled himself, ignored his insistent erection, and began to read her a chapter.

***

Mimi...

The next day at work...

Two of the five puppies were extremely food motivated and learning fast. Focused, they tracked every movement of Mimi's hand. Because Carl had Lucky out back catching a little sun during her nursing break, Mimi had time to work on the puppies' basic commands. "Sit." Two of them sat down promptly and received a treat for their efforts, while their tails wagged merrily. "Good Job, Wiggles. Good Job, Socks."

Brown Foot watched, while Holly and Speckles wrestled under the concerned eye of their watchful nanny, Tiny. With two short whistles, she caught Tiny's attention and patted her thigh to call her over. As she primly approached, the puppies followed their tiny caregiver loyally. After letting Tiny see the tasty treats in her hand, she said, "Sit." The old girl sat down, and in a wobbly line, the puppies followed her lead. Reinforcing the good behavior, she doled out treats like they were trick-or-treaters. "Good job, guys!"

Behind her, Jen gave a soft grunt of approval. "The training is coming along nicely. They are doing great."

Mimi smiled up at her friend. "Well, Tiny and two of the pups understand what is happening. I'm not sure that Speckles has a brain in her head. She goes along with the crowd." Playfully, she rubbed the puppy's ears until she flopped over in bliss.

"Looks like head scratches could be her reward."

"You could be right." Mimi smiled at the silly pups.

"Two more weeks and they will be old enough for their new homes. I'm going to miss this rowdy crew." Jen scooped up her favorite, Brown Foot. "We have a long list of people who want to adopt them."

"What about Tiny?" One thing they knew for sure was that she made a decent nanny.

Jen considered the old girl, who was busy ignoring her completely. "Not yet. She needs someone special and patient. She still hates kids and most women."

There was no way Tiny was going to spend the rest of her days at the shelter. "She needs a warm bed and a mail carrier to bark at. This faithful old gal deserves a comfortable home." When she offered Tiny a pet, she regally allowed the touch as her fluffy charges squirmed around her. After they settled the puppies with their new families, the search for Tiny's next favorite person would begin.

***

The vastness of the entry into the restaurant caught her off guard. Elegant and a bit imposing, the ceiling arched upward gracefully. The amount of space devoted to the first impression gave her pause. How much was this dinner going to cost them? Was her dress nice enough?

After work, she'd rushed to shower and change before Adam got home, tossing through the options she had brought to his mother's house. After a consult with Sarah, she had chosen a curve hugging red dress and some flirty heals. She'd had no intention of meeting his father smelling like puppies. Sarah was a happy hummingbird and couldn't stop talking about food.

"I have never been to a place this nice." The teenager was wiggly as a corgi. "Can I have a shrimp cocktail? A friend of mine from school said those were fantastic."

Mimi lightly touched the girl's back and encouraged her forward. "I don't see why not. Sometimes you need to splurge and I think that is in our budget."

Adam shook his head. "My Father won't let us pay. It would sting his pride."

"Why? I make a passing living, and your business is thriving."

Fondly, Adam slipped his arm around her and drew her close. "And you help more animals and people than my dad ever could. He has an odd way of only valuing things that can be bought and sold."

"That does not sound like the kind of parent who lets you have a fun childhood."

"Mine wasn't. My father is a tool."

"Telling your new bride sweet things about me?"

Mimi stiffened. She hadn't heard the man approach them. Turning, she came face to face with an older, more angular version of Adam, with frown lines traced deeply into his face. Wearing a crisp blue polo shirt and a watch that gleamed in the mood lighting of the club's vestibule, he kept a young blond close to him, displayed like an accessory. Tottering on heals so high they made her walk like a baby deer, she barely looked at them. Her posture implied she'd accepted a bribe of an expensive purse or piece of jewelry to come meet the man's son and new wife.

Energy snapped and sparked around the two men as they squared off, facing each other. "Don't you want to say hello to your new stepmother?"

Adam looked at the blond, who was appraising him in a way that Mimi did NOT like. "What is this one's name? I can never keep them straight."

"Murial." Her voice was high and scratched at the inside of Mimi's head. "It's good to meet you." When she thrust her hand forward expecting Adam to take it, he gave her a brief polite hand shake. Sarah and she were invisible.

His father said, "Murial has been hearing me sing your praises, just as you like to sing mine." He nodded to Sarah. "Hello girl."

"Sarah, my name is..."

The old man dismissed her. "Whatever. Let's go to our table and get this over with." Stepping forward toward the restaurant, confident that everyone would follow him, he didn't look back once. Mimi shot a look at Adam. Only when her husband stepped forward did she slip her hand into his arm and follow the old goat and his arm candy into the restaurant.

By the time Adam pulled out Sarah's chair, the girl's excitement had dimmed. Mimi leaned over and whispered to her, "Keep your eye on the prize. Shrimp cocktail."

When everyone settled and the hostess retreated, the old man focused on Mimi, eyes hard and completely lacking the warmth that radiated from Adam. "So I'm guessing he paid you to take part in this farce. I know my son. This isn't a love match."

Back stiffening, Mimi placed her hand on Adam's. In response, her husband wound his fingers around hers. The hair on the back of her neck prickling, she forced herself to relax her jaw. She didn't look scary, but she had teeth to bite with. "I'm sure you would be completely surprised by how little I care about what you think."

Adam coughed on the water he had just sipped and Sarah beamed a smile at her.

"At least you have a bit of fire." He leered at her briefly. "That red hair must be natural. Perhaps you will give me proof sometime."

Bristling, Adam's hand tightened on hers. Mimi felt her own quills rising. Who did this old man think he was? Adam placed the paperwork in the center of the table.