Donovan whirled, then blinked, hoping, praying his eyes were deceiving him. He blinked again. Nothing had changed. Shit.
And there was absolutely nothing he could do to avert the upcoming disaster.
With outstretched arms, his mother bore down on him with his two sisters trailing close behind. His mom wrapped her arms around him, humming the way moms did when they hadn’t seen their child in a while, and squeezed for all she was worth, even though she barely came up to his chest.
He dropped his head and breathed in the comforting scent of roses. His mom called it her signature scent. He called it home.
But why was she here? More importantly, how could he get her to leave before she wreaked havoc? She squeezed one more time, then released him.
“Donny, my baby.” She patted his cheek with a soft hand, a proud smile spread across her lips. “It’s been so long.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “We had dinner a week and a half ago.”
His mother stepped around him like he hadn’t spoken. “And who do we have here?”
He’d sent a telepathic message to Jada to abandon ship, but apparently she hadn’t gotten the message. Or maybe she had and simply decided to ignore it based on the look of utter joy on her face. “Hello, I’m Jada Townsend-Matthews.”
No. This could not be happening. He didn’t bother trying to stifle his groan, not that his mother or sisters were paying him any attention. Not when his newest employee/fake girlfriend was standing there talking to his mom like this was the most natural situation in the world.
“Sorry,” his sister, Shana, mouthed behind his mother. Yeah, right. She’d driven their mom down here, he had no doubt. As the eldest, she’d always seen it as her responsibility to support their mother in whatever scheme she came up with, good or bad. Not that he could count on his younger sister, Sloane, to avoid disaster, either. In her own words, she “loved a hot mess.”
“Nice to meet you, Jada. I’m Sandra Dell.”
Jada held out her hand, but his mom had never met a stranger. She waved that polite gesture away like the inconsequential nuisance she thought it was and stepped forward to wrap Jada in a tight squeeze. “Oh, baby. A handshake is so formal, don’t you think?”
Jada slowly lifted her hands and patted the other woman on the back. “I do.”
His mom stepped back, beaming. “I had to come meet the woman who’s stolen my baby’s heart.”
Donovan pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned again.
Jada laughed, still ignoring him. “I’m so happy you did. Donovan looks just like you, so I can only assume you’re his mother.”
His mother considered her for a moment, then nodded. “I like you. You didn’t go for the bullshit response of saying you thought I was his older sister. You kept it real.”
Jada laughed. “Well, I do try.”
His mom sent a disapproving sniff his way. “I am disappointed I had to hear about the relationship from some relatives who spend way too much time on Facebook.”
Donovan stepped forward. “Mama, you know I only introduce the most important people in my life to you.”
“Are you saying I’m not important?” Jada asked, her eyes sparkling and her lips twitching with the obvious struggle to hold in laughter.
“Of course not, dear,” he said through clenched teeth.
He could tell his mother the truth. That was an option. It wasn’t a good option, but it was an option. He and his sisters had already agreed to keep her in the dark because his mother was not known for her ability to keep a secret. If she knew the truth about his “relationship” with Jada, she’d be on the phone with her sister spilling the beans before he could say “fake.” However, he and his sisters had also agreed that they wouldn’t bring their mom to the shop, so he could keep the lying to a minimum, but that plan had obviously flown the coop. He took a moment to side-eye both his sisters.
His mother clasped her hands together. “In case Donny hasn’t told you, I love love. When I saw that video of you two, I knew I had to meet the woman who put that look on my son’s usual stoic face. Come, come, sit.”
She headed for a table, obviously expecting Jada to follow. He hung back with his sisters. “Really? Neither one of you could stop her?”
Shana sent him a get-real look. “When has anyone ever been able to stop her when she makes up her mind? Aunt Darlene sent her that video and that was that. She said she was coming down here whether or not we brought her.”