Fringe Benefits by Sandy James Page A

course I do.”
    “Then you know why I made this choice. The only decent apartment complexes have six-month-plus waiting lists because of the Barrett Foods factory bringing in so many new employees.”
    “What about a house?”
    He shook his head. “I’m not discussing this anymore. I made my decision.”
    “You don’t even have a kitchen.”
    Grabbing her shoulders, he turned her toward the kitchenette. “Sure I do.” Instead of keeping up the verbal fencing, Nate cut to the chase. “What’s the real reason you’re against this move?”
    Jackie crossed her arms under her breasts. “She’s your boss.”
    “So what? It’s not that unusual to rent an apartment from someone you work for. Didn’t Patrick and Caroline live in his supervisor’s rental house?”
    “Well, yeah, but—”
    “You worry too much, Mom. This will be fine. No,
more
than fine. This will be perfect for me.” He put his hand on his mother’s shoulder. “I mean it. Perfect.”
    Jackie thought it over a long time before she spoke again. “You like her, don’t you?”
    Seeing no reason to deny it, Nate nodded.
    “I just worry about you. You had such a bad time after Kat.”
    “Of course I had a bad time after Kat. We lost a baby together.”
    “I know that was rough, but I’m not talking about the baby. I’m talking about how horribly sad you were when you two broke off the engagement. I don’t want to see you go through something like that again. That’s all.”
    While he loved that she cared enough to be concerned, he also needed her to ease up and let him live his life. “Relationships don’t come with guarantees.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Don’t I know it.”
    Nate squeezed her shoulder. “Spit it out, Mom. Quit beating around the bush.”
    “Fine. She’s older than you are. A lot, judging from her being department head.”
    “Yep. She is.”
    Why did she always have to look so shocked when he was honest? “I mean… she doesn’t look
that
old. But she’s got to be well into her thirties if she’s chairing the English department.”
    Whistling a happy tune, Patrick came down the stairs carrying the nightstand.
    When Nate recognized the song, he leveled a frown at his mother. “For God’s sake, what did you tell him?”
    Her brows knit. “What are you talking about?”
    “He’s whistling ‘Mrs. Robinson.’ ”
    “Sure am,” Patrick said as he walked past them to put the nightstand in a corner. “Quite a cougar you’ve got there, bro.” With a grin, he started singing, “ ‘
And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson…
’ ”
    Jackie frowned. “I can’t help believing this is a big mistake.”
    “Seriously?” Nate dropped his hands to his hips, wanting to shout at her, yet knowing he couldn’t. Not only would Dani hear, but also Jackie was his mother and deserved his respect. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to set her straight, though. “First of all, I’ll remind you it’s
my
life.”
    “I know that,” she snapped.
    “Do you? ’Cause it sure doesn’t feel like you’re letting me live it.” His stance relaxed, as did his anger. “Second of all, she’s really not that much older. Even if she were, none of this really even matters. We haven’t even been on a date yet. How about you relax and just wait and see what—if anything—happens?”
    Jackie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Nate. You’re right. It is your life. I shouldn’t be sticking my nose into your love life. Sometimes it’s so hard to remember that you and Patrick aren’t kids anymore.”
    She sounded forlorn, so he gathered her into his arms and gave her a hug. “It’s okay. You’re only looking out for me.” After she hugged him back, he turned her loose.
    “I’m going to go finish the coffee Dani got for me. You can get your bed put together and get some clean sheets on it.” As she trotted up the stairs, she passed Dani, who was on the way down.
    “Want some coffee?” Dani held out a