Deek was so sweet. It made her heart go all gooey.
As she slipped on her favorite dangling earrings, she said, “I’ll be fine. Jason filled out one of our applications. My sister-in-law, Shelby, ran a background check on him as we do for all our clients, and my brother, Nick, had one of his cop friends check Jason out too. They’re both very protective of me. But I appreciate your concern.”
Deek put his phone away. “Sounds like you have a great family.”
“I do.” She nodded. “But they’ve been so overly worried about me since Joe died that they can be a bit smothering at times. Like with Emily’s tuition. I wanted her to go to the best schools she could, but when I saw the price, I gave up on that idea. She’d be fine in public school; private is a perk we could live without. But the next day, I got a text from the school saying Emily would get a full-ride scholarship because her father was killed in the line of duty.”
“That’s what the money is for. I donate to the scholarship fund all the time.”
“Yeah. But that same morning, I’d mentioned to Shelby that Em couldn’t go to private school until I got my degree and a better job. Later, I found out my parents had come to my rescue and asked the school to make it look like a scholarship. I appreciate it, and if it’d been anything else, I would’ve refused, but it was for Em. I’ll figure out a way to pay them back eventually. I plan to fix up and then flip this house and hopefully make a few extra bucks to help. It’s a matter of pride, you know?”
“Sure. Except I help my dad because…he’s my father. I’d never want to be repaid. When my absentee mother came out of the woodwork and asked, it was a harder choice.”
Lori glanced at her watch and sighed. “I’m listening but late. Walk with me. I want to hear what happened.” She grabbed her coat and headed down the hallway. “Did you give her money?”
Deek caught up in two long strides and walked with her toward the garage. “I didn’t have the heart to say no when she told me it was because her husband had just died. She needed somewhere to live until she got back on her feet. It was probably all a lie, but she’s my mother. And I have plenty. So I gave her a one-time-only payout.”
Lori stopped and laid a hand on the side of his stubbled face. The woman had abandoned her son, and yet Deek still came through. “I think you are the kindest person I’ve ever met, Deek.” She laid a quick kiss on his cheek. “There’s homemade PB&Js for you and the kids. Bye.”
“Bye.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Are you sure no tracker?”
“I’m sure. I’ll be back no later than eleven, Dad.” Lori smiled and kept on walking toward the garage.
He called out, “What was that about the PB&Js?”
She glanced over her shoulder. Deek stood in the hall with a puzzled look on his face.
“The homemade part was a joke. About cooking meals for the kids—never mind. I laid everything out, but you’re going to have to put the sandwiches together yourself.”
His face brightened as a realization hit. “Sarcasm again. Will do. See you later.”
Still smiling, Lori opened her car door and slid behind the wheel. Something about being with Deek had chased away all her anxiety. As he usually did. He made the idea of fixing up her house less ominous, and he was a whiz with economics, so she’d aced her last test. Having Deek in her life had just brightened it.
What the hell was wrong with Annie? Deek was a handsome, adorable, caring man. A one-of-a-kind…and not an option for her, unfortunately.
She’d grown up in a broken home too, so she understood why Deek was working so hard to get Annie back. From all the phone calls she’d helped Deek make, it became apparent Annie really didn’t have much free time to talk. Maybe she was more interested in Deek and Asher than she appeared to be sometimes in her haste.
Lori headed out for the restaurant, determined to make an effort to enjoy her date, hoping for the best.
After circling the block three times, she found a spot and crammed her oversized SUV into a spot better suited for a Mini Cooper. She checked her hair in the mirror and made sure there wasn’t anything in her teeth—unlikely because she hadn’t eaten since breakfast due to the food-baby tummy fear—then she worked up the courage to meet her date.
Steeling herself, she opened her car door and shivered at the icy blast of January chill as she hurried for the warmth of the nearby restaurant. She grabbed the big wooden door’s handle and stepped inside.
She spotted Jason right away as she entered the crowded little bar and restaurant. He was the best-looking man in the place. He sat at a corner table with two drink glasses. One empty and the other half-full. Had he been searching for some courage too, but in the form of alcohol?