“I guess.” Rachel shrugged. “Have you told Deek you’re falling in love with him yet?”
“No. I don’t want to put any more pressure on him. He needs to decide who he wants. Me or Annie.” And she needed to decide on the sexy blue undies or the black really sexy ones Rachel picked out as a challenge. Black it was.
“Or, you’re just as afraid to do it as I am.” Rachel wiped away her tears and rolled off the bed. “You only have a few more days to state your case. Telling him you love him might help him decide what to do. And you never know. It might be FREEING.”
“Very funny,” Lori called out to her sister’s retreating back. “Call Marcello tonight and tell him, Rachel. I promise you won’t be any less of a bad-ass woman in the morning.”
Her sister stopped in the doorway and glanced over her shoulder. “But I will always be a bigger bad-ass than you.”
“That’s debatable.” Lori held a hand out toward her bag. “I just packed the black undies. And I’m the one having a sex date tonight. Not you.”
“Seems I’ve been knocked off my thrown. By a Goody Two-shoes, no less.” Rachel chuckled all the way to the den.
Lori shook her head as she zipped up her bag. She wasn’t a Goody Two-shoes. Well, sometimes, but not tonight. She was going to spend the night with a sexy man and do all kinds of naughty and fun things. But something Rachel said still bugged her. She was right—with limited time to fight for Deek, she needed to tell him how she felt about him. So she would. Maybe while wearing the sexy black undies for extra courage.
13
WHEN THE AX FALLS, THE TRUTH COMES OUT.
“This looks wonderful, Deek.” Lori smiled at the plate Deek had just placed before her.
He hoped she’d like it. They’d had stuffed mushroom appetizers and were on their second glass of wine, and he couldn’t remember a more enjoyable dinner date. He’d thought they’d use the fancy dining room that he never used, but when he started to set the table, she said she’d be just as comfortable at the bar in the kitchen where she’d watched him cook for the last hour. It was nice to have the company and conversation as he chopped and sautéed.
He took a seat next to Lori and glanced at her just as she took her first bite of the steak. It was ridiculous how much he hoped she’d like it.
She closed her eyes and moaned. “Mmmmmmm, Deek. This is incredible.”
Relieved the steak had passed the test, he took his first bite and made an involuntary noise that sounded just like hers. He’d impressed himself. “I’m glad these turned out, being the first time I’ve used that machine. And especially since the snow decided to hold off until later and we could have gone to a restaurant. I’ll make it up to you. Maybe tomorrow?”
Lori shook her head as she chewed. “This is better than any restaurant steak I’ve ever had. But dinner tomorrow sounds great. No matter where we end up having it.”
He smiled as he sipped his wine. Lori was such an easy person to be with. “How did the soccer fundraising summit go last night? Did the girls come up with a plan?”
“Yes. Be prepared for Emily to hit you up to buy candy bars very soon. And don’t you dare buy a whole case or anything. She needs to understand it takes work to pay for what she wants in life.”
“How many come in a case?” He speared an asparagus and popped it into his mouth. He hated vegetables but made himself eat them.
“Like twenty-four or something.” Lori slathered more butter and sour cream onto her baked potato, then passed the condiments to him. “She’s going to have to sell quite a few cases, but it’s doable.”
Then he’d buy twenty candy bars, but he wouldn’t mention it now. “Maybe Asher can help her. I just realized I’ve never made him work for anything. That’s probably not good.”
“There’s not only one way to raise kids. And every kid is different, so I suppose you have to adjust the plan as you go.”
Adjust the plan as you go? Could he adjust his plans for Asher when it came to Annie? Maybe he was planning and hoping too much for something that just wasn’t going to work out. She hadn’t called since last Monday. “Speaking of plans and kids, I booked that new laser tag place for Asher’s party next Saturday. I figured we’d just have something small on Tuesday here, for his actual birthday. Maybe you guys could come for cake?”
Lori blinked at him for a moment before she laid her fork down. “I’m not sure Annie would appreciate us, more specifically me, being here. We’re sleeping together, and women can sense those things.”