attractive?”
If he denied it, she'd know he was lying. He didn’t even try.“That’s not it.”
Lorelei threw up her hands. “What then?"
His shoulders rose, then fell. “You’re twenty-one years old, and—”
“We’ve already been over how my age is so not a big deal,” Lorelei interrupted.
“You didn’t let me finish."
She swept her hand through the air with a flourish. “By all means, finish.”
“And I have responsibilities that leave me no time for a woman like you.”
“You can’t possibly know what kind of woman I am,” she said indignantly. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you like to have fun.”
“And I know you have too little of it,” she shot back.
He ran a hand over his forehead. “You don’t understand.”
“Have dinner with me and explain."
She held her breath, sure he'd refuse. After a moment, she sensed that he arrived at a decision.
“You said I could pick the place, right?”
She nodded eagerly. “Right.”
“Mario’s Pizzeria. Six o’clock.”
She started to object to both the location and the early hour then thought better of it. She’d envisioned a romantic dinner at a French restaurant, but she could compromise.
“Deal,” she said. “I have one caveat.”
“What?” He looked suspicious.
“You have to get that eye checked out first.” She’d spent the last ten minutes silently empathizing with him for the pain she knew it caused. “Promise?”
“Promise,” he said on a sigh.
She smiled at him, glad her impromptu visit to his office had paid off in more ways than one.
“Good.” She walked away before calling over her shoulder. “Because when I come into that pizza parlor tonight, I want you to see you’re about to become one lucky man.”
***
MARIO’S PIZZERIA WAS unremittingly red.
Red booths, red carpet, red doors.
Plastic red-and-white tableclothes covered the tables, and the young employees behind the crimson counter spread red tomato sauce on pizzas they fed into an industrial-sized oven.
Five minutes after the waitress had seated Wade Morrison at a booth for four, his eyes still had trouble adjusting to the sea of red, especially his right one.
The pain had significantly lessened, thanks to the antibiotic drops the ophthalmologist had prescribed.
Lorelei had been right. He had a scratched cornea.
She’d been wrong, too. No doubt she’d be wearing some crazy, skin-baring outfit when she entered the pizza parlor. But she was the one who would get an eye full.
“Daddy, watch this.”
The tiny blond girl across from him rose to her full height of three feet one inches and jumped up and down on the booth’s cushioned seat.
“Stop that, Mary Kate,” he said sternly.
The giggles of a second equally blond girl drowned him out. “Ashley wants to be kangaroo, too,” she said gleefully, scrambling to her feet and joining her sister up, then down.
Both of the girls had messy, lopsided pony tails. Mary Kate’s listed to the right while Ashley’s veered left. Other than that and their T-shirts of different colors, they could have been carbon copies.
“Girls,” Wade said sternly. “Stop that right now.”
“’s fun,” Mary Kate said.
“Kangaroo roo,” Ashley cried.
“Roo roo,” Mary Kate added.
The place was nearly full, mostly with families. Even the diners with young children turned disapproving looks toward Wade.
“Girls,” he repeated. Their giggles didn’t ease.
Aware of the murmurs getting increasingly louder, he quickly came around the booth. He caught and lifted a giggling Mary Kate, scooted into the booth with her on his lap and managed to gather Ashley to him on her way down from one of the jumps. He held the twins close while they giggled helplessly.
He didn’t smile. He needed to make them understand they couldn’t act like marsupials in restaurants.
“Listen to me, girls,” he said.
After a few more laughing gulps, they did, each one gazing up at him with big green
If he denied it, she'd know he was lying. He didn’t even try.“That’s not it.”
Lorelei threw up her hands. “What then?"
His shoulders rose, then fell. “You’re twenty-one years old, and—”
“We’ve already been over how my age is so not a big deal,” Lorelei interrupted.
“You didn’t let me finish."
She swept her hand through the air with a flourish. “By all means, finish.”
“And I have responsibilities that leave me no time for a woman like you.”
“You can’t possibly know what kind of woman I am,” she said indignantly. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you like to have fun.”
“And I know you have too little of it,” she shot back.
He ran a hand over his forehead. “You don’t understand.”
“Have dinner with me and explain."
She held her breath, sure he'd refuse. After a moment, she sensed that he arrived at a decision.
“You said I could pick the place, right?”
She nodded eagerly. “Right.”
“Mario’s Pizzeria. Six o’clock.”
She started to object to both the location and the early hour then thought better of it. She’d envisioned a romantic dinner at a French restaurant, but she could compromise.
“Deal,” she said. “I have one caveat.”
“What?” He looked suspicious.
“You have to get that eye checked out first.” She’d spent the last ten minutes silently empathizing with him for the pain she knew it caused. “Promise?”
“Promise,” he said on a sigh.
She smiled at him, glad her impromptu visit to his office had paid off in more ways than one.
“Good.” She walked away before calling over her shoulder. “Because when I come into that pizza parlor tonight, I want you to see you’re about to become one lucky man.”
***
MARIO’S PIZZERIA WAS unremittingly red.
Red booths, red carpet, red doors.
Plastic red-and-white tableclothes covered the tables, and the young employees behind the crimson counter spread red tomato sauce on pizzas they fed into an industrial-sized oven.
Five minutes after the waitress had seated Wade Morrison at a booth for four, his eyes still had trouble adjusting to the sea of red, especially his right one.
The pain had significantly lessened, thanks to the antibiotic drops the ophthalmologist had prescribed.
Lorelei had been right. He had a scratched cornea.
She’d been wrong, too. No doubt she’d be wearing some crazy, skin-baring outfit when she entered the pizza parlor. But she was the one who would get an eye full.
“Daddy, watch this.”
The tiny blond girl across from him rose to her full height of three feet one inches and jumped up and down on the booth’s cushioned seat.
“Stop that, Mary Kate,” he said sternly.
The giggles of a second equally blond girl drowned him out. “Ashley wants to be kangaroo, too,” she said gleefully, scrambling to her feet and joining her sister up, then down.
Both of the girls had messy, lopsided pony tails. Mary Kate’s listed to the right while Ashley’s veered left. Other than that and their T-shirts of different colors, they could have been carbon copies.
“Girls,” Wade said sternly. “Stop that right now.”
“’s fun,” Mary Kate said.
“Kangaroo roo,” Ashley cried.
“Roo roo,” Mary Kate added.
The place was nearly full, mostly with families. Even the diners with young children turned disapproving looks toward Wade.
“Girls,” he repeated. Their giggles didn’t ease.
Aware of the murmurs getting increasingly louder, he quickly came around the booth. He caught and lifted a giggling Mary Kate, scooted into the booth with her on his lap and managed to gather Ashley to him on her way down from one of the jumps. He held the twins close while they giggled helplessly.
He didn’t smile. He needed to make them understand they couldn’t act like marsupials in restaurants.
“Listen to me, girls,” he said.
After a few more laughing gulps, they did, each one gazing up at him with big green
Similar Books
