“A cup of coffee would be amazing,” Lana said before closing the door behind her.
Court finally stood and grabbed her clothes from the night before to throw on quickly. On her way down the stairs she heard a knock on the front door. When she opened it and saw Lori standing there, she glanced back toward the staircase.
“Morning, sis,” Lori said, walking in without an invitation. Court supposed she should be happy Lori knocked. Usually she just let herself in, which wasn’t a problem normally. She never had overnight company before. “I hope you have coffee, because I ran out. Whose car is in your driveway?”
“I was just about to make some coffee,” Court said, following her into the kitchen. She started to get it ready, but then stopped and turned to face her. “You can’t stay, because I have company.”
“Company?” Lori seemed shocked, which didn’t surprise Court. “Since when do you bring a woman home with you?”
“It’s Lana, okay?” Court blew out a breath in exasperation.
“Lana?” Lori asked, looking like she didn’t know who Court was referring to. “Oh, the one from the pizza place? The one who’s moving back to Chicago with her child in a few months?”
Court turned back to get the coffee ready, not wanting Lori to see her irritation. Like she needed anyone to remind her she didn’t date women with kids. She pushed the button and willed the coffee to finish brewing before Lana made her way downstairs. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
“Good morning,” she heard Lori say, sounding overly cheery.
“Good morning,” Lana replied, sounding wary. Court turned to face them both and leaned against the counter, her arms folded over her chest.
“You must be Lana,” Lori said.
“Apparently, I’m out of the loop.” Lana looked at Court and then back to Lori. “You know who I am, but I don’t know who you are.”
“Are you going to introduce us?” Lori asked Court.
“Lana Caruso, this is Lori Abbott, my little sister,” Court said.
“Oh,” Lana said, feeling relief flood through her. For a moment she worried it might be a girlfriend. Which was stupid, because jealousy wasn’t something she should be even remotely experiencing, was it? “You live next door, right?”
“I do,” Lori said, turning her attention to Court then. She batted her eyes and Lana somehow kept from laughing. “You talked about me?”
“Only about how annoying it is when you show up at inopportune times.”
“You’re both dressed,” Lori pointed out. “I’m willing to bet there were more inopportune times earlier.”
Lana watched with amusement as Court poured a cup of coffee and put it on the counter in front of her sister. Court annoyed was kind of cute.
“Here’s your coffee,” Court said. “You can go now.”
“Are you always this grouchy first thing in the morning?” Lori shook her head when she took her cup and walked over to Lana. “It was nice meeting you.”
“You too,” Lana replied. When she was gone, Lana looked at Court again, who she caught staring at her.
“I’m sorry about that. She really needs to learn how to call ahead before she comes over.”
“It’s okay,” Lana told her. Court filled another cup and gave it to her. “She was right, though. There were certainly more embarrassing times she could have shown up.”
Lana knew they should talk about things, but thought it might be too soon. Reminding Court how this couldn’t go beyond the next few months would probably diminish what they’d shared, and she really didn’t want to do that.
“What does the rest of your week look like?” Court asked.
“I’ve been helping Joey during lunch, and Eric’s been working for him at night.” Lana took a seat at the breakfast bar and put some sugar in her coffee. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Babysitting,” Court said, rolling her eyes. “Lori has a date tonight.”
“How old are her kids?”
“Five and seven.” Court looked at her and smiled. “We’ll be having hot dogs with macaroni and cheese if you want to stop by. Oh, and we’ll probably be watching Frozen. Again. For like the thousandth time.”
“For Eric it was Toy Story.” Lana laughed and shook her head. “I think there was a time I could have recited the entire movie in my sleep.”
“I know the feeling.”
Lana watched her as Court scratched the back of her neck and stared into her coffee for a few moments. She looked as though she were unsure of herself, and it made Lana want to wrap her arms around her. She never thought Court would be unsure or nervous about much of anything.
“What time is dinner?” she asked before taking a sip of her coffee.
“Six. Movie at seven, and they’re usually asleep before the movie’s over.”
Lana nodded. Eric had to work at six, so she could drop him off on the way over and pick him up on her way back home. It would probably be more exciting than spending the evening at home alone. She stood and took her cup to the sink, stopping on the way to place a hand on Court’s forearm.
“No promises, but I’ll see what I can work out.” She kissed Court on the cheek before slapping her ass playfully. Court put an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Lana did her best not to fall into the blue eyes she was staring into. “Be careful there, Courtney Court. I just might want to take you back to bed, and I really don’t have the time this morning to do everything to you I have in mind.”
“I’ll see you tonight,” Court said after giving her a quick kiss on the lips and releasing her. She let out a sigh. “Maybe?”
“Maybe.”
Chapter Seventeen
The lunch rush was dying down when Joey pulled Lana into his office. He’d been looking at her strangely since she’d arrived promptly at eleven, but hadn’t said anything to her. Lana knew she’d been smiling all morning, but she couldn’t help it. Court was amazing.
“What’s going on with you today?” Joey asked her after closing the door behind them.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Really? You’ve had a goofy-looking smile plastered on your mug ever since you got here.”
“No, actually it’s been there for much longer.”
It was almost comical when it dawned on him. His eyes went wide, and his jaw went slack. He sat back in his chair and pointed at her as he nodded.
“You got laid.” Lana didn’t say anything, but just sat there watching him. “You said you wanted Eric and me to bond last night, but you really just wanted him out of the way, didn’t you?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way exactly,” Lana said.
“It was Court Abbott, am I right?”
“Maybe.”
“Did you ask her about being in my commercial?”
“Sorry, but the subject never came up.”
“When are you seeing her again?”
“Tonight. Maybe.”
“Will you promise me you’ll talk to her about it?”
“I’m not going to promise anything.” Lana got up and walked to the door. She stopped and turned to look at him before going back out to the kitchen. “You’re a big boy, Joey. I’m sure you can figure out how to ask her yourself.”
She finished her shift and headed home until it was time to pick Eric up from hockey practice. She was in the process of cleaning the house when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and smiled when she saw it was a text from Court.
How many hotdogs can u eat?
She wondered briefly if she should reply with something flirty, but decided against it.
Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?: )
She chuckled to herself when she hit the Send button and sat down to wait for the response. It only took a few seconds.
No, just optimistic
I like optimism. I can eat 2 hotdogs
Cool. I’ll see U later then?
Yes
Lana leaned her head back
against the couch and sighed. Why couldn’t she have met Court in Chicago? It had been strange, yet surprisingly wonderful, waking up in her arms that morning. Strange because it was so out of character for her to spend the night with anyone, at least since Eric had been born.
She blew out a breath and shook her head. Wanting things that weren’t going to happen was pointless. But fantasizing was harmless enough, wasn’t it?
* * *
“Hey, Mom,” Eric said after stowing his gear in the trunk. He slid into the passenger seat and buckled his seat belt before leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. She smiled at him but didn’t say anything. She remembered a time when he hadn’t wanted anyone to see him kiss his mother. She was happy he seemed to have finally outgrown that phase. He looked at her through narrowed eyes. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said with a shake of her head before pulling away from the curb outside the ice rink where his team held their practices and games. After a moment, she reached over and ran her fingers through his hair. It was still wet from the shower he’d taken after practice. “I thought it was really uncool to be seen giving your mother a kiss.”
His cheeks turned slightly red and he turned to look out the window. He shrugged as he spoke. “It is, if it’s on the lips. A peck on the cheek is okay.”
“I see.”
“Am I spending the night at Grandma’s again?”
She tried to gauge his feelings on the matter, but he was still facing away from her and she couldn’t see his face.
“I’m not planning on it,” she told him. “Why? Do you want to?”
“Not really.” He looked at her then. “I mean, I don’t mind, but I’d rather not. I am old enough to take care of myself for a few hours in the evening, you know.”
She glanced at him, knowing he was a young man now, but not quite sure how to reconcile the thought with her image of him as her little boy. They talked about everything, because her parents had talked to her about nothing. She wanted her relationship with Eric to be absolutely nothing like the one she had with them. As a result, he’d always known he could ask her anything, tell her anything, and she would always do her best to answer his questions. And he also knew she’d be there for him, no matter what.
“I do know that, Eric,” she said quietly.
“Wait, it wasn’t just a few hours in the evening, was it?” He was staring at her. She knew he thought if he stared long enough she’d squirm under his scrutiny, but she refused to react. Apparently, he didn’t intend to let her non-response discourage him. “Did you stay out all night?”
Lana did squirm a little then. She wasn’t sure how to answer him, but she’d never lied to him before, so there was no point in starting now. She took a deep breath and looked at him again. She was met by a big smile.
“Were you with Court?” he asked.
“Eric, I—”
“Mom, come on,” he said in mock exasperation. “You told me all about the birds and the bees almost three years ago.”
“Only because you asked,” she pointed out. “It wasn’t my choice to tell you anything about sex at only thirteen years old.”
“Not relevant,” he said. “I know all about sex.”
“You’d better not.” She was thankful she’d arrived at Caruso’s. She pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. “Are you having sex?”
“No, I’m not, and don’t try to change the subject.”
“Yes, I was with Court.” She felt her cheeks burning and looked away from him for a moment. “But your grandmother would have a stroke if she knew we talked about these things, so you can never say anything to her about knowing all about sex, understand?”
“Yeah,” he said, ducking his head. “But just so you know, I like her. I’ll be happy to stay the night at Grandma’s anytime you want to spend time with Court.”
He kissed her cheek again and gave her a goofy smile. She had no idea how to respond to his statement, so she just kept quiet. He looked as though he were going to say something else, but then shook his head and got out of the car. Before closing the door, he leaned down and looked at her.
“Are you seeing her again tonight?”
“For dinner and a movie,” Lana said with a nod. “I’ll be here to pick you up at ten.”
“Or I could just go home with Uncle Joey again,” he said. “Just throwing it out there.”
“I’ll be here at ten.”
He shrugged and closed the door. She watched him as he crossed in front of the car and waved at her. He probably didn’t believe her, but her mother really would freak out if she knew she talked about these things with her son. She sighed and started the car again. She could just make it to Court’s by six if she hurried.
Chapter Eighteen
Court looked at the clock on the stove for what felt like the fiftieth time. Why the hell was she nervous? So Lana was coming over for dinner and babysitting. What was there to be nervous about? She wiped her palms on the legs of her jeans and jumped a little when the doorbell rang. She laughed at herself as she realized this was a déjà vu moment from the night before.
“Can I answer, Aunt Court?” Ryan, her seven-year-old nephew, asked. She heard him running from the living room toward the front door as he was talking.
“Wait for me,” she said. Three steps got her to the door the same time he arrived. She stood to the side and motioned for him to open it. “Go ahead.”
“Who’s there?” he asked, looking up at her. She gave him a thumbs-up. She and Lori had been working on teaching him not to just open the door to anyone.
“Um, Lana?” came the voice from the other side. Court smiled at the uneasy tone.
Ryan looked at her, and she nodded. He used both hands to turn the knob and stood back as the door swung open.
“Hi,” he said with a wave before running back to the living room where his sister was still sitting on the floor playing with her dolls. Court chuckled as Lana walked into the house.
“He just likes to open the door,” she said with a shrug. “He hasn’t learned yet what to do after that.”
“He’s cute,” Lana said, allowing Court to help her out of her coat.
“Now he is,” Court agreed. “Wait until I tell him it’s bedtime. I swear he turns into the devil when he has to do something he doesn’t want to do.”
Court led the way into the kitchen where the hot dogs were just about done. She turned to look at Lana but almost ran right into her. Lana’s hands went to her waist, and Court grinned. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Lana replied. Court leaned in to kiss her, and Lana pressed her body tighter against her.
“Hi,” Court said, pulling away slightly. She brushed a lock of hair off Lana’s forehead. “How was your day?”
“Other than my brother giving me the third degree about where I was last night?” Lana pulled away from Court and leaned against the counter. “It was okay. How was yours?”
“Great.” Court grabbed some mustard, ketchup, and relish from the fridge and then started putting out hot dog buns as she talked. “I woke up feeling better than I have in a long time, and spent a little time with an incredibly beautiful and sexy woman before I had to go to work. I sold a house, so there’s that too. But it all pales in comparison to the morning, if I’m being honest.”
“Stop.” Lana blushed when Court turned her head to look at her.
“What?”
“You can’t talk to me like that with young children in the house.” Lana gave her a small smile. “I can’t be responsible for what happens if you do.”
Court put down the food she was holding and went to Lana. She stood close to her, her hands on the counter on either side of Lana’s body. They were both breathing a little heavier than normal, and Court kissed her quickly on the lips.
“And you can’t tell me that when you know there’s nothing I can do about it.” She grinned and looked toward the door. “Or I could just make them go to bed now.”
“You’
re bad,” Lana said, but she was smiling as she slapped her lightly on the shoulder.
“You have no idea.” Court closed her eyes against the onslaught of arousal as she rested her forehead against Lana’s.
“God, the things I want to do to you,” Lana whispered.
Court heard both kids stomping through the living room, so she pulled away reluctantly before they caught them in a compromising position. It wouldn’t matter really. They knew Court liked women instead of men, because Lori didn’t see any reason to hide it from them.
“Hold that thought,” she said before turning back to the food.
“Aunt Court!” Ryan said. “We’re hungry!”
“Let’s get you in your seats and I’ll bring the food to you.” Court leaned down and picked up her five-year-old niece, Alice. She stopped in front of Lana and looked down at Alice. “Can you say hi to Lana?”
Alice turned her head and buried her face in Court’s neck. Court rubbed her back gently and gave Lana an apologetic smile.
“This is Alice. She’s a little shy, as you can see.”
“Hi, Alice,” Lana said, but Alice refused to look at her. She met Court’s eyes. “It’s okay.”
Lana was surprised at how well behaved the kids were while they were eating their hot dogs. When Eric had been their ages, he seemed to be more interested in throwing his food than eating it. Which wasn’t to say they didn’t make a mess. Alice had more food on her clothes than she’d probably managed to get in her mouth, and Ryan had mustard and ketchup all over his face.
Court got the movie ready to go while Lana cleaned Ryan’s face, then Court took them to get their pajamas on before they settled in to watch. Lana took the time to look around the living room since the night before her perusal had been halted after seeing the Olympic medals and then by activities on the couch she probably shouldn’t be thinking about, if the surge of arousal was any indication. There were a lot of pictures on the wall of a younger Court with her father, most of them with Court in her hockey uniform. It was obvious by his smile in all of them that he was proud of his daughter.
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