Lori had returned and slipped into her coat. “Sorry about that. Emily’s uncle Nick spoils her rotten. He gave her that phone without asking me. But aren’t you a video game designer?”
“Yes.” He stood and slid into his coat too. “But we have strict rules about when we can play in our house.” He leaned closer to Lori and whispered, “Lucky for me I can call it working.” He hitched his eyebrows.
He’d always geeked out for hours on games every day since he’d built his first computer in the second grade, but he didn’t want his son to be a nerd like him, so he monitored Asher’s video game and TV time closely.
Lori nodded. “Convenient.” She leaned down and held Em’s coat for her daughter to get suited up for the brisk night as well. “I intended to treat you guys tonight. Next time, I’ll need to be sneakier and beat you to the check.” She stuck her hand out for a shake. “Thanks for dinner. It was fun. Good night.”
“Our pleasure. Night.” Afraid his hand might still be greasy from the pizza, he wiped his palm on his jeans first and then shook her soft, warm hand. He wasn’t expecting the zap of heat that her touch sent straight to his gut. He held her narrow palm and long fingers as he analyzed his body’s reaction. It wasn’t static electricity. The only thing he could conclude was that it was pure lust for Lori.
She blinked in confusion at him and hadn’t let go of his hand either. She must have felt it too. Weird. But nice. Interesting they both reacted to a simple touch.
It occurred to him that he was holding her hand hostage, so he quickly let go. As pleasant as that had been, he needed to stay focused. Keep his eye on the goal.
Win Annie back for Asher.
2
THERE’S NO I IN TEAM. BUT THERE’S NO TEAM WITH JUST ONE PLAYER.
Lori lifted the warm, steamy mug of coffee in her hands and drew in a deep breath. Nothing better than Jo’s coffee to start her morning. Then she found a table in the corner of Confections and Coffee, Shelby’s under-construction café, and waited for her sister-in-law to arrive. Jo, Shelby’s business partner who was supervising the installation of an oven in the rear, gave a quick wave. Jo was Shelby’s best friend and had become a good friend of Lori’s too.
Lori and her sister-in-law had once been competitors in the matchmaking business but were now partners, thanks to her meddling brother, Nick. It had been the best thing her bossy baby brother had ever done for her.
The café was Lori’s favorite place to hang out during the day to work on her classes and matchmaking business because she was always surrounded by her two favorite things: coffee and sugar. Even though the café wasn’t open again yet, Jo always provided extraordinary baked goods each day for the workers. Actually, the baked goods were probably for Shelby and her pregnancy cravings, but either way, Lori benefited too.
At home, too many things stared at her and begged for her attention. Why she’d ever thought buying an older home with sturdy bones to fix up was a good idea was beyond her. She used to love to refinish wood, paint, and lay flooring. She’d remodeled two houses with her husband. They’d made some decent money flipping them, but on her own, it just wasn’t nearly as fun. Instead, it’d become a little overwhelming, just like the rest of her life lately.
As she pulled her laptop from its case and shrugged out of her coat, thoughts of blond-haired, big-shouldered Deek Cooper filled her mind again. The way he’d helped Emily with the glue stick had been oddly endearing. And since when had a simple handshake been sexy? There had only been one other man she’d ever been so instantly, physically affected by—her husband, Joe. It was disconcerting. And a little bit thrilling. Deek had awakened deep desires within her she’d worried might be gone for good after her husband died.
But Deek was on a mission to get his ex back, so she needed to put her lust-starved thoughts aside. Not easy to do when it’d been so long since she’d slept with a man. Maybe it was time to use her matchmaking skills on herself, as Shanan had suggested. But first, she needed to get her economics homework done. She hated that class, with all the terms she had to memorize. Especially when her brain was still tired from her lack of sleep the night before spent thinking about touching Deek’s hand.
A few minutes later, Shelby flopped down across from Lori, saving her from production functions and isoquants. Shelby was short, blonde, and as cute as a button—even more so pregnant.
Shelby leaned closer to be heard over the drilling noise. “How’s my favorite sister-in-law today?”
“Seeing as I’m your only sister-in-law, I know you’re just buttering me up for something. How are you feeling, by the way?” Even at four and a half months along, Shelby still battled morning sickness.
“Like a queasy cow.” Shelby grinned. “Did you see we got two new applications last night? One of them is perfect for you.”
“Ah. There it is.” Yesterday, Lori would have blown that statement off. Maybe she’d have a look. She pulled up their web page toolbar and found the applications. “Which one is it?”
“It’ll be obvious. I’m going to go see what Jo made for us today.” Shelby rose to check out the brownies and banana bread Jo had left on the counter. Lori had been tempted but decided she’d skip breakfast and wait to make that her lunch. Calories were calories no matter if they came from a sandwich or something yummy. She’d substitute the good stuff and go light on dinner. Keeping her figure was a full-time compromise.
Thinking of food reminded her that she’d had a craving for Chinese takeout for days. Maybe she and Em could splurge on that later.
Ignoring her empty stomach, she paged through the applications. The first guy was handsome but fifty-five, so she skipped to the next one. Bingo. The guy was thirty-six, tall, dark, and very good-looking. He had a big smile and was fit. Movie-star handsome, really.
She read his bio. Jason’s family owned car dealerships, he adored kids, liked to hike, sail, Jet Ski, was a foodie and loved to read. He preferred women with fun personalities and who enjoyed eating. The last part was Lori to a T. She adored food. She just hated all the exercise and meals she had to miss because of it.
Jason might be a good segue back into the game.
Shelby returned with two brownies and two slices of banana bread.
Lori held up her hand. “Thanks, but I’m waiting for lunch.”
With a brownie halfway to her mouth, Shelby said, “This is all for me. So? What do you think? Jason is hot, am I right?”
“Yes. Very.” Lori saved both applications and filed them away. “But we don’t know what his type is yet. Maybe he prefers short blondes.”
“Nope.” Shelby stuffed banana bread into her mouth next. “After I spotted his application last night, I knew you’d like him, so I sent him your picture. I wanted you to have first shot before we added him to the database. He’s busy this Friday, but he’d like to have dinner with you the next Friday night.”
“I don’t know if I’m quite ready to date again.” Lori stood to avoid the puppy-dog-begging-for-a-treat expression on Shelby’s face. “I need more caffeine to make this big a decision.”
While pondering, Lori ended up in front of the brownies. She successfully avoided temptation and poured herself more coffee. While taking a long sip, she hoped the caffeine would hit fast and give her some clarity. And maybe a little courage too.
Was she ready to date again? She had to get back out there sometime if she didn’t want to end up all alone in a house with fifteen cats one day. Not that she had any cats now, but she’d always had a soft spot for kittens.
She’d sworn after Joe had died she’d never marry again. Or choose the wrong guy and get cheated on. Her trust issues were deeply seated. Watching her mother deal with her father’s cheating had just made her even more reluctant.
But eventually, Emily was going to leave, and Lori would be alone. And then she’d be even older, and more set in her ways. Nope. If she was going to do it, it needed to be sooner rather than later. But then, maybe springtime would be a better time
to start. New beginnings and all that.
Lori glanced at the brownie her hand had snatched up of its own accord, and then put it back. Just thinking about dating again obviously made her want to stress eat.
When she returned to the table to tell Shelby she wasn’t quite ready to take the next step; her phone dinged with a text. She read the screen and sighed. “Emily is running a fever. The school nurse said she had ten kids in her office, so could I please hurry.”
Shelby nodded as she finished off the last of her brownies. “Go. I can take your twelve thirty appointment.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.” After she’d gathered her things, Shelby stood and grabbed Lori’s arm.
“No worries.” As her sister-in-law dragged Lori toward the glass doors, Shelby said, “I’ll tell Jason yes to next Friday. That gives you a week and a half to find the perfect dress. See you later.” With one last shove, Lori found herself standing in the cold air on the snowy sidewalk.
Pregnancy had made Shelby a whole lot pushier. But maybe that was just what Lori needed to convince her to jump back into the dating game again.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a disastrous date.
Deek tugged on the school’s front doors. Of all days for Asher to be sick. Deek rarely had meetings with clients in person. They happened online mostly, but his biggest account had flown in a contingent of executives and designers to meet with him just for the day. They’d rented a conference room in a downtown hotel and were catering in lunch to save time. They wanted to bang out the details for their highly anticipated fall launch. They weren’t happy campers about the interruption.
He needed to get back to his clients, but what would he do with Asher? Deek’s dad wasn’t well enough to take care of Asher on a typical day, much less when he was sick.
Damn Annie. It was times like this that he resented Annie and her decision to ignore that they had a son who needed them both. She never had to miss work or take Asher to doctor appointments or soccer games, or… He should stop. It didn’t help to moan and groan about it. Asher was just going to have to come back with him to the hotel. If luck was with them, maybe this strain of flu wasn’t a barfing one. Just the high-fever kind.
That reminded him that he’d have to add a stop at the drug store and grab something to treat Asher’s fever too before he got back to work.
He hurried down the shiny hallway with classrooms lining the sides and arrived at the main office. There must’ve been six moms gathering up their sick kids. One of them was Lori. She glanced up and waved.
Suddenly, he didn’t feel so alone in his quest. She knew what it was like to be a single parent too, and somehow just knowing they were both going to have screwed up days made him feel better.
“Hi, ladies.” He glanced at Lori’s daughter, whose cheeks were flushed with fever. “Sorry you’re not feeling well, Emily. Asher seems to have the same thing.”
“Thanks.” She wrapped her arms around Lori’s waist, hugging tight. Not at all like the outgoing girl Emily usually was. Asher probably felt just as bad.
Guilt washed over him for even thinking of taking Asher back to the meeting with him.
A slow smile lit Lori’s face. “You clean up nice.”
He’d actually worn a suit. And a tie. The importance of the meeting dictated he drag himself to his closet and make an effort. T-shirts and jeans were so much more comfortable, though. “Big meeting today. The Universe of Zeldane is at stake. But you didn’t hear that from me. Highly hush-hush until next fall.”
“Got it.” She made a zipper motion across her full lips that was oddly sexy. “Asher is just inside. He was worried about interrupting you on your big day. I could watch him if you need some help.”
Asher had seen the suit earlier and asked if Grandpa had died. The only other time Asher had seen Deek so dressed up was at Annie’s parents’ funeral. So he’d had to explain his important business meeting. But would Asher think Deek was abandoning him? “If I let you help me, would that make me the worst parent ever?”
“No. I already own that title.” Lori waved a hand. “Besides, what’re two sick kids when you have one already? Can Asher take ibuprofen?”
“Yes. He’s not allergic to anything as far as I know.” He ran a hand through his hair as he considered. Lori was obviously a caring mom. “Let me ask Asher.” If his son freaked, he’d just suck it up and tell his client he had to reschedule. He’d probably lose the account, but there were others. Not many he wanted as much as this one, but his kid had to come first. “Be right back.”
Deek squeezed through the gathering of parents bundling up their kids and met the nurse. He signed his name to check Asher out of school and then found his son sitting in a row of chairs. One of the last kids remaining. “Hey, buddy. Sorry it took me so long. Ready to go?”
Asher nodded and then slid off his chair. He held out a hand to hold, which Asher rarely did anymore, and it made Deek feel even worse. The kid was really sick. He should just cancel his meeting.
When they found Lori and Emily in the hallway, Lori held her arms wide, and Asher slid right into her embrace. Maybe he should have hugged Ash. Deek’s father never hugged much, so he wasn’t sure by the second grade if guys were supposed to do that still.
Lori murmured softly, “I’m sorry you don’t feel well, sweetheart. Want to come home with us? I have Popsicles, and we can watch cartoons or movies. That way, your dad can finish up his meetings and then pick you up after. How does that sound?”
Asher looked up. “I can go with Emily, Dad. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay. If you’re sure.” Deek felt like a horrible father. But Asher was in good hands. Although he didn’t usually let Asher watch many cartoons. It’d probably be okay for just one day. “Lori, can we exchange information? I’ll do my best to move things along and get him as soon as I can. I really appreciate this.”
“No problem.” She started digging in her giant purse for her cell.
After they typed in their data and swapped back, he said, “I’ll call and check on you guys in a few hours, okay?”
“We’ll be fine.” Lori pulled stocking caps onto the kids’ heads. “Good luck with Zeldane. If they serve Chinese takeout there, bring us some.”
“Um. What?” He blinked for a second as he processed that. Had Lori meant bring takeout for dinner? Annie always accused him of being way too literal. “But the kids—”
“Will have chicken noodle soup and crackers if they get hungry. I have plenty of that. Chinese takeout, not so much. Knock ’em dead, Deek.”
“Okay. But what do you like?”
Lori turned and walked down the hall with the kids in tow. She called out, “Surprise me.”
“Yeah. Will do. Call if you need anything.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets and watched them go. Surprise her? He hated when women said that because inevitably, he always got the surprise wrong.
After a hugely successful, if not a bit rushed, meeting, Deek was armed with bags filled with Chinese food. He texted Lori from his car to apologize for being so late. It was almost eight.
Be there in ten minutes. Sorry!
No problem. I’m buried on the couch under two sleeping kids, so don’t knock and wake them. I’ll unlock my front door with my phone for you now.
Okay. See you in a few.
Deek tucked his phone away and then headed for Lori’s house.
After he had parked in her driveway, he gathered up all the bags and navigated Lori’s snowy walkway. He stomped the snow from his shoes, then stood before the front door of Lori’s vintage Craftsman-style home with its cool, modern electronic lock. It felt weird to let himself in, but she’d told him to. He walked slowly inside and then softly closed the door behind him.
Lori’s living room was big, with lots of wood accents. There were splotches of different colored paint on the walls as if she was deciding which she wanted, and all the furniture was under plastic drop cloths. The wood trim had been painted over years ago, b
ut a few spots were uncovered and polished up, just enough to see the beautiful home it had once been. Lori must be in the middle of a remodel.
He continued walking down the long, wooden-floored hallway toward the high-pitched sounds of animation, and found everyone in the den. Lori sat in the middle of a large couch with her feet next to a laptop on the coffee table, her head leaned back, and her eyes closed. Both kids’ heads were in her lap, and their bodies flung out opposite ways. Extracting her without waking them could be tricky.
But the way Lori’s hands lay protectively on Asher’s and Emily’s backs as they napped sent a bolt straight to his heart. He’d never had anyone soothe him like that when he’d been sick as a kid.
He needed to get Asher his mother back.
3
DESPERATION CAN LEAD TO MAKING NEW FRIENDS.
Rustling sounds from the kitchen woke Lori. Must be Deek. Her empty stomach was thrilled their dinner had arrived.
She slid her hands under Emily’s and Asher’s heads and slowly wiggled out from under them. Gently, she laid their heads back down on the couch cushions and then tiptoed her way to the kitchen. A pair of suit-clad legs stuck out from under the kitchen sink. She knelt down to ask what he was doing and tapped a knee.
Deek’s head shot up, and he bashed it on a pipe.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “So sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“That’s okay.” He winced and then got back to tightening the pipe. “I noticed you were in the middle of working on this, so I thought I’d finish it up for you. As a thank-you for watching Asher.”
While wearing a suit? “Thanks. It was leaking a little, so I was just going to—”
“Rewrap the plumber’s tape. I figured that out. Almost done.”
“I would’ve never guessed former nerds with high IQs were good at plumbing too. You might come in handy yet.”
Matched For Love (Rocky Mountain Matchmaker Book 3) Page 2