by Layla Hagen
"The Connor clan made quite an impression on you, huh?"
“Yeah.” Sitting there, surrounded by the family, it was impossible not to think about Dad.
"Anything I can do to help?"
"I think I have to figure this out on my own. As a kid, I spent a lot of time with sitters. He was around more when I was a teenager, but I was too busy rebelling. I still blamed him for Mom leaving, and it didn't help that our house was a revolving door for his dates. Things cooled off completely when I went to college, and then became very tense when he got the club into trouble."
"Well, Dad used to say, ‘Where there's a will, there's a way,’ so I'm sure you'll figure it out."
I liked her vote of confidence. We talked about my dad for a little while longer, and then showered together. After we finished, Lori hovered in the bathroom, throwing me furtive glances.
“Are you waiting for me to leave?” I asked her.
She blushed. “Yes. I have to do some girl stuff, apply body oil, face cream.”
"Watching you oil up sounds like fun."
"Men." She practically shoved me out of the bathroom.
"What can you do? We're simple creatures."
"I'll lock myself in."
"I can pick locks."
"Wow. Will is going to be pleased to know I'm dating someone with that skill." She pointed at me. "Don't pick the lock. Trust me."
As I heard the door lock, I went to the bedroom, put my jeans on, and then headed for a glass of water. In the hall, I started to whistle before catching myself—what if the sound woke up Milo? I peeked into his bedroom to make sure he was okay. The little dude slept like a rock, hugging his pillow. All good here. I went into the kitchen and downed a glass of water.
Later, after Lori fell asleep in my arms, I wondered what exactly we’d tell Milo in the morning to explain my stay, but I shouldn’t have worried. The little guy’s only question when Lori told him that I spent the night was if I could teach him how to make grilled cheese sandwiches.
“You bet I can, buddy.”
“Awesome.”
“Well, since you two have breakfast covered, I’ll be a lady of leisure and just watch you,” Lori said.
We spent the entire day together, heading to the zoo, and then to a movie. Watching Milo and Lori together, I kept thinking about her ex. I didn’t know what his intentions were, but I wouldn’t allow him to hurt Milo and Lori more than he already had.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lori
On the morning of my meeting at Hailey's agency, I arrived in my office to find a bouquet of flowers and a note.
For good luck. I'm sure you'll win them over.
Love,
Graham
I held the note to my chest, already feeling like I had this in the bag. I made a mental note to surprise Graham with dinner when he returned from his trip. The team was playing in Miami, and he'd flown with them to talk to local sponsors. I'd take a trip to the lingerie store before too. He'd definitely appreciated the goodies last time, but I didn't want to wait for an online order to ship. I picked up the wedding invitations I wanted to show the bride I was meeting this afternoon and then headed out.
It was the second week of March, and I'd always thought the city started feeling more alive around this time of the year. Tourists started pouring in, and even the locals seemed different. Even though the weather didn't vary too much between the winter and spring months, I think the psychological factor played a role. Winter is finally over.
Since Hailey's offices were in Beverly Hills, I was wearing a black pencil skirt, red silk blouse, and black peep-toes. I looked like I was heading to a cocktail party, but on this side of LA, overdressed was the universal dress code.
"Lori, I think this will work out just fine," Cameron Salvatore said two hours later, checking his watch. He was Hailey's boss, and we were currently in his office. I'd pitched him my idea and had named my price, and he'd agreed so fast it confirmed what Hailey had told me in private: I was way too cheap for Hollywood. She insisted I charge more, but I hadn't wanted to seem greedy, or like I was taking advantage because Hailey was my sister. Besides, why should I charge more than usual?
"You've got yourself a deal, Cameron."
"Hailey will be your contact person, of course, but feel free to e-mail me too if you need more assistance."
"I'll keep that in mind."
We shook hands, and as my sister and I left his office, I felt the familiar thrum of adrenaline take over. This would be my first Hollywood event, and I loved a good challenge. It was out of my comfort zone, but I loved pushing myself.
"Want a tour?" Hailey said, rubbing her palms together.
"Sure."
We walked along the various cubicles and offices, all decorated in a blend of crisp white with sharp, dark lines. Pictures of celebrities adorned the walls.
"Have all these been the agency's clients?" I asked.
"No, but Cameron likes to play as if. He hung pictures of everyone whose handprints are on the Walk of Fame. Says it sets the right mood."
"He's smart."
Hailey nodded. "He is."
She introduced me to several of her coworkers, and I took in the atmosphere. Once I'd visited Hailey at her old workplace. Everyone there had looked on the verge of a breakdown. I had no idea how she'd managed in that environment for so many years, but Hailey was a tough cookie. Here, it was clear that they all worked at a frantic pace, but everyone had a smile for my sister. I knew this place would be good for Hailey because she was radiating in a way I hadn't seen her in a while. Her old job had been sucking the soul out of her. Here, she was appreciated.
"Want some coffee?" she asked.
"Sure."
The coffee station was encased in glass walls, so we had a view of the entire entrance area, which was decorated with new-age paintings and Greek god statues. Interesting mix.
Hailey poured us both coffee, and then we clinked our mugs.
"To the Connor girls taking over the world," Hailey said.
"Hear, hear. Thanks for arranging this meeting."
"No problem. Now all I have to do is get a celebrity to endorse Val's perfumes, and we're golden. World, watch out: we're taking you by storm."
I laughed. "You have it all planned out?"
"World domination? Since I was eight years old. Granted, I thought all I needed was Superman's cape or Wonder Woman's tiara back then, but my plan's more realistic now. Goal is the same."
"Dad used to say that." His words suddenly echoed in my mind. "If the plan's not working, change the plan. Not the goal. I didn't think you'd remember that. You were so young."
"And Dad's words were gospel." He loved to regale us with stories from his childhood, and of how he'd wanted to emigrate from Ireland to the States since he was a kid, the determination it took to succeed.
"But if Val wanted a celebrity to advertise her lines, she could probably pay one. Here's an idea. Bring it up Friday at dinner. Landon would be all over it. He's been trying to convince Val to take him up on the financing offer for ages."
Hailey lifted a brow. "And risk Val murdering me in my sleep? No, thanks. Besides, it's not the same thing. I'm not talking about paid advertisement. I'm talking about a celebrity trying on her stuff and then bragging about it all over social media—"
"Or in an interview." I realized what she was getting at. "It's different when they mention something casually and you can tell they really mean it, or when they talk about it because they're paid."
"Exactly. They have to try the stuff casually. And who better than yours truly to make it happen?"
"Hear, hear.”
Hailey nodded with conviction, tapping her foot against the floor. She was wearing black peep-toes with a three-inch heel. I remembered she had a date this evening, and this was definitely not her date style.
“You have your date shoes tucked away somewhere for tonight?”
She grimaced. "I cancelled the date. Turns out he's
engaged. Looked him up on Facebook."
"Yuck. Hate guys like him."
"Oh, but get this. He was angry with me for searching him up online. I mean, how dare I, right?"
"Want to come by for dinner tonight? Share a bottle of Pinot?"
My sisters and I had a wine system: Chardonnay to celebrate, Pinot Noir to drown our sorrows.
"Not worth wasting Pinot on him. But I won't say no to hanging out with you. Don't you have plans with Graham?"
"He's in Miami with the team." I sipped more coffee, thinking about the past days with him. He spent the weekend with Milo and me, and Monday and yesterday night as well. Yesterday evening, he took me out on a date while Marlene, one of the mothers I run with twice a week, watched Milo at her house.
"What's wrong?"
I looked over my cup to notice my sister studying me. I might as well fess up. "Well, let's just say sometimes I wish I had your dating experience, assholes and all. I feel so out of my depths when it comes to this. Before Graham, it had been seven years. I actually spent more years not dating than dating. Last Friday when we returned from dinner, Graham pushed me to open up, questioned why I hadn’t told him about Jeff. At first, I was mad, but then I was glad he did it. I realized I needed to be pushed, or I'd stay in the cocoon I've created for myself, and that can't be healthy for a relationship.”
“You’re going to figure things out,” she assured me gently. My hope was that Graham wouldn't get tired of pushing. "Lori, trust me. You’ll get the hang of this. You're the bravest person I know."
I blinked. "Me?"
"Yeah. I remember when you got pregnant. I was scared shitless for you. But were you scared? No. You calmly told Val and Landon that you couldn't go through with med school, but that you'd already thought of an alternative plan."
"You weren't there," I replied. Truth be told, I had been terrified, but making plans had actually helped deal with the fear.
"Jace and I eavesdropped. Will pretended he wasn't listening, but I know he was."
"Of course."
"My point is, you know how to figure stuff out. Here are a few rules. Enjoy the time with your man. Don't feel guilty about taking time for yourself, and don't overthink everything."
That caught me off guard. "How do you know I was going to do that?"
"Because I know you. And it's my duty as your sister to tell you that you deserve to have a good time, with a good man. And Graham seems like a really good man."
"He is." In fact, his attention for me and Milo overwhelmed me a little.
Hailey patted my arm. "Glad we're on the same page. So don't be afraid to let yourself be swept away by him, okay?"
"I'm not afraid... so much anymore. Okay, I am. A bit. Great pep talk."
"Call me whenever you need one." She checked her smartphone. "I've got a call with a client in ten minutes. I should go prepare. See you tonight?"
"Absolutely."
***
When Hailey came over that evening, we chatted until it was almost morning and made plans for a girls’ night out with Val, which we managed to pull off a week later. Graham said he’d love to spend the time after dinner with Milo, and I wasn’t going to lie, I was a little nervous leaving the boys on their own for the first time, but it made sense. Graham came over for dinner, and he was spending the night at my house anyway.
I met my sisters at Hailey’s house. Will was also there, having just dropped off some supplies Hailey needed for light renovations.
“What are you girls up to?” Will asked.
We tried to tone down our we’re-up-to-no-good expressions. We failed.
“Preparing for a girls’ night out,” Val said casually.
Will looked between us. “Should I keep my phone on hand?”
Hailey sighed dramatically. “One time. You came to our rescue one time, and you’ll hold it over our heads forever.”
Will was now sporting a shit-eating grin. “It’s one of the small pleasures in life. The only weapon I have against you.”
“We’ll behave,” I promised, even though we probably wouldn’t. What could I say? We Connor girls liked to have our fun, and we hadn’t had a night out in almost two years, what with Hailey’s constant traveling.
We were absolute knockouts, if I said so myself. I wore a little black dress, and my hair was in an asymmetric braid. I’d tried to let it loose, but I looked as if I’d electrocuted myself. Val rocked a red strapless dress that showed off her legs, and Hailey wore denim shorts and a silk blouse that showed off one shoulder.
Tonight was ours.
We headed to an open-air bar in the Santa Monica area and congratulated ourselves for choosing a weeknight to go out because we easily found seats at a high, round, bar table right next to the waterfront. LA was party central, especially once spring rolled in, but if you knew where to go, you could always find places that weren’t crowded. Since I kept a close eye on venues of all kind, gems like this one didn’t escape my radar. The air was salty, the breeze chilly, and I was out with both of my sisters. After this, I was going home to a god of a man filling my bed. Life couldn’t get better than this.
“I’m buying the drinks tonight,” Hailey announced. “Are we starting with cocktails?”
We perused the menu and decided tonight would be screwdriver night.
While we waited for our order, we all put our phones on silent. It was one of our oldest rules, both for girls’ nights and for Friday dinners: no phones. Otherwise the temptation to check a new message or e-mail was still there. It was hard to disconnect, especially since it seemed to be expected of us to be available almost twelve hours a day, despite working in different fields.
I discovered I had a text message from Graham.
Graham: Can’t wait to sink inside you later tonight. Want to know what else I’ll do to you?
There was a second message too, because he’d apparently interpreted my silence as Yes.
Graham: I’ll spread you wide and lick your clit until you come apart.
This man. Why was he sexting with me when I was out with my sisters? I typed back quickly.
Lori: Turning me on when I’m out in public is just mean. But I’ll get my revenge later tonight. I’m turning my phone on airplane mode now. It’s a girls’ night out rule.
I slipped the phone in my purse, or I wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of sexting with him.
“We’re not allowed to think about meetings or to-do-lists or the million things we didn’t get to do today, okay?” Val asked.
Hailey and I nodded.
“To Hailey being back. We’ve missed you, girl,” Val said when we got our cocktails and held up her glass.
“I’ve missed you too.”
We barely clinked glasses when three guys approached us.
“What are you celebrating, ladies? Can we join in on the fun?” one of them asked.
Hailey answered right away. “Sorry, but this is a testosterone-free area. It’s girls’ night.”
The guy smirked. “We can buy your drinks.”
“We can buy our own drinks,” Val said smoothly. “It’s a closed party.”
The guys shrugged, and finally left. “That was quick,” I pointed out.
Hailey patted Val on the shoulder. “She had her scary face on.”
“What do you mean? I don’t have a scary face.”
I laughed. “Yeah, you do. It works miracles, so don’t overthink it.”
Two cocktail rounds later, the party was on.
“You have to tell us your secret,” Val insisted, referring to Hailey’s ability to walk in sky-high stilettos for hours at a time.
“No secret. Just gritting my teeth through the pain. Eventually you don’t feel it anymore.”
“Do you think that if we get her properly drunk, she’ll finally tell us the truth?” I asked Val.
“Nah, I think it’s time to accept she might have superhuman powers.”
We ordered another round, and I couldn’t help but no
tice that one of the guys who’d approached us at first was glancing at Hailey regularly.
“Hotshot there can’t take his eyes off you, Hailey,” I said.
“I know. But he won’t be doing more than looking. I dipped my toe in the LA dating pool last week and got burned on hot lava, so I’m just going to enjoy spending time with you girls tonight.”
Val pulled her in a half hug. “LA is a tough dating scene.”
Hailey scrunched up her nose. “I dated while I was on location with projects, and I can confidently say dating isn’t easy anywhere.”
“That’s very encouraging,” Val said seriously. Or as seriously as she could after a few screwdrivers.
Hailey held up a shaky finger. Or maybe her finger wasn’t shaking, but I was seeing double. No way to tell.
“Let’s make a pact. That we’ll move in together when we’re old and wrinkly if we’re still single. I can’t become an old cat lady. I don’t like cats.”
Val blinked. “You’re talking too fast. Did we have the same number of cocktails?”
“Yep. My tolerance is higher.”
“More proof that you’re not actually human.”
“About the pact?” Hailey urged.
“I’m in. I’ll massage your abused feet, you’ll make sure I don’t forget my teeth prosthesis around the house. I’m banking on your superhuman brain to be functioning better than mine.”
I chuckled, and they both turned to me.
“Don’t laugh at us poor souls just because you have a man who looks at you as if you walk on water, and he’s skilled in bed,” Val admonished.
My brain felt like mush, but... “I’m pretty sure I never talked to you about Graham’s skills in bed.” Then it dawned on me. I pounced on Hailey. “You tell Val what I tell you?”
“Someone has to.”
I pressed the heels of my palms against my eyes, laughing. Oh, why wasn’t I surprised?
One round of cocktails later, we’d officially reached our limit and were planning to head home.
“Should we call Will, just to troll him?” Hailey said with an eyebrow wiggle.
