Lori’s irritation with him instantly vaporized. “Hold that thought while I slip your kid some sugar crack. Be right back.”
When she returned to the kitchen, she laid four cookies onto a plate and poured them two glasses of milk. “Hurry and explain what you meant before Asher’s brain cells melt out of his ears from watching top-notch animation with a thoughtful message.”
When she set a glass of milk and the plate in front of him, Deek snagged a cookie and took a big bite. “Sarcasm and I don’t always mix. Are you saying I’m just being mean?”
“No, I don’t think you’re being mean. I respect that you’re careful with Asher’s sugar intake. I watch Emily’s too. But I don’t understand why it’d be so bad if Asher turned out like you.”
Deek finished off the first cookie and then his hand dove for another. “You should bake more often. You’re very good at it.”
“Now you sound like my mom. She thinks I should cook homemade dinners for Emily every night like she did for us growing up.” She took a bite of the still slightly warm cookie and moaned with pleasure.
After a slug of cold milk, she continued, “I justify my behavior by telling myself I’m expanding Emily’s palate whenever we occasionally grab things like takeout Thai food. And grilled cheese counts as a full homemade meal if you add fruit on the side, right?” Lori finished off her fourth cookie of the day and weirdly didn’t care about the calories for a change. They were damn good if she did say so herself.
His cookie stopped halfway to his lips. “I cook for Asher most every night. So what does that make me?”
“Dead. If you tell my mother. Now quit avoiding my question about Asher and answer, please.”
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his muscled arms over his chest. “I used to be on my computer so much as a kid, that it became my only passion. So I regulate how much TV, computer, game playing, and reading he can do in a week. I don’t let him get obsessive about just one thing. He’s smarter than most his age, so I encourage him to join in with normal, more popular friends like Emily. That way, he won’t have to endure all the teasing and name-calling I had to put up with.”
“Normal?” Lori tried to refrain, but her snark regulator had been out of service lately. “Are you implying that my kid isn’t as smart as yours? And that Asher is lowering himself somehow by being Emily’s friend?” She spoke in a clipped tone but wasn’t really mad. Asher was the smartest kid in Emily’s class. Everyone knew that. And Emily wouldn’t be a boy’s friend unless she honestly liked him.
Deek opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
She quickly added, “Maybe what makes Emily so ‘normal,’ as you put it, is because she watches channels other than just PBS, and is pretty obsessed with soccer at the moment. She sometimes plays video games after her homework is finished too. I like to think she’s well-rounded, Deek.” Lori rose and grabbed the cookie jar. She laid it on the table between them and sat down again. “Want another? Or do only geniuses have enough restraint to eat just two, unlike us normals?”
“Sorry.” Deek held out his hands, palms up as if surrendering. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just…” He shook his head. “See? I manage to make a mess of all my friendships. Maybe I should go.”
When he started to rise, she held up her hand. “Stop. I’m not mad at you. I’m only pointing out there might have been a better way to say what you wanted to say. You might be super smart, but what you just said was pretty dumb.”
He slowly slipped back into his chair. “So which part was the dumb part, exactly?”
“Pretty much all of it.” Lori snagged her last cookie of the day and took a bite. “Saying your kid is above average and then calling others normal could be insulting to some parents. And in my humble opinion, there’s nothing wrong with kids being passionate about things they enjoy. We’d never have professional athletes, or great musicians, or painters if everyone thought like you. Would you be as good at your job today if your father had squelched your interest in computers?”
“I don’t know.” Deek shrugged. “My father barely knew I existed while I was growing up. He only notices me now because I drop off a check when I visit him once a month to be sure he’s taking care of himself.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Lori gave his forearm a quick squeeze before putting her hand back in her lap where it belonged—in case it decided to explore that sexy forearm on its own. But that Deek grew up that way hurt her heart. “It’s an even greater testament that you’re such a great father, then, Deek. After having Asher here all day yesterday, I can tell you he’s very well behaved and polite… Wait! Is that why you volunteer so much at school? So you can see how he’s interacting with the other kids?”
“Busted.” He opened the cookie jar and grabbed another.
“Okay, all that volunteering in class and trying to be the perfect parent has to stop. Mostly because it makes all the other parents hate you a little for doing it so well.”
He grinned. “Now that you know my secret, I have to stop, or you’ll think I’m obsessive about it, right?” Deek finished off his cookie.
“Exactly. And maybe if you watched some of the movies, you’d see they’re pretty great.”
“Okay. I’ll try to have an open mind. Text me a list of the better ones, and I’ll preview them for Asher.”
“Will do. Ready to start Operation Get Annie Back?”
“Yes.” He reached for a piece of paper in his back pocket. “But before we start, I wanted to show you the mock-up of Princess Lori I drew this morning.”
She accepted the paper from Deek, and her jaw flopped open. “Geez, Princess Lori is much sexier than me.” The cartoon character looked very much like her in the face, but her boobs were two sizes bigger, her waist was teeny tiny, and her hips curved in a much more enticing way than Lori’s real ones did. Jessica Rabbit had nothing on Princess Lori. And she wore a very low-cut dress that showed off more cleavage than she could ever wish for. “Could I borrow that dress for my date next week?”
Deek slid his chair around and settled beside her as he studied the drawing. “I think this looks a lot like you. Just enhanced a tad to make it a good characterization. But sadly, I don’t think I could whip up that dress for you that soon.”
Lori turned her head and met his steady gaze. “If you tell me a guy with as many muscles as you have can sew too, I’ll have to smash my ‘Best Mommy in The World’ mug over your head.”
“Then for safety purposes, maybe I’d better not tell you about a certain person I knew in college who had to make his own medieval cosplay outfits because he was so broke.”
“Nope. Better not.” It made sense that a guy who designed video games would be into dressing in sexy leather and brandishing swords. The image in her head was making her have naughty thoughts about Deek again, so she picked up the cookie jar and put it back onto the kitchen counter to put some space between them.
She was starting to understand why her friend Shanan enjoyed gazing at Deek when they volunteered together. And like her friend, the spicy dream that would probably come to her that night would be torture. In it, he’d probably be wearing warrior gear while ravishing the much-sexier-than-her Princess Lori.
Brother. Even in her dreams, she wasn’t getting any action.
Her date with Jason couldn’t come soon enough.
Deek munched another cookie while having a hard time keeping his eyes off Lori’s ass. He wanted to win Annie back, that was the goal, but he couldn’t help where his mind had wandered while he drew Lori earlier. She had a body with real curves. He’d never had a girlfriend who’d been shaped like that. The few he’d had were always stick thin. Her figure intrigued him, that’s all. It wasn’t like he would ever be disloyal to Annie.
Like she’d been to him.
How could she have told him to sleep with other women without even a flicker of emotion crossing her face?
Yet those same carnal thoughts about Lori had come rushing back wh
ile he’d watched her check out her character a moment ago. It didn’t help that the yoga pants Lori wore made her rear end enticing enough that any guy would have a hard time not noticing it. He wished she’d sit back down, so he didn’t have to keep noticing it. “I went over the ideas to win Annie back you e-mailed to me earlier. I can’t decide which way I want to go. I really liked the going to virtual counseling together, but she’d never go for that.”
Lori turned around and leaned against the countertop. “Well, if that’s the case, I’d like to see you and Annie interact, to get a better idea of your relationship dynamic. Can you video chat on my computer? That way we can also transfer her image onto the TV in my bedroom. I can stay out of sight, but watch too.”
“Sure. We usually call around this time, so I’m ready whenever you are.” He was going to be in Lori’s bedroom? Just pile on the temptation.
He grabbed Asher, who protested loudly about having his movie interrupted, on his way through the den, and they followed her hot behind to the bedroom. It was all very…girly inside. Tons of throw pillows on the bed, pale yellow walls filled with pictures of Emily with a man who must’ve been Lori’s husband, Joe. The air even smelled feminine. A combination of flowers, citrus, cookie dough, and Lori. Super enticing.
After Lori got the television synced up, she held out a hand toward her little desk in the corner. “Here you go. Just to be on the up-and-up, tell Annie I’ll be in and out, so she knows I’m here too.” She handed him a piece of paper. “After Asher is done, we’ll let him get back to his movie in the den, and then you and Annie can talk.” Lori put her hands over Asher’s ears and whispered, “That’s a list of clever crap to say if your conversation stalls. Some of it’s kind of spicy.”
Lori had all the bases covered. He was in good hands. He made the connection to Annie’s computer, then he sat Asher in front of the screen. When Annie answered, Deek told her that Lori was there too and then went and stood beside Lori and watched their interaction.
Annie looked tired, but nodded and listened while Asher told her his news.
After Asher got done telling Annie about all the cool movies he’d been watching and the cookies Lori had made, Annie frowned slightly. “Why would Deek let you do that?”
Dammit. This isn’t going to help my case for getting her back.
Asher shrugged. “Because Emily does all those things? Or maybe it’s because Dad likes Mrs. Went. He made her a pretty princess in his game. And he even made her a castle.”
“Deek made her into a princess?” Annie blinked a few times as she considered. “He’s only made me a warrior who lives in a tent.”
Lori made a choking noise next to him.
He whispered, “Maybe I’d better go put a stop to this.”
“Wait.” Lori laid a soft hand on his forearm to stop him. “Making her jealous might work. Let’s see what she says.”
“She’s not jealous. Just last night she told me to date other women.”
Annie said, “Regardless of why, I’d prefer you didn’t watch cartoons and eat sugary sweets, Asher. Those things aren’t good for you, sweetheart.” Annie leaned closer to the screen. “Where are you, exactly?”
“In Mrs. Went’s bedroom. It smells like flowers in here.”
That got a reaction out of Annie. Her brow creaked up a half inch. “Okay. Where’s Deek?”
“Wait, Mom. I wanted to tell you about my science fair proj—”
“I’m sorry, Asher, but I’m late for something. I promise I’ll hear about it next time. I have to go. But I need to talk to Deek first.”
When he started for the computer, Lori whispered, “If she told you to date, then maybe it wouldn’t hurt to make her think you listened.”
“I’ve never lied to Annie.”
“You don’t have to lie to her. Just imply.” Lori’s warm breath against his cheek as she whispered sent a punch of desire straight to his gut.
When he turned to gaze into her eyes, her lips were so close, that he had to lean away, fearful he’d do something dumb. Like, kiss her. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t know if he liked the idea of implying things, but then, Lori was the expert. He wasn’t getting anywhere with Annie doing things his way. “Okay. But stay. In case I start going wrong, will you?”
“Of course.” She patted his arm. “You got this.”
He exchanged places with Asher in front of the screen. After Asher had gone back to his movie, Deek said, “Hey, there.”
“Hi. What’s going on with you, Deek? Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“Yesterday you got upset that I’m sleeping with someone else when I know we hadn’t agreed to monogamy. Then you told me you’re going to call every day. While that’s nice, you know I have limited time to talk. And now you’re letting Asher run amok, while video chatting from some strange woman’s bedroom? You’re being…inconsistent.”
Letting Asher run amok? It took all his self-control for him to remain calm. “It’s not a stranger’s house. It’s his friend Emily’s. The other television is being used by the kids. And for future reference, Asher has told you about Emily many times.”
Annie shook her head. “What does a television have to do with our video chatting on a computer?”
Crap. Why had he mentioned the television? He glanced Lori’s way. She held up a piece of paper that said “ignore the TV,” and she’d written what to say next. He turned back to Annie. “Are you mad about the princess and castle thing?”
“No, not at all.” Annie blinked rapidly again. “It seems strange, that’s all.”
He read the next sign Lori held up and then asked Annie, “Don’t you want to come home and be a family again?”
“Eventually, of course.” Annie waved a hand. “Which might be soon if we don’t get the next round of funding. You could help with the money, you know.” Annie sent him a tired grin.
His hopes rose at her lack of funding. “Nope. Asher and I need you here. The sooner, the better.”
Annie chewed her bottom lip. “I’m doing real work, Deek. I thought you supported my career.”
Lori waved another sign to get his attention. It said, “I need your help with something ASAP! Hang up.”
Confused, he said to Annie, “Lori needs something. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He hit the disconnect button and then asked Lori, “What do you need?”
“I needed your help making her jealous. I asked you to say that so you wouldn’t have to lie. Get it?”
“Ah.” He chuckled at how obtuse he could sometimes be. “That was smart.”
Lori sank to the side of the bed, leaving about an inch of clearance between both their knees. “Does she always call you Deek in front of Asher?”
He nodded. “She thinks labels and titles are overrated.”
“Oh.” Lori leaned closer. “Anyway, she seemed a little upset with you. We need to keep poking at that in the future. Jealousy is a strong emotion.”
“I wasn’t sure if it was that, or because I refused her the money for her dig. She’s asked me for funding before.”
Lori laid a warm hand on his thigh. “Don’t take this wrong, Deek, but any woman who would use you for your money is one you don’t want. Even if she is Asher’s mother.” Lori glanced at her hand and quickly moved it as if his leg was on fire. “You deserve someone who loves you just the way you are. Goofy T-shirts and all.”
She’d grinned when she mentioned his T-shirts, so she was probably teasing him about that part. But she’d seemed serious about the rest. “I know Annie loves us. She’s just super busy, and she shows love in her own…way.”
“Okay.” Lori shrugged. “I’m not judging. Only trying to be a good friend.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Annie wouldn’t do that.
Lori just didn’t know Annie like he did. That was all.
5
GETTING BACK IN THE SADDLE DOESN’T COME WITHOUT ITS
ACHES AND PAINS.
Lori stood before the floor-length mirror in her bedroom and frowned at herself. Should she wear the sexier blue dress instead of the more classic black one she had on? The thought of her date with Jason had made her sick to her stomach all day. It was either that, or she was catching the same flu the kids had the week before. It could be a plausible excuse to get out of her date.
No, she needed to pull the trigger and get it over with. Joe’s death was no reason to bury her life too.
She laid a hand on her rounded stomach and drew a deep breath. Why had she made irresistible cookies right before her first date back in the game? She’d probably had fifteen in the last week, dammit!
The doorbell rang and made her jump. Deek was going to sit with the kids, who’d decided they wanted to watch movies and play video games rather than go out.
Good. She needed a male opinion.
She was getting entirely too used to seeing Deek every day. When she refused to take money for her help with his daily Annie calls, Deek suggested he help her around the house for a few hours each day. They’d made some major progress with the painting and the sanding the past nine days in a row. The guy even worked weekends. And he looked so hot in a tool belt, that she’d found him jobs just so he’d wear it. And when he’d whipped off his shirt to rub it in her face after she’d started a paint fight, she’d practically drooled over his six-pack abs.
She’d begun to look forward to his visits way too much. So much so, she’d even started wearing jeans instead of yoga pants, and putting on makeup. But Annie had insisted earlier that he stop calling so often because she didn’t have time to chitchat, so her daily dates with Deek were going to end. She wished he had a clone. She’d go on a date with that guy in a heartbeat.
She rushed down the hallway and opened the front door. “Hi, Asher. Emily is in the den. Deek, I need your help in the bedroom.” She grabbed Deek’s hand and tugged him down the hallway.
Matched For Love (Rocky Mountain Matchmaker Book 3) Page 4
