“You had better watch it, David Wynn. If you’re not careful, things could get serious.” Lottie slipped inside her small cottage and closed the door behind her.
Chapter 11
Harlow leaned her hip against the kitchen counter. “How was dinner? Did you and Lottie exchange gifts?”
“Not yet. Dinner was delicious. Clifton Court serves one of the best steaks I’ve ever tasted.” David lifted the box of leftovers. “I even saved some for my bedtime snack.”
“What did Lottie have?”
“Red snapper. She gave me a bite. It was just as good.” David stuck the leftovers in the fridge. “How was the Mackies’ Christmas party?”
“So much fun.” Harlow showed him the karaoke machine. “My secret Santa gift was a karaoke machine. We had a ball messing around with it.”
“Although the desserts sounded tempting, I didn’t order one.” Her father gazed around the kitchen. “I hope you saved me a cookie.”
“More like cookies, at least one of each.” Harlow slid a fudge box toward him. “I’ve eaten more than my share. You can have the rest.”
He flipped the flaps and peered inside. “Deciding which one to sample first is gonna be tough.”
“The white peppermint chocolate pastries are worth every calorie.”
David plucked the pastry from the box. Breaking off a large piece, he popped it into his mouth.
Mort, noticing food was being eaten, skittered across the kitchen and plopped down at his feet.
“These aren’t for you, buddy.” Harlow fed him a boiled egg from the fridge. “And even if you could eat them, I don’t think you would like the peppermint flavor.”
“He might not, but I have to say, this is delicious. Five out of five stars.” David finished the treat before sampling a frosted wreath sugar cookie, one of Harlow’s creations. “Thanks for saving me some.”
“We have even more leftovers in the fridge and won’t have to cook for days,” she said. “By the way, your smoked ribs were a big hit.”
“I’m glad you and your friends enjoyed them.” David polished off his cookie. “Lottie and I…well, more like Lottie, ran into Cheyenne Clifton at the restaurant.”
“Did she stop by your table to say hello?”
“What do you think?”
“I’m kidding.” Harlow laughed. “It was a joke.”
“She was sitting with someone you know very well.”
“Caleb?”
“Nope.” David flicked off the cookie crumbs before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. He clicked on the text Lottie had sent him and tracked down the picture of Cheyenne and Robert, cozying up at the restaurant.
Harlow’s smile vanished. “Robert is already here.”
“Eating dinner with Cheyenne.”
“He must be staying at Clifton Manor.”
“Could be. Lottie seemed to think Cheyenne was flirting with him.”
Harlow tapped the screen and enlarged the photo. “She’s showing off her goods.”
“Which is exactly what Lottie said. Based on what I know about them, those two are cut from the same cloth.”
“I don’t know Cheyenne very well, but from everything I’ve heard, you could be right.” Harlow handed the phone back. “Wouldn’t that be something if she’s trying to convince Robert to introduce her to the Hollywood scene? Cheyenne is a beautiful woman.”
