The bell above the shop door jingled, and Sherri Middleton and Brandon Rice came in with her youngest kid, smiling as they walked to the counter to order.
“Brandon and I went to Prom together my sophomore year. Did I ever tell you that?” Lucy scraped her spoon against the bottom of her bowl before taking a bite.
“I didn’t know that. Was he a senior?”
“Yes. Daddy did not like me dating older guys, but then, he was the one who started my acting career with the Date Night Soda commercials, and the cling-ons that come with a little bit of fame are just part of the package deal. I make sure to remind him of that any time he complains about who I date. He’s always liked you, though. That’s what sparked the book idea. He called you a nice guy. He said I should date nice guys instead of the usual suspects I brought home.”
That part Edward had heard before. “Did he consider Brandon a bad guy, then?”
“Oh, no. Not after I explained. Brandon didn’t even kiss me goodnight. He had his reasons for asking me, and I said yes because he was a senior football player and would look nice in a tux.”
Brandon and Sherri waved hello before moving to a booth on the other side of the shop. Brandon was a quiet, unassuming guy, one who doted on his niece and nephew and preferred to hang out with Sherri and John in his spare time, despite having the money to be anywhere he pleased.
“Are you ready to go?” Edward asked.
“Yes. And thank you for today. I don’t want to pounce on you unexpectedly anymore, so I’m going to ask in advance. Are you busy this weekend? Can you carve out some time for me?”
It was so hard to distance himself when she was being nice. Edward scooted out of the booth and she followed, looking contrite.
“What did you have in mind?” he asked.
“Dinner out? Not that there are any decent places around here. Maybe we could drive into Palm Springs.”
He didn’t have any plans, and he couldn’t really make any with anyone else. That familiar irritation welled up in him, but most of it was aimed at himself. “Sure. We could do that. Friday night?”
She smiled. “Perfect. I’ll make the reservation unless you’d like to.”
“No, go ahead.”
She rubbed her hands together, looking pleased. “So, you hired an assistant for Rosa. Was that really necessary? I swear, you would do anything for that woman.”
“Rosa is the secret to my success. Except it’s not a secret. She’s quite aware how much I depend on her. But she’d like some time off this year, and rather than asking for a bigger raise, she asked for backup.”
“And where did you find this backup? I’ve never seen her in town before.”
“She just moved here with her family.”
“How is she doing? Do you think she’s a good fit?”
“Rosa would know more about that.” He tried to sound bored, but Lucy was a professional at knowing where to dig. Like a bloodhound who sniffed out trails of information.
“What’s her name?”
“Elinor.”
“Elinor what?”
“Elinor Dashwood. Would you like her social security number?”
They reached his place and he opened the door, equal parts relieved that the conversation could now be over, and dreading seeing Elinor’s face.
She looked up at the two of them, right when Lucy snaked her arms up around Edward and kissed his chin before planting a peck on his lips. “See you Friday, my love.”
He resisted the urge to push Lucy away from him and patted her back instead. “See you then.” Turning to Rosa, he asked, “Any news?”
“Your one o’clock needs to bring her kids and her grandmother in with her. The grandmother gets forgetful if left alone. I told her that would be fine if she thought they could sit out here with us.” Rosa glared at Lucy, who was listening in. “The forms for the appointment are in a file folder on your desk.”
“Great. I’ll go prep for it.” He escaped to his office, glad to focus on something else besides Lucy.
