Page 98 of Spurred On

Chapter Seventeen

Cody was nursing a sore head and gingerly sipping black coffee when Claire and Lisa returned from Sidney’s place the next morning. Logan and Cade had had the right idea and were sleeping in. The two women headed straight for the coffeepot and frowned when they found it empty. With a heavy sigh, Lisa started making a new pot.

He attempted a shrug. “Sorry. The guys took some for the road.” The Wilders had left at first light and hadn’t been shy about helping themselves. Not that Cody minded. He’d made a killing last night at poker. He grinned at the memory.

“How was the game?” Claire asked.

“Excellent.”

“Hmm. Sounds like someone won.”

He batted his lashes. “I can’t help it. I have an excellent poker face.”

“Is that what it is?” Lisa said with a chuckle. She pulled out a coffee cake and warmed it in the microwave.

The delicious aroma filled the room, and he moaned. “I’m starving.”

“Really?” Lisa said in a tone that should have warned him. “Do you know what I heard?” she asked.

“What?”

“I heard a rumor that men have these things called fingers and they can use them to make their own food sometimes.”

“Really?” Claire gasped in an astounded tone. “What will they think of next?”

Cody scowled at them. “I can make my own food,” he insisted. “I just wasn’t hungry until I smelled that.”

Claire snorted. “You’re always hungry.”

“Not when he drinks that much the night before,” Cade said with a chuckle. He stepped into the room, fresh from his shower with his hair slicked back. He made a beeline to Lisa and kissed her long and hard. “I missed you last night,” he said.

She smacked him on the shoulder. “Like hell you did. You guys probably partied all night.”

“We did, but I still missed you.”

She finally softened and kissed him back. “I missed you too, but we had a nice time.” She and Cade carried plates, utensils, and that amazing-smelling coffee cake to the table. Cody quickly helped himself to a big slice.

“How are Hanna and Sidney doing?” Cade asked as he did the same, and Cody was hit with a wave of chagrin. He should have been the first to ask.

“Yeah. How are they?”

Lisa shrugged. “As well as can be expected. Naturally, they were both a little more distracted than usual.”

“Of course.”

“But it was nice. Just the girls.”

Claire nodded. “We had a great talk.”

“Sidney surprised me though,” Lisa said as she forked a hunk of cake into her mouth. Cody stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate. She didn’t.

“Surprised me too,” Claire said.

“I always thought she was happy.”

“I know.”

Cody frowned at them, one after the other. What? What? “What?”