Page 44 of A New Year In The Presidential Suite

The doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” said Sara.

“No, I will,” countered Lizbeth.

Lori sighed. “You girls stay here. I’ll get it. Hopefully, it won’t be anyone I know.”

She went to the door, opened it, and stared at Guy, who tried not to laugh at her appearance.

“You said you’d be at your sister’s house. I was hoping I could talk to you,” said Guy. “But I can see that you’re busy.”

“No, no. Come in. We can speak inside,” said Lori. “First, I have to check on my nieces in the kitchen.” She stood aside to let him enter and then led him to the kitchen.

“We’re having a spa day. This is Sara, and that’s Lizbeth,” said Lori.

“Hi, girls,” said Guy. “Okay, if you give your aunt and me some privacy?”

Unsettled, she quietly said to her nieces, “Why don’t you get dressed? Your nails should be dry now. Then, when I’m free, we’ll do your makeup.”

The girls gave Guy questioning looks, then jumped off their stools and headed upstairs.

“Would you like a cup of coffee? Or anything else?”

“Coffee sounds great. It’s pretty nasty outside,” said Guy.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” said Lori, preparing a cup of coffee for Guy and fixing one for herself.

When she turned back to him, he was staring out through the kitchen’s sliding door to the backyard.

“Here’s your coffee. Black, right?” she said, handing him a cup.

“Yes, thanks,” he answered.

“Let’s sit at the table,” said Lori. “It must be something important for you to come here.”

“Yes, it is. I know you and Susannah saw me at Sal’s Thursday night with Sage. Susannah spoke to me about it. I was going to call you after the weekend when I knew you’d be home, but decided not to wait.”

Lori saw the discomfort on his face and knew what he was about to say. Oddly, she wasn’t the least hurt by it when he spoke.

“I like you, Lori. You’re an amazing woman and a lot of fun to be with. But I sense you’re not ready, at least for me, and I don’t want to play games. It’s a small town, and I want us both to be comfortable living in it.”

Lori reached across the table and patted his hand. “I’ve been having some of the same feelings. More than anything, I want to be friends. It’s nice of Susannah to act as a liaison between us to encourage us to settle this. I like her and want to continue to be in her group of friends.”

Guy leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. “I’m glad we could have this conversation.”

“Me, too,” said Lori, more relieved than she’d thought possible. “Being with you at the Valentine's dance helped me become more realistic about what I needed. Thank you.” She clapped a hand to her mouth. “What about the trip to wine country? Should I return the packet to you?”

He shook his head. “As I suspected, I’ll be at a conference in Las Vegas that week. Why don’t you keep the packet and enjoy the trip? My gift to you.”

“Thank you. I do want to go,” said Lori, thrilled.

“Have fun. It’s all for a worthwhile cause,” he said. “When I saw your disappointment, I was almost sorry I’d won. But this way, you’ll get to go, after all.”

“You’re very kind,” said Lori. “I appreciate it so much. How’s your house coming along with Sage decorating it?”

He grinned. “You’ll have to see it sometime. She’s doing a fantastic job. She’s very talented. It turns out she’s done a lot of interesting projects in New York.”

“I’m happy for you,” Lori said. “It’s a beautiful house.”