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Best of all, the new lights made it possible for me to see that she became a bit flustered whenever we talked. Usually, those types of looks on a beautiful woman’s face were reserved for Leo who, with his grandiose personality, held women mesmerized.
I’m so used to my brother being “the hot twin” that I rarely noticed those reactions when they were directed at me.
Unlike Leo, I had been married to V-Sparks for the last decade. Until I walked into the clinic yesterday afternoon, I hadn’t been intrigued by anyone as much as Zoey intrigued me. Dr. Marshall had captivated me.
“Where have you gone off to?” My mother asked.
I blinked. Her question pulled me back into the room, back to staring into her eyes. “What?”
“You have been smiling to yourself for a while.”
“I have?”
“I know that smile.”
“What do you mean? What smile?”
“Tell me about your visit to Dr. Marshall’s office,” she said.
Since high school, Leo and I have kept our dating lives secret from our mother. That was necessary—and difficult—when your mother was the English teacher at your school. It was only a date and I’m not even sure how Zoey felt about it. She could’ve just accepted my invitation because I was being persistent.
“It was fine, ma.”
“Just fine?”
“I wasn’t even there for long. As soon as I dropped Maggie off, I got a message from Carl at the construction site. I had to leave.” The disappointment was apparent on my mother’s face. I didn’t want to give her false hope, but I didn’t want to leave her with that glum look on her face. I drew in a deep breath and said, “Don’t get excited, but I asked Zoey to dinner tonight—“
My mother grinned. “Zoey? You’re calling her Zoey?”
I chuckled. “It’s just an apology dinner.”
“An apology…dinner? What on Earth is that?”
Feeling the temperature under my shirt rising, I told her the story from start to finish, leaving out the parts I couldn’t share with my mother. How I imagined what Dr. Marshall looked like underneath her scrubs and the tiny bit of hope I was trying hard to repress.
“It’s just to apologize for keeping her in the office so late. Nothing more. It’s as simple as that.”
“Love is never a simple thing, Lucas.”
“Love? Ma, I just met the woman. It’s not love.”
“Well, I don’t care what you call it, Lucas. Your father and I want some grandbabies.” We laughed, then my mother said, “Zoey is a nice girl. I think you’ll really like her.”
I smiled, knowing that liking Zoey wasn’t going to be my problem.
Zoey
Myeyesflickedbetweenthe clock on the bedside table and the two very different outfits resting on my bed.
Operating under strict instructions from Lydia, I chose something short, and tight, and eye-catching. The sequin silver dress was a favorite of mine. It used to be a staple in my holiday party dress rotation. But I haven’t been to an event since I’ve been in Covington Falls where the dress felt like it would be appropriate.
From an unpacked box in the back of my closet, I dug up one of my designer heels. High and impossible to walk in after a few hours, the shoes rounded out the provocative look. Lydia would be proud.
Next to the pieces of my sexy attire laid a more subdued ensemble courtesy of my imagination. A pair of slacks, boots with a reasonable heel, and a plain button-down shirt in a festive color. This combination was still pretty outside of the typical Covington Falls party garb.
For tonight’s dinner, though, it seemed fitting.
Sadly, this wasn’t a date, and Lucas wanted to be sure I didn’t get the wrong impression out of the gate. When he called me earlier in the day, he sounded so excited. Naturally, that made me excited. Until we began discussing the details of our dinner.
