“Well, look who it is!” Winnie said in her pitchy sing-song voice that drove Cori nuts. “What are the odds of running into you two twice in less than a week…when we’ve like never run into you before? Weird!”
“Yeah,” Cori agreed. “Weird.”
“We usually just…stay in,” Nick offered with a sultry look for Cori, his words dripping in innuendo. He still held her hand, though the ring was on the appropriate finger. He caressed the top of Cori’s hand with his thumb as he looked at her as if a private conversation was going on between them.
“Oh! Well, us too.” Not to be outdone, Winnie had to one up them. “I mean, when we can. It seems everyone just wants to invite us to everything…busy, busy, busy. Oh look! Your ring.”
Winnie reached across the table for Cori’s hand and pulled it close so she could inspect the dazzling ring that Cori hadn’t even had a chance to fully appreciate. The only thing missing was a jeweler’s loupe to size, class, and appraise the many diamonds. Winnie’s pursed lip expression became pinched when she looked between her own ring and Cori’s, then to Phillip.
Like only Winnie could, she tossed an insult in the form of an insult. “Oh. Wow. Isn’t that…big. Personally, I don’t like to be so showy, but it looks good on you.”
“Thanks. It is a bit much, but I love it because Nick picked it out for me. When he gave it to me, he pointed at each…and…every…diamond – like every single one – and told me what it represented in our relationship and why it was sooo special. He’s so…romantic that way.” With a shrug and awe-struck sigh, she rested her chin on her clasped hands, and batted her eyelashes at Nick for good measure.
“Oh. Wow. That is…romantic. Yeah, so Phillip basically did the same thing and he’s like…oh no…there’s not enough diamonds…let’s get another ring. But I was like, it’s okay…we don’t need all of that to know how much we love each other; do we Phillip?” When he didn’t immediately answer, Winnie elbowed him, pulling his attention from his phone, which he had been eyeing the entire time.
“Oh. Yeah…what Winnie said.”
“Well, that does sound…romantic, alright.” Nick said with a snicker. “Our food is about to come, but I bet we can get your order in and pull up chairs if you would like to join us?”
Nick jumped in his seat when Cori kicked him under the table, and said, “But we understand if you can’t.”
“Darn it, we just can’t. Too many wedding plans to tend to still. I mean it’s right around the corner. We’ll be Mr. and Mrs. Chancellor in a matter of weeks now! Right, dear?” Again, she had to nudge Phillip to get his attention because he clearly didn’t give two shits about any of it.
“Yep. Winnie’s right,” he said with a smile.
The couple started to turn and walk away when Winnie added a slam dunk, “Hey. If you aren’t busy Friday, why don’t you come to our cake tasting. You can see the cake design while we’re there…its extravagant to say the least. Twenty-two layers! How will I ever decide what flavor to make each layer? I could use your help, Cori. Say you’ll come.”
“Oh…work…busy…schedules…I don’t know…busy…work.” Cori didn’t see that one coming and for the first time, she was caught by surprise and didn’t have a decent come back. Nor did she expect Nick would, but he did, and that caught her by surprise too.
“May as well check it off our list, sweetheart. Maybe we should.”
Cori’s eyes grew large, and she took in a deep breath and held it, trying to play her next move, “I…we…don’t want to intrude.”
“It’s no intrusion at all, or I wouldn’t have invited you,” Winnie answered with a hopeful grin.
“I have this proposal thing to work on. Work has been crazy busy. I just don’t know if I can get the time off with such late notice.” That was all Cori could come up with, and it fell short.
Nick raised his brows, surprised she was using Thorne as an excuse. “I’m sure your boss won’t mind – it’s okay to leave early.”
He pulled the boss card, son of a bitch. Cori was stuck and having a hard time keeping that smile she was wearing intact.
“I understand if it’s just too much for you. I mean, it was supposed to be you and Phillip picking a cake. It’s okay if it still stings a little, honey. I wouldn’t blame you.” An evil little giggle and squinty eyes delivered the real intention behind the cake tasting. It was to further humiliate Cori and remind her who won the boy.
“Not at all; is that what you think?” Cori asked as sympathetically as she could. “Oh, honey. It doesn’t bother me at all. I mean, I don’t even think of you two at all – well, until the other day, and I was like, oh yeah…Winnie and Phil. Everyone ended up with who they were supposed to be with, and Nick and I are just sooo happy that you really did me a favor. So, I guess I sort of owe you one. We’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it!”
It was either disgust or disappointment that crossed Winnie’s expression. It didn’t matter which because either way, Cori won this round with a sucker punch to the ego.
“Okay then. I will email you the address and time. See you Friday.” With pursed lips and a bruised ego, Winnie turned on her heels and charged off. “Come along, Phillip.”
As they walked away, Nick and Cori could hear Phillip speaking to Winnie. “Did she really just call me, Phil? I hate being called Phil.”
Make that two points. The couple looked at each other and started laughing.
“We are awful, awful people, Nick,” Cori chuckled, burying her face in her hands. “Why did we do that?”
“I don’t know, but it just…happened. Those two are…awful,” he added.
“You, my friend, are really into this. I mean, you’re really good at it,” she teased.
“I’ve known Phillip, through other people, for some time. I just don’t like the guy. Or her for that matter. They make it easy. Plus, this allows me to get to know you better. I have to say, I’m enjoying that part more than anything.”
“Well, Blackthorne, you aren’t so bad yourself.”
Their dinner finally arrived, and they spent the next several hours eating, chatting, and eating some more. It was easy – the company, the conversation – all of it. They shared a handful of details about themselves, their families, but mostly talked about Thorne Industries as it was the largest common thread between them, for the time being.
As the evening wore on, and the restaurant became quiet, they realized just how long they had been sitting there when they were only one of two couples left, and the staff was starting to turn chairs upside down on the tables.
He pulled out her chair and walked her out. “Are you sure I can’t drop you off at home?”
“I appreciate it, but my ride appears to be here already,” she said, nodding to the waiting town car parked in front of the restaurant, the driver, James, already holding her door open.
“So I see.” Nick and James were locked in a dueling stare. “He’s not just your driver, is he?”
“James? No, he’s a dear friend, who happens to be my driver. He’s harmless, just protective.”
“I can see that. I think he’s silently kicking my ass in his mind,” Nick teased.
“Or kissing you,” she fired back.
“Kissing? Oh…ohhh.” He turned to face Cori and grabbed her hands. As much as he wanted to kiss her, it was too soon, and they had a feisty audience. “I’ll meet you in the lobby Friday, does that work?”
“It does. Thank you for tonight. I had a really good time, actually.”
“Did you doubt that you would?”
“I don’t know what I thought, to be honest. It was fun, even if it was interrupted for a minute. Thank you.”
“Of course.” He pulled her stiff, rigid body into him, and hugged her, kissing the top of her head, causing her to relax into the warm embrace. “It was my pleasure. Hopefully, we can do it again?”
“There’s always cake on Friday.” She smiled, leaving him standing on the sidewalk as she made her way to the car and climbed in.
James closed her door and walked around the car, giving Nick one more look that screamed, I dare you, more than it said, I want to kiss you. Nick was glad Cori had a friend like that and could see himself liking James just fine. He watched them disappear in the distance before he buried his hands in his pocket and headed in the other direction. Rather than wait for his car, he decided it was a nice night for a walk. The cool air would do him good because her scent was all over him now and driving him wild.