Lori

From: Jeff Finn

To: Lori Connor

I have rights, and you know that. But I want to solve this amicably. Get in touch with me. You’ll be sorry if you don’t.

I'd gotten the e-mail late last night and, as a result, hadn't slept a wink. I was still fretting over it the next morning as I took Milo to school.

Usually, I dropped him off in front of the schoolyard, but today I went right along with him. He skittered to his friend Jilly the second he saw her. Ms. Higgins, the teacher, was already at her desk, so I stopped to greet her.

"Good morning, Ms. Higgins."

"Hello, Ms. Connor. To what do I owe this surprise?"

"Oh, no particular reason. Thought I'd walk with him today."

She beamed. "You have a great boy. Was the only one who got over 90 percent on the math test last week. I'll see you and your brother at Soccer Day on Wednesday?"

"Of course." I wasn't a fan of any parents' day, mostly because it brought front and center that Milo only had one parent. He never said anything, but I saw the way he looked at the other kids, and no amount of his favorite food or goofing around on my part cheered him up after that. Quality uncle time worked though, which was why I was grateful Will was joining us. Yep, I was one big cheat, but if it worked, why not?

My thoughts returned to Jeff. What did he want? He’d said he just wanted to catch up first, and now suddenly he brought up his rights?

One thing was clear, though—I couldn't ignore him anymore. I'd hoped the last e-mail was a fluke, but since he mentioned rights now, things changed. He wanted a fight? I'd give him one. He'd broken Milo's heart by not being a part of his life, and I wasn't going to let him do any more harm. I replied to his e-mail.

From: Lori Connor

To: Jeff Finn

Why are you bringing up your rights now? You’ve had no interest in Milo. Ever.

After I left the school, I hurried across town to meet one of my assistants, Molly. We were scouting new wedding locations today. The restaurant scene in LA was ever changing, and staying on top of our game required knowing the scoop on the newest wedding venues. Today, we had three promising leads. If they cut the mustard, we'd be adding them to our list. My level of enthusiasm was surprisingly low when I arrived. I loved scouting new locations, imagining how they'd look with wedding decorations, the potential happy couples. Jeff's e-mail was still looming over me. 

"Hey, boss," Molly said. "I have something for you."

She pointed to the box in her hands. I didn't recognize the brand, but by the shape of the carton, there were sweet treats inside. If Molly started anticipating my needs for sugar, the girl had earned herself a raise.

"Gimme, gimme!" I took the box with grabby hands, and my mouth watered when I discovered slices of cheesecake inside.

"When did you buy these?"

"I didn't. They were delivered. Luckily I had to pick something up from the office this morning. First, I thought maybe you ordered samples, or a local business sent them of their own accord, but the delivery guy said specifically they were from Graham Frazier. Weekend went well, I take it? He was satisfied with... the wedding?"

I nodded as I helped myself to a slice of cheesecake. Goodness, this was the elixir of life, right here. Molly was eyeing the second slice, and I realized common decency dictated that I had to share. I held the carton out for her, keeping my fingers crossed that she'd decline my silent invitation. No such luck. She downed the second slice before I even finished my own. Still, even the sugar rush from one sweet treat was an excellent mood booster. Graham had been thinking about me first thing this morning.

I was smiling when we stepped inside the restaurant. Oh yeah, this one was a winner. I felt it in my bones from the first sweep across the room. Floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed in plenty of natural light, a spacious dance floor. They even had a fountain in the patio that would make an excellent backdrop for photos. It had all the makings of a dream location.

"Ms. Connor, Ms. Black, nice to meet you." Joanna Worthington, the location manager, strode to us, shaking our hands.

"This is lovely," I said earnestly. "Can you give us a tour?"

"Of course."

"Is it okay if I take pictures while we're at it?" Molly asked.

Joanna hesitated for a moment. "Of course."

Every restaurant had a photo gallery online, but they were often only from the best angles, and I wanted to show our clients all angles. Nothing like falling in love with a location when you looked at their website and then discovering you'd only seen the good bits. Best to know everything from the get-go. While Molly clicked off the camera, I committed to memory the numbers Joanna was rattling. I didn't like them much, but I did like the location enough to persuade her to lower them.

"I'll be honest; you're charging a lot for the menu. Even your cheapest version is fifteen percent above comparable offers."

Joanna pursed her lips. Molly hid her face behind the camera. She liked to say I had all the grace of a bulldozer when it came to pricing.

"We're committed to offering our customers the best."

A rehearsed answer, but not necessarily a bad one. It wasn't good enough either, though.

"I know as a new business, you want to break even as soon as possible. But as someone who reviews dozens of wedding menu prices a week, I can tell you that the higher prices will work against you. Now, if you were to include a few standard alcoholic beverages in that price, we could work something out."

Joanna's lips were a thin line now, but I continued before she could protest.

"I don't need an answer now. I'm going to put some new packages together this week. If I don't hear from you by Wednesday, I'm going to assume you don't want to be included."

Joanna nodded, her body language somewhat steely, but I was expecting that. Still, a little time pressure went a long way.

People took forever if they didn't have a firm deadline. I hoped Joanna would cave to my request because I loved her restaurant. If not, Molly and I would find someplace else. There were restaurants at every corner in LA; it took a lot of determination and stamina to find the best ones, and I had both in spades.

"One of these days, I'm going to film you when you go in shark mode," Molly said once we were out on the street. "You had an extra edge today. That cheesecake did the trick, huh? Or was it the man sending them?"

"Careful, Molly. Attributing my edginess to outside factors is the best way to get under my skin," I said with humor.

"Oh, but it is honest."

We headed to a small coffee shop across the street to review the visit. I always liked to talk about a new location right after we scouted it, while the details were still fresh. The scent of baked goodies filled the air, and I smiled, remembering Molly's comment. She was right... sort of. It hadn't been the sugar that had lifted my mood so drastically, but the fact that Graham was just so unexpected in the best way. When Molly went to the restroom, I seized my chance and texted him.

Lori: The cheesecake was delicious. Thank you. To what do I owe the surprise?

Graham: I wanted you to start the week well.

Well, damn. What could I say to that? A second message popped up before I could swoon further.

Graham: And I wanted to sweeten you up so you'd say yes to a lunch date.

I laughed and checked my calendar, but it wasn't looking good. A lot of clients, current or potential, wanted lunch appointments because they could leave their workplace for an extended break.

Lori: Early afternoon snack on Wednesday or Thursday? My lunches are booked for the rest of the week.

Graham: Thursday works. I'm attending a team meeting on Wednesday.

Lori: What are we doing?

Graham: You'll see. 

When Molly came back, she pointed between the phone and my face with a triumphant expression.

"If you tell me that grin is work-related, you're full of it."

I laughed, pointing at her notebook. "Molly, don't try to turn this into gossip hour."

As we went over the details we'd discussed with Joanna, my thoughts kept wandering to Graham. Yep, I wasn't too proud to admit to myself that I was daydreaming. But I was also afraid it was all too good to be true. While reviewing the photos Molly took, I chased those ugly thoughts away. He’d sent me cheesecake so I'd start my week well, and I was going to see him on Thursday. I didn't know what he'd planned, but I was determined to enjoy every glorious minute of it. 

***

Over the next few days, Graham and I kept exchanging messages. One evening, after one of Jace’s games, he even talked to Milo on the phone and they discussed every goal and foul. 

After the school event on Wednesday morning, Will had to hurry back to the station, but we were grabbing lunch together later. As luck would have it, Val texted to ask if I wanted to eat with her, so I suggested she join us.

When we arrived at his station, it was bustling with activity, as usual. Policemen ventured in and out, and stacks of paperwork were being carried from one desk to another in the open office space.

We stood by the elevators, trying to locate our brother in the crowded room. He and his partner had a designated desk, but neither was sitting at it.

"Testosterone overload," Val whispered, gazing after a tall and handsome blond policeman. "What is it with men in uniforms?"

I elbowed her. "Why don't you find out? Bet some are single. Will would be over the moon that you're finally dating someone he's probably already researched."

Val laughed but shook her head. "I'm using enough “mind” real estate worrying about Will fighting crime; I don't want to worry about the man I'm dating too. I want to date someone with a safe job. Why couldn't Will take a leaf out of Jace's handbook and pick a safer career?

"But pro soccer players get in nasty accidents all the time."

"That's supposed to put my mind at ease?"

A few minutes into our wait, one of Will's coworkers, Theresa, spotted us.

"Hey, girls. Waiting for Will? He's been in the captain's office for a while."

"Is he in trouble?" I asked.

She leaned in conspiratorially. "Not at all. Our captain wants to promote him." 

"Now look at that!" Val exclaimed. "We didn't know."

Just then, Will stepped through the door at the far end of the room, waving at us and striding in our direction. Theresa took off with a wink. Val and I exchanged a glance. Yep, teasing was officially on the table.

"Sorry I kept you waiting. Captain wouldn't shut up," he said, kissing us each on the cheeks and pushing the elevator button.

"No problem. We've heard some interesting rumors," Val said.

"Which you failed to mention this morning," I continued. Will was glancing from Val to me, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Or Friday at dinner. I don't remember him mentioning he's going to be promoted,” Val said.

"Hey, maybe promotion is a bad word and we don't know it."

Will was grinning openly now. "You two going to ride my ass during the entire lunch?"

"Maybe," I conceded as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

We walked inside the elevator, and Will waited until the doors closed to speak.

"Captain's trying to persuade me. I don't think it's for me."

"Why not?" Val asked.

"I don’t like deskwork, and the promotion would come with a lot of handshaking and paperwork."

The elevator opened, and we all remained silent as we walked through the station.

When we stepped out in the blinding sun, Will continued. “I like the work in the field, catching criminals, so they’re not a danger to anyone anymore. It still eats at me that the culprit in Mom and Dad's hit and run was never caught."

Val straightened up, expelling a breath. I'd always known this was what partially motivated Will to join the police force.

No one spoke on the way to the Mexican restaurant we'd chosen as our lunch spot. I had no idea what to say, and by the looks of it, neither did Val, which was worrying. My older sister always knew what to say. 

We sat in a corner of the restaurant, and a waiter took our order right away. I wanted chili con carne. Will and Val went for beef burritos.

"How was the school event today?" she asked after the waiter left.

"Same as usual," Will replied. "By the way, I overheard a conversation between Milo and another kid. Milo asked him how it felt to have a dad and said that his had left when he was little because he didn't love him and his mother."

"What?" Val and I asked at the same time. I never badmouthed Jeff in front of him. Never. Whenever he asked about his father, I was vague on why he wasn't part of our lives.

"He must have heard us talk," my sister muttered, mirroring my thoughts. Damn it! How had I been so careless? What was going through my boy's mind? Or heart? I had half of my chili con carne left, but I all of a sudden lost my appetite.

"Jeff has sent me a couple of e-mails," I said. I shared everything with my siblings. They'd always been my rock, and I valued their advice.

"You mean beyond the yearly booty call?" Val asked through gritted teeth.

"Yes. I ignored the first e-mails, but then he said he had rights and wanted to do this amicably.”

"One of these days, I'm going to find something to charge that bastard with," Will grumbled. "Or take matters into my own hands and give him another black eye."

"He abandoned Milo. What rights exactly does he think he has?” Val asked through gritted teeth.

"I replied and asked him just that. But he didn’t reply back.”

“Typical of him,” Val said. "Don't lose any sleep over this. We're here for you, okay? Anything you need, tell us." Val took one of my hands in hers, as if feeling that anxiety was gnawing at me. I couldn't explain why I was nervous—legally, I had the upper hand. But a pit formed in my stomach every time I thought about the semi-threatening e-mail. After finding out Milo had overheard me insulting Jeff, I couldn't help but feel like I was failing at parenting.

"Let's circle back to the promotion," Val suggested, smiling sweetly at Will. I knew her effort was partly so she'd take my mind off my troubles. "Where the captain fails, we can succeed."

"Yeah, unlike him, we know what works on you. Also, we're related, so we have a have an ace up our sleeve—we can pull out the emotional card."

"You girls give yourselves too much credit," Will informed us.

"Might we remind you that we have a documented history of talking you into things? Remember when we convinced you to play laser tag with us after you swore you'd never do it? And we beat you?"

He slapped his forehead theatrically. "Not that again. You've been holding that over my head for too long, so I've got to come clean. I let you win that one."

I'd suspected that might have been the case for years now, but hearing it out loud still stung. I took great pride in our one and only victory.

Val chose the path of denial. "He's trying to save his own ego. We'll let him think we've bought it."