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Uncomfortable with where this was going, I separated the boxes and located the Hawaiian for her.
She smirked. “This is where you also say thank you.”
I didn’t look up as I slid a slice onto a plate. “Thanks.”
My phone sang the same infernal Shania Twain song as before, announcing a sister again. I glanced at the screen. It wasn’t Alice. “Hello, Emily,” I answered. She lived in Portland, and I didn’t see or hear from her that often.
“I hear you have a pretty girl as a client.” The grapevine had been activated.
“Women are allowed to be clients.” They made up the majority of people looking for protection.
“Does she get to boss you around?” She giggled. “I’d love to watch that.”
“It’s been super nice, Em. Bye now.” I hung up with attitude. “Sisters.”
Serena slid the second plate toward me. “How many of you are there?”
I surprised her with a quick kiss. “That’s for later.” Then, I opened the meat lover’s box. “Me, three brothers, and two sisters. My other brother, Brett, is on deployment.”
“I think big families are a blessing. I’ve got one sister and four brothers.”
Nodding, I picked up a slice of pizza and took a bite. But I almost spit it out when Shania’s “Man! I feel like a woman!” started up again. Every time I changed it to a George Strait song, one of them changed it back. I answered, “Alice, I don’t have time to talk.”
“I wanna talk to her,” my bossy sister demanded.
“We don’t have time for you to talk to her.”
“What are you doing right this second?”
“Eating pizza before a work meeting. Everybody from the company is due here any minute.
“Ah… Sharing a meal is a good first step. Is she really a client?”
“Yes. And we don’t have time right now.”
Serena held out her hand. “I’ll talk to her.”
Against my better judgment, I handed over my phone. Then I bit into the pizza and wished it was crispy potato chips so I wouldn’t hear what was said about me.
“Hi, Alice,” Serena started. “No, it’s not a date. I am a client… Yeah, I heard him say that, and I think he’s good-looking too. Actually, your brother is the very definition of hot.” She smiled, doing her best to make me uncomfortable.
I turned away, feeling a blush coming on.
“No, he wasn’t fibbing. We do have a meeting coming up. I’ll tell you what, how about we talk later in the week, and you can tell me all his secrets? Let me give you my number.” After reciting her cell number, she added, “Good talking to you, too.”
After a few seconds of silence, I composed myself and turned around, advancing on her. “The very definition of hot?”
A blush crept into her cheeks as she backed against the fridge, still holding a piece of pizza. “Merely reporting the facts.”
I narrowed the distance between us. “Is that right?”
“Isprettythe best you could come up with?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“As I recall, I called youverypretty.” A few inches closer, and I’d be tearing her clothes off. “And a woman, not a girl.”
Her eyelashes fluttered as her cheeks grew redder. “You’re just being kind because I’m paying for your time.”
“How can you say that after…” I sighed. “I meant every word. Long ago, I promised my sisters I would never lie to them.”
