Page 109 of Lee

“Possibly.”

Lee hadn’t seen the need to hide what he and Rori had become to each other, so it was no surprise that Cheryl had found out. “Yes. We’re dating.”

“Well, then I’m doubly glad I remembered something this morning.”

“What’s that?” Lee asked.

“Has Rori said anything about when her birthday is?”

“Her birthday? No.” They hadn’t had a conversation about that for some reason. That was a bit odd, considering they’d talked about so many other things. “Is it soon?”

“You could say that,” Cheryl said. “It’s today.”

Lee frowned as he sat forward. Hearing voices in the hallway, he said, “Just a sec.”

He set the receiver on the desk, then got up to close his door before returning to his call with Cheryl. “You said that Rori’s birthday is today?”

“Yep.” Cheryl sighed. “I meant to let you guys know about it earlier, but as you know, I’ve been kind of busy. Maybe you could do something at lunchtime on Monday for her.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to Alys about it.”

A baby’s high-pitched cry drew Cheryl’s attention, and she quickly ended the call.

Lee dropped the receiver back in its place, then braced his elbows on the desk as he dropped his face into his hands. Why hadn’t Rori told him it was her birthday? Why hadn’t he asked her when it was?

He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t, but it was too late now. They’d even missed the lunch hour, so he couldn’t do something for her today or run out to get her a gift.

Glancing at his watch, he saw that they still had four hours until the clinic closed for the day. After that, they’d planned to go over to Charli’s for pizza.

Charli. If anyone could help him figure something out, it would be her.

Rather than text, he tapped the screen on his cell to phone her.

“You never call me,” Charli said when she answered. “Is the world burning down?”

“Maybe,” Lee told her, well aware that he was being just a bit dramatic. But he only had one shot at a first celebration of Rori’s birthday as a couple. He wanted it to be perfect.

There was a beat of silence before Charli spoke. “Do not tell me that you’ve done something to upset Rori.”

He hadn’t. At least not yet. “Cheryl just called to tell me when Rori’s birthday is.”

“When is it?”

“Today!” Lee raked a hand through his hair. “It’s today.”

“Don’t panic,” Charli said. “It’s going to be fine.”

“How can it be fine? I have nothing for her. No card. No gift. No cake. Nothing. Nuh…thing…”

“Let me take care of the cake, and I’ll get a bunch of balloons and signs to put up and surprise her. As for the rest, just be honest with her and tell her you didn’t know, and if you had known, you would have gotten something for her. Then go out later and get something for her. A thoughtful gift is always acceptable, even if it’s late. Does she know when your birthday is?”

“No. It’s not a conversation we’ve had.”

“So she’ll understand.”

Lee knew that Charli was right. Rori hadn’t struck him as an unreasonable person, and she had to know that if he’d been aware of the importance of the day, he would have been prepared for it.

“You know what’s weird, though,” Lee said. “It’s like she doesn’t even care.”

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