Page 36 of Lee

“She really is beautiful,” Rori said.

“Maybe you should get a dog.”

She gave a little huff of laughter. “I think if I got a pet, it would probably be a cat. Hopefully, one that actually likes me, unlike Queenie. I want one who purrs for me.”

“Cats can definitely be stand-off-ish,” Lee said with a chuckle. The memory of their first meeting was a fond one for him. “But if you get one from the shelter, you’ll get the chance to see what the cat is like with you before taking it home.”

“I have to wait until I get an actual bed. I don’t think cats and air mattresses mix well.”

“You don’t have a bed?” Lee asked as they neared the group. Her steps slowed, so Lee shortened his strides to keep pace with her.

“My apartment in Denver was fully furnished, so when I moved here, I had to start over. It made the move easy, not having to worry about furniture, but now I have to make some decisions, and I’ve just been putting it off.”

“Well, if you need help with transporting anything, let me know. I don’t have a truck myself, but I know several people who do, and I can borrow one from them.”

Rori was silent for a moment before she said, “Thank you. I appreciate you being willing to do that.”

“Of course. I’m happy to help.” And he was. However, something told him she wasn’t going to ask for that help.

As they approached the group gathered around the picnic table, he said, “Remember, everyone knows you’ll need time to learn names.”

She glanced up at him, and when their gazes met, she nodded.

“Rori!” Charli hurried over to meet them. “I’m so glad you decided to join us.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t accept your invitation at church.”

Charli smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. I figured you might be more comfortable with Lee asking you. And it looks like I was right. Point Charli.”

“I didn’t realize it was a competition,” Lee said. “But since it is, I should win because I was the one who actually got Rori to join us.”

“We’ll call it a draw,” Charli suggested. “For now.”

Lee rolled his eyes at her, then turned to Rori. “Let’s put your bags on the blanket, then I’ll introduce you to the others.”

When they joined the people at the picnic table, Lee noticed that more had arrived while he had been talking to Rori. He hoped she wouldn’t get too overwhelmed, but he planned to stick close by until she seemed comfortable with the group.

After quick introductions had been made, Hudson said a prayer for the meal, then the kids began to pile food onto their plates. Rori hung back, so Lee grabbed plates for them both and handed one to her.

“Come get food, Rori,” Charli said.

“I feel bad that I didn’t bring anything to contribute.”

“Don’t worry about that. As you can see, we have lots of food, so eat up. Plus, not everyone who comes brings food. Right, Jackson?”

The man in question just grinned. “I figure bringing myself is good enough.”

As everyone laughed at Jackson’s response, Lee motioned for Rori to go ahead and get her food. She began building a sandwich, choosing a little from each container. While she didn’t take as much as Lee did, what she had on her plate looked to be more than she usually ate at lunch when they were at work.

Once they had their food, Lee took her to the cooler that held an assortment of drinks. She reached first for a bottle of water, then paused and took a can of soda instead.

After Lee grabbed one for himself, they went to sit on the blanket where they’d put her bags. As soon as Rori sat down, Layla and Amelia scooted closer to them.

“Are you Uncle Lee’s girlfriend?” Amelia asked as she lifted a pickle from the pile on her plate.

Lee glanced at Rori in time to see her eyes widen and her mouth drop open for a moment. “Uh… no. We work together.”

“Uncle Jay and Aunt Misha work together, and they’re married,” Layla said, as if wanting to point out that working together didn’t prevent a romantic relationship.

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