Page 56 of Lee

“They will,” Lee assured her. “Maybe not right away, but one day they’ll look at them and be grateful that those last moments with their cat were captured.”

“I hope so.”

When the phone rang, Rori straightened and reached out to answer it. Lee pulled out his own phone and shot off a quick text to Charli.

Are we having pizza tonight?

He didn’t have to wait long for her response.

Charli: Yep. That’s the plan. Why?

Do you mind if I invite Rori?

Charli: Mind? Not at all. I think that’s a great idea.

She might say no, so don’t get your hopes up.

Charli: I know, but hopefully she agrees. I really like her.

Lee did too, but he didn’t tell her that. If he was being wise, he shouldn’t be inviting her to things like the family pizza night. But when it came to matters of the heart, he was rarely smart. It was a weakness that had led to more heartache than he wanted to think about right then.

However, in this case, issuing the invitation was for two reasons. Yes, it meant he could spend more time with her, but it was also for her sake. He didn’t think she had many—or any—friends in Serenity yet, and he wanted to help her change that.

When she hung up the phone, he said, “Do you like pizza?”

“Oh yes. It’s one of my favorite foods.”

“Charli hosts a pizza night most Friday nights for friends and family. We’d love it if you joined us.”

Rori’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”

“Yep. Charli said it was a great idea to invite you, and according to Charli, she’s never wrong.”

That brought a small smile to Rori’s face. “Your sister is nice.”

“She can be. But as her brother, I can say that at times during our life together she’s been mean. Don’t tell her I said that, though, because she’ll beat me up.”

Rori smiled, the sadness fading from her gaze. “I can’t visualize that.”

“We grew up with a never hit a girl rule, but for some reason, the reverse didn’t apply. The girls took full advantage of that sometimes.”

“And it just came out of the blue?” Rori asked, skepticism high in her voice. “You never did anything that prompted them to retaliate?”

“Well, I can’t say that. Charli got particularly upset when we’d hide the book she was reading, or if we kept knocking on the door when she was in the bathroom.”

“But you all still love each other.”

Lee nodded. “Without a doubt.”

Rori had a wistful expression on her face as she said, “That’s so nice to hear.”

“Teasing can be part of our love language for each other.”

“Love language?” Rori asked.

“Yeah. It’s the way people choose to express their love. For some people, they like to give and receive words of love or affirmation. Others like to express their love through giving gifts. There’s a whole book written on it.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

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