Page 38 of Courageous Yearnings

“Out,” the other man sputtered, frowning.

“Out… where?” Lance questioned pointedly – and he already knew.

“She’s at lunch, and we both know that already.”

“At lunch with who?” he chuckled and saw Alec’s face turn grim as he glared at Lance. “Who is Willow at lunch with… and what do you think Willow is going to assume from this lunch? What do you think her lunch partner is going to assume? And who do you think they are discussing right now?”

“Shuddup, shuddup, shut the heck up, Cortes!” Alec snarled, looking at him in sheer frustration, to which Lance just stood there grinning.

“Well? Go ahead and talk your little brain through it. You’ll see.”

“My mother, okay? Willow went to lunch with… oh…” Alec snapped and then grew pale. “Oh no. Wait. No, right? Wrong. Hang on… no?! HANG ON A SECOND. Cortes, you think that they are discussing me?”

“Let’s see,” Lance chuckled. “Your friend, who’s a girl, went to lunch with your mother, who has been hinting at you settling down someday… and you are the common denominator between the two of them. See what I’m getting at?”

“You aren’t funny.”

“I’m hilarious… and right.”

“I wish I had a plastic rat right now.”

“I’m glad you don’t.”

The two men looked at each other, both distinctly uncomfortable. There was a truth to each thing that both of them pointed out. His first meeting with Blythe had been intense – and he could see her easily misinterpreting things in the way Alec was suggesting.

But would that be so bad? a tiny voice whispered in his mind.

“You know I’m not the only one who’s in deep water, right? I mean, you have less than six hours to figure out a story that will hold water, and you can’t lie to her, or you’ll get busted for sure.”

Lance put a hand on his stomach and burped, making a face.

“Check the cabinets and see if you notice a bottle of Tums anywhere…”

“Indigestion?” Alec smirked.

“Don’t make me call your mama, Beckett.”

“You wouldn’t… bros with the hose, remember?”

“Oh, I remember – and you better have my back, too.”

11

BLYTHE

I’ll be out in just a few minutes.

Take your time.

I’m in no hurry.

Is everything all right?

Yup. Just thinking.

Blythe looked at her cell phone and almost made a smart comment or a crack at Lance, but if anything the last few days had shown he could be a really nice guy – and she could use a nice guy in her life right now. It hit her hard this afternoon. She had been doing a contract for a couple trying to work through a split in their marriage. The man was very vocal about how he felt, and the woman had been in near tears, pleading for him to be nicer to her.

Things could be so much worse, she realized. Oh, it wasn’t a perfect meeting between them, nor had nearly dying helped things along, but Lance was right. It changed how you saw the world and how you felt about life. While it had hurt to know that Lance hadn't been interested, it was also the truth. He’d never lied to her – not like this man had lied to his wife.

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