Page 7 of A Hot Sauce Halloween

I turn a page. “Awesome. What are you doing tonight?”

“Well, I could sit here and help you ladies pick out a dress I’m not allowed to see,” he quips, “or I could find something else to do.”

Evey raises a hand. “You could help out at the bar.”

“What’s happening at the bar?” he asks.

“Tommy and Vincent are decorating for the party tomorrow,” she answers. “I don’t think they’d turn down an extra pair of hands.”

I look up from the magazine. “Oh, that’s a good idea!” I tell him. “You can get your Halloween decoration fix and it gives you some valuable future brother-in-law time…”

He bites his lip, hesitating. “You think so?”

I nod. “Definitely. Go for a little while. I’ll call you in an hour or so with a Charlotte emergency and you can use it as an excuse to sneak out if it’s too awkward.”

Evey crosses her fingers. “Or, if we’re all really lucky, I’ll go into labor and you won’t even have to come up with a reason to avoid the very large man whose sister you’re trying to knock up.”

Jake’s brow rises.

I gawk at her. “Evey.”

She winces. “Sorry. I won’t tell him. I promise.”

He clears his throat. “Okay…” He leans over to kiss my forehead. “Call me in an hour.”

“I will,” I say, kissing him back. “Have fun.”

“I’ll try. Bye, Evey,” he says.

“Bye, Jake!” she says, still wincing.

He grabs the car keys off the wall and walks down the hall.

“I really won’t tell Vin,” Evey claims. “I hope.”

I wait until the front door closes behind him. “Careful,” I say with a smile. “You’re gonna give him a heart attack.”

“Iam?” she quips, glancing at the stack of case files on the table.

“Shush,” I say, turning the magazine toward her. “What about this one?”

She shakes her head. “Nah,” she says. “Too much lace.”

I nod in agreement and flip to the next page.

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