Page 21 of Bad Luck Club

“No,” she said, her voice warm and understanding. “You’re right. Now isn’t a good time, but I do want to hear about your morning. What happened at the brewery?”

“It wasn’t right for me,” he said. “I’m from the city. This place is too…” He struggled to come up with an adjective that wouldn’t be too condescending. “Laid-back.”

“Yes,” she said with a thoughtful look. “I can see how that might be.” Then she stabbed more of her salad. “It is a lovely day to contemplate one’s future.”

“I suppose.”

She didn’t try to engage him in conversation again, and he was grateful for the chance to enjoy his lunch in relative peace. He hadn’t had red meat in nearly a week. Last weekend, Adalia had made bean burgers for everyone, and Finn had made him a regular one at his insistence. Only he’d gotten distracted and burned it.

When he ate his last bite, Dottie lifted her hand and caught their server’s attention. The woman scampered off into the back and returned a half minute later, carrying two plates of pie with vanilla ice cream.

“Here you go, Miss Dottie. Two heated slices of apple pie à la mode. Just as you requested.” She set the plates on the table in front of them, then reached into her pocket and tossed confetti into the air. “Happy birthday!”

“It’s not my birthday,” Lee grumbled, but something twisted in his stomach, generating a wave of melancholy and nostalgia. He shot a glare to Dottie. “Why did you order this?”

“It’s your favorite,” she said, devoting her attention to the plate in front of her as she picked up her spoon.

“How did you know?” It used to be, but when he’d asked for apple pie for his twelfth birthday, his father had declared it pedestrian. And every time he’d eaten it around him since, he’d felt self-conscious. Victoria would have definitely turned up her nose at it. Then again, she didn’t eat anything with gluten, butter, or refined sugar.

Dottie turned to him, her eyes full of kindness. “I told you. I know things. Now eat it before the crust gets soggy.”

He really did love apple pie, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had any, so he did as she said, enjoying every last crumb. When he finished, Dottie was watching him with a wistfulness that caught him off guard. “Thanks for lunch, Dottie.”

“Sometimes comfort food is exactly what our souls need.”

Lee’s mother used to say the same thing, back when he and his sisters were younger. Georgie and Adalia had been very close to her, so much so that Lee had sometimes felt there wasn’t enough room for him. But their mother had always found ways to show him that she loved him. He’d rarely talked about his struggles, even then. His father had told him at a young age that men needed to be strong. But she’d had an uncanny way of knowing if he’d had a bad day, and more often than not, he’d come home dejected to find she’d made an apple pie to cheer him up.

She’d died when he was in high school, and after that there’d been no more pies, no more understanding.

“Well, this has been great…” He made a move to slide out of the seat, hoping she’d take the hint and let him out.

“Since you don’t have to get back to work, would you be a dear and help me pick up an order at the art supply store? The canvases are large, and I have trouble getting them from the store to my car and then from my car to the garage.”

Lee was certain the staff would help load her car, but they wouldn’t follow her home. What kind of man would he be if he left her to deal with it on her own? He might be an asshole, but she’d bought him lunch and tried to make it special, even if he’d probably be picking confetti out of his hair for the rest of his day. Helping her was the least he could do. “Of course.”

A smile lit up her eyes. “Wonderful. Let me settle up here, and we can ride in my car.”

“I can follow you.”

“Don’t be silly,” she said as she wrinkled her nose. “We’ll ride together.”

Arguing with her would be a waste of breath. It was far easier to just go along with her plan. “Okay.”

She settled the bill, and as they headed toward the exit, Lettie grabbed Lee’s hand that was holding Blue’s box and slipped a card against his palm.

Winking up at him, she said, “Feel free to call me. Day or night.Especiallynight. In case you lose the card, I’m on Tinder—HotStuff69.”

Lee tried not to recoil in horror. “I’m not really looking for a relationship right now.”

She snorted. “Neither am I.” Then she winked again. “I love a good booty call.”

Dottie wrapped her arm around Lee’s back, cupping his upper arm. “My Lee’s not the booty call type, but he appreciates the interest, don’t you, Lee?”

What the hell was happening? “Uh…yeah.”

Then Dottie whisked him out the door to her car, and he realized he was still holding the woman’s card.

Lettie Larkspur

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