Page 23 of Thanks for the Love
When I pick it up, I see a text from Nikki.
Call me when you get a chance.
For some reason a feeling of dread washes over me. My sister-in-law is one of those people who doesn’t like talking on the phone. She’d rather text an entire novel, so her request strikes me as odd.
“Are you okay?” Reagan asks under her breath.
“Yeah, why?”
“You got a strange look on your face.”
I hold up my phone. “It’s just a text from home. I’m sure it’s not a big deal.”
That’s a total lie. I consider excusing myself to call Nikki back, but I don’t want to be rude. She’d let me know if it were an emergency.
“Gabby and I are taking a salsa class,” Lila announces. “You guys need to join us.”
Joey—I mean, Paul—adamantly shakes his head. “Not happening. No one wants to see me shaking anything, and I have no rhythm, so the whole thing would be a nightmare.”
Harry takes a sip of his beer. “I’ll do it. It wouldn’t be the first time I embarrassed myself in front of a bunch of people.”
Our server returns with a tray of food. Harry and Paul place their orders, and we continue talking about all the must do’s in the area.
“My uncle has a house down in Islamorada,” Harry tells us. “I can use it anytime I want. We could get a group together and head down there anytime.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Lila chimes in. “And I should know because I sold it to him.”
“How long have you known each other?” I ask.
Harry and Lila look at each other.
“Three years, right?” Lila says.
“Yep, we broke up six months after we met,” Harry says. “And we’ve been friends ever since.”
Wait, what? Harry and Lila dated? I really hope Lila isn’t trying to set me up with her ex. There are so many things wrong with that.
“You two were together?” Reagan asks.
I love how she comes out and asks exactly what I’m thinking.
“Yes,” Harry says fondly. “Until we realized we weren’t compatible at all. It takes a stronger man than me to put up with her.”
Lila nods. “At least you admit it.”
“He cried for about a day,” Paul announces.
“Most men have a hard time getting over me,” Lila says. “Except Cal Sims.”
There she goes again. She gets a faraway look in her eyes every time she mentions him. I really should ask Theo about it, or maybe skip him and bring it up to Dr. Sims himself.
“This salmon is fantastic,” I exclaim in between bites. I finish every morsel and refrain from licking the plate, even though I’m tempted.
“Reagan, I think we should offer our compliments to the chef.”
She gets a nervous look on her face. “Okay, as long as he’s not busy. I don’t want to interrupt him.”
Doesn’t the chef like to chat with the customers? I’ve seen it on Gordon Ramsay’s show a bunch of times. Although on his show, all hell is usually breaking loose.
