Page 8 of Kiss Me at Midnight
Violet was right. I do need to date.
Abe’s brow wrinkled. “Yes, well. To stave off bad press, Rachel wants to get married immediately to her true love and put all the negative talk behind her.”
“Not so fast, Abe,” Grandma Dotty said sagely. “I know how these shows work. You’d get higher ratings if she’d ditch Paulo for a third man.” She stared up at Jud. “We’ve got your third man right here.”
“I’m not available to play the part of the third wheel. I’m in a relationship.” Jud spoke like a man in love, staring at Lily like she was the object of all that love.
Be still my heart…
“I’m sorry Rachel’s going through such a hard time,” Lily began in her most business-like tone of voice. “But my priority is for Hot Meals and Shelter–”
“We’ll get to that.” Abe brushed her concerns aside. “Rachel has missed you, Lily.”
Lily stiffened, unintentionally moving closer to Jud. Rachel didn’t miss Lily. Rachel hadn’t contacted Lily since stranding her in the dead of night. “I’m not here to revisit the past. I can tell you more about Hot Meals and Shelter. We currently feed over one thousand families a day, both at a community center and through weekly donations of groceries. And we offer shelter to close to two hundred women and children.”
“That’s something to be proud of,” Jud said softly.
“Lily cares about people,” Grandma Dotty chimed in.
“You three seem to be on the same page, which is perfect.” Abe rubbed his hands together, staring at them in a way that made Lily nervous. “Rachel is in need of friendly faces at her wedding this week and–”
“Stop right there, Mr. Cohen.” Jud stared down at Lily with what seemed like love in his eyes. “My girlfriend and I can’t attend.”
Lily stared up at Jud. “My–?”
“Love.My love,” Jud repeated quickly. He took Lily’s hand, threading their fingers together. “We’ve only just begun using the L-word. We’ve been keeping things quiet between us. I don’t think we’re ready for the media scrutiny.”
He loves me?Lily was temporarily struck speechless as her heart melted.
And then her brain kicked into gear:It’s an act. He’s an actor. We’ve only just met.
And yet, Lily’s smaller hand fit nicely in his and the warmth of him next to her momentarily stole all other thoughts from her head. And she should be thinking about–about personal space and safety. Her gaze drifted to the door. At the very least, she should be protecting her professional reputation. The path to re-election wasn’t paved with fake relationships with hunky actors or wedding attendance for grudge-bearing reality TV stars. She had to put a stop to this.
And I will. On the count of three.
Lily drew a deep breath.
On the count of three, I’ll redirect Abe to Hot Meals and Shelter.
One.
Two.
Jud drew Lily in for a kiss that knocked her mental train of thought completely off its rails. He kissed her hard and fast and when he drew back Lilywas breathless.
Oh, my.
He kept that strong arm around her as the clock in the room chimed midnight.
Midnight. How fitting. At any moment Lily expected to turn into a pumpkin. She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks flame with heat.
“Oh, my.” Grandma Dotty fanned herself with her hand.
“Young love. I get it. But you’ll have to go public sometime,” Abe told them. “And I’m in desperate need of wedding guests with impeccable reputations who–”
“Impeccable reputations?” Releasing Jud, Lily laughed. She couldn’t help it. All that Abe-induced stress and kiss-fueled adrenaline needed an outlet. “And you thought of the Summers? Have you forgotten my younger sister Maggie was jilted at the altar and her fiancé claims to have fallen in love with my older sister Kitty? Or that my cousin Tiffany had a string of discarded fiancés before she finally got married? When it comes to families without scandals in their closet, it’s not the Summers.” It was the truth, but she’d say anything to bow out of this wedding invitation. “It’s after midnight. We’re tired. Cut to the chase, Abe.”
Jud and Grandma Dotty nodded in agreement.
