Page 90 of Tempted By Her

“I know what you mean,” Layne said. “Sometimes I’m just so overcome with love for Honor that I feel like I need to scream or punch a wall or something.”

I nodded. “Sometimes Lark is so cute, I forget how to breathe.”

“Awww,” Layne and Joy said at the same time.

“Shut the fuck up,” I said, pointing at both of them with my fork.

“Sydney’s in looovvvvveeeee,” Joy sang.

I covered my ears. “Shut uppppppp.”

* * *

I sentan email to Hollis the next day after looking her up online and she got back to me right away and seemed enthusiastic about my request.

I’d be happy to help you out! I’d just need some headshots of both of you that I can blend into the stock images I already have, if you didn’t want to do a photoshoot and keep it as a surprise.

That might be a little tricky, but I went through my phone and I had more than a few pictures of Lark that I’d taken that I hoped would work. I sent them and some of myself, along with a few ideas and Hollis said she’d get to work right away. Her rates were so reasonable that I told her I could pay a rush fee, since I needed to get the damn thing ordered and overnight shipped so I could give it to Lark on Friday. I hoped she wouldn’t hate it.

Everly thought it was a great idea, but I signed her paycheck, so she might have just been trying to be nice to me.

“Do you have a Valentine this year?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No, it will just be me, but my moms are going on a weekend trip together so I’ll have the house to myself.” At last Everly had opened up about her life a little. Her moms had had her when they were older, so they’d both just recently retired and bought a house in Arrowbridge. Everly had moved in with them when her last lease had ended and was trying to get on her feet. Reading between the lines, she’d been handed a few challenges and had needed a soft place to land and her moms to help pick her back up.

“You should do all the things you want to do. Be your own Valentine. Have a date with yourself,” I said.

“I like that idea. I love my moms, but they’re a little overbearing most of the time and I think they still have a hard time realizing I’m a fully grown adult and don’t need to be supervised.” She spoke of them with nothing but affection, but I bet that was stifling.

“You should talk to Joy about that. She used to have so much drama with her mom.” Drama was an understatement.

“Maybe,” Everly said. “Let me get through book club first.”

* * *

Hollis sentme the first draft of the image she’d put together the next day. I almost fell off my chair when I looked at it during work. The image was of me, wearing a beautiful dark blue gown, holding Lark as she swooned, her hair blowing behind her as if by a breeze. We were in front of a castle. Of course.

When Hollis had asked for a title for the book, I’d joked and said Only One Burrito and then I hadn’t been able to come up with anything else, so she’d kept it in swirling font, and then added a little burrito in Lark’s hand.

It was so ridiculous and so sexy at the same time, and I hoped Lark was going to love it. Hollis sent me the image and I placed the order for a poster and a frame with overnight shipping.

That night I was trying to figure out what to do for dinner when Lark walked in looking very smug.

“Did you have a good day, love?” I asked. I couldn’t get enough of calling her that.

“I did,” she said, kissing me softly. “What are you making?”

“I don’t know. One of us needs to be more organized about this. Joy used to make lists and meal plans,” I said.

“I can do that,” Lark said. “I mean, if you’re okay with that.”

“Go for it. I know I’m not going to get my act together enough to keep it up every week,” I said.

“Okay. I’ll make a grocery list this weekend and we can sit down and plan.”

“That sounds like something a couple would do,” I said. “Go for romantic walks in the frozen food aisle.”

Lark gasped as if this just occurred to her. “Good thing we are a couple.”

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