Then He Kissed Me (Whispering Bay Romance 2)

“But if you hadn’t been born, who would be my partner for couples Bunco?”

He stilled. “Couples Bunco?”

“Two weeks from tonight. The first Friday in May. Dress is cocktail casual, or so I’ve been told. It’ll be my first time going and I find myself in need of a date, although, we wouldn’t have to consider it a date.” She paused long enough to catch her breath. “So, what do you say? Are you game?”

“Absolutely.”

She fought back her grin. “That’s exactly what I hoped you’d say.”

Cocktail casual sounded simpler in theory than in actual practice. She could go retro, of course. But Lauren opted for something more modern. A white long sleeved lace mini dress with a fringed hem and strappy silver sandals. Looking at it now, she wondered if she’d made the wrong choice. Not because the dress was too short, although at mid-thigh, it was shorter than anything she usually wore. Nor was it too revealing. Beneath the see-through lacey organza was a white polyester shift that covered everything up just nicely. But there was something about the dress that made her feel not…herself.

Herself didn’t go out on dates. Herself also didn’t spend two hours primping in front of the mirror. And Herself certainly didn’t think about what it would feel like if Nate Miller were to kiss her again (all right, so that last part was a big fat lie).

Momma’s eyes nearly bugged out when she saw the dress. She and Daddy had dropped by the house on their way out to dinner. Momma, of course, was thrilled to hear that Lauren was going out with Nate, even though Lauren warned her it wasn’t a date. “That’s what you’re wearing to your Bunco party?” Momma asked.

“Why? Is it too much?”

“Only if you want to give the poor man a heart attack,” Momma said, then laughed. “No, darling, it’s just…I’ve never seen you look so grown up before.”

Grown up was code for sexy. Lauren could see it in Momma’s eyes.

Daddy, who’d been quiet up to now, just smiled. “You look lovely, Sweet Tea.”

Ever since the incident with his hand a few months ago, he hadn’t been as animated as usual. Once, when she and Henry had gone over for Sunday dinner, Daddy had forgotten Henry’s name. It was a tense moment, but Momma had quickly glossed over it, and later, he’d seemed more like his old self and everyone had breathed a sigh of relief.

She’d been meaning to ask him if he knew anything about her building and Nora and Vince’s plans to sell. Now seemed as good a time as any.

“Nora’s selling land?” Daddy shook his head. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but Earl left her more than plenty of money. Of course, that husband of hers is one greedy SOB so I wouldn’t doubt he’s behind it.”

Daddy never spoke ill of anyone. But it was no secret he’d never liked Nora’s current husband, Vince Palermo. According to Daddy, Vince and Nora had Earl’s power of attorney.

He frowned, like he’d just thought of something. “Who told you all this, Sweet Tea?”

“Orla Butterfield, from Waterbury Real Estate. She’s the agent in charge of my lease.”

“I think she’s wrong. I don’t think Nora can sell that land.” He watched her carefully. “If the building does get sold, what are you going to do?”

She wasn’t ready to tell her parents about her new idea yet, so she shrugged like it was no big deal.

Before Daddy could say anything else, Momma interjected. “Oh, poo! Who cares about all that right now?” She smiled at Lauren. “I told you Nate Miller was interested in you. Didn’t I say he’d call? And I didn’t even have to get Lanie involved!”

“Momma, Nate and I are just friends,” Lauren said. “I’m the one who asked him to this party. Not the other way around, so please, don’t make a big deal of it.”

“Maybe you’re just friends now, but wait till he sees you in that dress,” she predicted gleefully.

“Then maybe I should change.”

“Don’t you dare!” She kissed Lauren on the cheek and made her promise to call in the morning with all the “details.” Daddy just shook his head and followed Momma out the door. Lauren was glad to see them getting out for a change. Daddy had been cooped up in the house for far too long.

She texted Henry, who was spending the weekend with Tom, to remind him to finish his history project, then touched up her lipstick. The doorbell rang. She scooped up her clutch and answered the door.

Nate’s version of cocktail casual was spot on. He wore navy slacks with a crisp peach oxford shirt open at the neck and a matching navy blazer. Who was dressing him? Certainly not Jessica. Not anymore. Maybe Lanie had a flair for fashion. Or maybe after three years together he’d absorbed Jessica’s “fashion know how.”

“You must be a fast learner,” she blurted.

“I’m not sure what that means, but as a matter of fact, yes, I am.” Then he smiled, making those killer dimples pop out. His gaze slowly took her in from head to toe. “Wow. Just…wow. You look terrific.”

“Thanks.” She felt his eyes on her all the way to the car, making her self-conscious. No matter how much she protested, she couldn’t keep lying to herself. She had picked out this dress for him. She’d gotten a mani and a pedi and conditioned and polished every inch of herself until she shined. She wanted to look her best because there was absolutely no doubt about it. Momma was right.