Her words teased a laugh out of me. “Mmm, ego hungry.”
Her laughter mingled with mine but it faded just as quickly. “Your telling of her story brought tears to my eyes, Levi. This is a story the whole town will be talking about.” She was serious and more importantly, her words were sincere.
“Thank you, Lacey. That means a lot coming from you.” I still couldn’t shake the idea that something was off but I knew asking her outright wouldn’t produce any answers. “I thought GG had a rule that only happy and upbeat stories go on the front page.” He was determined to shy away from the if it bleeds, it leads mantra of most news organizations but only happy news created the opposite problem.
She shrugged off my concern but her brows dipped into a frown. “How is this not happy news? The women in this town and this county are finally getting a fair shot in court, and the proof of that is in how these abusive men are behaving.”
She had a point but Lacey was an intelligent woman and I knew her misunderstanding was on purpose. “Okay,” I said, slightly confused. “In that case, I’ll take the compliment and the spot of honor.”
“Ego satisfied?” The playful Lacey had returned and I felt my body relax into the chair.
“Not quite. The ego would love to celebrate over a delicious dinner with a beautiful companion.”
Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink but Lacey’s blue gaze never wavered. “Your ego?”
“Me. I would like to have a celebratory dinner. With you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re beautiful and funny, and I would like to get to know you better. And it’s a ritual to celebrate every big thing, like a front page story.”
Lacey considered me carefully and after about thirty seconds I knew she would shoot me down. She sighed in that way women do when they’re trying to figure out how to let a man down easily and she shook her head. “That would be great, actually. I know just the place for a foodie like you, and I think there’s a salad or two on the menu.”
Once her words sank in, a loud bellowing laugh erupted from deep in my gut. She was so fun and sassy, it was always great to be around her now that she’d warmed up to me. “I eat a lot more than salad, Lacey.”
Her lips twitched in amusement but she did a good job of keeping the laughter at bay. “I couldn’t be sure of that and I didn’t want to offend you.”
I laughed again and pushed out of my chair with a smile. “I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty as long as I’m able to find a babysitter.”
“I’ll text Stevie to see if she’ll do it, which I’m sure she will if you have some delicious world cuisine to offer her.”
“I do. The good thing about cooking for one adult and one little boy is that there’s always leftovers.”
Lacey smiled and I stood a little taller at the hint of appreciation in her eyes. “Then I’ll see you at seven-thirty Levi.”
I left the office feeling lighter and happier, but I couldn’t stop my journalist’s brain from churning, guessing all the reasons Lacey could be acting strangely.
None of them were good, but we had an entire evening together for me to figure it out.
Chapter 9
Lacey
The doorbell rang at exactly seven-thirty and I smiled to my reflection as I gave myself one final look before this dinner not a date officially got under way. I’d dressed carefully, probably too carefully, in a little red dress that showed off my curves, black lace cap sleeves that hid my less than toned arms. I capped the look off with four-inch black stilettos that gave me the legs of a twenty year old. Satisfied with what I saw, I turned to the door, took a deep breath and pulled it open.
The casual greeting died on my lips at the sight of Levi looking date-night hot. Gone was his standard checkered long sleeved shirt, jeans and comfortable brown shoes. Instead of his daily uniform, Levi had on dark gray slacks and a light green button up that highlighted the golden threads in his deep brown eyes. “Levi, wow. You clean up well. Very well.”
He flashed a satisfied smile, not bothering to hide the long appraising look that swept down my body and then back up. “You look gorgeous, Lacey. I’ll be the luckiest guy at…where are we going again?”
I tried to ignore the heat his gaze ignited in my body, but it was impossibly potent. “It’s called a surprise, Levi. Just follow my directions and you’ll be fine.”
He laughed and took a step back as I stepped out to look the door. The heat of his look lingered on my backside like a living breathing thing between us. “Bossy lady.”