“Do you have a moment?” Lily asked Cullen.
She was standing there in the kitchen, with her purse on her shoulder and her coat on her arm.
For you, I have all night.
It was true, but Cullen was sure that Lily wouldn’t appreciate the context in which he was thinking. “Of course. Is everything all right?”
She set her purse on the counter. Cullen pulled out a chair for her and motioned for her to sit down.
“Thank you,” she said.
He sat down in the seat next to her, angling his chair so that he faced her. “What’s on your mind?”
He forced his gaze not to stray to her lips. That full bottom lip. She was saying something, but he couldn’t really concentrate.
“So, what do you think?” Lily asked. She paused a moment. He blinked at her. Busted.
“You didn’t hear a word I just said, did you?”
No, he hadn’t. Because he’d been too busy thinking about things he’d thought he had already dismissed. Last night, after he called Brenda back and agreed to have dinner with her when she got to town, he’d talked himself into enforcing strict boundaries for himself where Lily was concerned.
When he started feeling odd about making plans with Brenda, he realized those lines needed to be not only drawn but strictly observed.
When was the last time he’d felt odd about doing anything? What was it about this woman that fogged his usually clear head and disconnected the circuits in his brain?
Still, he flashed his most disarming smile at her, the one that usually got him out of hot water with other women. Somehow he knew this wouldn’t work with her. She was warm and smart and funny…and she had a heart the size of Texas when it came to those she cared for, and right now she was rolling her eyes at his obvious lack of focus.
“Last night when I had dinner with my girlfriends,” she said, probably repeating herself. He listened this time. “They invited the kids and me to help them out at the holiday market. They’re even willing to pay the kids so they can earn a little spending money of their own. You know, this is the weeklong holiday bazaar that they have at the farmers’ market every year in December. Have you ever been? It’s so much fun.”
He shook his head. “I know what you’re talking about, but I’ve never been. I guess I’ve always been working when it’s been going on. Do the kids want to do it?”
“I haven’t said anything to them because I wanted to ask you first,” she said.
He thought he glimpsed something that looked like hesitation in her eyes.
“I appreciate that,” he said. “Since I’ve never been, do you think they’d enjoy it?”
“Well, the girls have been crazy about all the baking we’ve been doing,” she said.
“I know,” Cullen said. “Thanks to all that great baking, I’ve had to loosen my belt buckle a few notches. If it means that you’ll be selling the bread rather than having it around the house, by all means, sign them up. It’s just too hard to resist.”
Just like you.
He checked the wayward thoughts, especially when he saw the look on Lily’s face. “Don’t get me wrong, I love everything that you and the girls have made. I just like it a little too much for my own good.”
He patted his stomach to keep his gaze from falling to those lips that were driving him to distraction.
“You do know that the company that my friends own, Celebrations Incorporated, is featured on that television show Catering to Dallas, right?”
“Yes.” Again, he’d heard of it, but he’d been too busy to watch it.
“They’re going to be filming an episode of the show during the holiday market.”
Her brow was knit and he could tell something wasn’t setting right with her. “Is that a problem? Is there a reason we should be concerned about it?”
“I wish I could say no.” She hesitated.
“They’re your friends, aren’t they? They wouldn’t put the kids in a situation that wouldn’t be in their best interest, right?”
“They wouldn’t,” she said. “I can guarantee you that, but it is a reality television show and programs like that thrive on drama, even if it’s manufactured.”