Breaking Even by Lily Bishop Page B

anything else.
    Lindsey didn’t show Laura and Fox Ben’s
room. Sometimes he smoked clove cigarettes, and Laura didn’t like smokers. Fox
inspected the windows and doors and seemed satisfied with the security. Laura
gushed over the new furniture and how Lindsey had pulled it all together.
    When the three of them had returned to the
main room, Lindsey realized she hadn’t even asked about the ring.
    “I was so excited. I can’t believe I
almost forgot. Tell me about your engagement.” She took Laura’s hand and pulled
her down beside her on the couch so she could get a close look at the ring. Fox
definitely knew diamonds. “Oh, it’s gorgeous! Now tell me exactly what happened
in Vegas. The clean parts, of course,” she added as an afterthought.
    Laura told the story of how Fox had flown
to Las Vegas and surprised her at the same blackjack table where they had met.
They went back up to her suite, where he then asked her to marry him, and then
asked her to join his new consulting firm.
    “We’re in the planning stages, but we want
to help smaller hotel properties have a web presence. Early on, we will focus
on bed and breakfast hotels. Most of them have something on the web, but often
it’s dated or uses old technology. We feel like the market will explode in the
next few years.”
    “That’s great. You’re starting a business
and planning a wedding. Have you set a date yet?”
    “Not yet. I’ll have to sell the condo in
Miami, so it may take a while. Everything has happened so fast, we’re not in
any hurry to rush the next step.”
    The oven timer went off, and Lindsey stood
up.
    “Sounds like dinner’s ready. If you want,
you can help me with the salad and garlic bread.” They gave Fox the job of
setting the table with Lindsey’s brand new dishes.
    For the first time, Lindsey had tried to
duplicate their mother’s lasagna recipe. When she pulled it out of the oven to
set, the top layer of noodles and cheese was the perfect shade of brown.
    “Look at you—homemade lasagna! I thought
you would order a pizza, being a college student again and all.”
    Lindsey laughed. “I’m trying to cook at
least once or twice a week. I can’t eat takeout all the time. I want to start
trying some of Mama’s favorites.”
    “I forgot about her recipe book. When you
get time, maybe you can make me a copy?”
    Lindsey grinned. “Will do.”
    Laura sliced and buttered the French bread
while Lindsey whipped together a salad. She had just placed the salads and
bread on the table when the doorbell rang.
    “Could you go see who that is while I
finish in here,” Lindsey asked her sister.
    “And just what are you doing here?”
    Laura’s shrill voice carried all the way
back to the dining room. Lindsey put the bread down and dashed back into the
living room. She stopped when she saw Ric standing in the foyer, holding an
armful of yellow, orange, and red roses. After a heartbeat of a pause, she
continued, heading straight to him. He wrapped his free arm around her and she
stretched up to kiss his cheek.
    “Ric—I thought you were in Las Vegas. Come
in, of course—the flowers are beautiful.” She took them in her arms, smelling
each color in turn. “And so many colors.”
    “I liked them all,” he offered by way of
explanation, giving her a goofy grin.
    Happy tears threatened to squeeze past her
lashes. “That is so sweet. But why are you here and not in Vegas?”
    “My meetings ended sooner than expected.”
    Lindsey stared at him, still tongue-tied.
Instead of his usual suit, he wore a collared shirt and gray slacks. The
combination was a bit overdone for a college town, but she would take it. “Yes,
here you are.” She stepped back, remembering that they had an audience. “You
remember my sister Laura and her fiancé Fox. They drove up for dinner, but
you’re welcome to join us.”
    Fox had managed to recover before Laura
did and he extended his hand in greeting. “Ric, good to see you again.”
    “You