“Now, where were we?” I throw on my charm and wrap my arm around her before we dive into another kiss.
The rest of the movie is a rhythm of watching ten minutes of the movie then making out then watching ten minutes then making out. Finally, the credits are rolling.
“Well, I should go before Romeo decides I need to bribe him again,” I say as I caress her cheek. Her lips are a beautiful mess of swollen and red which is my doing.
“I guess so.”
“You tired?”
“Yeah. I guess making out like that is quite a workout.”
We take a moment to look at each other.
“So, I was wondering. There is this charity gala coming up for the hospital. Would you maybe want to come? The guys bought a table.”
She smiles. “I was going already actually. It’s kind of a Sage Creek thing that every respectable business owner, doctor, dentist, and vet attend.”
“Well, that’s good. But did you have a date? I’m offering my services.”
Abby gives me a quick peck on the lips. “I very much like that offer and would love to go as your date.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at seven?”
“Look forward to it.”
“It is so good to have you back, man. Now we can have regular lunches and drinks. We need to throw a good party soon too,” Max mentions as he takes a bite into his burger as we sit in a booth at a local diner.
“Max, in case you didn’t notice, but we are all pushing mid-thirties with careers. Throwing a house party like we own the night probably isn’t in our cards.” I have to shake my head at him, very amused.
He shrugs a shoulder. “I know. We only do sophisticated dinner parties now. Anyhow, how’s your week going?” Max wiggles his eyes.
“You mean with Abby?” I grab a few fries.
“So, you’ve nailed her finally?”
I swat him from across the table. “No. Geez, you are still crass. And what do you mean finally?”
Max leans against the back of the booth. “Come on, man, you’ve been tied to the same chick while you were married, and now you patiently waited for your divorce to finish. And right on time, Abby Call waltzes back into your life. That must be some crazy sign that she is the rebound you need.”
My eyes narrow in on him. “Is that what it is?”
“Do you want to sleep with her?”
“Jesus, Max, can you watch the tone? And yeah, I may want to sleep with her.” I’m not going to deny it.
“Okay. If you had a choice and she would agree to both, which one would you pick? Option A) Meet her at 9pm, maybe have a drink, and then go straight to screwing each other’s brains out. Or option B) Meet her for dinner at seven, have a good conversation, and maybe by ten you head to the bedroom at last,” Max explains.
I have to chuckle at his idea of romance. “I would choose… option B.” Yeah, for sure I would choose option B.
Max’s face turns to enlightenment. “My oh my, someone is smitten.”
“Maybe. Anyways, she’s coming with me to the fundraiser this weekend.”
“Nice. I can see you two in action together. But in all honesty, I’m happy for you. You seem a hell of lot happier than a few months ago. Just enjoy whatever it is.” Max gives me a genuine smile as he grabs his iced tea.
“We’ll see. I mean, I’m clueless of how the dating scene works these days. Plus, I’m not going to dive into another marriage or anything like that. I just want to enjoy being with someone. That’s not so bad, right?”
“Not at all. Not at all,” Max assures me.
Chapter Ten
Abby
“Okay, Romeo, I need you to behave tonight. You had a nice walk now, and Emma the teenager down the street is walking you again in a few hours. I have no idea what is going to happen tonight. But if by chance I bring back a tall and handsome Lucas, then please, please behave,” I beg to my dog.
Romeo looks at me with sinking eyes and yawns. I pet his head with a stroke then come up from kneeling. I walk to the long mirror in my closet and look over my appearance. Long black fitted dress with capped sleeves that fall off my shoulders, long silver earrings. My hair is half up with a few curls, and I feel my makeup is elegant. You can’t go wrong with an Audrey Hepburn-inspired look.
When my doorbell rings, I smile to myself in the mirror and grab my clutch purse from my dresser and head to the front door. Romeo already barked and is anxiously waiting for who is on the other side. I’m excited too.
Already I feel as if I’m floating, and I haven’t even gotten a glimpse of Lucas in a tux. I’m floating because tonight can be so many things, but most of all it can be fun and enjoyable. It’s not every day I get dressed up or arrive at a black-tie event with the new heartthrob of a doctor that the town keeps whispering about. For a brief moment, I remember when I saw him all dressed up when it was homecoming or some event in high school. I wasn’t disappointed then.
Opening my front door, I’m most definitely not disappointed now either. “Lu-cas,” I’m barely able to speak.
This is a sight.
“Wow, Abby, you look… breathtaking.” There’s a glimmer in his eye as he stands at the other side of the door in a tux and his hair is slicked back. A smile far sexier than he probably means for it to be. The bowtie complements him, and maybe it’s his suit, but it accentuates his features. Extra sharp and chiseled.
“Lucas… I’m not sure I can breathe.” I’m honest as his eyes soak in the view in front of him, which is me, and that thought affects my air supply.
He kisses my cheek, but I am unable to move.
“You okay?”
My eyes finally move and look at him. “Yeah. You just look… really handsome. No, screw it, you look really hot.” The corners of my mouth slant up.
“Happy to have that effect,” he grins.
Saying bye to Romeo, I close the front door and lock it. I don’t bother with a coat because the taxi is waiting, and we will be inside all night. Since we can only assume wine will be flowing, we decided on a taxi. I’m well aware that leaves the night open for where the return journey may be.
In the taxi, we greet each other with a proper kiss, and before we know it, we arrive at the venue and quickly work our way to our table. The whole group is there, and we open a bottle of champagne in no time. Considering this whole event is for the hospital, it’s no surprise that Dr. Kade is in demand with people constantly asking for his attention and conversation. I understand it completely and decide to let him do a round while I walk around with Jess.
Roaming the silent auction, we look at what’s on offer.
“A ski lesson for two, how original,” Jess sarcastically mentions as indeed we live in Colorado where skiing is easy to find.
“Yet you just put your name down,” I tell her.
She shrugs a shoulder. “It’s for charity, right?”
“A massage for two gets my name on it,” I say as I sign my name on the sheet.
“Something tells me I am no longer your plus one if you win.”
My eyes roll to the side. “Possibly not. I don’t know. Maybe we’re just both a distraction for each other.”