Lori sighed. “Do you have a question?”
“Yes. I was curious if you already set a wedding date and if it’ll be open to the public. I want to be a guest! Or maybe you can stream it live on the Internet!”
Lori covered her face with her hands again and moaned.
Unfortunately for her, the rest of the show was much of the same, most of the callers talking about the kiss. I happened to agree with all of them, which got me into trouble with Lori a handful of times, since she didn’t want to talk about our kisses on the air.
What could I say?
It was truly a kiss for the record books.
At the end of the show Lori was quiet, unplugging her headphones and walking toward the studio door to leave without saying another word.
“Why are you mad?” I just had to ask. “The listeners are having a blast with this. You saw the engagement online.”
Lori stopped and flipped around, sighing and leaning against the door. “I’m not mad. I’m disappointed.”
“In me? That wasn’t my fault.”
“It’s only partially your fault.”
I nodded. “What percentage are we talking about here? Give it to me in numbers.”
Lori thought about it. “It’s sixty percent my grandma’s fault and forty percent your fault.”
“Sixty-forty. Not as bad as I thought then. Just out of curiosity, what did I do wrong? I didn’t take the video and post it online, and I had no idea your grandmother was even taking it.”
“I know, I know. It’s not that. It’s just . . .” She glanced away but then locked eyes with me, gesturing to my feet and working her way up my body. “I mean, just look at you!”
I chuckled. “Do I need a mirror for this?”
“I’m serious. I despised you before, which I totally admit was a little bit harsh on my part, not to mention judgmental, but now I feel . . .”
I cocked my head to the side. “You feel what?”
“Now, I feel that if I’m not careful . . .”
I leaned in and cupped my ear. “Yes?”
Lori waved it off. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
She sighed. “None of this was part of the plan, let’s just say that. I don’t want to lose my job.”
“You’re not going to.” I ran my fingers through my hair, hoping she wasn’t going to dodge what was happening between us again. “I think we would be doing a big disservice to ourselves and the universe if we just walked away from what is happening between us. Go with it. Let’s see where this takes us.”
Lori covered her face with her hands.
It was so dang cute.
I tilted my head, trying to get a look at her face. “Lori?”
She looked up and creased her eyebrows. “What about Kyle? He warned us that we shouldn’t let anything happen between us.”
“Is that what you’re worried about? Forget about him. How often do you think about me?”
“All the time.”
“Well, I think about you more.”
She smiled. “That’s impossible. If I say all the time, there’s technically no more time available.”
I took a step toward her and she pointed to my feet. “Uh-uh. Keep your distance because we know what happens when you get too close, and we are both in our work environment. And speaking of that, us getting involved could affect the future of the morning show.”
“I disagree,” I said. “As long as the ratings keep going up, Kyle won’t be able to say or do a thing. Right now, our only goal is to get this show to number one in the market. That will be our ticket to calling the shots completely and taking our careers to the next level.”
Susan pushed the studio door open and knocked Lori out of the way. “Sorry! Are you okay?”
Lori nodded. “Yes, and it was my fault. I shouldn’t be leaning against the door when I know someone is about to enter.”
Susan lit up. “Oh by the way, I loved that video of you two kissing! I had no idea you two were an item. You’re both so cute, just look at you.”
This was the part where Lori and I would vehemently deny that there was anything going on between us and deny that we were a couple.
Amazingly, we both were quiet, glancing at each other.
That’s when I knew.
Things had changed between us.
Chapter Nineteen
LORI
I really didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at the La Jolla Cove Bridge Club for the fifth annual Dr. Tough Love Charity Poker Tournament. I knew the money went to some amazing local non-profit organizations. I knew there would be lots to eat and drink, along with a silent auction with many cool things up for grabs. There would also be a hundred players, all vying to knock the defending champion off his throne.
I was confident in my skills as a poker player, since I had played Texas Hold’em all throughout my college years when I needed a much-needed mental distraction from studying.
Ben and I had been playing at separate tables most of the evening, which would work in my favor if we both advanced to the final table in the tournament.
Hyper-focused for having skipped the alcohol to keep my mind clear, I began knocking out one player after another, my only goal to make it to the final table of eight players.
And I did make it.
The surprised look on Ben’s face when I pulled up a chair across from him was just priceless. With my confidence in overdrive, I began chipping away at the final table, taking out a slew of men back-to-back until there were only three players left in the tournament.
Me. Ben. And Dan.
Just about all of the attendees were still there, some still snacking on the food that I had enjoyed before we started playing, most of them drinking, almost all of them surrounding our table and watching the action.
The majority of them were rooting for Ben, which wasn’t a surprise since it was his tournament, his foundation, not to mention he was the defending champion.
I was still confident I could win.
Ben and Dan appeared just as confident, especially if you gauged it by the trash-talking they were both dishing out. They couldn’t intimidate me, because I was able to dish it right back. But most of the time, I let my cards and my chips do the talking.
Ben took a sip of his beer, staring me down. “You’ve got nothing. Give it up.”
I smiled. “You think you know everything.”
“I know I know everything.”
I smirked. “Humble, too.”
“Especially.” Ben studied me for a moment. “You’re going to check the bet, and then you’re going to fold after I bet.”
“Wrong, Dr. Tough Stuff.” I pushed all my chips toward the center of the table. “All in.”
“No!” Dan shook his head and turned to Ben. “Can you believe her? She’s doing it again. It’s impossible to have so many good hands back-to-back. She has to be bluffing this time.”
It was my power move and it had been working like a charm all night because nobody could figure out if I was bluffing or not.
Half the time I was.
Ben pointed to my cards. “I don’t believe her, but my cards are crap. I’m out.” He tossed his cards face down on the table and shook his head. “Don’t let her push you out, Dan. If you have anything half decent, stay in and take her down.”