The VIP Room(98)

"Sorry, it took so long," she said. "I was getting something out of the oven."

Derek stared at her and said nothing.

Lauren panicked. What was wrong? She had checked herself ... oh God, she hadn't checked her teeth! What if she had blueberries stuck in there or purple stains on her teeth? With her mouth closed, she ran her tongue over her teeth in an attempt to remove any offending particles.

Derek recovered quickly.

"Good morning! I wanted to let you know we've arrived." He gestured behind him.

Lauren looked over and saw a crew of four men jumping down from Derek's truck. Parked behind them was a SUV with the company logo. The men were all wearing tee shirts with his company name, like the one Derek wore the other day.

She glanced back at him. He was wearing khaki trousers, a navy blue collared knit shirt embroidered with his logo, and brown loafers. Although he looked sexy in the snug-fitting clothes, he certainly wasn't dressed for yard work.

Lauren stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind her. Her eyes traveled to observe the four workers unloading equipment, bags of fertilizer, trays of flowers, and the shrubbery they were going to plant from the truck.

She turned to him. "I thought you'd be doing the work."

"I have a few appointments this morning, but I'm here to supervise the set up and make sure the crew knows exactly what to do. And I'll be back later to make sure everything gets done right."

"So, you're not going to be here while they work?"

"The first few hours, they'll be pulling out the dead stuff, digging the beds, and laying the fertilizer and new soil. I'll be back before any of the planting is done. I promise you have nothing to be concerned about."

Lauren tried to keep the disappointment out of her eyes. She nodded.

"Of course. I'm sure it will be fine. That they'll be fine." She heard her inner voice screaming in her head. Shut up and get back in the house before you make a complete fool of yourself.

"I guess I'll see you later then," she said, turning to open the door for a quick retreat.

The smell of blueberry muffins wafted past her as she stepped inside.

"That sure smells good. Are you baking in there?"

She turned around in surprise. "Yes, I made some blueberry muffins. Would you like to come in for some? Or I can pack a few muffins with a cup of coffee to take with you, if you're in hurry to get to those appointments."

Derek's eyes lit up. "I have a little time. Let me first check on my guys, and then I'd be grateful to you for a little breakfast. It's not that often that I get to eat anything home cooked any more."

Lauren heard bells. It was her timer, reminding her she still had a batch in the oven. "I'd better get that. Come around back and knock on the kitchen door when you're ready." She closed the door without waiting for his answer and ran to the kitchen.

The table was already set, so all she had to do was put the muffins in a basket and pour two cups of coffee. It seemed like only seconds had passed when she heard his knock at the back door.

He was leaning against the doorframe, smiling at her when she opened the door, like he was an old friend dropping by. As he stepped into the kitchen, she had the urge to urge to kiss him as if he were her lover, a soldier returning from war, and this was their reunion after several years. No, that's the romance novel you just read, idiot, she silently admonished herself. Still, he looked awfully handsome, and it felt right having him in the kitchen with her.

"Please sit down." As she motioned to the table, his cell rang.

"Hello." A pause and Derek looked at her with guilty eyes. "Uh huh. All right. I'll be there in five minutes."

He put his cell back in his pocket. "I'm sorry to have put you to so much trouble, but I'm not going to have time for breakfast after all. My first meeting got moved up."

Lauren repressed a sigh. "Don't be silly. It's your business."

She opened a drawer and pulled out a small paper bag. "Here, let me wrap up a couple of muffins for you."

Before he could object, she wrapped two muffins in napkins and stuffed them into the bag. She poured his cup of coffee into her travel mug, which was sitting on the counter and within reach. She handed both to him and opened the back door.

"I'm not going to take no for an answer, as you can see. You can return the mug when you come back later to check on your guys."

Derek looked a bit rattled, but he took the bag and mug from her. "Wow. Thanks. I guess I'll see you later." Before he closed the door, he turned and smiled. "I really am sorry."

Lauren waved him off. She tiptoed to the window to watch him as he walked away. His trousers hugged his butt, and she fanned herself as a wave of heat flashed through her.

"I must have forgotten to turn off the oven," she said aloud and went to check. But she knew her sudden warmth wasn't caused by the room temperature at all.



A little more than two hours passed, and Derek had yet to return. Lauren got tired of straining her ears for the sound of his car or the doorbell. She took one more look through her curtains and scanned up and down the street, but there was no sign of an oncoming vehicle. She decided to start working on some of the tax prep work she had brought home to complete for clients.

No sooner than she had sat down at the small antique secretary she had in the living room, the doorbell rang. She saw Derek's SUV parked out front.