On the Steamy Side - Louisa Edwards [127]
“It’ll be a challenge,” Simon mused. “Your brand isn’t exactly the most kid-friendly. And there’s the backlash from dropping One-Night Stand to consider, although maybe I can work that . . . Okay, I’ll do it.”
“I never doubted you for a second,” Devon said.
Lilah never doubted Simon’s ability to spot a golden opportunity when he saw one, but she kept her mouth shut.
“Listen, I need to run back to the office and start making calls,” Simon said. “Rain check on the shwarma? You’re gorgeous, both of you, this is going to be great.”
And he was gone in a swirl of heavy-handed cologne, pulling his PDA out of his pocket as he walked.
“That went well,” Devon said. “You want to go home? We can make our own falafel.”
“Sounds great,” Lilah said without having the faintest idea what falafel might consist of. She was pretty certain between the two of them, they’d make it delicious.
Paolo rounded the rear bumper of the town car in time to open Lilah’s door for her. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to having a chauffeur, but she was sure as heck going to try.
“How are you feeling?” she asked as they settled back into the plush leather seats. “Now that it’s all official, I mean.”
Devon took a moment to think it over. “Fantastic,” he decided. “Like the future is a big, empty pot just waiting for me to fill it up with all the things I love best.”
“Hmm,” Lilah said, relief making her bounce a little. “You mean like collards and bacon?”
“I meant more like you and Tucker,” Devon said. “Maybe a stock pot wasn’t the best metaphor.”
“I don’t know. Nothing says ‘love’ like cannibalism.”
Devon laughed. “Hey, speaking of food, Connor’s coming over tomorrow night. Tucker promised to cook him the famous cheddar date rolls. Is that okay with you?”
“Of course it’s okay,” Lilah said, her heart full. “I always like having Connor over—he’s great with Tucker, and he helps with the dishes. He’s the perfect dinner guest.”
“I’m glad we started talking again,” Devon said. “I mean, it sucks that it took me thinking my kid was in mortal peril to make me call him, but hey. That’s my family.”
His mouth twisted, and Lilah knew he was thinking about his parents. He hadn’t spoken to his father since that awful night, although he’d talked to his mom a couple of times. She wanted to meet Tucker, and Lilah was doing her best to subtly nudge Devon in that direction. She had faith that Angela Sparks would be making an unprecedented trip into the city alone sometime soon. A woman would brave a lot to get to meet her only grandson.
Heck, if they hadn’t already promised to bring Tucker down to the farm for Thanksgiving, Lilah knew her aunt would already be camped out in the penthouse.
They planned to follow the regular school year with the Sparks Culinary Classroom, offering classes after school and on weekends, and shutting down during the summers. That was at Tucker’s request—after hearing countless stories about the pretty Virginia valley where Lilah grew up, he wanted to see it. They planned to spend most of the summer down South; Lilah couldn’t wait to toss her little city boy in the swimming hole and see him riding a tractor with her Uncle Roy and gathering eggs from the hen house with Aunt Bertie.
Lilah even harbored a secret hope that she could convince Heather to come down to Spotswood County with them. Heather was doing well with her recovery and all, but still, the country air and simple living would do her a world of good.
“Uh-oh,” Devon said. “I know that face.”
Lilah widened her eyes. “What face?”
“That’s your Making Plans face,” Devon said accusingly. “You are at this very moment concocting a scheme to interfere in some poor, unsuspecting bastard’s life. Who’s getting the Lilah Jane treatment this time?”
Rats. He knew her too well. “Heather,” she admitted. “I want her to come down to Virginia next summer. Think how happy Tucker would be to have us all together!