Chapter Five
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They had held to their agreement and didn’t discuss anything pertaining to the Hendersons or the Sparks. It was actually a lot easier than she’d anticipated. She found him absolutely fascinating. He was one of the top neurological surgeons in the world, so he should be an arrogant, egotistical ass. But he wasn’t. There was so much more to him than simply his credentials. Surprisingly he had a sense of humor.
He’d wanted to drive her home, but she’d refused. Being alone in the back of a limo would’ve been more pressure or temptation than she was prepared to deal with. So instead, Logan had insisted on paying for her taxi. Somehow he didn’t get that she was a strong and independent woman. Of course, my sister doesn’t seem to get that either. What am I doing wrong that everyone seems to think I need to be taken care of?
It was funny because the first call she received in the morning was from Elizabeth, checking to see if Loras or Shaun should pick her up for the party. If she had thought for one minute she could get out of going, it vanished then. She’d heard the excitement in Elizabeth’s voice. She wasn’t sure if it was for her or the pie she was bringing. Either way, Cori was committed.
This was a casual event, so she opted for a pair of white jeans with sandals and a black tank top with a white heart on the front. It seemed appropriate for celebrating a wedding anniversary. Although they had said not to bring a gift, Cori stopped at the florist on her way and picked up a plant. She didn’t have a green thumb at all so plants didn’t last any longer than cut flowers in her apartment, and she refused to decorate with plastic. So she left the selection to the florist.
Once the taxi pulled up in front of their house, she realized it was going to be nearly impossible to carry both the pie and the plant. “Would you mind helping me carry this to the back of the house?”
She didn’t think it was going to be such a big deal, but he looked at her, shook his head, and said, “I drive only. You owe me twenty dollars.”
Cori was blown away by how rude he was. She dug into her purse and pulled out the money. The only tip she would’ve given him was to get a personality. She tried to balance the pie in one hand while holding the huge plant against her. She wished she’d gotten something smaller, so she could see over the darn thing. Don’t trip. They’ve rescued me enough already.
“Oh my, you look like you have your hands full.” A woman grabbed the pie and said, “Tyler, can you please take this to Grandma in the backyard? No running.” Then she took the plant and said, “Let me give you a hand with this.”
“Thank you, but it’s so large and awkward. I don’t want you tripping either.”
The woman laughed. “I know this walkway like the back of my hand. Probably because I grew up here. My name’s Morgan. You must be Cori. My parents are thrilled you’re coming.”
“Really? Why?”
Morgan led the way in the same direction Tyler had gone. “Simple: you’re new. So when Dad starts telling his stories, there’s fresh ears to listen.”
Cori smiled. She didn’t know if it was because she wanted to be a reporter or because she found people interesting, but she enjoyed hearing people talk about the good ole days.
It was sad that, even in the short time she’d spent with Elizabeth and Loras yesterday, this felt more like family enjoying lunch together than any meal she’d ever had with her own sister. She didn’t blame Sarah. Knowing Loras was one to tell a story or two, Sarah would’ve taken that as her cue to turn and leave before going inside. She and her sister were different people. Sarah was thirty-eight years old and already divorced three times. From what she’d heard, she was working on husband number four.
Cori, on the other hand, was either way too picky or somehow not so appealing to the opposite sex, because she had yet to find husband number one, and she was almost thirty-five. “I’m happy they included me.”
She heard a familiar voice from behind them. “You say that now, but wait a few hours, and you’ll be so full you’ll question why you came.”
Cori noticed Shaun was carrying their little girl, Ginny, in his arms. She was the spitting imagine of her mother, but by the way she held on to Shaun, Ginny was a daddy’s girl.
“Shaun, you stop that. You know you don’t have to eat everything my mother offers.”
“I don’t want to be rude,” Shaun teased.
“What you’re going to be is jogging home. Cori, at the last cookout he ate almost an entire plate of brownies.”
“Your mother—”
“Said have all you want. Who knew you wanted it all?” Morgan teased.
Cori chuckled. “Is that a warning to make sure I snag my dessert first, before it’s all gone?”
Shaun grunted. “Thanks, Morgan. I can see I’m going to need a new strategy today. Actually, I see Tyler holding something that looks pretty tempting right now.”
“Don’t you even think about it, Shaun. That pie is for Loras and me,” Elizabeth said as she came over to greet them. “Cori, don’t you look lovely. Thank you so much for coming. And for the pie.”
Morgan held out the plant and said, “She brought this for you and Dad too. Happy anniversary, Mom.”
Elizabeth took the plant and handed it to Loras, hugged her daughter, then Shaun, and finally gave Cori a warm squeeze as well. She didn’t let go of her. Instead, she took her by the hand and led her into a group of people who were already there. When she was told this was a small party, she realized she thought small meant less than ten. There had to be almost fifty people in the backyard, and she wished she wasn’t one of them.
That was until she heard him. “You should’ve let me pick you up.” His voice was so soft it sent chills down her spine.