else that drops by the office during the day?” Derek asked.
“Uh…RJ stops by on occasion, but other than that, no.”
“And what time does she leave work?”
“Five-thirty, six?” Eric shrugged. “It depends on what’s going on with jobs.”
“And then she goes home for the night?”
I sighed, rubbing my hand across my face. “What does all this have to do with an apology? I’m not understanding why it’s necessary for all of you to know her movements so that I can say sorry.”
“How else are you supposed to know when and where to talk to her?” Hunter asked. “The only way to really know what’s going on with your woman is to follow her and place cameras in the right spots so you can spy on her.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. “Spy on her? What the hell kind of relationship do you have with Lucy?”
“The kind that makes sure she’s always safe,” he retorted.
“Okay, well, I’m a divorce lawyer and she’s an office manager. I’m fairly certain that planning out in this much detail how to say sorry really isn’t a matter of national security. There’s no need for cameras, because no one is going to go after her.”
“Except Corduroy,” Will said.
“Thanks for the help.”
“Hey, we told you, he’s had a thing for her since high school. You can’t really believe that he’ll walk away once you’re back in Chicago.”
“I don’t believe this. You’re with them?”
He shrugged. “It’s not the worst idea in the world.”
“And how is this all supposed to go down?” I asked Derek and Hunter. “Please tell me you have some plan that will make all of this,” I motioned to the papers on the table, “make sense.”
Derek grinned, snatching random things off the counter. “Okay, we’re going to simultaneously have you apologize to Anna, whilst also announcing to all of the town that you’re a couple.”
“Which will ensure that Corduroy keeps his distance from your girl,” Hunter added. “If anything happens, the good people in town will post about it, immediately alerting you to what’s going on. This way, you always have tabs on your woman.”
I shook my head. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but…what’s the plan?”
Derek held up the salt shaker and placed it on the map of town, right over the bakery. “Here’s where it’ll all go down. First, Anna makes her entrance into the shop tomorrow morning for her coffee and donuts.”
“Babka,” Eric corrected.
“Doesn’t matter. She orders her food, and while she’s there, Joe and Andrew will be in position down the street to intercept the sheriff and Corduroy.” He grabbed the pepper shaker and a butter knife, placing them a short distance from the salt shaker.
“Intercept them to do what?” Andrew asked.
“To redirect them to the bakery.”
“Wait, you want to send them to the bakery where Anna is? For what reason? I thought the point was to keep Corduroy away from Anna?”
“Ah, see this is where it gets tricky. You know that Anna would never cheat on you. Once she made her decision that she wanted you, she would never accept any of Corduroy’s attention,” Derek grinned.
“Exactly, so why are you shoving them together?”
“To set boundaries,” Hunter smirked. “In enters Lucy.”
“Your wife, Lucy?” I asked skeptically.
“She’s agreed to be part of the mission for the greater good. She’ll walk into the bakery in something smoking hot just as the sheriff and Corduroy are arriving at the bakery. She’ll be standing in front of them in line and casually bend over to pick up something she’s dropped. Of course, Corduroy will fall for the bait and watch her ass.”
“Why will he watch her ass if he’s going after Anna?” I asked in confusion.
“Because Lucy has a nice ass,” Hunter growled.
I rubbed my hand over my forehead. I couldn’t believe I was sitting here listening to all this. It was unbelievable to say the least. And none of it made any sense. I didn’t understand what the point of any of this was.
“Anyway,” Hunter continued. “Lucy will draw his attention and start flirting with him. Anna, of course, will see this and be disgusted by it.”
“Or won’t care at all,” Derek added. “Since she chose you, there shouldn’t be much to worry about.”
“Then why is Lucy part of this?” I asked again.
Derek sighed. “It’s like talking to a kid,” he muttered. “You’re laying the groundwork. You’re making sure that she sees him hitting on another woman. Then, the next time he comes around to hit on your girl, she’s not interested because she knows that he’s