in his eyes. Couldn’t. So she stared at the rest of him instead. At his black “Big Willie’s Hand Jobs—Lubrication and Tire Rotation Specialists” T-shirt and distressed jeans. At his platinum Rolex and gray running shoes, and at the mass of dark blond hair that curled at his neck, framing his smooth-shaven face.
She was so in love with him it was almost pathetic. Lorelei felt like grabbing a notepad and scribbling his name all over it with little hearts. It was all she could do to keep from giggling like a schoolgirl. And if she wasn’t so damn thrilled about it she’d be seriously annoyed at her own behavior.
“Earth to Lorelei, hello?” Leslie elbowed her and jolted her back to reality. “Stop drooling over my brother for a moment so I can ask y’all a question.”
“When you say ‘y’all,’ do you mean all of us or just me?” she asked as she tore her gaze from Mark.
Leslie chuckled and tossed her pale blond hair over her shoulder with a feminine swing of her head. “I mean you. Do you think Peter is attractive? From a purely platonic standpoint and all since I know you’re crazy about Mark, of course.”
Lorelei thought about it for a second. “Absolutely. Not in a conventional way or anything, but in a rugged, rough-and-tumble sort of way. Why?”
“I was just wondering, that’s all,” Leslie said.
Lorelei just stared at her expectantly and waited. If Leslie was asking that kind of question it was because she was interested in the answer. And Lorelei wanted to know why she was interested.
“Oh, all right. I’ll give. There was this moment earlier when he was playing his guitar when I thought he looked kind of sexy.”
“It was kind of sexy.” Actually she had no idea what Leslie was talking about. She’d been too busy playing with Mark. But she figured that probably wasn’t what Leslie wanted to hear.
“What was kind of sexy?”
Both women turned at the voice. Mark stood right behind her. Lorelei dropped her hands and her hair spilled over her shoulders. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?” he asked.
“Move without a sound. You’re huge.”
The rotten man laughed and winked at her. “It does my ego good to hear you say things like that.”
Leslie snorted and said, “He’s always been the humble sort. Can’t you tell?”
He reached out a muscular arm and hooked it around Lorelei’s shoulders, pulled her back against him. Lowering his head, he pointed his beer bottle at Leslie and said, “Has my sister been telling lies about me again? She’d lead you to believe that I’ve got an ego problem.”
Leslie looked down at her deep red fingernails and laughed. “You do have an ego problem. You’re a diva.”
He gave an exaggerated gasp. “I can’t believe you just said that.” The steel band of his arm tightened around Lorelei’s collarbone and he said in her ear, “This coming from a woman who prides herself on using her looks to get out of speeding tickets.”
Well, Lorelei thought, she’s beautiful. And if she looked like a tall, blond Nordic goddess she’d use it, too.
“But I’ve never been given one now, have I?” Leslie challenged.
“Hey, sis. How long did it take you to get ready today?” Mark teased, and took a pull of his beer.
“A lot less than you, pretty boy.”
Lorelei shook her head and laughed at their sibling banter. It sounded like how she and Logan used to be before his wife had died. And she hadn’t realized until just that moment how much she missed that ease and lightheartedness between them.
That in turn reminded her that she had to go home tonight. Which in turn reminded her that she’d been neglecting her duties there. And that made her think of sweet little Michelle.
In all the rush of emotions and excitement of falling in love with Mark she’d forgotten to put her family first. In fact, she’d sort of tossed them aside and pursued her own wants with no regard to them, and that was wrong. Her parents had taught her better than that.
So how did she balance it all?
Mark and Leslie continued to tease each other so she pondered the question. Could she find a way?
Maybe. Family was family, and with it came certain responsibilities. There were things you did no matter how you might feel. But there was also the fact that she deserved a life of her own, too. One full of happiness and enchantment and wonderful, blessed optimism. She wanted to be with Mark.
And that