pizza,” Larry said, breaking into Hunter’s thoughts. “You’re smiling like a loon. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.” Hunter quickly shoved the last of his pizza in his mouth, but the bite was too big.
“Oh, boy,” Cassie said, the teasing in her voice amped up. “You hit a nerve, Larry.”
Hunter shook his head as his friends laughed. He nearly choked on the bread in his mouth, though, so he couldn’t really refute what she’d said.
“Seems like it,” Larry said. “Who puts that much pizza in their mouth if nothing is going on?”
“I think it’s got to be a woman,” Cassie said, forking in her last bite of pie.
Hunter’s face heated, and he knew it would turn a deep red soon enough. He continued to chew, almost wishing he could spit out the pizza there was so much. He ducked his head, using his cowboy hat to hide his face a little.
“Come on, Hunt,” Larry said. “I told you all about Delia.”
“You’ve been dating Delia for three years,” Cassie said. “You need to man-up and marry that girl.”
“Who says I haven’t tried?” Larry shot back, and Hunter watched their non-verbal exchange from under the brim of his hat.
“Larry,” Cassie said, her voice much softer now. “I didn’t know that…did she say no?”
Larry shook his head. “I haven’t asked officially.” He cut a glance at Hunter, their eyes meeting for a moment. “I keep asking her about marriage. A wedding. If she wants to go ring shopping so I’ll know what she likes.” He surveyed the two of them opposite him. “She…doesn’t seem interested.”
Hunter finally swallowed his pizza. “What does she say?” Larry had turned thirty-one last fall, but Hunter had no idea how old Delia was.
“She says she wants to open her salon first,” Larry said. “Or she’ll say she can’t go shopping because her sister needs her to babysit.”
Cassie put her fork down, which meant things were about to get serious. “Larry,” she said calmly. “No woman I know would choose babysitting for their sister over diamond shopping with the man they love.”
“So you’re saying she doesn’t love him?” Hunter asked, really wanting to know. “Maybe she’s just not ready. Not everyone is ready at the same time.”
Cassie looked at him, then back to Larry. She shook her head slowly. “Not if you’ve been dating for three years.” She reached across the table and covered Larry’s hand with one of hers. “I’m sorry, Larry. It’s just my opinion.”
Larry nodded, though he looked supremely uncomfortable. “It’s nothing my mother and my brother haven’t said to me.” He flashed a pained smile and focused on his soup. “I just don’t know how to break up with her.”
“Because you love her,” Hunter said, once again thinking of Molly. He’d loved her with a fifteen-year-old’s version of love.
Larry nodded but kept his face down. “So, Hunter, who’s got you stuffing your face with pizza so you don’t have to talk about her?”
Hunter opened his mouth to say, “No one,” but a woman approached their table and said, “Hunter Hammond?”
He looked up at Laura’s assistant, instantly annoyed she’d phrased his name as a question. He knew her, as he’d been up to his aunt’s office several times now.
“Hello, Tilly,” he said in a cool voice.
“Miss Vaughn would like you to come see her this afternoon.”
“Just whenever?” Hunter asked, thinking of the experiments he and Joel had scheduled.
“Right now, if possible.” Tilly flashed him a tight smile. “I’m to escort you up if you can spare a few minutes.”
Hunter looked at his tray, which still held his cookies and potato salad.
“I’ll clean it up for you, Hunt,” Larry said.
“Yeah,” Cassie said. “The boss is calling.” She gave him a knowing smile, but Hunter didn’t know what she knew.
He grabbed his cookies, stood, and said, “Sure, you can escort me up to see Miss Vaughn.”
Chapter 10
“You’re kidding.” Molly took the folder Hunter handed her, but she didn’t open it. Hunter slouched on her couch and closed his eyes. He still wore his slacks, but his light blue shirt peeked through the open collar of a white lab coat. The tie around his throat had been loosened, and she could just imagine him pulling at it as he rode the elevator down to the parking garage beneath his building.
She hadn’t been to his condo downtown yet, but she hoped to be able to see it soon. Hunter had admitted to not being much use in the kitchen, but he’d survived on his own in Cambridge, so he must be