“You’re on.” Dani lined up her cue and shot. The ball sailed neatly into a pocket. She missed the next one. “Why haven’t you asked her out?”
Darn, his sister could be a pit bull about some things. He should have figured she wasn’t through with the subject of Lana Carpenter just yet. “I don’t have her number,” Sly said.
“That’s what phone books and the internet are for.”
“Things are pretty busy at the ranch.”
“Excuses, excuses.”
Sly took his shot and missed. He swore softly. “I missed that because I’m half starved to death.”
“As soon as I sink the eight ball, I’ll let you buy me that burger.” The remaining solid balls disappeared into the pockets. Dani eyeballed the table. “Eight ball, corner pocket.” After lining up the cue, she executed the shot perfectly. Her fists shot into the air. “Hot damn—I won!”
“I’ll beat you next time,” Sly said. “I keep meaning to ask—how’s that guy you’re dating?”
“You mean Cal?” Her smile faded. “We broke up on Sunday.”
“Can’t say I’m sorry.” His sister seemed to gravitate toward guys who treated her poorly. “You want me to punch him for you?” He was kidding, but if she wanted him to, he’d do it.
“Absolutely not.” She made a face. “I’m a big girl, Sly. I can take care of myself. I just wish that I could meet a guy and have something that lasted more than a couple of months.”
Sly hoped she found what she wanted. So far, she hadn’t had much luck. “You and I are alike that way—both of us suck at relationships.”
“Sad but true.” She gave him a somber look. “The difference between us is that I want to find someone, get married and have kids. You don’t.”
Sly shrugged. “I’m happy the way I am.”
“Well, I’m tired of going home to my apartment and cooking for one. It gets lonely.”
Another voice cut in—a lowlife named Paul. “Hey, Dani. Sly.”
He gave Dani a blatantly sexual look that made Sly see red. He managed a terse nod.
His sister perked up. “Down, big brother,” she murmured for his ears only. “Remember, I can take care of myself. Besides, I happen to have a little crush on that cowboy.” She tossed Paul a flirty smile. “Hi. What are you up to?”
“Lookin’ for you. Can I buy you a beer?”
Dani glanced at Sly. “Rain check on that burger?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not really. Hey, why don’t you come to Big Mama’s for lunch on Saturday, my treat.” She stood on her toes and kissed Sly’s cheek.
“You won the game. I’m supposed to treat you.”
“But I’m standing you up for Paul. Leave me a big tip on Saturday and we’ll call it even.”
“If that’s how you want it.” Sly resisted the urge to tug on her ponytail again. “You want me to wait around and give you a ride home?”
“I’ll drive her home,” Paul said, giving Dani a winning smile.
“I’d appreciate that.” She took his arm and winked over her shoulder at Sly. “I’ll see you Saturday.”
Chapter Four
Saturday morning, Lana and Sophie sat at a booth by the window in Big Mama’s Café. Locals and tourists loved the busy restaurant, which served great food and was always packed on weekends.
Big Mama’s Sinfully Satisfying Frittata, a favorite of Lana’s created by Big Mama herself, sat on the table in front of her, slowly growing cold. Having been up since dawn without eating a thing, she should have been famished. Instead, her stomach felt queasy. Nerves, and they showed. Usually she had no problem meeting new people and making decent conversation, but sitting here with Sophie, she couldn’t come up with a single thing to say.
If only she were as calm as the girl, who was devouring her cheese-and-bacon omelet as if she hadn’t eaten in days. She looked just like her profile picture, and was on the thin side, with a lean, boyish shape...until you saw her rounded belly. A snug black Mumford & Sons Live! T-shirt hugged her torso and emphasized her condition. At four months along, she definitely looked pregnant.
She stopped eating to shoot Lana a quizzical glance. “What are you smiling at?”
“When my sister was pregnant, she ate like you—as if she had hollow legs.”
“I’ve always eaten a lot, only I wasn’t fat before.”
“You’re not fat now—you’re pregnant.”
“Well, I feel fat.” Sophie slathered a cinnamon roll with butter. “Why aren’t you eating your food?”
Though Lana had never been less hungry in her life, she forced herself to take a bite of the frittata. “It’s delicious.”
After that, the conversation died.
“You’re not at all like your photos,” Sophie said after a moment.
“Is that good or bad?”
“It’s just different. In the pictures you wore pants and a shirt. Now you’re wearing a dress with little blue-and-white hearts all over it.”
Wanting to make a positive impression, Lana had spent almost half an hour deciding what to wear. She’d chosen the dress because it was fairly new and she felt pretty in it. Now she wondered if she’d gone too formal. “A dress is bad?”
“Well, no, but why wear one when you don’t have to?” Sophie wrinkled her nose, causing her tiny silver nose ring to stick out.
“Normally I wear jeans on weekends. In fact, I was wearing my favorites earlier. But I cleaned house this morning, which I do every Saturday,” Lana explained, wanting Sophie to know she kept a tidy home. “Since this is our first meeting, I wanted to wear something a little nicer.”
Sophie gave a slow nod and polished off the cinnamon roll. “I clean the apartment where my mom I and live on Saturdays, too. She works fifty hours a week for us, and it’s only right that I do my part. That’s what she says anyway.”
Lana nodded. “That seems fair.”
“I guess.”
Lana racked her brain for something else to say. “Do you have an after-school job?”
“Not every day. I work part-time at the movie theater near the apartment. I take tickets and collect trash from under the seats. My shift is five to ten on Thursdays and Fridays, and one to ten on Saturdays. That’s how I met Jason. He works in the concession area.”
“I’m guessing Jason is the baby’s father?” Lana asked.
Sophie nodded. “He doesn’t want to be a father, just like I don’t want to be a mom. We’re too young. Now that I’m pregnant, he makes me go straight home after work to get my rest.” She eyed Lana’s frittata. “Are you going to eat the rest of that?”
“It’s all yours. Jason sounds like a sweet guy.”
“Sometimes. Last night he gave his two-week notice. He just got a new job at the candy store at the mall.”
The girl’s carefully blank face made Lana wonder. “Is everything okay with you two?”
“We sort of broke up last night,” Sophie said to her empty plate.
She