Page 16 of Deserving Lara
“You didn’t know? Oh, man, our resident chef is addicted to those things. You know, the super-sugary Little Debbie cakes that are usually only around at Christmastime? Well, Ryan, our newest housekeeper—though, I guess she’s not really new anymore, but whatever—has a connection and is able to supply Robert with several boxes a month.”
“Are you kidding? Ilovethose things!” Lara exclaimed. “Cora gets me a bunch of boxes for Christmas every year, but I can never make them last longer than a few months.”
“I knew you’d fit in here. Well, come on, let’s go see if we can steal a box. We’ll sit in a corner and stuff our faces.”
Lara actually giggled. Then asked, “Will he be mad?”
“Robert? Oh, he’llpretendhe’s furious, and he might even withhold some of his chocolate chip cookies…for like a day. He’s a big softie. And since it’syou, he’ll totally not be able to stay mad.”
“Are you using my situation to keep from getting in trouble?”
“Totally,” Henley said with a grin.
“Well…all right then,” Lara said with a shrug.
Both women stood and turned toward the door—then Lara froze in her tracks when she saw Owl standing there. Shockingly, she’d honestly forgotten he was there. She wasn’t sure whether to feel bad about that or not.
“Can you give us a second?” Owl asked Henley.
“Of course. I’ll be outside talking to Alaska,” the other woman said. Then she reached out and squeezed Lara’s arm. “You’re going to be okay, Lara. You’re so much stronger than you think. And that’s awesome. We need more kick-ass women around here. I want as many as possible to be role models for Jas and this little one.” She rubbed her belly with her free hand, then slipped out of the door to the small conference room they’d been using.
She didn’t know what Owl wanted to talk about with her, but she opened her mouth to say something—she wasn’t sure what—when he beat her to it.
“You good?” he asked.
Instead of immediately answering, Lara thought about it. She felt a little off-kilter from the glut of up-and-down emotions she’d experienced in the last hour. But eventually she decided that, yes, she was good. More than good. “Yeah.”
Owl studied her for a long moment. It felt as if he could see inside her, see all the parts she desperately tried to keep from the world.
“Yeah, you’re good,” he said with a nod. “For the record, I was proud of you before, but now? I’m practically bursting at the seams with admiration.”
Lara felt her cheeks warm and knew she was blushing.
Owl didn’t give her a chance to respond. “Come on, I’ll have your back as you and Henley break into Robert’s stash of Christmas Tree Cakes. But if he catches us, I’m denying knowledge of anything.”
“So much for having my back,” Lara mumbled, but she smiled when she said it.
“Hey, you have no idea how possessive Robert is about his Christmas Tree Cakes. Trust me, he’ll know within hours that some of his precious stash is missing.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t—”
“Yes, you should,” Owl said. “Because I haven’t seen a smile that big on your face since you’ve gotten here. And if Christmas Tree Cakes is what put it there, I’ll make sure you have as many as you want for as long as you live. In fact, I might have to talk to Ryan and see if I can get in on her inside source for the things.”
He reached for the door, and when Lara walked through, she felt the tips of his fingers on the small of her back. He immediately dropped them, but she could still feel her skin tingling from the small touch.
Owl had always been very considerate about giving her space…and she was surprised to realize how much shewantedhim to touch her. After everything she’d been through, it was a relief to know she could still tolerate a man’s touch.
Actually,Owl’stouch. It was an important distinction.
It felt as if Lara’s world had been turned upside down in the last seven days, and she owed all of that to Owl. She’d fully planned to fake her recovery, so she could convince everyone she was doing better than she was. But she didn’t have to fakeanyof the progress she’d made this week.
She felt like a new person…and she liked it. A lot.
She was very aware that everything could change back in a heartbeat. The threat of Carter Grant was looming, even if she tried hard not to acknowledge it. The time would come when he’d make his move, and Lara was no closer to knowing how she’d react.
But she was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t completely fall apart, as she’d feared. With each day that passed, Lara felt a tiny bit stronger. As Henley had pointed out, she hadn’t asked to be abused. Didn’t deserve what happened to her. And after those encouraging words…she wanted more. Wanted more friends like Henley and Cora.
Wanted what her best friend had—a partner. Not Prince Charming, but a real-live man who would stand by her, just as she’d do for him.
