Page 45 of Crossing Paths
Laken paused, her gaze scanning over Dash, lingering on his broad chest. “Mm-hmm. I wish I had this kind ofbusiness.” Reaching across the table, she offered her hand to Dash, her voice dropping to a low, husky tone. “Laken Albee. And you are?”
Norah stared at Laken’s outstretched arm, trying her hardest to remember that she was giving the woman the benefit of the doubt.
Glancing at Laken’s hand with utter indifference, Dash didn’t make any move to shake it as he met her eyes. “I’m in a meeting.”
“Oh!” As little as Norah’s attempt at a brush-off affected Laken, it seemed to make a much bigger impact when Dash delivered the snub. Laken pulled back her hand, her fake smile faltering for the first time since she’d bustled over. “Well, I’ll just grab Norah’s number and get out of your hair then.”
“Or you can just f—” Molly broke off as Norah kicked her again. She was going to have to use the kicking technique moreoften to silence her sisters. It seemed to be surprisingly effective.
Norah held her hand out for Laken’s phone and quickly entered her number. As she went to hand it back, she saw that the woman’s flirtatious gaze had settled on Dash again, despite the fact that he looked completely disinterested.
“Here,” Norah said a little too loudly, making Laken’s attention snap back to her.
“Perfect.” Laken tapped at her phone, and a buzz came from Norah’s pocket. With a satisfied nod, Laken tucked the phone back into her purse. “Now you have my number. Feel free to share it with anybusiness associates.” She winked at Dash—actuallywinked—as if she were starring in a rom-com.
A tiny part of Norah actually admired her utter confidence, although the rest of her was simmering with steadily growing annoyance. A possessiveness she didn’t even know existed inside her ballooned to enormous proportions, and she resisted the urge to gruntminelike a jealous cavewoman.
“Why? I can’t imagine any reason we’d need to contact you,” Cara said, her words chilly.
“Sure,shecan talk without getting kicked,” Molly muttered.
“Bye, Laken,” Norah said, her teeth showing in what she hoped passed as a smile.
“See you soon, Norah,” Laken said with a tiny wave before her voice dropped to that husky tone she reserved for Dash. “Goodbye, Mr. Mysterious.” She walked toward the door much more slowly than she’d approached their table, and she added a sway to her round hips.
Their table stayed silent until the door swung closed behindLaken.
“She didn’t eat,” Molly said, scowling. “Why was she even here?”
“That is odd.” Cara cocked her head. “How could she know we’d be here? Maybe she secretly chipped Norah?”
The idea, ridiculous as it was, made her stiffen. “Why would you even say that? Do you never want me to sleep again?” she asked Cara, who gave a rough laugh.
“Sorry.” Twisting around in her seat, Cara glanced at the diner door again as if she was expecting Laken to come flying back in, guns blazing. “I just can’t figure out what she wants.”
“What everyone wants,” Norah said with a small shrug. The small hope that Laken actually wanted to be friends had pretty much been snuffed out. “The necklace.”
Dash was still scowling heavily even though Laken was gone. “Why’d you give her your number?”
“Seemed like the fastest way to get rid of her.” Norah didn’t care what happened to Laken, but she didn’t want to cap off this endless day by bailing her sisters out of jail. “Besides, this way, I can dodge her calls.”
“That’s true,” Molly said, and then her face lit up as Taren carried a loaded tray toward their table. “Food. Finally.”
They were all quiet for a bit while they dug in. Glancing at Dash, who just had his coffee mug, Norah nudged her plate toward him. Even though he’d just eaten three-quarters of the diner’s menu, she still felt bad eating in front of him when he didn’t have any food…especially since he’d been stuck there for hours in order to help her and her sisters out. Giving her acrooked smile, he grabbed one of her fries.
“So…” Cara wiped greasy fingers on her napkin and then took a drink. “What were we talking about before Miss Mean Girl interrupted? Leifsen?”
“I’d like to talk about Norah kicking me under the table to shut me up,” Molly said through a mouthful of burger.
Norah put on her most innocent expression. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Norah kicked you?” Cara looked doubtful. “Are you sure it wasn’t…” Taking in Dash’s raised eyebrow, she stuttered to a halt. “Uh…Norah! How could you?”
Norah gave a small shrug. “If I’d known how well it worked, I would’ve done it before.”
Molly tried to pretend as if she were offended but then gave the game away by laughing. “Why do you think the rest of us do it all the time?”
“Back to Leifsen,” Cara reminded them.
