Way to Her Heart

chapter 8

Lucas had to endure a Q&A from Jared the morning after his night with Sherri. He was in the back office at Seven-Seventeen going over invoices when his older brother came in and gave him a once-over before sitting down across from him.

“I don’t have to ask if you had a good time with Sherri. I can see it all over your face.”

“Yes, I did. She’s everything, Jared. She’s the one.”

“That’s good to hear because Sydney is planning the wedding and I’d hate for her to be disappointed.”

Lucas let out a shout of laughter. “She won’t be. She’s something else, isn’t she?”

“She told us about her plan to get her mommy married off to you. That little girl has all the planning and precision of a corporate raider or something,” he said, shaking his head. “If I ever have a small country to invade or a government to overthrow, she’s the first one I’m going to consult. But she’s totally serious, Lucas. Are you ready for this?”

Lucas leaned back in his big swivel chair and laced his fingers together behind his head. “Ready, willing and able, big brother. I’m not playing around with Sherri—I want to marry her. I haven’t asked her yet because I don’t want her to think I’m crazy, but as far as I’m concerned it’s a done deal. Meeting Sherri was like finding the other half of my soul, man. I don’t have to tell you—the same thing happened to you when you met Alexis so you know where I’m coming from.”

“It’s a family characteristic.” Jared laughed. “It happened to Dad, it happened to me and now it’s your turn. And the next time it’ll be Damon, once he opens his mind to something other than being the perfect dad. So how does Sherri feel about all this?”

Lucas sat up and put his arms on the desk. His face took on the unmistakable look of a man who was completely in charge of his destiny. “She’s going to love it, every bit of it. I’m trying to take my time so she won’t feel overwhelmed, but by the end of summer, it’ll be a done deal.”

“Go for it, man. It’ll be nice to have her in the family. And Sydney might have a little cousin on the way by then, too,” he added with a grin.

Lucas raised his eyebrows and lifted his hand to give Jared a high five. He repeated his brother’s words with a grin. “Go for it.”

“Just think, next year this time it could be you getting ready for fatherhood. Can you handle that?” he asked in a teasing tone of voice.

“Bring it on,” Lucas replied with a cocky grin. “I’m ready for anything and everything as long as I’ve got Sherri and Sydney.”

* * *

Alexis refused the coffee Sherri offered and asked for lemonade instead. Her eyes were lit up with mischief as Sherri opened the gift bag and took out three exquisite bras with matching panties. Her face turned a deep pink as Alexis burst into laughter.

“These were supposed to be for your birthday, but I have a feeling that you need them now. Once you cross over into the sexy side you need to have something other than those schoolgirl undies you love so much.”

Sherri was examining the pretty garments with awe, exclaiming over the sexy cut of the thongs and fingering the soft bras in mocha, peach and black. She stopped long enough to refute Alexis’s last statement.

“They’re not schoolgirl—they’re practical. An intern who’s also a new mother can’t afford a drawer full of Vicky’s Secret. They’re inexpensive and easy to machine wash, which is all I require in underwear,” Sherri argued.

“Not anymore. You did a lot more than go to a jazz concert, didn’t you? So now you’re going to need a drawer full of pretty things so you can show off for your man,” Alexis gloated.

Sherri tried to play coy but she knew it was fruitless. She thanked Alexis for the gift and tried to distract her by offering her toast. “Did you bring me some jam? You know I can’t eat the store-bought kind anymore.”

“Yes, we brought you some. We made grape jam and apple butter, and Sydney was totally in heaven. She’s an excellent little helper, as you already know. And yes, I’d like some toast but that doesn’t get you off the hook. I need details, woman. You can’t lie to me—I’ve known you too long for that.”

Sherri got out the bread and butter while Alexis was demanding information. As she placed two slices of the special English muffin bread she favored in the toaster, she finally answered her friend.

“Everything was wonderful, Lexie. The drive to Charleston, the festival, lunch, the concert—everything was just perfect. And yes, we spent the night together and it was, it was...” She paused while she tried to think of the right words to use. “It was sublime,” she said finally. The toast popped up at the same time as if to underscore her statement, and she had to stifle a giggle. She buttered the toast and put the slices on a plate. Alexis was too busy clapping her hands to take it from her so Sherri opened the jar of apple butter and spread some on a piece. She was about to take a bite when Alexis snagged it from her fingers.

“I knew it,” Alexis said, gesturing with her prize. “As soon as you opened the door, I knew. You look like a different person, Sherri. You and Lucas make such a great couple,” she gushed. “This is what Emily and I have wanted for you, girl. Tell me everything and don’t leave out a single detail. Well, some really private details you can keep to yourself, but I want the highlights at least.”

“Slow your roll, chick. Nobody said anything about being a couple, not really. Friends with benefits—isn’t that what they call it these days?”

Alexis rolled her eyes and helped herself to the second piece of toast. “Can I have some more lemonade? And do you have any cantaloupe? I can’t seem to stop eating it. And don’t be ridiculous—of course you’re a couple. Tell me everything that happened and I’ll prove it to you,” she added as she slid off the tall stool by the work island and went to the refrigerator to find fruit.

Sherri’s expression turned dreamy-eyed as she described the trip to Charleston and the parts of the night she felt comfortable sharing. “It was...amazing, Lexie. I can’t even explain how amazing it was.” She sighed.

Alexis came back to the work island with a bowl of cantaloupe chunks she’d scavenged from the fridge. She gave Sherri a quick but heartfelt hug. “You don’t have to explain. I’ve got a VanBuren of my own, remember?”

“Yes, but you two are a couple, a for-real married couple. It’s hardly the same thing. Lucas is sweet and sexy and just wonderful, but he hasn’t said anything about wanting to be my man or anything like that.” She was about to keep going but the doorbell rang.

She came back to the kitchen with a big orchid in a beautiful peach color and a slightly dazed expression. Alexis’s eyes brightened with merriment.

“That’s really pretty. Is it from anyone we know?”

“It’s from Lucas. And there’s a giant ficus in the living room, which was way too big for me to move. It’s beautiful,” she said with a little sigh.

Alexis took note of Sherri’s bemused state and said gently, “I know it’s been way too long for you to remember clearly, but this is how couples behave. As a matter of fact, I remember getting a beauty of a plant from Jared the morning after. He brought me red roses on our first date, and he sent me a huge plant the next morning. And I remember that you were very impressed and you teased me about finding my soul mate. It looks like you’ve found yours, too.”

Sherri’s eyes moved from her exotic floral tribute to her friend. “Alexis, I think you’re jumping the gun here. Jared and Lucas are brothers, sure, but that doesn’t mean that they act just alike. Just because Jared fell in love with you at first sight doesn’t mean anything as far as Lucas is concerned. He’s just being nice, and that’s all.”

“Sherri, I love you like a sister but you’re acting dense. Someone who dishes out good advice on matters of the heart should be able to take it.”

“What are you talking about?” Sherri’s confusion was plain in her facial expression and her voice.

Alexis took pity on her friend, but only a little. “Sherri, my sistah, you do remember giving me and Emily a lot of advice when we were flailing around in the confusing throes of brand-new passion, don’t you? You were the voice of reason when we were going all kinds of crazy, remember?”

“Of course I do,” Sherri said, smiling. “You were driving yourself crazy trying to pretend like Jared was the wrong man for you when it was perfectly plain that he was the other half of your heart. But you can’t say that I saved the day or anything like that. You took a chance on him and trusted your heart and now...” Her voice trailed off and Alexis jumped right in.

“Listen to what you’re saying! You’re the one who showed me how to trust my heart, you stubborn woman! You’re the one who made me make a list of all the qualities I wanted in a mate, and you’re the one who made me realize that Jared had all of those qualities and more. True, he’s not dark chocolate, but, honey, I have a whole new appreciation for vanilla now,” she said as she laughed.

“Alexis, focus, please. It’s your turn to be the voice of reason and you’re gloating about your sexy husband. You’re supposed to be helping me.” Her voice was dangerously close to a whine, something that Sherri never, ever did. Now Alexis went into true friend mode.

“Okay, Sherri, let’s look at this, umm, objectively,” she said. “You’re a wonderful woman who has closed herself off from any kind of male companionship because of a disappointing relationship with a worthless man. It happens. It happened to me, too, although we don’t talk about it much. I found my fiancé in bed with his ex-girlfriend, remember. I didn’t want to be bothered with men either, until Emily and Todd got together and I realized that I really could be happy and in love again.”

“Yes, but that was a totally different situation.” Sherri had on her stubborn expression, the one that Alexis and Emily knew too well and dreaded. She didn’t get that look often, but it always preceded a long and difficult discussion. When Sherri made up her mind about something it was hard to change her point of view. Alexis had to make some good points soon or Sherri would go into her donkey mode, which meant no progress would be made for some time.

“It’s not really that different, Sher. Okay, so you weren’t looking for a man. You have no list of attributes to compare to Lucas, and you don’t think that your night of flaming hot love is the beginning of a serious relationship. I get that, I really do. But you’re the only one who thinks that,” she said in her most persuasive voice. “Lucas really cares about you. I never said anything to you because I knew you’d flip out, but Jared told me that if you weren’t interested in Lucas you’d better run because he recognized the look in his brother’s eyes. The look that meant he was going to come after you with all guns blazing because he really wanted you.”

Sherri’s face underwent a rapid change from wistful and confused to totally shocked. “He did not. Did he? When did he tell you that?”

Alexis reached over and gave her friend’s hand a comforting squeeze. “At our reception, actually. He said that Lucas had the unmistakable look of a VanBuren man who’d found his ideal woman.”

“That’s crazy talk, Alexis. It doesn’t happen like that,” she argued.

“Really? Are you forgetting how Jared and I met? He fixed my flat tire on a stormy night and cut his arm while doing it, so I took him to the hospital. The very next evening he came over to take me out, and when he saw me in that red dress we never made it out of the house. Less than twenty-four hours after I met him we were doing things to each other that I didn’t know existed and I thought we’d both lost our minds. You were the one who convinced me that his feelings for me were real,” she reminded her friend.

“Every time I had doubts you were right there with the reassurance and the insight and common sense and you were absolutely right. So now it’s your turn.”

“But, Alexis, that was totally different. I could see how he looked at you. I could see the love and affection just shooting out of him every time you two were in the same room.”

Alexis was finishing an extra-big piece of cantaloupe, nodding her head vigorously with every word from Sherri. “That’s right, sweetheart, and I can see the same thing when Lucas looks at you.”

“Lucas calls me sweetheart,” Sherri said softly. “It sounds so nice when he says it.”

“See? That’s what I’m talking about. I know this attraction between you and Lucas wasn’t part of your master plan and the whole thing just took you by surprise, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. At least you’ve known Lucas for several months and you didn’t jump his bones right off the bat like I did his brother. You can at least still be considered a woman of virtue—unlike me,” she said with a laugh.

“But you’ve got some thinking to do about this because someone else thinks you’re the perfect couple and has already started planning your wedding.”

Sherri gave her friend a wary look. “Please tell me you’re making that up for dramatic effect. Who on earth could you be talking about?”

Before Alexis could answer, the French doors in the dining room opened and a flurry of fur and little girl invaded the kitchen. “Sookie and Honeybee need some water,” Sydney announced.

Sherri obligingly got plastic dishes out and filled them with cold water. As she was doing this, Sydney’s eagle eyes noticed the floral tributes from Lucas. “Those are so pretty, Mommy! They’re from Uncle Lucas, aren’t they?” she asked with obvious enthusiasm. “Can we have flowers like that in your wedding?”

Sherri was in midstoop to place the water-filled dishes in front of the puppies. She was so stunned that she went down on her butt and gave Sydney a dazed look.

“My what?”

“Your wedding to Uncle Lucas. Can we have flowers like that in the wedding?”

Alexis covered her mouth to keep the laughter from exploding out. Sherri covered her eyes.

“Sydney, what makes you think that I’m going to marry Lucas?”

“Because he likes you a lot, Mommy. A whole, whole lot. And he’d make a good husband for you and a daddy for me, and we could all live together and be happy,” Sydney said innocently, like it was the most logical thing in the world.

“But, sweetie, that’s not the kind of thing that happens just because you want it to,” Sherri said gently. “That’s something that happens between two people who’ve known each other for a long time and who care for each other very much. You can’t just decide that something is a good idea and hope it happens out of thin air.”

“I know that, Mommy. That’s why I asked Uncle Lucas if he would marry you. Can I have some cantaloupe?”

Her words were so offhand that Sherri didn’t catch on for a moment. “You asked Uncle Lucas if he’d marry me? Why would you do that, Sydney?”

“Because he’s so nice and he really likes you, Mommy. He looks at you all the time and he always smiles when he sees you. And you need a nice husband like Auntie Alexis and Auntie Emily have and I need a nice daddy. So I asked him if he would marry you.”

“What did Lucas say when you asked him?”

“He said that it had to be your decision and I told him he had to have a plan to get you to want to marry him. He said it was all up to you. I’m hungry, Mommy.”