Chapter 12
Lucky came downstairs and settled onto a stool, waiting for someone to come out with the coffee. Liz had been off for the past few days, and since it was the day of the Bachelor Auction, he figured she’d be off again.
A minute later, Liz came out of the kitchen with a new pot of coffee and sighed when she saw Lucky waiting. “It’s too early in the morning to have to deal with you,” she grumbled, filling the cup in front of him.
“Yeah, well, the feeling is mutual. I thought you’d be off today.”
She shook her head. “No such luck. Bobbie had to work at the hospital. So are you going to order anything, or are you just here to suck up all my coffee?”
He eyed her suspiciously before answering. “Are you cooking?”
“No, of course not. That’s what we pay the cook to do. Funny how that works, isn’t it?” she asked sarcastically.
“Fine, then I’ll have the special.”
Liz went into the kitchen to place the order, then came back out to start setting up the tables. Lucky turned to watch her, admiring how quickly she worked.
“Shouldn’t the waitress be doing that?” he asked.
She sighed and put down the tray she was carrying. “She called in earlier to say she’d be late. It’s not like I’m not used to doing this by myself, anyway”
Knowing he would probably regret it, Lucky stood up and walked over to her. “Want me to help? I mean, I’m just sitting here right now waiting for my food. It doesn’t seem fair for you to have to be doing all this while I just sit by and watch.”
Liz was shocked. “Um, sure, I guess. You remember what to do, right?”
Lucky nodded and headed to the back for some plates. “Yeah, I could probably still do this in my sleep.” He came back with a stack of dishes and began setting the tables. “So, what possessed you to do this auction thing? I mean, the chances are pretty slim that you’ll actually end up with Jason.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t really think too much about it. Maybe I felt like I had to, for Nikolas, you know? Plus, it’s for a good cause, so it’s worth it, even if I don’t get to spend it with him.”
“Well, let’s see if you’re still saying that if we get stuck together!” he joked. “I know I won’t be!”
She turned to glare at him. “Hey, you should feel lucky to get stuck with me! It’s me that should be worried here. If we get put together, I’ll probably have to spend the whole night listening to you talk about yourself!”
Lucky stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. “Why do you always say things like that? I never do that, never have. Do you just automatically assume that since I’m somewhat famous now, that I had some kind of personality transplant?”
“Don’t I wish. Maybe the new one would actually be a good personality! No, you’re the same old Lucky I went to high school with, that’s for sure. You’re just much more full of yourself now, that’s all.”
Knowing that trying to change her mind would be a pointless task, he just went back to what he had been doing earlier, turning his back to her. They worked in silence for a few minutes before Liz spoke.
“So why did you agree to do this auction? I mean, I didn’t think celebrities did that sort of thing. What if you get stuck with a crazed fan?”
“Nikolas pretty much begged me. Anyway, it’s for charity, and Charisma’s been nagging at me to do more charity work. Plus, he assured me that I already know the people in it. It’s only dinner, what could happen, right?”
“Right, I guess. Anyway, I’m sure it will be interesting.” She chuckled as a thought hit her. “Didn’t you get Tammy in the first one? Remember, Nikolas pretty much forced all of us to do it, and I ended up with Edward Quartermaine?”
Lucky laughed at the memory. They were already pretty much not speaking to one another back then, but because of their mutual friendships with Nikolas and Emily, they had managed to remain somewhat civil to each other when the need arose. “Yeah, I did. She was great company, though.”
“Of course she was good company, she was a hooker!”
“Hey, Tammy was a good friend, it wasn’t like that!” he said defensively.
“I know, I liked her too, don’t get me wrong. I was just saying that she was still a working girl back then, that’s all. I wasn’t trying to imply anything.”
“Yeah, well, I hope you get stuck with Edward again,” he grumbled, trying to get back at her.
Liz shrugged. “Believe it or not, he was actually very nice. I could think of worse people to have dinner with.” She turned and looked at him pointedly and he rolled his eyes.
“You know, you’re being awfully rude to me, considering I’m helping you out here.”
Liz laughed and shook her head. “I never asked for your help, if that’s what you call it. You’ve been setting that one table this entire time. It’s just a diner, not a four-star restauran!”
Lucky set down the plate that was in his hand and walked up to her. “You know, I didn’t have to help you at all. Is it that hard for you to say thank you?”
She glared up at him. “I have no problem saying thank you, when I have a reason to!”
He shrugged and threw down the dishtowel he had been carrying. “Okay, then I’ll just go back to my stool and wait for my food, then. You seem to think you can do this without my help anyway.” He started to walk away, but Liz grabbed his arm angrily.
“Oh no, you offered to help, now you’re going to help me!” she ordered, throwing the towel back at him. He caught it and frowned.
“Since when do I take orders from you?” he growled, throwing the towel at her again. She had backed up to the lunch counter at this point, and noticed that his planner was sitting right next to her. She grabbed it and dashed away from him
“Since I’ve got your planner!” She smirked, waving it in the air. “I’m not beyond bribery, you know.”
Lucky chased after her. “Give that back, Elizabeth. That thing is my life!”
“Ooh, really? Well, then maybe I should ask for more in return for it,” she teased, dodging away from his grasp, then squealing as he rushed for her again.
“This isn’t funny, give it back to me!” he shouted, chasing her across the room.
“Not until you admit that you were being a jerk before.” She stopped to catch her breath, holding the planner against her chest. Lucky paused, sizing up the situation, then lunged for her. She turned to flee, but he managed to catch her before she could get away. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, grabbing for the planner, spinning them around to face the front door as it opened.
A couple walked inside, looking amusedly at the two. Liz saw them first and stopped struggling, her face growing red. Lucky still had his arms around her as he finally grabbed the planner. “Um, Lucky, we’ve got customers,” she muttered. He looked up in surprise, then let go of her and quickly backed away.
The woman lowered her sunglasses and chuckled. “Hey, Spence. Vacation seems to be agreeing with you, don’t you think, Rich?” she asked, turning to smile at her companion.
The man grinned, removing his own sunglasses. “Yeah, Charisma, it sure does.”
