Chapter 7
Liz sighed and leaned on the counter, tucking the phone against her shoulder. “Yeah, Lucky just went up there a few minutes ago. Couldn’t you and Laura convince him to stay at your place?”
“Nah, the Cowboy’s too independent now. He needs a place of his own, to come and go as he pleases. You don’t mind, do you?” Luke asked innocently
“Oh, let me think about that one..hm...yes! Luke, no offense, but I can’t stand your son.”
Luke laughed. “Oh, I don’t know. He has a way of growing on you. Anyway, I called to tell you that Barbara won’t be in tomorrow. Something about emergency surgery or something. Could you cover the place?”
Liz sighed. Tomorrow was supposed to be her day off, and she had been hoping that Jason could escape from the warehouse for a little while so they could spend some time together. But, there was something about Luke that made it nearly impossible to turn him down. “Sure, Luke. I’ll be here.”
“Thanks, darlin’. Tell Lucky that his sisster is home now if he wants to stop by.”
“Okay. Bye.” She hung up and groaned. Another long day at Kelly’s, and to make matters worse, that also meant an entire day around Lucky. She could only pray that he had better things to do tomorrow than hang around the diner.
~*~
“Luke...” Laura started to say once he had hung up. He put up a hand to silence her and began to dial again. She stopped and waited, wondering what he was up to.
“Hey, Barbara Jean. I need a favor.”
“What’s in it for me?” she asked with a laugh.
“A day off.”
“Okay, you got my attention. What is it?”
“Don’t go to Kelly’s tomorrow. I already got Liz to cover. She thinks you have emergency surgery,” he explained.
“Luke, what are you up to?” Bobbie asked suspiciously.
Luke chuckled. “You know me too well, little sister. Lucky’s back in town for a while, and he’s living above Kelly’s.”
“Aah,” she said, getting his drift. Luke was always a matchmaker at heart, espcially when it came to his son. She already knew about his theory that Liz was destined to be a Spencer. “So you think if Liz has to be there all day, she’ll just magically fall in love with him, and vice versa? Don’t get me wrong, I’ll do it, anything to get a free day to spend with Lucas, but I wouldn’t go getting your hopes up too much. It’s going to take a lot more than that for those two to like each other.”
“Oh, Barbara, you underestimate me! Trust me, I’ve got more up my sleeve for them. I have another call to make, so I’ll let you go. Just remember, you were in surgery!”
Bobbie chuckled. “Okay, Luke, got it. Good luck.”
He hung up, shushing Laura before she could start in on him, then dialed again. “Is this Jennifer? This is Luke Spencer. I just wanted to let you know that we won’t be needing you at Kelly’s tomorrow, so go ahead and take the day off, have some fun. No, no, you’re not fired, don’t worry. Consider it a free, paid vacation. There’s one condition. Call the diner in the morning and tell Liz you’re sick. I promise, you’re not in trouble. Can you do that? Cool. Thanks!” He hung up and grinned at Larua.
“Luke, what in the world are you doing?” she asked.
“Just helping things along a little bit, that’s all.”
“You really think sticking Liz by herself all day tomorrow is going to help?”
“Well, she’ll have to ask someone to cover for Jennifer, and Lucky will be the only one around,” he explained with a grin.
Laura shook her head. “So that’s your plan? Make then work together for a day? You really think that’s going to be enough?”
He shook his head. “Small steps, babe, small steps. I have plenty more in store for them, this is only the beginning.”
~*~
The door opened and Liz looked up. “Hey, you’re back!”
Jason smiled and walked up to the counter. “Johnny took Michael back to the penthouse, so I thought I’d come back and see what you’re doing tonight.” He sat down on one of the stools and leaned over the coutner to place a lingering kiss on her lips.
Liz smiled. “Well, my relief is supposed to be here in about an hour, so after that, I’m free.”
“Great. Why don’t I pick you up then, and we can go out to dinner?’
“Can I go home first and clean up? I was cleaning the oven all day, and I feel all greasy. How about you pick me up at the house at seven?” she asked, leaning over the counter so their faces were closer.
Jason kissed her again and smiled. “Okay, I’ll be there at seven. Um, where are you staying tonight? My place?” he asked, an edge of hopefulness in his voice.
Liz sighed and stepped back a bit. “No, I got stuck covering for Bobbie tomorrow, so I better go home tonight. Can I get a raincheck on that?”
He nodded and stood up. “Always. See you then.” He satrted to walk to the door and Liz followed him. He turned and pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her passionately, then left the diner. She watched him go with a dreamy smile on her face.
“Man, you two need to get a room,” Lucky grumbled from behind her. He had been coming down the stairs when Jason walked in and had watched the whole scene between them.
Liz turned around and glared at him, her good mood once again ruined. “You’re still here?”
“Not for long. I’m leaving right now,” he said, heading for the door.
“Good. Oh, your dad said tot ell you Lulu was home.”
“Cool. Later!” He slipped on his sunglasses and strolled out of the restaurant. She watched him hop into his rented Lexus and speed away, shaking her head in annoyance.
