Free Still the One by Lena Matthews Page A

if you would go with me somewhere. I‟m meeting a
    blind date in the bar of the Beninato Hotel, and I‟m looking for backup.”
    “I thought you didn‟t have any plans.”
    “Last minute sort of thing. You don‟t have to stay long. Just go in there with
    me to the bar and hang out with me until he shows up. If he‟s a freak, I can use you
    as an excuse to go home.”
    “And I would do this why?”
    “Because I love you and I might be willing to take your little crumb snatchers
    out to a movie one night next week so you can have some alone time to atone.”
    Creigh jumped on the chance to have A-mei babysit. “If I stay for half an hour,
    you have to keep them for three hours.”
    “Deal.” The two women shook on it. “Now you can give Dean a belated
    Valentine‟s Day gift.”
    “Much better than the Spider-Man card I swiped from Hambone that said,
    „You‟re making more than my spider-sense tingle.‟”
    A-mei‟s eyes widened in surprise. “Did it really?”
    “Yes.” She laughed.
    “That‟s just nasty.” A-mei shook her head as she turned off the lights. “You
    should give it to him anyway.”
    Creigh laughed as she gathered her purse. “I just might.”

    58
    Lena Matthews

    “So you‟re going to follow me, right?” A-mei asked as she unlocked the door,
    then set the alarm.
    “Yes, ma‟am.” The ladies waited until the timer started on the alarm before
    exiting the store and then locking up. Together they walked to the parking lot and
    made their way to their separate cars, parked next to one another.
    On the drive over to the hotel, Creigh made a quick call home to let the
    babysitter know she‟d be home an hour later. The sitter said that was fine, then
    handed the phone over to Harlow, who went into great detail about all the
    valentines she‟d received.
    Creigh shook her head as she listened to her daughter. Harlow was in for a
    rude awakening once Dean finally figured out his not so little girl was sparking
    interest from boys. Harlow was going to be on lockdown with a quickness—because
    Dean didn‟t play and he was far too protective of his girls. After speaking with her
    daughter, she talked briefly with Hamilton, who was more interested in the candy
    he received than the cards. Then it was Halla‟s turn who babbled joyfully into the
    phone. All in all, the conversation with the kids put her in a great frame of mind, so
    by the time she arrived at the hotel, Creigh was in much better spirits.
    After valet parking, the two women walked into the hotel together and headed
    straight for the bar. Creigh had come here a time or two for luncheons and
    meetings, but she‟d never actually stayed overnight. As they made their way to the
    bar through the lobby, she looked around, taking in all the marble floors, hundreds
    of flower arrangements, and men in thousand dollar suits, and realized she never
    would.
    “Same rules as the ones we used to use back in the day.” A-mei spoke softly as
    they entered the darkened room. “If you see me crumple up my napkin, it means
    give me a call on the phone because this guy is a total loser.”
    “And if you wipe imaginary lint off your shoulder…”
    “Feel free to leave and I‟ll call you in the morning.”

    Still the One
    59

    “Sounds good.” Creigh had long gotten over trying to come to grips with her
    cousin‟s very active social life. Instead she worked on loving, not judging. “I‟m going
    to go get a drink.”
    “And I‟m going to run to the restroom. I‟ll be right back.”
    “Okay.” Creigh made her way over to the bar. She took a seat, then caught the
    bartender‟s gaze to let him know she was ready. It only took a few minutes for him
    to make his way down to where she was sitting, much to her delight. There was
    nothing she hated more than service people not serving.
    “Good evening,” he said with a large “tip me” smile as he placed a napkin right
    in front of her. “What can I start you off with?”
    “The