Free Billionaire Baby Dilemma by Barbara Dunlop Page B

his arms. “Is it me?”
    â€œIt’s you.” She paused. “Surprisingly.”
    â€œHey, I can hobnob with the common folk.” Not that he could remember having done it recently. In fact, his last hamburger was probably at summer camp when he was in grade school. He was more a rib-eye kind of guy.
    â€œSure.” She nodded sarcastically. “I bet you hobnob all the time.”
    He didn’t answer, and instead slid open the screen door to join her.
    â€œWould you like some wine?” she asked.
    â€œSounds great.”
    She pointed with the spatula. “On the counter next to the fridge. Bring me a glass, would you?”
    â€œYou got it,” he answered easily, liking this laid-back side of Devin.
    In the kitchen, after a few minutes of hunting for a bottle, Lucas realized she’d been referring to the cardboard box with the plastic spigot, sitting there on the kitchen counter. Wine in a box. Now that was a first.
    He located a couple of stemmed glasses, then figured out how the spigot worked and filled them up.
    He sniffed the bouquet, swirled it to check the legs and finally took an experimental sip of the deep burgundy liquid identified on the box as “Red Wine.” It was a bit sharp, but not horribly objectionable. Probably not a lot of time for the tannins to mellow prior to the boxing process.
    He gave a shrug as he lifted both glasses and headed back to the deck. When in Rome.
    He set the wineglasses down on Devin’s round table. It had a glass top and was surrounded by four thickly padded chairs.
    â€œCan you grab the condiments?” she asked without turning from the grill.
    â€œSure.”
    â€œI’m toasting the buns,” she called from behind him. “They were frozen. I hope you don’t mind.”
    â€œI don’t mind,” he assured her. “Anything else you need from the kitchen?”
    â€œNot that I can think of.”
    Lucas returned to the small kitchen and located mustard, ketchup and relish in the refrigerator.
    He balanced them in his hands and ambled back to the deck once more, finding Devin setting toasted buns and burger patties on plastic plates on the round table.
    â€œWe’ll need a knife,” she told him.
    He shot her a look of impatience. Had he not just asked if there was anything else?
    â€œWhat?” she challenged.
    â€œWhy didn’t you say something?”
    â€œHow did you expect to spread it on your bun? Oh, and grab the mayo, will you?”
    He gave his head a shake.
    â€œWhat’s the matter, Lucas. You miss the serving staff?”
    He kind of did. But he wasn’t about to answer that. So instead, he retrieved a couple of knives and a jar of mayonnaise.
    When he got back, Devin was folding her body into one of the padded chairs.
    The wind had died down, leaving the air crystal clear above the water, accenting the view across the darkened lake.
    â€œThanks,” she told him briskly, snagging one of the knives and starting to prepare her bun.
    Lucas checked out the array of condiments and decided…what the heck? He loaded up his bun, adding a slice of cheese to boot.
    The burger patty itself looked a little crisp on the outside, blackened in spots and shriveled rather small in comparison to the bun.
    Devin took a big bite. “Mmm,” she murmured in appreciation. “I’m starving.”
    â€œBusy day?” he asked. He’d followed Steve’s LoJack beacon out here the minute he’d realized where the man was going. He had no intention of giving him time alone with Devin to indoctrinate her into the Steve Foster view of Pacific Robotics.
    â€œLong time since lunch,” she responded.
    Lucas took a bite of his own burger. No meat in that section, but all in all, not bad.
    â€œYou sent Steve packing,” she observed, biting down on a quarter-cut pickle.
    Lucas swallowed, deciding to put his cards on the table. “Absolutely. He’s