Free Changing Lanes (The Lone Stars Book 3) by Katie Graykowski

people who won’t remember seems kind of pointless.”
    “I see your point.” He took her hand and slowly led her back to the table. “But I’m totally up for the mooning. I am here for you.”
    The bell dinged again. Devon glanced over. Mike waved with his spatula to come get the food.
    “Let’s put your recklessness on hold. Breakfast is ready, and Mike needs my help.” He led her back to the table, pulled the chair out for her, and turned to the ladies. “Don’t say anything else embarrassing about Laney … until I come back. I’m your server today.”
    He walked to the table, placed the food on his arm diner–waiter style, and brought it to the table. He hesitated and then placed the food randomly in front of the women. After they all traded plates getting what they’d ordered, they settled in to eating.
    Today, he’d learned some interesting things about Laney. First she didn’t think of herself as reckless, but he remembered her being so daring at camp. Not cavalier, but willing to try anything and everything. Maybe that wasn’t recklessness so much as curiosity, but still. This uptight version she saw herself as today wasn’t the person he used to know or even how he saw her now.
    Second, she used to wear her heart on her sleeve. This grown–up ability to turn off her emotions probably helped her in her professional life, but he hadn’t remembered her doing that all those years ago. Back then, she’d been an open book and her face had shown whatever she was feeling. It’s not that he didn’t like the new Laney, he just wanted to understand her—get to know her all over again. And every once and a while, he caught a glimpse of that sweet, curious sixteen–year–old.

 
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    Chapter 6
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    At six o’clock that evening, Laney’s doorbell rang. “Damn it.”
    She was still wearing her bathrobe, but at least her hair and makeup were finished. She unbelted the robe, slipped it off, and tossed it on her bed. She slid on some lacy black panties and a matching bra—an early birthday present from Nina—and grabbed her simple black cocktail dress. The doorbell bing–bonged again. Quickly, she pulled the dress over her head, smoothed it down, and yanked at the zipper.
    The zipper tab broke off in her hand.
    She shook her head. Could something go right, please? This was turning into the day from hell.
    The doorbell bonged for a third time so she darted out of her room open dress flapping around her. She checked the peephole. Devon smiled in at her. She opened the door and was careful to use it to shield herself as much as possible.
    Devon walked in holding a huge bouquet of flowers. He looked around taking in her condo. It was small and sparsely furnished. She didn’t spend much time here and wasn’t into decorating.
    “These are for you.” He handed her the bouquet.
    Flowers for her? They were frivolous and cliché and perfect. She’d never gotten flowers before. She took them and did the girly thing and brought them to her nose and inhaling deeply. The orange roses smelled wonderful and would really add a splash of color to her beige condo. Why hadn’t she thought to buy herself flowers before? They weren’t particularly expensive and they made her stupidly happy. She hadn’t bought them because they were frivolous and she’d been taught that frivolous was a waste of time.
    Now she needed to put them in water, but she couldn’t turn around and walk to the kitchen because her dress was hanging open. Could she back to the kitchen?
    For that matter, what would she put them in? She’d never owned a vase in her life. Vases didn’t have a function other than holding flowers and looking pretty…another frivolity. And Laney was all about the practical. Only now she was realizing that a little frivolity was a good thing. Well, tomorrow she was buying the stupidest, silliest, most un–practical vase she could find.
    “Stop thinking so hard. They’re just flowers. You look like you’re