The More I See You (Stevens Book 5)

Chapter 7

Laura hit end on her phone call and threw it across the bed before placing her head in her hands.  Why did life have to be so hard?

It had started in Las Vegas when tempers were as high as the temperature. Kelly had found out about her and Davis's date and had sulked, causing Davis to have a hard time getting the shots that he wanted from her.  Laura had turned the ice on high, barely even talking to him in an attempt to shut him down where she was concerned. The only one who wasn't upset was Carmen.

Then Davis had had to leave suddenly, saying that they would have to reschedule the Texas trip and that he would see them all in D.C. in a few weeks.

In the past week Charlotte had found the time to call Tabitha and tell her all about Laura's new boyfriend and how handsome and talented he was, and now she and her father were insisting on meeting him. Laura had tried to assure them that Charlotte had misread the situation, and that there was no boyfriend nor was there likely to be one any time soon; but they wouldn't hear it.

She was at a loss on how to get out of the situation. She stood up and moved from her little bedroom to her little living area to make herself a cup of tea. Her apartment was tiny and functional. She had rented it after moving to New York years ago and had never seen the need to upgrade to something bigger even though she could well afford it. Her goal was to save her money and go back to school and get a Masters in Library Science.

After the life she had lived, the idea of being a librarian in some quite little library in small town USA appealed to her. She could hide behind her ugly glasses and wear boring sedate clothing and not worry about her appearance.  It sounded like heaven to her.

With her peppermint tea in hand she walked over to her ipad and turned on some music.  Nothing like some old standards sung by some of her favorite artists to sooth her. Her mind continued to work through the problem when she heard Cassandra Stevens voice come from the speakers.

She jumped up suddenly with a possible solution to the problem.  Granted, it wasn't an ideal solution, but it might just work. Davis had asked for a second date, what if that date was a repayment for the last one? He did owe her after all. She had met his family so he could meet hers.

Laura was sure that her father would run true to form and instantly dislike Davis, which would give her the out she needed. Her parents would take care of it themselves. Now the only problem that remained was how to get Davis to say yes without him thinking there was anything more to it then helping her out of a jam.  She would just have to be honest with him and tell him that it was a problem partly of his making and he had to help her out of it.

She moved towards her bedroom to change as she decided that she would go over to his place and see if he was there.  Now that she had made the decision she was determined to put her plan into motion, but how should she play it. She could go as herself or she could dress her usual way.

Deciding to go as herself, she might get further with Davis if she approached him earnestly, she put on a pair of her favorite blue jeans and a well-worn light purple t-shirt. Leaving her face bare, she put her hair sloppily on the top of her head as she picked her favorite pair of black square framed glasses. The final touch was a pair of old battered canvas tennis shoes.

Quickly, before she could have second thoughts, she headed out the door.  She would take the subway it would give her time to plan out what she would say.

*******

Davis was bouncing his niece on his bare shoulder as he paced the room trying to get her to settle.  Dana and Quinn had asked if he would be willing to babysit while they had a night out on the town and he had mistakenly agreed.  What on earth had made him think he could care for a sweet, innocent, and helpless baby?