Page 64 of Tuxedos and Tinsel

His eyes sought Susan. She was frowning at him from across the bassinet. “Why are you standing by the door?” she asked.

“Coffee. Thought I’d pop down and get us some.” It was the first excuse that came to mind. He needed space to clear his head. A cafeteria run fit the bill.

Coward that he was, he slipped out the door without waiting for her reply.

“Hold on! I’ll go with you.” Linus’s voice called out.

Great. Instead of an escape, he was going to get an escort. The sandy-haired man caught up with him just as the elevator door opened.

“I figured you might need some help carrying everything,” he said with a grin. “Both Maddie and Rosalind put in an order for milk and cookies. We might as well buy a half dozen. Susan never met a cookie she didn’t like either.”

Something about the joke grated on his nerves. “So what? Lots of people like cookies.”

“True, but Susan’s love of cookies is legendary. We’ve been teasing her about it since we were kids.”

“I’m sure she loved that,” Lewis muttered. Already self-conscious because she didn’t look like her mother or brothers, her being teased about her eating habits must have stung. Now he understood why she thought she didn’t fit in.

“Did you say something?” Linus asked.

“Talking to myself,” Lewis replied. Wasn’t his place to pick a fight with Susan’s brother.

Linus however, wasn’t ready to let it go. He moved so he was in front of Lewis, his back to the elevator buttons. Arms folded across his chest, he gave Lewis another long, studious look. “You’re annoyed, aren’t you?”

“No,” Lewis lied. “Just don’t think you should be singling her out when everyone has a sweet tooth.”

“Huh,” Linus said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” the man replied. “It’s nice to know you’re protective of Susan’s feelings.”

Lewis felt his shoulders tightening. “Shouldn’t I be? Seems to me, a lot of people should care about Susan’s feelings.”

“Perhaps, but not all of them are known to go through women like water.”

“No. Some of them are related.”

Linus’s eyebrows shot up and for a second, Lewis worried he’d pushed his luck too far. Then he saw what looked like a gleam of respect.

“Are we going to see you at the gathering at Christmas?” her brother asked, changing the topic.

“Your company party? Absolutely. I promised Susan I’d be there with bells on.”

“No, I meant the wedding on Christmas Eve. Well, vow renewal, second wedding. Whatever you want to call it.”

Lewis thought back to the day they’d signed their agreement and the way Susan had hedged when he mentioned the holidays. She clearly didn’t want him at a family event.

“The holidays haven’t really come up yet,” he replied. “We’re taking things one day at a time.”

“Oh,” Linus said. Awkwardness filled the small space. “Well, perhaps we’ll see you there,” he replied.

“Maybe.” Probably not. Weddings were for family, not fake boyfriends.

Why the thought made his stomach hurt, he didn’t know.

“Your friend Lewis seems much more low-key than I expected,” Thomas remarked shortly after Linus and Lewis left the room. Susan had hoped new fatherhood would distract him, but no such luck.

“What did you expect?” she asked. “That he’d show up…” She was about to say shirtless and carrying a bottle of Cristal, but a quick look at Maddie reminded her that wasn’t appropriate. “…ready to go crazy? I told you, he’s not that person anymore.”