The Exposure
Page 71
Meagan thought that was sweet. “I like it when names have meanings.”
“I wanted to go with Mireille Ophelia Parks. Ophelia was the lady’s given name. Kennedy was her last name.”
“And I said that would mean her initials would be MOP and I wasn’t doing that to her,” Jeff said.
“I eventually saw his point and we agreed on Kennedy.” Dena sighed. “But I love the name Ophelia.”
Frankly, Meagan thought it sounded too old-fashioned, not to mention tragic. She thought Kennedy was a much better name.
“It’s a good, solid name,” Luke said from near the door. “She’ll grow into it.”
“Thank you for bringing Abby,” Dena said. “And I’m so glad you were able to come, Meagan.”
Meagan was happy she went with her gut and came to the hospital. “I’m glad Nathaniel and Abby were at Luke’s when Julie called. It worked out perfectly since I was there.”
“Speaking of which,” Luke said, pushing back from his place on the wall. “We probably should be leaving soon.”
He gave her a knowing look she felt all the way down to her toes. It was a look that told her he still had plans for her that night and he was ready to move forward with them. And really, she wasn’t about to argue with that. Especially since she wanted it, too.
“Do we need to take Abby anywhere?” he asked.
“No.” Meagan shook her head and stood up. “Daniel and Julie are going to drop her off.”
They said their good-byes and headed to the parking garage. Luke took her hand and for a few minutes, they walked in silence. That was fine by Meagan. She had so many thoughts running through her head after the eventful day.
She now knew where she wanted to be in five years. She wanted to be settled down. Married. She still wasn’t sure if kids would be in the picture, but she figured she had enough time to work through that and didn’t have to decide now.
She thought back to the conversation she’d had with Guy only days ago. He’d actually called her about the position he’d mentioned when she’d turned down his request to have lunch. Meagan had purposely put the entire conversation out of her head, telling herself she’d think about it later.
She thought about it now and suddenly she knew she needed to take it.
Luke opened the car door for her. She hesitated before getting in.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s just—can we go to my place instead of back to yours?”
He motioned for her to get in the car and when he’d buckled himself in, he asked, “It’ll take longer to get there, but sure. Any particular reason?”
“I need to call Guy and after I do that, I’ll probably need to e-mail him some things.”
He pulled out of the hospital parking lot and headed to the interstate. “Let me get this straight. You want me to agree to go to your house instead of mine so you can not only call some other guy, but so that you can work, too? Hell, no.”
“It’s not like that.”
He didn’t take his eyes off the road, but he lifted his eyebrow. “Then tell me how it is.”
“I realized a few things today and I want to move forward on them.”
“Things like what?” he asked.
She peeked at him. He appeared to be genuinely interested. Or at least he was willing to listen.
“Things like it’s time for me to look into a job I want and not one I’m settling for. Guy gave me information on a correspondent position and I’ve decided I’m going to go for it.”
“Will you be working with Guy?” he asked.
“Are you jealous?”
“No.”
Suddenly she had a flashback to the pizza restaurant a few weeks ago. “Yes, you are. You’re jealous. Interesting, since I’ve told you I have zero interest in Guy. Besides, you’re one to talk.”
“How do you figure that?”
“I happened to be at a certain pizzeria near Central Park a few weeks ago when you showed up with a date.” She’d actually wanted to bring it up earlier, but after everything that happened with Jake and Ted, the timing hadn’t felt right.
“What? No. I haven’t been on a date . . .” He started to protest, and then he must have remembered. “Oh, her.”
“Yes, her. And if you’re going to be all jealous over Guy, you should at least tell me her name so I can annoy you properly.”
“Her name’s Louisa.”
Louisa? That was worse than Ophelia.
“Louisa? Really?”
“Yes, but I call her Lu.”
He would have a pet name for her. Meagan wondered how long they’d known each other. And for some reason, he was finding this conversation funny. He looked straight ahead, but she could tell he was holding back his laughter.
“Does Lu have a last name?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“And it’s what?”
He wasn’t even trying to hold back his amusement now. “DeVaan.”
She wasn’t certain she heard him clearly. “What?”
“Lu DeVaan. My sister. She lives in New Orleans and happened to be in town for the weekend. To be honest, that wasn’t my first choice of places to eat, but I’d taken her there once before and she said she couldn’t be in New York and not eat there.”
“Oh,” was all she could think of to say.
He was smug now. The bastard.
“I think I like you jealous,” he said, then reached over and squeezed her knee. “I’m sorry if that made you feel bad. Seeing Lu and thinking I’d moved on. Trust me. I hadn’t.”
“I wanted to go with Mireille Ophelia Parks. Ophelia was the lady’s given name. Kennedy was her last name.”
“And I said that would mean her initials would be MOP and I wasn’t doing that to her,” Jeff said.
“I eventually saw his point and we agreed on Kennedy.” Dena sighed. “But I love the name Ophelia.”
Frankly, Meagan thought it sounded too old-fashioned, not to mention tragic. She thought Kennedy was a much better name.
“It’s a good, solid name,” Luke said from near the door. “She’ll grow into it.”
“Thank you for bringing Abby,” Dena said. “And I’m so glad you were able to come, Meagan.”
Meagan was happy she went with her gut and came to the hospital. “I’m glad Nathaniel and Abby were at Luke’s when Julie called. It worked out perfectly since I was there.”
“Speaking of which,” Luke said, pushing back from his place on the wall. “We probably should be leaving soon.”
He gave her a knowing look she felt all the way down to her toes. It was a look that told her he still had plans for her that night and he was ready to move forward with them. And really, she wasn’t about to argue with that. Especially since she wanted it, too.
“Do we need to take Abby anywhere?” he asked.
“No.” Meagan shook her head and stood up. “Daniel and Julie are going to drop her off.”
They said their good-byes and headed to the parking garage. Luke took her hand and for a few minutes, they walked in silence. That was fine by Meagan. She had so many thoughts running through her head after the eventful day.
She now knew where she wanted to be in five years. She wanted to be settled down. Married. She still wasn’t sure if kids would be in the picture, but she figured she had enough time to work through that and didn’t have to decide now.
She thought back to the conversation she’d had with Guy only days ago. He’d actually called her about the position he’d mentioned when she’d turned down his request to have lunch. Meagan had purposely put the entire conversation out of her head, telling herself she’d think about it later.
She thought about it now and suddenly she knew she needed to take it.
Luke opened the car door for her. She hesitated before getting in.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s just—can we go to my place instead of back to yours?”
He motioned for her to get in the car and when he’d buckled himself in, he asked, “It’ll take longer to get there, but sure. Any particular reason?”
“I need to call Guy and after I do that, I’ll probably need to e-mail him some things.”
He pulled out of the hospital parking lot and headed to the interstate. “Let me get this straight. You want me to agree to go to your house instead of mine so you can not only call some other guy, but so that you can work, too? Hell, no.”
“It’s not like that.”
He didn’t take his eyes off the road, but he lifted his eyebrow. “Then tell me how it is.”
“I realized a few things today and I want to move forward on them.”
“Things like what?” he asked.
She peeked at him. He appeared to be genuinely interested. Or at least he was willing to listen.
“Things like it’s time for me to look into a job I want and not one I’m settling for. Guy gave me information on a correspondent position and I’ve decided I’m going to go for it.”
“Will you be working with Guy?” he asked.
“Are you jealous?”
“No.”
Suddenly she had a flashback to the pizza restaurant a few weeks ago. “Yes, you are. You’re jealous. Interesting, since I’ve told you I have zero interest in Guy. Besides, you’re one to talk.”
“How do you figure that?”
“I happened to be at a certain pizzeria near Central Park a few weeks ago when you showed up with a date.” She’d actually wanted to bring it up earlier, but after everything that happened with Jake and Ted, the timing hadn’t felt right.
“What? No. I haven’t been on a date . . .” He started to protest, and then he must have remembered. “Oh, her.”
“Yes, her. And if you’re going to be all jealous over Guy, you should at least tell me her name so I can annoy you properly.”
“Her name’s Louisa.”
Louisa? That was worse than Ophelia.
“Louisa? Really?”
“Yes, but I call her Lu.”
He would have a pet name for her. Meagan wondered how long they’d known each other. And for some reason, he was finding this conversation funny. He looked straight ahead, but she could tell he was holding back his laughter.
“Does Lu have a last name?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“And it’s what?”
He wasn’t even trying to hold back his amusement now. “DeVaan.”
She wasn’t certain she heard him clearly. “What?”
“Lu DeVaan. My sister. She lives in New Orleans and happened to be in town for the weekend. To be honest, that wasn’t my first choice of places to eat, but I’d taken her there once before and she said she couldn’t be in New York and not eat there.”
“Oh,” was all she could think of to say.
He was smug now. The bastard.
“I think I like you jealous,” he said, then reached over and squeezed her knee. “I’m sorry if that made you feel bad. Seeing Lu and thinking I’d moved on. Trust me. I hadn’t.”
