Page 87 of Fierce-Zander

“He will. He’ll follow your lead. He stays out of those things.”

“He does,” he said.

Zander hung up the phone and then called Regan to see how she felt about meeting his parents for a holiday dinner.

“Hello,” she said. “Do you miss me already? It hasn’t even been an hour since you left.”

“I do miss you,” he said. “But I know we both have things to do.” They’d spent all day together yesterday and then didn’t leave Royce’s until almost ten. Went back to her place for the night and as much as he would have liked to stay, he did have too much to do. “I just got off the phone with my mother.”

“And you told her about me?” she asked. “You didn’t waste any time.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No,” she said. “I’m assuming she’d like to meet me?”

He wished he could see her face to know if she was smiling or nervous over this.

“She would. How does Thanksgiving dinner sound on Thursday? Is that too much to do it then?”

“It sounds great,” she said. “And saves me from telling my parents no and sitting home alone. I can say no and that I have plans. I’ll let them know about you too.”

“Score points for me,” he said. “I don’t even have to bill insurance for figuring that out.”

She burst out laughing on the other end. “What is it you figured out?”

“Why are you laughing if you don’t know?”

“I’m laughing over the insurance comment,” she said.

“Oh. Anyway, what I figured out was that you might not want to choose between your parents for the holiday. I hadn’t realized you’d sit home alone though.”

“I normally alternated houses and Kellen and I went together. This year without him, I just couldn’t.”

“Because you saw how good Royce and Chloe were together and realized it’s nothing you’ve seen before?” he asked.

She’d told him last night it was refreshing to see two people so in love and in tune with each other.

He’d like to think that maybe he was getting there with Regan too but wouldn’t admit that.

“That’s some of it, but I’d made the decision not to see either of my parents before last night.”

“Were you going to tell me?” he asked.

“I would have,” she said.

“When?”

“This week,” she said. “Before Thursday. But now I don’t have to worry about it. I can call and let my mother know too and get it over with.”

“Let me guess, you weren’t going to tell them until the last minute either,” he said. “That you weren’t coming?”

“I was debating letting them each think I was going to the other’s without saying a word.”

He didn’t expect her to do that. To use avoidance that way.

“Now you don’t have to lie,” he said.

“Oh, there wouldn’t have been any lying. I just wouldn’t have said a word. As I said, not a problem.”