Chapter 3
One week. Lissa sighed. It had been one week since she'd had dinner with Alex.Seven days.
One hundred and sixty eight hours.
She glanced at her watch. Well, she wasn't going to go so far as to count down the minutes, too. It was just dinner, after all.
And a walk on the beach. And sitting on the sand in the moonlight. And he kissed her.
Okay, 10,080 minutes since she'd last seen Alex.
She called to the waitress, and got a refill for her coffee. She was supposed to meet Kat for lunch, and Kat was late. She sighed. Not that it really mattered. She was on vacation, and time shouldn't matter.
Like one week since she'd been with Alex.
They'd spent the past week chatting on the phone. Once or twice, he'd called her around one in the morning. She'd teased him, saying that if it was a booty call, he was out of luck.
She did like him, though. He was smart. He was funny.
He looked great in a bathing suit.
Lissa shook her head. No, not going to go there. They'd just met.
"Seems like you had an interesting evening," Kat said, plunking a paper down in front of her.
"What are you talking...about?" Lissa's voice trailed off as her gaze caught the picture.
"Page 3 in the tabloids. Not bad," Kat said, motioning to the waitress.
"It was just dinner," Lissa protested, eyes scanning the article.
Kat gave her order to the waitress, then said, "Okay, so that's just dinner. From the way you two are holding hands, dessert was probably pretty interesting."
Lissa closed the tabloid with a grimace. "It was just dinner."
"Nothing happened?" Kat asked with a grin.
Lissa answered Kat's grin with one of her own. "Well, we did go for a walk on the beach."
"My best friend is dating a Backstreet Boy," she sighed dramatically, making Lissa laugh. "So, think you can get me a date with the tall one with the eyebrows?"
"Isn't he married?" Lissa asked.
"You're the one dating a Backstreet Boy, not me. How should I know?"
"We're not dating." At Kat's raised eyebrow, Lissa continued, "It was just that one dinner."
"Nothing else?"
Lissa's voice was hesitant as she added, "Well, there have been a few phone calls."
Kat was nodding. "Okay, so you're just having phone sex with a Backstreet Boy."
"His name is Alex, and we are not having phone sex," Lissa corrected.
"My, aren't we touchy on the subject," Kat teased.
"He's not just a Backstreet Boy, Kat," Lissa sighed, folding the tabloid in half so she couldn't see the alien interview on the cover. "He's got a great sense of humor. You should hear the jokes he tells. Thought I was going to wet myself a couple of times, I laughed so hard," she chuckled.
"Uh-huh, go on."
"He's got this sexy voice, and when he laughs..." she sighed. "He's just..."
"He's headed this way," Kat said, laughing when Lissa whipped around in her seat.
"Glad I caught up with you," Alex said when he reached their table. "Mind if I join you?" he asked.
"Nope, not at all," Kat said with a grin.
"Yes," Lissa said, finally finding her voice. "Please join us." Kat kicked her under the table as Alex sat down. "Oh, by the way, this is Kat, my best friend. Kat, this is Alex."
"Lissa's told me nothing about you," Kat said, shaking the hand he extended to her.
"We just had dinner that one night," Alex said.
"What? No phone sex?" Kat asked, shooting a mock accusatory glare at Lissa.
"You promised you wouldn't tell," Alex teased.
Lissa took a sip of her water. "Very funny, you guys. Very funny. I can see that this is going to be an interesting lunch."
"'bout as interesting as that article in The Tattler," Kat said.
"What article?" Alex asked. With a sigh, Lissa handed him the tabloid. "Abducted by aliens?"
"Page three," Kat chuckled.
Alex dutifully turned to page three, then scanned the article. As he closed the tabloid, he said to Lissa, "It's a good picture of you."
"That's it?" Kat asked.
"Lissa looks good in blue," Alex replied.
"It says you two are now an 'item'."
Alex smiled at Lissa. "Are we?"
She smiled back at him. "I dunno, are we?"
Kat drummed her fingers on the table. "You two are a laugh riot, you know that?"
"I thought we were going to get together for dinner," Lissa said to Alex, effectively changing the subject.
Alex looked a little embarrassed as he explained, "I can't make dinner, tonight."
"Oh," Lissa sighed, picking up her fork and moving her salad around her plate.
"But you have this afternoon, right?" Kat asked. Alex nodded then turned to Lissa.
Lissa shook her head. "Kat, we were supposed to..."
"We can get together tomorrow."
"But your work..."
"I think I can pencil you in," Kat chuckled. "See, now you two can have all afternoon together." She sipped her tea. "As a thank you, Alex, you can set me up with that tall guy with eyebrows."
"Kevin's married," Alex chuckled.
"Oh," Kat said, momentarily deflated. "What about that other dark haired guy, the one with the great chest?"
"Howie?" Alex asked.
"Is he the one with the naked chest in 'Quit Playing Games'?" Alex nodded. "Yes, what about him? Is he available?"
Alex picked up a napkin, scribbled on it, then handed it to Kat. "Not sure. Why don't you call him, and find out?"
Kat read over the napkin, and grinned. Looking eerily like her namesake, she purred, "I believe I will."
Alex chuckled. Still grinning, he turned to Lissa. "Okay, I'm all yours. What do you want to do this afternoon?"
Lissa grinned at him. "I've got an idea."