Faux Vows, True Desires

"No, there's no one," Lucinda stammered.

"Really? Are you sure?" Stefan pressed with a sly grin.

"Well, there's this guy at work who always seems to wait for me to clock out. He likes to sit with me at lunch too," Lucinda admitted, feeling the weight of her words in Stefan's territory.

She knew better than to lie to Stefan. He had a way of finding out the truth, and the consequences weren't always pleasant. So, she told him about the colleague who hadn't made an official move yet but was clearly interested.

"Well, he hasn't made a move yet, so no need to worry. I'll be heading back to Skywatch in a few days anyway," she said, hoping to reassure him and spare her colleague any trouble. Getting a decent job with good pay and benefits was tough enough without her husband's interference.

"It's my fault for hiding my true identity from him. If he knew who I was married to, he wouldn't dare to even think about it," she added.

Stefan's face was calm as he replied, "I never said I was going to do anything to the guy. Why are you so quick to defend him?"

"I just don't want someone to lose their job because of me," Lucinda said, setting down her cutlery and scooting over to wrap her arms around Stefan's neck. She planted a playful kiss on his lips and beamed at him. "You've got great taste, you know. Even with this hideous makeup on, someone's still interested in me. You've got a catch."

"Only you could boast in such a refreshingly modest way. I've always had good taste." Stefan chuckled, expertly serving Lucinda a helping of his favorite lasagna. "You have to promise you won't let anyone else get close. Remember, you are a taken woman!"

"With you as my husband, who could I possibly be interested in?"

barely keep up with my appetite, how could you even think about stepping out?" Stefan teased, his voice dipped

she said, quickly serving him another portion to change the subject. "I'll make sure

speechless. Their lunch break had turned into quite the feast,

Stefan was considerate enough not to overindulge,

without much fanfare for Lucinda, but her friend Cecilia was another story. After returning to the Serendipity Cafe with Owen, Becca, Cecilia's mother, grilled the young man

advantage of did she relax and warm up to Owen. Initially, Owen felt uncertain under the stern gaze of his potential mother-in-law. Thankfully, his honorable intentions paid off,

baked chocolate chip cookies, a sign that she was starting to see him

Yates," Owen said, grinning

growing. He had shown genuine care for her daughter, not just a

a thought crossed her mind-could Owen be impotent? But as she observed his healthy and well-maintained appearance, she dismissed the notion with a flush of

a word with you?" Owen asked

maintained her smile. "Mr. Martinez,

Mrs. Yates. I wanted to mention that Cecilia tore my

beat, "She should

trip? I'd like

cunning man! It was clearly an excuse to

she called out, "Cecilia, come here,