Chapter 44

Lori paced anxiously as she waited for Ben and Eric. The tension between the two men was obvious and Lori couldn't quite figure out how to diffuse it. Eric was being jealous and Ben was being protective and she didn't know exactly how she felt herself. She stopped to scratch Q on the head and complain to him. She told the iguana all about her night with Eric, the call to Richard and her decision to slow things down. The lizard just leaned into her fingers, content with being scratched and Lori began to feel soothed. Just to make matters worse, however, she heard a throat being cleared in her doorway.

Lori jumped. "Wes! I didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously not," Wesley replied. "You were too busy wallowing."

Lori nodded. "Yeah, I guess I was." She had to get Wes out of here before Ben and Eric showed up. "I supposed I ought to go wallow at home."

Wes crossed her arms and leaned against the doorjamb. "You're a lousy liar, Lori," she told her friend bluntly. "What's going on?"