Try as she might, she could not get Mr. Hunk—aka John, or so he said—out of her mind. Devilishly handsome, sexy, he was a total hunk. Grateful no one could read her mind, she wondered if Mr. Hunk had delivered the music boxes to Christmas-birthday girl. Or was he the kind who could keep a secret? When she and Eric Porter had dated, his inability to keep surprises to himself irritated her. Took the fun out of gift-giving, no matter the occasion. She liked a guy who could keep things exciting. She’d bet the bank Mr. Hunk couldn’t wait to show Christmas-birthday girl the music boxes, and he’d probably tell her exactly what he’d spent. Lauren always removed the price tags when she wrapped a gift for customers and placed them in an envelope, along with the gift receipts. She did not like showy, braggart men.

Eric was that and more. Briefly, she wondered where he was in life now. Had he married? Had children? Somehow she doubted it, as he was too much of a control freak. It would take an evenly matched woman for him to settle down. Not that she cared one way or the other. Her thoughts were all over the place.

She’d called Brent last night. A bit of last-minute planning on her part, she’d asked if he would mind bringing the kitties to the house tonight since she had this quick business trip to make. He’d been way too agreeable, but that was Brent. She truly cared for him, but only as a friend, and he was always good for last-minute favors. Maybe Mom would invite him to stay for dinner.

“Morning, dear,” said her mother. “You look like you’re on planet Mars.” She popped a Keurig pod into the machine.

Lauren gave her a weak smile. “I didn’t sleep much last night. You know how I feel about flying.”