Lover Beware

day, she’d turned him down. So he just might be getting tired of calling. Which was a good thing, she told herself firmly as she grabbed the phone, cutting off her answering machine’s spiel. “Hello?”
    “You’ve been out running again, haven’t you? At night , Lily. You know how unsafe that is.”
    Lily sighed. “Hello, Mother. I’m a big girl now, and a cop, and I keep to well-lit areas where there are people.”
    “None of which makes you invulnerable.”
    Her lips quirked up as she thought of Rule’s opinion of her driving. “I had Worf with me.”
    “As if that lazy creature was any kind of protection! I don’t know why you kept that animal. You aren’t home enough to take proper care of him, and he’s too large for an apartment. Besides, you know how Grandmother feels about dogs.”
    “Grandmother isn’t living with Worf. I am.” She picked up his water dish and carried it to the sink. “What’s up? You didn’t call to lecture me about pet ownership.”
    “I don’t need a reason to call my daughter. But I did think it was time to finalize some of the details for Grandmother’s party. It’s this Friday.”
    Lily managed not to groan. “I know that, Mother. The cake’s ordered, the invitations went out weeks ago, and it’s being held at Uncle Chan’s restaurant. He won’t let anyone mess with his menu, so there’s no point in discussing the food. I’ve bought a dress, and yes, I’ve bought a present, wrapped and ready. What’s left to discuss?”
    Stupid question. Her mother had plenty to say. Lily’s older sister was attending with her husband, of course. And her brother was bringing his fiancée, a young woman whose virtues included the possession of a good Chinese family, a position at an accounting firm, and respect for her elders. While Worf slurped up his water and Lily grabbed a bottle from the refrigerator, she learned that her younger sister was bringing a doctor from the hospital where her older sister worked.
    She also learned who each of her cousins was bringing, and their financial and family histories. By the time her mother reached the real point of her call, Lily was sprawled in her favorite chair, one leg dangling over the padded arm, prepared for what came next.
    Her mother didn’t disappoint her. “So who will you be bringing, dear?”
    “I haven’t asked anyone.” Lily slumped farther down in the overstuffed chair. “I don’t see that it’s necessary.”
    “Of course it’s necessary. This is a formal party, Lily. You will look foolish if you attend without an escort. You will cause your father and me to lose face, and Grandmother, too.”
    She closed her eyes. The “face” argument was one she couldn’t counter. “I’m not seeing anyone right now. Do you want me to ask someone from Homicide? Or there’s a very nice Vice officer—his name is Lawrence, but we all call him Curly. I think he’d agree, and he might even shave, since it’s formal. He works undercover a lot,” she explained. “The three-day beard helps him blend in.”
    Stony silence greeted that bit of flippancy.
    She sighed. “I’m sorry, Mother. But there really isn’t anyone I want to ask.”
    “I’m well aware that your job exposes you to the wrong sort of men. This is only one of the reasons your father and I had hoped you would choose a more appropriate career. Who do you ever meet, other than police officers and criminals?”
    The words came out before she could stop herself. “I did meet a very good-looking man a few days ago. His family owns quite a bit of land—a vineyard, a cattle ranch, some other properties. He manages some of their investments and, ah, has contacts in the government. He’s asked me out several times.”
    “And you haven’t accepted? He is single, isn’t he?”
    Extremely single. From what she’d heard, lupi didn’t believe in marriage. “I would hardly have mentioned him if he weren’t.”
    “I don’t know what you are looking for, but you must be realistic. You aren’t getting any younger, and while you’re a very pretty girl you don’t always take the care you might with your appearance. And your job—well, we’ve covered that subject many times, so I won’t go into it now. You must learn to make some accommodations, dear. I suppose this man isn’t Chinese, but surely you don’t think that would make him unacceptable?”
    “Ah…no, he isn’t Chinese. Actually, he—”
    “Asking him to accompany you to the party