Page 138 of Worth the Trip

“Predictable.”

“And effective.”

Unfortunately, he had evidence.

Landon reached for the serving platter and filled my plate with salmon, potatoes, green beans, and a biscuit. I looked at the biscuit, then at him.

“You assumed I wanted that.”

“I watched you eat at dinner.”

“That was a week ago.”

“And?”

“Normal people forget incidental details.”

“Normal sounds inefficient.”

Mama Brooks looked between us. “He remembered what you ate?”

“He remembers everything.”

“Not everything,” Landon said.

“What’d you forget?”

He looked down.

His own plate was empty.

Of course.

I took the serving spoon before he could reach for it. “Hershey.”

I ignored him and put salmon on his plate, followed by potatoes, green beans, and a biscuit. “Sit.”

Warren lowered his fork.

Landon stared at me. “You giving orders in my mama’s house?”

“Nah. I’m feeding the man who fed everybody except himself.”

His expression changed only slightly, but I knew what I’d caught.

“Reciprocity,” I added.

Mama Brooks lifted her water glass. “Good. Somebody finally made him sit down.”

Landon looked between us. “This alliance formed entirely too fast.”

“You brought me into hostile territory without preparation.”

Warren raised his eyebrows. “Hostile?”

“Your wife accused your crab filling of cowardice.”

“It needed courage,” Mama Brooks said.