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That two people now wanted to know who she was dating.

He wasn’t so sure why it was bothering him when he knew it’d happen.

But knowing and having it be a fact didn’t help him any.

He marched over to the pot, picked up the spoon, pulled a meatball out and cut it in half. After the steam leaked out, he broke off a smaller piece and popped it in his mouth.

“Fuck,” he mumbled as it burned the roof of his mouth, but he chewed while his sister kept her eyes trained on him as if his answer were life or death. “It’s good.”

“You’re not just saying that?”

“I’d tell you if they were bad because I wouldn’t want either of us to get a stomachache or have to spit it out at the table. They are good. Relax.”

“Thanks,” Bella said, her smile growing now that the concern was gone. “And the sauce?”

“Tasted fine to me.”

“Want to put some on bread to try it? That is what Jane does.”

“I know what she does,” he said. “But it’s fine. I need to shower and change. Marly will be here in thirty minutes.”

“Oh, should I start the water and spaghetti?”

“You can wait,” he said. “Go take a chill pill.”

“A what?”

“Never mind.”

Sometimes he was so far out of reach talking to his sister.

“Colson,” Bella said.

He turned when he was three steps out of the kitchen. “Yes?”

“You tell me to stop being extra. Or to calm your farm. No one uses chill pill but old people.”

“Yeah, well, I’m old to you. Calm your farm?” He shook his head to her laughter and walked away.

Even if he tried to remember that, it’d change tomorrow, he was positive.

When he got to his room, he removed his badge and put it on his dresser, then put his gun in his safe and locked it. Walking into his bathroom, stripping on the way, he turned the shower on, then walked back out to get a change of clothing.

If this dinner might be more cozy or intimate than what he was ready for, it didn’t matter.

Actually, it wasn’t that he wasn’t ready. He worried that maybe Marly wasn’t.

That she was looking at her past, his past, their future, their jobs and seeing all the obstacles in the way.

Anything that might make her change her mind and back up a few steps rather than hit the gas and move forward.

When he was done showering and dressed, he returned to the kitchen to see Bella setting the table off to the side. Normally the two of them ate at the counter on the stools. And there were three of them, but he wanted to be at the table himself.

“I made cookies,” Bella said. “Did you see them?”

He turned quickly and saw the container, moved closer and opened it. Chocolate chip. “Did you turn the oven on? What have I said about that?”

“In the air fryer,” Bella said, lifting her chin. “And I’m not going to burn the house down, Colson. I know what I’m doing.”