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“Do you have a name?” he asked, that slow grin of his widening. Dressed similarly to Nash, the two men were matching bookends. Except for the tie, of course. No Batman hanging from this guy’s neck.
“I do,” she replied, warming to him instantly.
His grin deepened even more, and his eyes looked her over with a wicked glint. Trouble definitely ran in the Booker family genes. Along with looks and charisma, and probably a boatload of other stuff she couldn’t think about right now.
“You going to share or make me guess?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
He leaned against the doorjamb. “Oh?”
“Her name is Honey, and she’s not on the menu, Cam.”
“Too bad,” Cam said with a wink. “I was just thinking about skipping straight to dessert.”
Honey chuckled. “Do those cheesy lines actually work?”
“What do you think?”
“Boys.” The slim blonde now stood a few feet away, the baby resting on her hip. “Let’s back up and give the lady some room.” She smiled. “I’m Melody, and these two Neanderthals are my brothers.” She glanced at Nash, her eyes sparkling. “I didn’t know you were dating anyone.”
“Nash doesn’t date,” Honey replied dryly.
Cam chuckled. “She’s got your number down.”
Nash ignored his brother. “Honey isn’t from Crystal Lake, and she was alone today, so I invited her for dinner. Nothing more.”
Ouch. He didn’t have to sound like it was a repulsive idea.
Nash looked pointedly at his sister. “Trust me, we’re not dating.”
“Not that I’d ever go there, but we’d never work out.” Honey felt the need to say something. No way was Nash gonna have the last word and make her look like an idiot.
“See?” Nash shrugged. “Honey and I are just friends.”
“I also have a brain in my head,” she retorted.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His eyes narrowed dangerously.
“I don’t think Jade Daniels is auditioning for Jeopardy anytime soon, do you?” A strange sort of exhilaration coursed through Honey. Her heart thumped against her chest, and she felt her cheeks heat up. “Besides,” she continued, eyes flashing. “You couldn’t handle me, Booker.”
Melody laughed and punched her brother in the arm. “Too bad. I like her.”
Nash glared at his sister. “I give up. Let’s talk about something else.”
“But we can’t talk about the thing,” Tink said.
Cam slowly looked away from Honey and rested his gaze on his nephew. Gone was the teasing spark from his eyes. Melody shifted, her discomfort easy to see. “What thing would that be, little man?”
Oblivious to the tension, Tink shrugged. “Your thing. Mommy said we couldn’t talk about it.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Because it was a bad thing.”
“Did she, now.” Cam shot a look to his sister.
In less than five seconds, the mood had gone from teasing and light to dark and moody.
Lisa Booker breezed over and gave Honey a hug. “Let’s not bother Honey with any of that. I’m glad you’re here. No one should be alone on Thanksgiving.” Lisa’s voice was a tad too high and her smile overly bright. She looked at Honey and held up the wine bottles. “Red or white, dear?”
If Honey had any manners at all, she’d make up some sort of excuse and go home, because she was pretty damn sure Nash wouldn’t give a crap anymore. But the thing about growing up in Sunset Park Trailer home? Her manners were a little rough around the edges and sometimes nonexistent. The devil nipped at her toes, and a slow smile spread across her face. This felt like familiar territory. The tension. The unsaid dark things. Hell, she might even enjoy it considering it wasn’t her pathetic excuse of a family stirring up trouble.
