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“It’s amazing how fast they go,” she said to Starla, who stood next to her, checking off meals as people went through the line.
“Right?” Starla didn’t even look up from her clipboard. “We work for hours, and the food is gone in minutes.” She flashed a smile at a guest, nodded at his bright blue wristband that told her he got a lunch, and made another mark on her list.
Once everyone had gone through, several lunches remained, one of which belonged to Gina. The cowboys and cowgirls who worked at the lodge and the ranch often ordered lunch here, and she’d been doing that since she started.
Blake had paid for her first month, and when she’d found out, she’d tried to pay him back. He wouldn’t have it, though, and she’d given up trying.
“You ready for this?” she asked, picking up her lunch and then taking the white-chocolate raspberry cake.
Starla clipped the pencil to the top of the board. “I’m so ready.”
“How did your practice with Jesse go?” Gina glanced at Starla, then continued to look as the other woman ducked her head, a flush creeping its way into her face right before Gina’s eyes. “Starla?”
“Great,” Starla said, her voice almost a whole octave higher.
“Why doesn’t that sound great?” Gina grinned at her. “What happened? Was he rude to you? I swear, I will give him a piece of—”
“He wasn’t rude,” Starla said, throwing her a glare. “You don’t need to say anything.” She walked away from Gina, her head held high, but that blush still staining her cheeks.
Gina couldn’t help giggling, and her smile only widened when she caught sight of Blake coming out of the administration hallway with Adam and Jesse himself. “Hey,” he drawled as he approached. “Are you on lunch?” His hand slid along her waist as his brothers picked up their food.
“I’m holding my food, aren’t I?” She looked past him to Jesse. “Hey, Jesse, are you playing with Starla today?”
Jesse looked up, his dark eyebrows bunching together. “Yes.”
Gina grinned at him. “I told you Starla was a good player.”
Jesse went back to his cake choices, but Gina saw the redness in his face too. She linked her arm through Blake’s and said, “I can’twaitfor this afternoon’s tournament.”
He looked at her with a questioning glint in his eye. “Is that right?”
“Yeah,” she said, leading him away now that he’d gotten his lunch too. “Maybe we won’t be last after today.”
“You will be,” Jesse called after them. “Starla and I are practicing during lunch, not kissing on the picnic table.”
Blake chuckled, and Gina couldn’t contain her smile either. Once they’d left his earshot she whispered in a loud voice, “But kissing is more fun.”
“I thought you wanted to win,” Blake said between his chuckles.
“No,” Gina said. “I don’t want to be in last place.” She danced ahead of him. “Are you seriously suggesting we go practice cornhole instead of hiding behind the bald cypress and kissing?”
“Absolutely not,” Blake said, and Gina laughed along with him.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Blake clapped his hands together, whooping for his sister as Holly’s corn bag landed on the board and slid up, up, up…and dropped through the hole. The crowd gathered around the family tournament roared, and Holly gave a double-high-five to her partner, Sierra.
He grinned at his sisters, who had just taken the top spot on the Stewart family leaderboard with their win over Adam and Lowry. The man who sat at the front desk, Lowry, jogged over and congratulated them, giving Holly and Sierra hugs while Adam bent to pick up all the bags. He wouldn’t be happy, but he’d be gracious.
“Our last tournament today,” Todd yelled above the quieting chatter and applause. “Is Blake and Gina, who currently sit in last place, against Mama and Daddy, just one rung above them.”
“Game time,” Gina said, and a mask slid into place over her features. Blake shook his head and prayed for a miracle. He wasn’t sure what the next week would hold if they couldn’t beat his elderly parents. “Do you want your mom or dad?”
“Better give me Mama,” he said. “She can talk some trash and make it sound pretty.”
Gina looked at him with wide eyes. “Really?”
“Have you met my brothers? Did you just see Sierra taunting Kyle? Where do you think they get that?” He shook his head, chuckling. “It ain’t from Daddy.”
