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“I’ll continue to help manifest greatness into your life.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Aubergine. I have to run. I’m already late for dinner with Wyatt and Penny.”
“Yet another good thing my intentions have brought into your life.”
I laughed. She was always taking credit for anything positive that happened. She called itraising her vibrations. Truth was, she did pretty much get what she set out to do, so part of me couldn’t find it in me to tease her too much. “You’re the best, Mom.”
After we hung up, I huffed out a breath and fluffed my hair again.
It’s just dinner—Penny invited you.
I pressed a hand to the flutters rioting in my tummy. I was being silly. It was just dinner, but there was something about being in his home, outside of me working for him that felt... intimate.
We’d done a pretty good job of keeping things between us strictly professional. Wyatt had a string of meetings in St. Fowler, and with me helping Kevin cram for an upcoming exam, the days were busy.
One last swipe of lipstick and I headed down the stairs and across the gravel to their house. The door was open, but I still rapped my knuckles on the screen door.
“It’s open.” Just his voice sent ripples down my spine.
I stepped inside, drawn in by the warm smells coming from the kitchen. I set the bottle of red wine I was clutching down on the table.
“You didn’t need to bring anything, but thank you.” Wyatt’s eyes lingered on my mouth a fraction of a second too long, and I felt my temperature rise.
“Annie introduced me to Charles Attwater; he’s opening the new wine shop in town. I guess they’ve become friends.”
Wyatt grunted in response as he turned back to the stove. “Lee said that guy was a tool.”
I bit back a smile. I might have been the only one in town who seemed to think there was some mutual pining simmering between Lee and Annie. Or maybe they had just been friends for so long I was seeing something that wasn’t really there.
Penny moved around me, placing three forks next to the plates already on the table. “Just us?” I asked her, curious where Michael, Kevin, and Joey had run off to.
“Dad gave them money and told them to get lost.”
My eyes flew to Wyatt’s when I saw him frown. “It wasn’texactlylike that.”
I stifled a little smile and helped Penny finish putting down plates and silverware on the small farmhouse table.
During dinner, Penny drew most of the attention, sharing little snippets of our adventures over the past several days. I knew she missed her dad when he had to work long hours or travel back to St. Fowler, and even though he’d already heard of our dip in Wabash Lake and of Joey trying to convince me he could do a backflip off the rocks, Wyatt listened to her every word. Thankfully, I had challenged Joey and Michael to a race to the shore, and Joey had been easily distracted from going through with the backflip.
“Thank you for that.” Wyatt sighed as he no doubt thought about Joey’s reckless nature. “He’s going to get himself killed, one random injury at a time.”
“For an athlete, he is surprisingly clumsy.” My affection for the three boys had grown in the past weeks. They were good kids. I couldn’t help but wonder how life might change for them if they continued to have successful football careers—or didn’t.
Joey’s confidence was unwavering, Kevin seemed determined to make professional football his life path by sheer will, and Michael always talked about life after football as if he had a feeling pro ball wasn’t in the cards for him.
I crossed my legs, and my knee brushed against Wyatt’s thigh. As I adjusted, his warm hand landed on my knee and gave it a quick squeeze. His eyes were still tuned to Penny, deep into another story, and before I could discreetly put my hand on top of his, it was gone.
My body hummed with how close Wyatt was, but always just a millimeter too far away. My fingertips itched to rake through his hair. We’d agreed to keep our growing attraction between us, but in the intimate space of his home, it was becoming nearly impossible.
After salad and pasta alfredo and garlic bread, I stood to help clear the table. Penny raced down the hallway, prompting me to speak up. “Nice try, Pen! We all help out.”
She popped back around the corner and into the kitchen with a smile. “Sorry. I forgot.”
I wrinkled my nose at her and pulled her into a one-armed hug. “You’re the best. You know that, right?”
Penny beamed up at me. “Yeah.”
I glanced at Wyatt, who stood still, holding two plates, staring at us. The tight line of his lips had a rock settling into my stomach.
