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Confused, he turned her so he could look at her. “For?”
“For that hug. I needed that. I must be crazy inviting Lizzy over for dinner.”
He hated that she felt the need to thank him for something he wanted to do. Something he needed to do. “First of all, you don’t have to thank me for hugging you. When I’m near you I need to touch you. And I tried to talk you out of this, but you’re stubborn. But regardless, it’s going to be fine.”
She giggled, the sound making him feel things that he wasn’t willing to label. Each time he made her smile or made her laugh, he vowed to himself that he would make sure she did those things repeatedly throughout the day. His reasons were selfish, and he was okay with that.
“You really think it’s going to be okay? It seemed like a good idea when I came up with it, but now I feel stupid. She must think I’m a psycho.”
He placed a quick kiss on her lips. “It’s going to be fine. Everything is a hundred times better since I followed your advice and talked to her. It’s going to be great. What can I help you with?”
She turned her attention back to the kitchen and slowly looked around as if surveying the damage. “I finished the prep. If you could load the dishwasher while I start cooking, that would be amazing. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“Sam, I offered to help because I want to.”
Without waiting for her response, he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and got started. The dishes she spoke of were the ones she used for the prep: cutting boards, large bowls, and utensils. It didn’t take him long. He wiped down the counter before returning to her side.
“What else?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind and placing a kiss on her neck.
Her breathing faltered and she tried to hide it by clearing her throat. “That’s all I can think of. Thanks for helping.”
Again, he was irritated by the idea of her doing everything without any help or appreciation from his brother. He was still working hard at leaving his anger in the past. He’d managed to forgive Brandon for the things he did when they were teenagers. He’d even forgiven him for skipping out at their mother’s funeral. What he couldn’t seem to get past was the way he’d treated Samantha.
Samantha was in the kitchen getting everything prepared to serve when the doorbell rang. Lizzy was a few minutes early. Bryce answered the door to give Samantha some time.
Lizzy stood on the other side of the door, so bundled up he could barely recognize her. A blast of cold air hit him, and he ushered her inside so he could hurry and close the door.
“It’s freezing out there,” Lizzy said as she handed Bryce the bottle of red wine she’d been carrying. “Why anyone ever leaves the house in the winter is beyond me.”
“Right? Winter is for hibernating,” Samantha said as she made her way from the kitchen. “I’m Samantha. I’m so glad you’re here.”
Bryce watched as Lizzy’s back went rod straight and the smile she flashed didn’t reach her eyes. Curiosity had him wanting to call her out on it, but he didn’t want to do anything to cause drama. Samantha was already nervous. But he would definitely be asking her about it when he saw her at work.
“Thanks. Thanks for inviting me,” Lizzy sputtered. “I hope red wine is okay. I wasn’t sure what you were making.”
“It’s perfect, thank you.” She took the bottle from Bryce and set it on the table. “You guys should open this and get started while I bring the food out.”
Bryce didn’t want to leave her to do everything on her own, but he also didn’t want to be rude to their guest and leave her sitting at the table by herself. The idea to plan a dinner with just the three of them probably wasn’t the best.
“Lizzy, why don’t you have a seat? I’ll be right there to join you.”
He ignored Samantha’s facial expression and picked up the salad bowl and tongs, ignoring her suggestion to have a glass of wine and wait with Lizzy. Lizzy had just opened the wine and poured three glasses by the time he arrived back at the table. When he sat down, she slid a glass of wine over to him. She opened her mouth to speak but clamped it shut when Samantha joined them at the table.
“I hope chicken parm is okay. If you don’t eat meat, there’s spaghetti to go with it. And garlic bread. Or if you just want something to go along with the salad, I’m sure I can find something,” Samantha rushed to say.
Bryce placed a hand on her thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze at the same time Lizzy spoke up. “Chicken parm sounds perfect. Thank you.”
They served themselves salad and started eating to cover the awkward silence. The salad was delicious. It was a simple Caesar salad, but that was his favorite. Samantha appeared to relax a bit even as Lizzy looked more uncomfortable.
“Bryce? Want to help me clear the salad and bring out the main course?”
He was up in an instant, excusing himself from the table. When they reached the kitchen, Samantha shoved a bowl of pasta into his hands and looked over his shoulder.
“What’s her deal?” Samantha whispered.
Bryce figured his best option was to play dumb. He knew Lizzy well enough to know she was acting very strange, but he had hoped Samantha wouldn’t notice. He looked at her, his face a mask of what he hoped would come off as confusion, as he waited for her to elaborate.
“Is she always like that? For someone you described as over-familiar, she sure is super standoffish.”
