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“Just don’t fuck things up. She’s amazing for this town,” I say.
“Ye of little faith.” Chuck saunters to the stairs, going to his room.
“Can you stay for dinner?” I ask, turning to Caleb. “Bryant is making enough for all four of us, but I have a meeting that I’m leaving for soon, and you could likely use a pile of protein after dealing with the mare today.”
Matt musses Caleb’s hair, making an odd picture since Caleb’s older. “He’s staying. The man can burn soup and is not to be trusted to cook edible food for himself.”
Caleb tries to hold back a smile. “I suppose I can let Bryant bribe me with his grilling skills. Maybe he can give me some pointers.”
“Maybe you’ll be part of the dinner rotation here,” I say.
“No, you’re not learning from Bryant. You’ll never eat a vegetable with any color for the rest of your life,” Matt says.
“That’s fair,” I agree.
“Okay, maybe I'll just stick with lessons from the Landen brother who already keeps me healthy.”
Matt blushes again.
“Why don’t you two get cleaned up? You can snag a pair of my sweats if you’d like, you and I are closer in size,” I say to Caleb. “Actually, you should just keep a few sets of clothes here. You could keep them in one of the extra bedrooms.”
It’s clear he’s about to protest so I put a hand up.
“You’re starting to work here more and more. Plus, we con you into eating with us a lot, so you can crash here when you like. Just think about it.” I pat Caleb on the shoulder. “I’m going to grab a bite now before my meeting.”
As I turn to go into the kitchen, I catch a glimpse of Matt looking confused. But he clears his expression right away and he goes upstairs with his buddy. What the heck was that all about?
Before anyone can give me shit about my meal preferences, I grab leftover rice, chicken, and some fresh veggies, making a quick fried rice.
For some reason, I’m feeling calm about tonight. Maybe it’s because it’s not a date. Or another non-date.
Oh shit. Is this a terrible idea to be on so many things together? She seems interested, lord knows why. But she seemed genuinely disappointed the other night before I finished saying that it hadn’t been a date, but a work thing.
Or is she just interested for now?
The clamping of my stomach has me shaking my head. I don’t let myself go down that old road. Fuck, because of Maisy, I have doubts creeping into my head that didn’t exist before shit went south.
It’s high time I get over the damage she left me with.
Chapter 17: Sam
I can’t believe I almost put the wrong binder in my tote for the meeting. Now I’m double-checking that my pens are in there, too, before going to the kitchen.
Sarah gave me two iced coffees to-go, just without the ice before I left, so I take them out of the fridge along with my ice tray. I smile as I loosen the cubes and put five in Tommy’s and four in mine. Filling the tray back up, I pop it back into the freezer and my bracelets jingle.
Making my mind up to wait outside, I take the drinks, my tote, and my sunglasses to the door and slip on my strappy sandals. I leave the light on just inside the door, pull out my keys, and throw the deadbolt, somehow balancing the coffees with one hand. Tommy wouldn't have an issue holding both in one hand. They’re huge.
A flush creeps up my neck and my cheeks.
Now is not the time to think about the size of anything on Tommy Landen.
I open the front door to the building and Tommy’s truck is about to turn into the parking lot. He waves at me and, instead of pulling up right in front of me, he parks in a spot, gets out, and opens the passenger door for me.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I tell him.
“And miss a chance to say hello?”
“I’m about to get into your car, we could have chatted in there.”
