Page 79 of But For You

She growled at him before turning on me. I made big eyes for her and batted my eyelashes.

“You.” She glared.

“What?”

“Oh, that innocent act is crap!”

“You’re gonna make me pee,” Aubrey barely got out. “Stop it!”

“He’s an ass,” I told my sister-in-law, enunciating the word for her. “How were you ever friends with that guy?”

She had to think.

“He probably changed,” Dane offered, rubbing his forehead. “Right, love?”

She turned and looked at him because the endearment the man was not big on using made her bite her bottom lip.

“Yes?”

“He was more grounded.” She took a breath. “I think he’s trying too hard.”

“Oh, you think so?” Jude chuckled. “Aja, darling, may I buy you a diamond?”

His comment, his inflection, made me laugh.

She swatted his chest.

Dane intercepted her hand as she pulled it back and drew her to his side, and she fit, as she always had, under the man’s arm. She passed me her wineglass so she could put both of her hands on Dane as she leaned into him.

“We haven’t even had dinner yet,” Rick finally said, still with traces of laughter in his voice, wiping at his eyes. “We’ll all be held hostage through the meal.”

“Oh, those poor people we left him in there with,” Aubrey said sadly.

I couldn’t hold in the snickering. “If Sam were here, he’d shoot him.”

“Which is why Sam’s not allowed to bring his firearm to dinner parties,” Dane stated drolly.

“Sam’s always armed, and that reminds me,” I said, leveling a gaze at my brother. “Why in the world did you pack Hannah’s Super Soaker to take with us to the apartment?”

He squinted. “My son would want his water gun. Why would your daughter not want hers? That makes no sense.”

“No.” I made a face at him. “A water gun in an apartment makes no sense.”

“As though you and logic have ever been formally introduced,” he scoffed. “Nine times out of ten, your decisions are flawed.”

“At least I don’t have shoes made out of baby duck.”

His snort of laughter got him a pinch from his wife, and I noticed then that her focus was on me. I grinned like a crazy man.

“You.”

“Me?”

“You.” Aja nodded.

“What?”

“You’re so bad.”