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He wanted to curse her stubbornness, but he decided to play along instead. “Pancakes, preferably with cream cheese filling and topped with some kind of fruit, doesn’t matter what kind.”
She stared at him incredulously. “I did not put pancakes on my list. If you had read it, you would know I put my mom’s lasagna.”
He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than he needed to. “I know what was on your list, but we both know it’s not true. Your mom’s lasagna is probably great, but your favorite food is the diner’s cream cheese pancakes. You order them as often as you can.”
She wanted to protest. He could see it in the way she opened and closed her mouth without saying a word. Satisfaction puffed up his chest. She didn’t want to admit he was right. She only put her mom’s lasagna as her favorite food because she knew it would be the expected answer if her family grilled him. Was she impressed that he knew the true answer?
“You remember what I order at the diner? I didn’t realize I was such a creature of habit.”
He glanced over at her for a moment before focusing back on the road. “You’re not. I just…notice.”
She dropped her eyes and shifted in her seat. “Oh. Okay. Well, you said your favorite food was your dad’s chili. Is that what we’re having tonight?”
“Doubt it. Dad usually makes it when we come over to watch a game. Tonight is just a family dinner. Mom likes to have them often, so we don’t lose touch with each other. We stay pretty busy.”
“Your dad is Amos, and your mom is Collette, but I guess I should call them Mr. and Mrs. Beckett.”
“Amos and Collette are fine. We’re not formal.”
“Okay. And your brothers, what do they do? Are they married? You didn’t include that on your list.”
“You didn’t include a lot of details on your list about your family either.”
Gennessey shrugged. “It’s too much to write down. It would take you a lot longer than a couple of days to learn it all. Tell me about yours. What do I need to know?”
“My dad worked for the city street department for thirty years before he retired. Mom worked in the elementary school cafeteria. There wasn’t a kid in the school who didn’t look forward to seeing her. Brody is a real estate lawyer. Brent is a sheriff’s deputy.”
“And none of the brothers ever married or had kids?”
“Brent came close. He was engaged to his high school sweetheart until he decided to go into law enforcement. She said she couldn’t handle worrying every day whether or not he would come home to her, so she broke it off and ended up marrying someone else. They live in Florida now, I think. No kids for any of us. That we know of,” he quipped and smiled when she rolled her eyes.
“What’s my favorite thing to do?”
He accepted the change in subject with ease. “Horseback riding. You and your cousin Cohen used to ride together whenever you needed to get away from your crazy family. I believe I quoted word for word what you wrote.”
“You did. Bonus point if you remember the name of my favorite horse to ride.”
“Pegasus. Cohen rode either Finn or Angus. There was as much about your cousin on the list as there was about you. I see why he picked you to be his best man. Or woman.”
“Yeah, well, neither of us fit our family’s expectations, so we stuck together and kept each other sane. Your favorite thing to do is go to the shooting range or the batting cages.” She rolled her head to the side to smirk at him. “Such typical guy things. Couldn’t you be more original?”
BB was quickly becoming an expert in rolling with her changes in topics. “I like what I like. I’ve got a question for you. Who was my first kiss?”
“I can’t believe you put a first kiss on your list,” she murmured. “Okay, if I remember right, it was Heather Sims, third grade, on a dare. Your friends bet you that you wouldn’t kiss her, and after you pecked her cheek, she followed up with a kiss on your mouth. Then she punched you in the stomach. Are you still in touch with her? I think I’d like to meet her.”
“She transferred schools in sixth grade, thank God. She was crazy then. I hate to think of what she’s like now.” He forced a shudder, and she laughed.
“Sounds like you attract some real doozies.”
He looked over at her with a grin. “What about you? Come on. I told you mine. You tell me yours.”
Her cheeks flushed, and he felt anticipation at her answer. He had a feeling it would be well worth asking the question.
“I was fifteen. It was my first date. He was sixteen and had just gotten a car for his birthday. We went to the movies and then to share a pizza. I was home by ten o’clock. He walked me to the door, and we kissed for all three seconds before my dad turned on the porch light and came outside. It freaked him out enough, he never asked me out again.”
“His loss.”
“Actually, it was probably more mine. He ended up being a star football player. He earned a scholarship to play at the collegiate level before turning pro. He retired making more money in one year than I’ll see in a lifetime.”
