‘Yeah, he’s part of some things I haven’t mentioned.’ His brows knotted in a dark angry frown, which instantly disappeared when he bit into the shortbread. ‘Wow. If your sister sold this in the stores, it’d make her a fortune.’ Griff chuckled. ‘How dumb am I? The wife of a multi-millionaire country music icon hardly needs to churn out a few cakes to keep food on the table.’
‘It’s not dumb at all. Becca is used to earning her own living. Supporting herself. That’s another adjustment she’s had to make, and it’s tough.’
‘Nothin’s easy for any of us. Some lives might look that way on the surface, but dig a little and we’ve all got worms burrowing away,’ he mused.
‘Your brother is one of yours?’
‘Yeah. It’s a long story.’
‘Maybe best kept for another day. Becca and the kids will be back soon. I’m sorry.’
‘Me too.’ Griff’s humorless laugh spoke volumes. ‘Why don’t you tell me how the tea party went instead? That’s a safer subject if we get interrupted. I hope it wasn’t a complete bust?’
Lyndsey beamed. ‘Far from it.’ She rattled off the whole story, and got a kick out of seeing Griff’s eyebrows shoot up and down with each new revelation.
‘Wow! I’d never have guessed all that in a million years. You did great.’
‘It wasn’t all down to me,’ she protested.
‘You pushed the door open — somethin’ the rest of us have tried to do for ages with no luck.’ Griff smiled. ‘It’s one of the things I admire most about you. Your tenacity. You see problems and visualize a way to tackle them, then follow through.’
A hot blush warmed her face and neck. His compliment might not be the floweriest, but it was heartfelt, which meant so much more.
‘I don’t suppose . . .’
‘Go on. Be brave.’
His eyes crinkled at the corners. ‘Saturday night? Us?’
Perhaps she should say no, but that was never going to happen. ‘All right, it’s a—’
‘Don’t call it a date or you’ll jinx us. A quiet friendly chat and dinner. I’ll pick you up at seven.’
They stood at the same time, so Lyndsey caught the aroma of his plain soap, without the addition of expensive cologne today. Simple and unpretentious.
‘I’d better go before I do somethin’ I shouldn’t,’ he murmured, gazing at her like a castaway on a desert island tempted by a cold bottle of beer and juicy steak dangling barely out of reach.
Knowing it was foolish, she stretched up and brushed a fleeting kiss on his mouth. A flare of desire lit up his eyes and a struggle for control played out on his face.
‘Saturday.’ His deep drawl turned husky.
Lyndsey nodded, then watched his retreating figure and unconsciously raised her trembling hand to her face, stroking the prickle of heat where his stubble had grazed her chin. This thing between them seemed inevitable.
Chapter Eighteen
‘You don’t need to leave.’ Griff hovered in Jase’s bedroom door.
‘Don’t I? We haven’t spoken in five fucking days.’ His brother stopped jamming his clothes in a black sports bag and scowled across the room. ‘You seriously think I’m goin’ to hang on any longer, waiting for you to grow up?’
‘Meto grow up?’ He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
‘Yeah, you. I had the idea when I came here we might put an end to this . . .’ Jase looked shamefaced. ‘It was wrong to let you take the blame for the crash. I get I should’ve apologized years ago.’
One of his conversations with Lyndsey flooded back. Wasn’t her admission that she’d held on far too long to childish and immature grudges against her sister, night and day different?
‘How about we go for a walk and chat?’
‘Is the walk necessary? It’s a sauna out there.’
