“Pair of what?” Julie asked, startling them both.
“Oh, ah, hey baby. Didn’t hear you come in.”
“Probably because you were too busy beating your chest,” she said drily. “Jack, you want my opinion—”
“He doesn’t,” Dan said.
“I do,” Jack said, ignoring his brother’s scowl.
“Then be honest with her. And yes, talk. You can’t let go of the past until you let go of the past. Get it?”
“She’s so smart.” Dan gushed, a little too condescendingly because Julie narrowed her eyes and shot him an obscene gesture. He grinned. “Maybe later, baby.”
She huffed and went back to her office.
Dan chuckled. “She’s gonna make me pay later. Whoo-ee.”
“Gross. Stop using me to spark your pathetic love life.”
“At least I have one I can count on. Take Julie’s advice and try not to blow it at dinner.”
Try not to blow it.Stellar advice. Now how to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid to scare her off. Like go back over there and demand she go through her date that wasn’t a date, minute by minute.
Chapter Fourteen
Ann arrived at Dan and Julie’s, burying her butterflies under a bright smile. She refused to be intimidated by Jack’s family. She’d once had a terrific relationship with them after all, and Julie seemed genuinely nice.
Jack kept it cool but friendly, and she was thankful he didn’t act as if they were any closer than they were. His possessiveness last night had left her breathless and more than satisfied. Had she been Maya, she would have crowed her success in getting the man to lose his cool. Tonight would be the perfect opportunity to dismiss him in front of his family, but in such a nice way she’d come across as a kind young woman while crushing him in the process.
Alas, she wasn’t Maya. She secretly adored the fact he’d been jealous about Trey but in control of himself enough not to let it all show. And making her come like that, being so forceful and demanding, still gave her shivers when she thought about it.
She’d come to the conclusion that she no longer needed revenge to get closure—she needed to knowwhyit had all happened the way it had. Then maybe they could move on, become the couple he seemed to want. Having dinner with his family seemed the right way to go about it.
“Josh is thrilled to have his teacher over for dinner,” Julie confided as she and Dan moved around the kitchen. Jack had set the table and talked with his mother in the dining room while his father kept an eye on said second-grader.
“I’m excited to be here. I hate cooking, and the company seems ideal. A win-win.”
Julie grinned. She and Dan made a handsome couple. Ann wondered if Jack and she would have been as happy today if they had stayed together all those years ago. Would they be married with children, divorced and hating each other or broken up before they’d ever said “I do”?
“Deep thoughts?” Jack asked as he rejoined her.
“Wondering if I can get myself invited somewhere else tomorrow night,” she teased, unnerved with thoughts of permanence. “So I don’t have to cook again. That smells terrific, Julie.”
The party moved to the table, and during dinner she laughed as much as she ate. Sam and Laura had a wonderful way of playing off each other, and their loving relationship gave the meal a lighthearted feel.
“I’m going to tell everybody you came tomyhouse for dinner,” Josh bragged.
“How about you just tell Heath? Not everyone needs to know our business,” Julie cautioned. “Besides, you don’t want all the other kids to be jealous.”
“Yes I do.”
Everyone laughed at that.
“He gets his chattiness from you, you know,” Sam said to his wife.
Jack nudged Ann. “True.”
Dan nodded. “Yeah, Mom.”
