“This smells wonderful. I’m starving,” Cassie said. “It must be all the fresh air and hard work today.”
June tutted, the sounded vibrating in the air for long seconds afterward. “Emma and Jack told me about your house. Terrible thing to arrive and find it vandalized.”
Manu sat beside Cassie. One of those weird growls sounded again. Cassie frowned, glancing around for an agitated dog. Not one canine in sight.Weird.
June coughed, and the noise ceased.
Hone rounded the table and claimed the seat opposite her.
How could one man eat that much food? “Wow, I must have worked you too hard today.”
Her words fell in a slice of silence. One of Manu’s brother made a smart-ass remark, and a blush suffused her face. She felt the crawl of heat and knew—just knew—she glowed like a firebug. “I didn’t mention sex.” She sought June’s attention, mortified. “Tell your sons and nephews I wasn’t talking about sex.”
June reached over and patted her hand, her light green eyes twinkling. “You’re a good girl, but if I tell my sons anything, they do the opposite. You’ll learn that when you have children of her own.”
“She needs a man for that first,” Emma piped up.
“Not helpful. Be careful or I’ll cross you off my friend list.”
“Me?” Emma batted her eyelids and aimed for innocent. She missed by a country mile.
“Emma said you’ve recently returned from the States,” Samuel said. “You’ve lived there for a while, I understand.”
“Yes. My mother is American, and we left New Zealand when I was eight,” Cassie said, careful with her words, but not wanting to appear uncivil given the Taniwhas’ hospitality.
“Oh? What part of America?” June asked.
“We moved around a lot since my parents work for a big company. My parents are currently in Washington DC. I work as a personal assistant, but I’m taking a break at present.”
“What type of personal assistant?” June asked.
“For a country singer. It’s not as glamorous as it sounds,” she added when everyone stared at her.
“Will we have heard of them?” Manu asked.
Cassie shrugged. “Perhaps. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you who because I signed a confidentiality agreement. I’ll lose my job if I blab.”
“The girl has integrity.” Approval emanated from June. “Not enough young people have that quality or can keep a secret.”
To Cassie’s relief, the talk turned general after that and she applied herself to her meal.
Manu bumped her lightly with his shoulder. “Ma really has taken a liking to you. You’ll never escape her matchmaking now.”
“But it’s not true,” Cassie whispered.
Manu leaned closer to murmur in her ear. “We’ll keep that secret between the two of us.”
