“Likely story. And here I was hoping… well, never mind.”
“It was a good idea.” Weird as it was to be referring to her contribution, he wanted her to know he appreciated her willingness to help. “It kind of backfired.”
“Sorry to hear it.”
Passing the food around took up the next several minutes. Auntie Kat kept eyeing the minimal helpings on his plate and shaking her head. When the platters and bowls had made the rounds, she leaned forward and murmured Angie’s name.
Angie turned instantly.
Auntie Kat edged closer to Adam until she was almost in his plate. She spoke so softly he could barely hear her. “Did you talk to Tracy?”
Angie nodded.
“And?”
Angie leaned in from the other side. “I’m cautiously optimistic.” She glanced at Adam. ”Sorry if I’m crowding you.”
“Don’t mind me.” Now he knew for sure they’d chosen their seats on purpose. He was flanked by allies, including Luis. And Claudette, sitting next to Luis, and Mila on Angie’s other side, who must have picked up on all of it.
Luis put down his fork and looked at him, his eyebrows lifted.
Adam shook his head.
“Damn.”
Auntie Kat sighed. “I did my part.”
“And I appreciate it.”
“Hang in there.” Angie kept her voice low. “She loves you.”
Auntie Kat nodded. “Yep.”
“She does,” Mila said.
Claudette gave him a thumbs up.
“She’ll get there,” Luis said under his breath. “She just has to get out of her head.”
“Yeah.” Adam met his brother’s gaze. “Not easy.” He might be the only one at this table who understood what she was struggling with. She’d had to be thoroughly drunk before she’d been able to act on her deep feelings for him.
He'd like to think if she’d had condoms that night everything would have been different. They would have spent hours together making love and laughing at what idiots they’d been for not seeing what was right in front of them. But maybe not.
They'd been talking themselves out of this attraction for years. They’d been so successful that when it had broken loose, they’d been quick to find reasons to dismiss it.
He was as guilty of that as Tracy. He’d insisted his rebound theory was correct and she’d bought into it. Then she’d latched onto Claudette’s forbidden fruit idea.
And when desire wouldn’t leave him alone, he’d hatched the idea of a contract to distance himself from his emotions while he satisfied his longing for her. Of course she’d gone along with that. She’d wanted distance even more than he had.
What a pair. What a perfect pair. Would she ever figure that out?
While everyone was cleaning up after dinner, his mom got him by the arm. “I need to talk to you before you leave.”
“You bet. I’ve been thinking we should take another look at the Foundation’s projected budget now that Hearts & Hooves is bringing in considerably more.”
“We should, but it’s not about that.”
“Oh. Okay.”
