Together?screamed silently through her mind.
“Just say yes,” he said quietly, tapping her fork with the tines of his. “We’re eating now, sweetheart.”
She wanted to argue against a breakfast date tomorrow morning. And snap at him that she knew how to pick up her fork and start eating. She couldn’t, not with so many people around.
Oh, this Tarr Olson. Smart and handsome, he’d brought her to a Thanksgiving meal to show her that some families were normal, and then asked her out in an environment where she couldn’t say no.
She put her hand on his knee, satisfied that he flinched and that his gaze flew to hers. “Yes, I can’t wait for breakfast tomorrow. Should be a realscream.”
She gave Alaska a tight smile she hoped didn’t come across as too manic, then she picked up her fork and cut a piece of turkey. Laughter rose up from the other end of the table, leaving Briar to stew as she put that first juicy bite of turkey and gravy in her mouth.
Thoughts flew from one side of her mind to the other, things like,Why does Tarr make me feel like I’m on fire?toWhat do other people see when they look at us?toHow did he know to get me double mashed potatoes, no peas, and extra bread?
In short, when had Tarr Olson snuck into her life, and why couldn’t she seem to kick him back out?
Worse, why didn’t she want to?
Yes, she had a lot to talk about at breakfast tomorrow—assuming she didn’t cancel between now and then.
Even if you do, she thought as the salted butter melted over her tongue.Tarr will just stand on your front porch until you agree to go with him.
She glanced over to him, and blast him all the way to the moon, he gifted her with a small smile, the kind meant only for her.
He knew he’d won, and she knew she’d be dining with him tomorrow morning whether she wanted to or not.
three
Tarr drew a card, getting the exact thing he needed to go out. His heartbeat skipped at the six of spades he deftly slid between two other cards. He looked up, his gaze automatically meeting Tucker’s.
“Tarr,” his best friend warned. “Don’t you dare go out.”
Tarr couldn’t stop the grin as it spread across his face. “I can’t help it,” he said. “The cards are just being lucky tonight.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” Jane groaned as she threw her hand down. “How do you wineverytime?”
“It’s not every time.” Tarr’s eyes switched to Briar, who now sat at his side. She wore the cutest little frown between her eyes as she tried to peek over his forearm to see his hand. He automatically recoiled his cards into his chest.
“Are you cheatin’?” he asked.
“You’re gonna go out anyway,” Tuck said, and he threw his cards down too. “Just do it.”
Tarr chuckled as he laid out his hand, which ended the round. Technically, everyone had one more turn, all the way around to him again, but Tuck pushed his chair back and stood.
“You don’t want to finish?” Deacon asked.
“I’m not going to be able to go out,” Tuck said. “One card’s not going to make a difference.” He strode into the kitchen, where he opened the freezer and pulled out a container of ice cream.
They’d had a delicious turkey dinner followed by a movie, where Tarr had sat next to Briar on Hunter and Molly’s enormous couch, trying to formulate a way to hold her hand. For two solid hours, he’d thought about it. He’d shifted left, then right, hoping she’d somehow sink into his body.
He hadn’t been able to come up with anything, which was simply ridiculous. He’d had girlfriends before. Plenty of them. He’d never struggled to get a woman’s attention, but something about Briar had him walking, breathing, and living on eggshells.
When the movie ended, the party had come upstairs for the pie bar, where Hunt and his kids had served key lime pie, coconut cream, banana cream, and chocolate banana cream, in addition to the classic Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.
Now, they’d been playing card games for about an hour. And fine, Tarr had won every round, even the two where he hadn’t gone out first.
A yawn pulled through his chest, and Tarr looked over to Briar while Deacon took his turn. He leaned down, a preposterous amount of excitement parading through him when she migrated toward him too. “You almost ready to go, sweetheart?”
She kept her attention on her cards, studying them as if she’d never seen them before, but she nodded and looked up as Deacon played.
