“Nothing sexier than a woman covered in grease,” Jeff teased.
I immediately grabbed my dinner roll and flung it at him, pissed that he would make a comment like that.
“Ow!” he exclaimed when the roll poked him in the eye. “That was just mean.”
“Don’t talk about her being covered in grease. Or it being sexy.”
“And so it begins,” Krista chuckled.
“I think it’s sweet,” Lizzy smiled at me. “He’s being protective of her.”
Jeff scoffed in disbelief. “She doesn’t need protecting. This is Bailey. She’s tougher than all of us.”
“Just keep your mouth shut,” I snarled.
“Enough!” Pop’s voice roared above us all, but he wasn’t angry. Just sick of the bickering.
“Mmm, I got a message from Michael the other day,” Lizzy beamed. “I chided him, of course, for not keeping in touch enough. Not that he would listen to me. But he said he’s doing well. Oh! And he’s met someone. He said we’d all like her, but he didn’t go into details.”
“Did he say anything about coming home?” Ma asked hopefully.
“Um, not really, but at least he’s doing well. You know it’s been hard on him since the whole military thing. I just wish he had stayed home.”
My temper spiked at the mention of my brother, who had basically disappeared from our lives after he left the military. Yes, he’d been given a crap deal with a dishonorable discharge, but he left the rest of us hanging at a very hard time.
“When was the last time he was home?” Bailey asked.
“It’s been years,” Ma answered, a small smile gracing her lips.
Gritting my teeth, I bit my tongue about how I really felt about the situation. Now wasn’t the time to bring it up.
As if sensing my anger, Bailey wrapped her hand around mine under the table and gave a firm squeeze.
“So, Bailey, how exactly did you end up with this chump?” Jeff teased. “I’m not sure what you see in him.”
“You mean, other than how handsome he is?” Bailey retorted.
Scoffing, Jeff rolled his eyes dramatically before shoving another bite of food into his mouth. “Sure, if you like that dark, broody look,” he said around a mouthful of food.
“I happen to like his broody looks.” Bailey’s eyes met mine, but there was something dangerous shimmering in their depths. “And what about you? I hear Josie Nash has caught your eye.”
He dropped his fork, his cheeks bright red as he gaped at Bailey. “Who said that? Josie? Whatever she said?—”
“No, it wasn’t Josie,” Bailey said sweetly.
“Well, whatever they’re saying, it’s just town gossip. Nothing happened.”
“Nothing, as in that heated kiss that occurred just outside her shop?”
“Busted,” I coughed out, laughing at the stunned expression on his face.
“It was nothing,” he rushed on. “She bewitched me or something with those herbs in her shop.”
“Right, it was the herbs and not that lip lock,” Bailey chuckled.
Leaning over, I whispered, “If you’re trying to fit in, you’re doing an excellent job.”
“Josie is such a nice girl,” Ma gushed. “Why, I was talking to her grandmother the other day?—”
