He smiled and reached around her, plucking a mushroom from the platter and popping it in his mouth. “Hey, Rory. Great party. And, please, call me Nash.”
Nope, she definitely would not be doing that. Not when she’d called out that very name in the throes of orgasm just last night.
“Are you enjoyin’ yourself?” she asked.
His eyes flicked down her body so quickly, she wasn’t even sure it’d happened, and then he scanned the crowd around them. “I always enjoy myself at a Rory Haven party.”
“That’s awfully nice of you to say. Thank you.”
“Heard you bought Old Man Marley’s place now that your divorce is final.”
“That’s right.”
He hummed, his attention focused solely on her. “Last I saw that house, it was pretty run-down.”
The smile on her face turned tight and forced, but he didn’t seem to notice. “We like it just fine.”
“Sure, sure. I just meant I’d be happy to swing out and take care of some things for you. Anything at all.”
If there was something she couldn’t do for herself…well, she’d figure out a way and do it anyhow. “That’s real sweet, but I think I’m all set.”
He inclined his head toward her, and this time, she didn’t imagine the way his eyes swept over her. “If you’re sure…”
Her fingers tightened on the empty tray she held. “I am.”
“All right. Well, the offer still stands. Gimme a call. Any time.”
She’d already told him she didn’t need any of this help, so she just pressed her lips together in what she hoped passed for a smile and not a grimace until he finally meandered off.
As soon as he was out of earshot, a hand curled around Rory’s arm, startling her enough that she jumped. She twisted around and found her sister gaping at her with wide eyes.
“Holy shit,” Will said. “I can’t believe Big Nash just hit on you!”
“What? No, he just…” Rory blinked. That wasn’t what had happened…was it?
“I know he’s a little older than you—and he’s not exactly lookin’ for a relationship, if you know what I mean—but maybe he’s just the guy to get you back in the game again.” Will waggled her eyebrows.
Rory’s stomach roiled as heat crept up her chest. Not just over the idea of sleeping with Nash’s dad, but because of the huge secret she’d been keeping. She’d been back in the game for quite some time, but her sisters wouldn’t know anything about that because she’d been lying to them both for months. The three of them were supposed to be growing closer, and instead, she’d been keeping them in the dark while she’d fumbled her way through this life-changing thing on her own.
“What do you think?” Will shook Rory’s arm.
“What does she think about what?” Mac reached around them and plucked a fried green tomato from the table.
“About Rory goin’ out with Big Nash!”
Mac snapped her head in Rory’s direction, her eyes wide. “Big Nash as in…Nash’s daddy?”
“Of course, Nash’s daddy,” Will said. “You know any other Big Nashes?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know if Rory gave the other one a nickname?”
Will laughed. “Why in the world would she give him a nickname like that?”
Mac lifted a brow and shot Will a look that even Rory’s naïveté picked up on, and her spine snapped straight. Despite Mac showing interest that day she’d stopped by town hall, she hadn’t pressed the issue, so it’d been easy to forget exactly how she’d looked at Rory and Nash that day. Like there was something going on between them, and she was going to find out exactly what it was. That felt like a lifetime ago. Had Mac managed to figure it out? Did she already know, and she was just waiting for Rory to open up about it?
Rory’s skin felt like it was on fire. If she didn’t get away right that second, she wasn’t so sure she wouldn’t burst into flames. “’Scuse me, I just need to refill the mushrooms.”
“I thought you just did that?” Will said, worry etched on her face.
