“Can you bring it?” Logan asks me, locking eyes. “I’ve missed your cooking.”
“Bring the pie, Mace. With these two losers getting married, we haven’t done enough hanging out,” Blake says. “Blasphemy.”
“Why do you want me to go to the creek anyway?” I say to Logan.
“Yes, Logan,” Blake says with a slow smile. “Why do you? And Mace, why are you so pissed off? You seem almost…what’s the word when you haven’t had any in a while?”
I glare at Blake. “Touché. I haven’t seen you with a woman in oh…a week or so.”
“Ha. Yet I’m still cheerful and sunny. You’re the one who’s acting all gnarly and like you need to get some good…”
“Why don’t you go find someone to date or something?” I say.
“I’ve got a date tomorrow night.”
“Well, then start thinking about that. Stop trying to figure me out.”
I grab my phone when it rings. “Mama, I can’t talk right now,” I say into the receiver.
“What’s all the commotion?” Mama asks as Blake laughs loudly while he and Dave start mock fighting in the middle of my living room.
“I’m being coerced into cooking—Logan’s here.”
“Fabulous idea, Mace.” I can hear Mama’s approval gushing all the way up the phone line. “You know the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Mama’s taken a decidedly strong stance against Logan and Gigi recently. I don’t know what fully tipped the scales, but she’s now acting like Team Ginny is really Team Macey, who Mama secretly wants to reunite with Logan.
“Mama!” I stomp my foot. “I swear to God…” I smile brightly at Logan as he raises his eyebrows at me.
“What?” Mama barks into the phone, and I press the receiver tightly against my ear, hoping her voice won’t carry like it seems to be. “I’m just saying, you’re such a fantastic cook, baby. If you’ve got it, flaunt it—that’s what I always say.”
“Mama, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I hang up and turn to the boys quickly taking over my house the same way they used to when we were all kids.
“Y’all need a timeout.” I put my hands on my hips and glare down at Blake and Dave still wrestling with each other.
“So let’s go fish,” Dave says from the floor.
I continue to glare at him and he leaves hastily for the car, calling back that he’ll see us outside. Blake goes too and shuts the door behind him, and I’m left alone with Logan.
“Where’s Gigi?” I ask.
“She and her sisters are going to join us later. She texted on my way here and wanted to meet up.”
“Where’s Gin?” I ask next.
“She’ll meet us there,” Logan says. “She says she needs distraction from something?”
“Nickel.”
“What?”
“Her wedding singer. She’s fallen for him,” I say in a low voice.
“Ginny’s fallen for her wedding singer?” Logan runs his hand down his face.
“She wants me to subtly spirit her away from him. Those are my words.”
