He knocked on the door, expecting her to open it a moment later and step outside without letting him meet her grandparents. He had no idea what she’d told them, but she had allowed him to come pick her up, and that alone had surprised Adam.
It took several seconds for the door to open, and when it did, the beautiful blonde that had dominated Adam’s thoughts for the past several days did not stand there. Instead, Cecily Young smiled at him and said, “Oh, hello, Adam.”
“Hello, ma’am.” He reached up as if he would tip his cowboy hat at her, though he didn’t wear one. Now that he would be a permanent resident of Wyoming, he figured he better get one, and he’d been planning to do that this weekend.
“I’m coming, Grams,” Joey called from somewhere in the house, and a moment later she rushed out of the hallway and joined her grandmother at the front door. She wore a beautiful brown dress with white lace accents along the arms, hem, bodice, and waist, and Adam could not tear his eyes from her.
“Everything’s in for dinner,” Joey said, a little breathlessly. “And I’ll be back in plenty of time to shred the chicken and make the noodles.” She smiled at her grandmother and swept a kiss along her cheek.
“Okay, dear,” Cecily said, and then she trained her eyes on Adam again. “Will you be joining us for dinner, Adam? You should. Joey makes the best cream cheese chicken in the world.”
“She sure does,” a male voice yelled from further in the house.
Joey smiled over her shoulder and shook her head. “Grams, he can’t stay for dinner.”
Adam took it as a challenge, and he looked from Joey to Cecily and back to Joey, trying to figure out what to say.
“Of course he can,” Grams said. “He doesn’t have to work in the evening, now that he’s working for your daddy and uncles. Do you, Adam?”
No, he did not. Adam swallowed. In the end, he found that he couldn’t lie to Joey’s grandmother, and so he shook his head. “No, I don’t have to work tonight.”
“Great. That’s settled.” Cecily gave Joey a little nudge, and she practically fell out of the condo to join Adam on the sidewalk. “We’ll see you both for dinner then.”
She started to bring the door closed, and Adam hooked his arm through Joey’s and backed up, gently tugging her with him. He had no idea what had just happened, but joy and rejoicing moved through him that his coffee date would be a little longer than he’d planned.
CHAPTER
FIVE
Joey’s adrenaline seemed to spike a little higher with every step she took. She had planned to meet Adam at the end of the sidewalk leading to her grandparents’ condo, not to have him come all the way to the door. She knew her grandmother well enough to know that Grams would extend the dinner invitation that she had—but she hadn’t known how Adam would respond.
He’d seemed very unsure at first, and he’d looked to her a couple of times. Joey could admit her mind had gone blank, and she’d left him to his own devices.
“It’s okay if you cancel on dinner,” she said.
“Do you want me to cancel on dinner?” he asked.
“It’s up to you,” she said. “I just mean, you don’t have to feel like you have to come. It’s chicken in a crockpot with some noodles. It’s not that good.”
He chuckled, but when Joey looked at him, he barelyhad a smile on his face. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him smile, and she found it quite the feat to laugh without doing so.
“You went to the Culinary Institute in New York City,” he said. “I’m sure your chicken and noodles is extraordinary.”
“You still don’t have to come eat it,” she said, frustrated with herself and the conversation. “Grams was just being nice.”
“Was she?” Adam led her off the curb and over to a deep blue luxury SUV. Of course.
She’d managed to find out from Momma that Country Quad was paying Adam a million dollars a year to live in small-town Wyoming and manage their careers. She cast a glance over to her tan sedan, hoping Adam never had to see her drive it.
“I don’t mind coming to dinner,” he said. “But if it makes you uncomfortable, then I won’t. I could make something up.” He leaned closer, something dangerous riding in the air between them now. “Though my momma taught me not to lie.”
Joey scoffed, because surely Adam had reached an age where he didn’t consider what his mother thought of him. He opened her door for her and stood back so she could get in.
“You might not want to spend that much time with me,” she said. “Isn’t that why you started with coffee?”
The playful glint in his eyes extinguished, his jaw turning hard. “I suggested coffee,” he said. “Because Ialways need a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, and I know you work two jobs.” He nodded toward the door. “And secondly, I thoughtyoumight not want to spend that much time withme. So if you don’t, just say so. I’m not into playing games.”
Joey lifted her chin, energy buzzing through her veins like wildfire. “Good,” she said. “Neither am I.” She got in the car, and Adam closed the door behind her. She watched him walk around the front of it, a frown between his eyes and him muttering something to himself.
