“Ladies,” Jason said, sliding into the booth across from them with his trademark grin. “Hope we didn’t keep you waiting.”
“Just got here,” Mauve said, her eyes a little wide. Starstruck, Roan realized. She was trying to play it cool, but she was definitely a fan.
Roan slid in next to Reese, their shoulders brushing. Under the table, her hand found his, fingers tangling together like they’d been doing it for years.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi.” He couldn’t stop looking at her, but he pulled himself together long enough to introduce his brother to Mauve.
“Nice to meet you,” Mauve said. “I’m kind of a fan of your show. And you.”
“Thank you. That’s kind of you to say,” Jason said modestly. “I’ve been blessed. But it’s nice to be home for the holidays and away from L.A. for a bit.”
Mauve tilted her head, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, watching Jason with a dreamy expression in her eyes. “You look just like you do on TV.”
“Sometimes people say they thought I’d be taller,” Jason said, smiling. “I always tell them I would have been had my twin brother not taken all of the nutrition in the womb.”
Roan laughed. “That’s not true.”
“It is. I was a whole eight ounces smaller than him,” Jason said. “And I’ve been trying to catch up to my clever brother ever since.”
Roan rolled his eyes, reaching for the menu. “You can tell this guy lives in Hollywood, right?”
“What do you like here?” Jason asked Mauve. “Do you have a favorite?”
Roan and Reese exchanged a humored glance. Apparently, his brother and Mauve seemed to have forgotten there were two others at the table.
“The Lumberjack, hands down,” Mauve said
“That’s my favorite too,” Jason said.
“How about one of those and one Veggie Delight?” Reese asked.
“She’s the healthy one of the two of us,” Mauve said to the men.
“Good thing you’re here, then,” Jason said.
They ordered, and a server brought them waters while they waited. Jason leaned back against the booth, his gaze fixed on Mauve.
Roan knew him well enough to see how taken he was with Reese’s pretty blonde friend. “So, Mauve, Reese mentioned you moved here recently. What brought you to town?”
“Fresh start,” Mauve said. “I was in New York for years, working at a hospital in Manhattan. But after my divorce, I just needed a change. Someplace quieter. Reese had been trying to get me to visit forever, so I came for a weekend and fell in love with it.”
“What do you do?” Jason asked.
“Speech therapy. I work at the elementary school now, plus some private clients.”
“Speech therapy?” Jason asked. “What a great job.”
Mauve’s eyebrows raised. “Most people don’t say that when I tell them what I do.”
“What do they say?” Roan asked, curious.
“Not much, really,” Mauve said. “But they kind of tilt their head and make a sympathetic noise like they feel sorry for me.”
“They do not,” Reese said, laughing.
Mauve gestured with her hands. “No, it’s true. I think it’s because I work mostly with children and people think it’s noble.”
