Trap’s eyebrows went up. “Wow, acoupleof times, huh?”
“It’s very new,” Rock said.
“He and Clover won’t double with me,” Smiles said.
“Why do you need a double at all?” Colt asked.
“I don’t know, it’s less pressure,” Smiles said.
“She’s still going to figure out who you are and what you’re like,” Colt said. “And it doesn’t take that long, most of the time.”
“Maybe we could triple,” Trap said.
Colt shook his head, something sparkling in his eyes that made Trap’s chest tighten. “Sariah wants me to meet her sister.” He quickly filled his mouth with food again, and all Trap could do was stare anyway.
Questions did course through his mind, but this new development had left him speechless.
“Nice,” Tate said. “Though that’s a hard date.”
“Yeah, I’m going to need to be on my game,” Colt said. “We’re doubling with them.” He finally looked at Trap, the twinkle in his eyes fading slightly. “Sorry, Trappy. We can go next weekend, I’m sure.”
Trap nodded, swallowed, and looked at his fried chicken. He took a deep breath and looked over to Smiles. “Lila Mae wants to meet you anyway.”
“Oh, I met Lila Mae a while ago,” Smiles said. “She wanted to hire me for her cat sanctuary. I sent her Thad, and they’re going to come do a tour…sometime.” He looked over to Rock.
“Right after Labor Day,” Rock said without looking away from his food. He cracked the top of a Peach Fresca and poured it over a glass of ice. “We’re going to walk her through what we do at the ranch, though I’m not quite sure why.”
“She’s mainly interested in your facilities,” Trap said. “And the administrative side of things.”
“Sure,” Smiles said. “I get it. I’ve spent countless days and weeks in my uncle’s office, learning how he did things at the ranch.”
Trap had learned at his father’s side too, for-seemingly-ever, so he understood that. He glanced over to Colt. “So what do you think of a progressive dinner?”
Colt grinned at him. “It sounds amazing,” he said. “What are you thinking?”
Trap thought of his father’s question from Sunday lunch a few days ago.What’s going to happen if you and Trap end up married? Is that place big enough for both of you?
He wasn’t sure why those questions had come into his mind right then. He enjoyed spending time with Lila Mae, and she’d handled his father’s ludicrous questions with grace and ease, though she’d later told him her heart had been pounding so hard.
“I was thinking First Plates for the appetizer,” Trap said. “But they have those tiny tables.”
I think it’ll be fine, sir, because right now, I can’t get close enough to Trap, so the house being small isn’t a problem.
He mixed his corn into his mashed potatoes, the same warmth that had run through him on Sunday now coursing through him again.
“Sounds like a place you’d want to take her without another couple anyway,” Colt said.
Trap nodded and used his plastic knife to cut off a piece of chicken. “Yeah, but I do want to double with you and Sariah. I mean, you guys are humming along at a brisk clip, and if she’s going to be…you know, then I want to get to know her.”
Colt nodded. “I don’t know about that.”
“No?” Trap watched as Colt ducked his head and continued to eat his lunch. He leaned closer. “What’s going on?” He glanced around at the others in their meeting, and Trap loved each of them in their own way.
Libby had brought her baby, and she sat with Angel and Henry, her cousin Paul, and Alex. The Glovers took up a few seats across from Trap, and he hadn’t even seen Gun come in. Finn always sat at the head of the table, as their unofficial leader, and Dawson and his brother Brandon chatted with JJ and Conrad.
Jake talked with Link and Mitch, who Trap also hadn’t seen arrive. Tyson sat with them, and three of them signed while Ty translated for Jake.
“No one’s listening,” Trap said in a near-whisper.
