“You’re kind of cute in that thing.” He was hoping to rile her up and maybe get back to their game of double dare.
“Just kind of?” She lifted an eyebrow, backing him into a corner. He could say she was cute, or he could retract the statement. There was no way he could take it back; she was positively adorable.
“Okay, you’re cute.”
She gave him a saucy grin. “You didn’t answer. What’s your favorite flavor?”
“I’d have to say …” He thought back to his childhood birthday parties. “I’d have to say mint with the cookies mixed in.”
“Huh.” She flipped around and opened a freezer, removing a carton with a green lid.
“Well?” he prompted her. “What’s my ice cream fortune say today?”
“Mint suggests that you’re ambitious and confident.” She rolled her eyes. “No surprise there. But the cookie throws a wrench into things.” She scooped out a spoonful of green ice cream.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Mint chocolate chip lovers are all those thingsandargumentative.” She pinned him with a look. “I’m not ruling that out with you just yet. But you specified cookies as the add-in, which means you’re also playful and fun.”
He cocked a grin. “So I’m ambitious and fun and playful and confident? Sounds about right.” He ate a bite of mint without the cookies and without all the fancy-schmancy five-senses bit.
“Did I forget to add insufferable?”
“Forgot … don’t agree … think I’m amazing … it’s all relative.” He waved his tiny spoon as he spoke.
She huffed and took a bite, making notes on the legal pad she’d brought with her.
“I already know your favorite is chocolate, but do you have a mix-in you like to add?”
She held up three fingers, her mouth full of ice cream.
He waited for her to swallow.
“Peanut butter, fudge, and marshmallow.”
“Ew.”
“Notew—yum.”
“And what does that all say about you?”
Despite the climate controlled chill in the room, her cheeks blushed.
When she didn’t answer right away, Nash threatened, “I’ll ask Charlie. You know he’ll tell me.”
“Fine.” She flipped around and pulled out an ice cream tub with a brown lid. Inside was smooth chocolate ice cream that stuck to the lid as she pulled it off. Instead of giving them one small scoop each, she gave them three and then proceeded to pull out squeeze bottles of fudge, peanut butter, and marshmallow toppings from under the counter.
“The chocolate ice cream means I’m a flirt.”
There were glimpses of that side of her personality. She’d certainly given as good as she got in the hallway. “Testify,” he teased.
“The fudge means I can be seductive and charming when I want to be, but I’m also gullible.” She drizzled as she spoke, making large loops around the bowl. “Despite how benign a marshmallow looks, adding it to my ice cream means I’m aggressive.”
There were not-so-subtle hints of that trait in the way she interacted with her sisters. Heck, she’d married him as a way to undermine their plans. “I’ll bet Raquel likes marshmallow too.”
She nodded but didn’t comment on his assessment of her sister. “Peanut butter says that I work well under pressure and handle crisis with patience and composure.”
“Wow—you’re a complicated woman.”
