Mom touched Liam’s shoulder. “Well, my goodness! I can’t imagineyou didn’t have more important things to do tonight than hanging out over here.”
Liam took Chloe’s hand. “Well, I will have to make it an early evening so I can be fresh in the morning. But what could be more important than meeting Chloe’s family?”
“Dinner was great, Mom.” Sean got up and took his plate to the kitchen. A moment later the sound of a baseball game filtered in from the living room.
Mom turned off the music, leaned her elbows on the table, and set her chin in her hands. “Now tell me about the first time you met Chloe. I want all the details.”
Liam turned to Chloe, his lips curling into a wistful smile. His gaze held her hostage while he spoke. “It was on the phone actually. The producer had brought the paperwork over for me to sign, and she wanted to call Chloe and spring the news on her.”
“You didn’t tell me that,” Mom said.
Liam chuckled. “I’ll bet she didn’t. Simone neglected to mention she had me on speaker, and when she made the announcement, Chloe told her exactly what she thought of the casting.”
“Oh no! You didn’t!”
Chloe’s cheeks heated. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“She managed to tear me apart personally and professionally before she realized I was listening.”
Jerry chuckled. “Oh no.”
“Set my therapy back months.”
Chloe swatted his arm. “Stop it.”
Liam caught her hand and squeezed it. He had such nice hands. Big and strong, tanned flesh with fingers that tapered down to neatly trimmed nails.
“I knew right then and there I had to meet her,” Liam said.
A scoffing sound came from the living room. The others probablyattributed it to the game, but Chloe knew better. She didn’t know what Sean’s deal was. This wasn’t like him at all.
“That’s just so sweet,” Mom said. “I knew she wasn’t pleased with the casting at first, but apparently you’ve more than won her over, Liam.”
He lifted Chloe’s hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
The warm sensation both soothed and stirred.
His gaze clung to hers as he lowered her hand. “She won me over too.”
“What is your problem?” Chloe hissed as she dropped onto the sofa next to Sean. Liam had somehow talked Mom and Dad into letting him help clean up. Chloe was too eager to confront her brother to insist on helping too. “You’ve been sulking since you got here, and you’ve been all but rude to Liam.”
“So what? It’s not like you’re a real couple.”
She glanced toward the kitchen. “Shush.Since when do you care about that?”
“Since we’ve had a horde of photographers outside the restaurant, impeding our customers.”
“Well, I don’t like that either, but there’s nothing we can do about it. And it’s not Liam’s fault. He’s a nice guy. You should give him a chance.”
Sean aimed his laser gaze at her. “Like you are?”
His words were a flaming arrow aimed straight at his target. It was not a bull’s-eye. In fact, it practically missed the board altogether. “What are you implying, Sean?”
“I see the way you blush around him.”
“I always blush!”
“And that picture you posted.” He rolled his eyes. “The way you stare at him.”
