“Let’s just see if he makes it through dinner.”
Hah!
Matt’s prophetic statement brought a smile to Carly’s face.
“Shane, you sit here next to me.” Lisa pointed to the chair beside her as her children clamored into the room, plopping into their chairs. The chairs filled quickly, forcing Carly to sit between Shane and C.J.
C.J. eyed her warily, still obviously holding a grudge about their earlier argument. When she’d picked him up after practice, she’d walked in on him shoving a package of condoms in his gym bag. Typical of a sixteen-year-old boy, he declared they were for someone else. Carly knew she walked a fine line with her nephew over the matter. The sweet little boy who’d played Thomas the Tank Engine trains with her had morphed into a hormonal teenager practically overnight. She didn’t want to destroy the trust between them, but she figured that Matt would be better able to handle the situation. She’d figure out whether or not to speak with Matt later.
Right now, Carly had bigger problems. Like the solid muscle of Shane’s thigh that kept brushing against hers. If the heat building inside her was any indication, she’d need a long run in the drenching rain after dinner.
Matt blessed the meal and everyone began to talk at once while Penny served the lasagna. Shane was tense beside Carly. Carly snuck a glance at him from beneath her lashes. For a guy who defined arrogant, he sure seemed apprehensive about having dinner with Matt’s family. Carly thought back to the things that she’d read about him. Every article she’d unearthed depicted Shane as a loner. His childhood had been almost as dysfunctional as hers. Obviously, he wasn’t used to breaking bread with a bunch of rowdy tweens and teens. Carly almost felt sorry for his discomfort.
Almost
.
After his behavior this morning, she should be stabbing his hot thigh with her fork. She smothered a chuckle at the thought and dug into Penny’s lasagna. Shane shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. She smiled and enjoyed her dinner. The males on either side of her would just have to sweat it out wondering whether or not she’d be telling tales to Matt.
“I hear Gabe Harrelson is protesting the forfeit of his signing bonus,” Matt threw out from his end of the table.
“Actually, he’s having his bridezilla do his begging,” Carly joked. The kids at the table snickered along with her.
“Serves the Valley Boy right,” Penny said between bites of pasta. She’d been with the family for more than ten years and they were immune to her lack of political correctness. “What’d he need a television crew following him around on his honeymoon for anyway? That’s supposed to be a private time between a man and his wife. You’d think they’d have better things to do.”
Shane managed a chuckle beside Carly. She thought she heard C.J. mumble an
amen
under his breath.
“I think Gabe can’t decide whether he wants to be a movie star or a quarterback,” Lisa chimed in.
“I’d want to be a movie star,” Molly said from her seat beside her father, a dreamy look passing over her face.
“Really, princess? Why’s that?” Matt asked her with a grin.
“Because movie stars
rock
.” Molly had spent her life around jocks. She was definitely jaded.
“Hey, Shane, you’ve dated a bunch of movie stars. What’s that like?” C.J. leaned in front of Carly to peer at Shane.
Shane’s fork stopped just short of his mouth. The look on his face was so comical, Carly nearly laughed.
“Well . . .” Shane stalled.
“Oooh, have you ever dated Elise Wages?” Molly interrupted. “She’s my favorite.”
“Gross, Mol, she’s barely sixteen,” her brother said. Carly gaped at the boy, but he ignored her and tucked into his salad.
“Yeah, but if he dated her, it would be like he’d dated Carly.” Molly nearly flung her lasagna at her brother in an effort to make her point.
Shane choked on his bread as the rest of the table
Hah!
Matt’s prophetic statement brought a smile to Carly’s face.
“Shane, you sit here next to me.” Lisa pointed to the chair beside her as her children clamored into the room, plopping into their chairs. The chairs filled quickly, forcing Carly to sit between Shane and C.J.
C.J. eyed her warily, still obviously holding a grudge about their earlier argument. When she’d picked him up after practice, she’d walked in on him shoving a package of condoms in his gym bag. Typical of a sixteen-year-old boy, he declared they were for someone else. Carly knew she walked a fine line with her nephew over the matter. The sweet little boy who’d played Thomas the Tank Engine trains with her had morphed into a hormonal teenager practically overnight. She didn’t want to destroy the trust between them, but she figured that Matt would be better able to handle the situation. She’d figure out whether or not to speak with Matt later.
Right now, Carly had bigger problems. Like the solid muscle of Shane’s thigh that kept brushing against hers. If the heat building inside her was any indication, she’d need a long run in the drenching rain after dinner.
Matt blessed the meal and everyone began to talk at once while Penny served the lasagna. Shane was tense beside Carly. Carly snuck a glance at him from beneath her lashes. For a guy who defined arrogant, he sure seemed apprehensive about having dinner with Matt’s family. Carly thought back to the things that she’d read about him. Every article she’d unearthed depicted Shane as a loner. His childhood had been almost as dysfunctional as hers. Obviously, he wasn’t used to breaking bread with a bunch of rowdy tweens and teens. Carly almost felt sorry for his discomfort.
Almost
.
After his behavior this morning, she should be stabbing his hot thigh with her fork. She smothered a chuckle at the thought and dug into Penny’s lasagna. Shane shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. She smiled and enjoyed her dinner. The males on either side of her would just have to sweat it out wondering whether or not she’d be telling tales to Matt.
“I hear Gabe Harrelson is protesting the forfeit of his signing bonus,” Matt threw out from his end of the table.
“Actually, he’s having his bridezilla do his begging,” Carly joked. The kids at the table snickered along with her.
“Serves the Valley Boy right,” Penny said between bites of pasta. She’d been with the family for more than ten years and they were immune to her lack of political correctness. “What’d he need a television crew following him around on his honeymoon for anyway? That’s supposed to be a private time between a man and his wife. You’d think they’d have better things to do.”
Shane managed a chuckle beside Carly. She thought she heard C.J. mumble an
amen
under his breath.
“I think Gabe can’t decide whether he wants to be a movie star or a quarterback,” Lisa chimed in.
“I’d want to be a movie star,” Molly said from her seat beside her father, a dreamy look passing over her face.
“Really, princess? Why’s that?” Matt asked her with a grin.
“Because movie stars
rock
.” Molly had spent her life around jocks. She was definitely jaded.
“Hey, Shane, you’ve dated a bunch of movie stars. What’s that like?” C.J. leaned in front of Carly to peer at Shane.
Shane’s fork stopped just short of his mouth. The look on his face was so comical, Carly nearly laughed.
“Well . . .” Shane stalled.
“Oooh, have you ever dated Elise Wages?” Molly interrupted. “She’s my favorite.”
“Gross, Mol, she’s barely sixteen,” her brother said. Carly gaped at the boy, but he ignored her and tucked into his salad.
“Yeah, but if he dated her, it would be like he’d dated Carly.” Molly nearly flung her lasagna at her brother in an effort to make her point.
Shane choked on his bread as the rest of the table
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