“I’ll head inside and let him know I’m here,” I reply, letting my gaze slide down to Tucker. “You staying out here?”
“Out here,” he says. “I wanna play catch with Uncle Hollis!”
Rustling his hair, I head inside. I’ve only been inside this house one time, but it’s not hard to find the kitchen. Gentry and Finn look up as I walk in, making my stomach flip.
“Hey,” I murmur, suddenly wishing I would’ve stayed home instead. Why am I so nervous?
“You just get here?” Finn asks. He’s shredding a block of cheese, and I have to force my eyes away from his tan, corded forearms.
He’s my boss and my sister’s boyfriend; I can’t be checking him out, no matter how yummy his arms look as he does something as simple as preparing dinner.
Clearing my throat, I nod. “Yeah. Tucker’s playing outside with Hollis and August.”
“How ya doin’, Ash?” Gentry asks, his voice deep and gruff.
“Doing good.” I smile. “Thanks for having me.”
He nods. “You’re welcome here anytime. Told my son to invite Tucker’s last nanny to these dinners, but he never did. I was thrilled to hear you were comin’ tonight.”
My stomach does a flip as my gaze slides over to Finn. His jaw clenches as he stares at his dad, looking less than pleased that he shared that information with me. “Tucker wanted him to come,” he mutters, making it crystal clear thathedidn’t.
Cool. Nothing fucking awkward about that.
Gentry chuckles. “Well, whatever the reason may be, glad to have ya here, Ash.”
“Thank you, sir.” I smile at him, trying to ignore the thick, uncomfortable tension in the room. “Can I, uh, help with anything?”
“Politeandoffers to help?” Gentry mutters to Finn with a smirk. “I like him.”
Lifting his dark green gaze to meet mine, the corner of his lip twitches. Not quite a smile, but almost.
“You can set the table,” Gentry instructs before gesturing toward the cabinet. “Plates are in there.”
The two men work together in the kitchen while I do that. They seamlessly move around one another, doing what needs tobe done with not many actual words spoken. After a while, Hollis and August come in with Tucker in tow, cradling the football to his chest. Finn tells him to set the ball down and go wash his hands in the bathroom, and he does without any fuss.
Dishing up, we all sit at the long, hefty wooden table in the dining room. There’s something so sweet about watching these men converse, talking about their days despite working around each other all day, every day. Gentry sits at the head of the table, with Tucker to his right and Finn to his left. Hollis is next to his brother, with their cousin on his other side, while I take the spot right next to Tuck.
You can feel their bond just from sitting at this table with them. The way they crack jokes and tease each other, the way they listen intently to one another as they talk, and the way they all include Tucker in everything they talk about. None of them talk to him like he’s a little kid; they treat him like he’s one of them, and I love that.
“So, Ash,” Gentry says, pulling my attention to him. “How’re you likin’ being back in Wolf Creek? I’d imagine it’s a big change from the West Coast.”
I take a drink of my water before responding. “Well, to be honest, I had no intention of coming back.” I chuckle, more awkward than anything. “It appears the universe had other plans, but now that I’m here, it’s been nice. And yeah, it’s a culture shock, for sure.”
“You and your sister are twins?” This time, the question comes from Hollis.
I nod. “Yup, sure are.”
“It’s funny.” Hollis breathes out a laugh. “We had no idea my brother here”—he pats Finn roughly on the back—“even had a girlfriend until the idea of interviewing you came up.”
My eyes drift over to Finn, finding his jaw clenched as he brings the glass of water up to his mouth. I don’t know how to reply to that, so I just huff out a laugh.
“Daddy, you have a girlfriend?” Tucker asks, making me laugh harder, especially when Finn slices a glare toward his brother.
Glancing across the table at his son, Finn responds with, “She’s a friend, bug.”
“Do you kiss her?” Tucker’s face twists up as he asks the question.
“Yeah, Finn, do you kiss her?” Hollis teases. “Share with the class, because we know nothing.”
