That has all six men at the table laughing heartily.
Once their laughter dies down, Frank looks me over. “So you’re our Chloe’s new man, are ya?”
I nod.
“What makes you so sure you’re worthy of such a fine young lady?”
They all regard me with the same look a lion gives an antelope before toying with it.
Christ. I’ve had all kinds of expressions leveled in my direction over the years, both on this job and while in the SEALs. Many were enough to strike fear in the hearts of plenty of men, myself included.
But all that pales compared to how I feel about the way these six men are scrutinizing me.
“Because I care about her and couldn’t imagine not spending a single day without her in my life. Because she makes me laugh and makes me want to make her laugh. And because I want to be the man who’s there for her, protecting her.”
All right, I’ll admit some of that comes from a cheesy romance Mom made me watch with her and Dad a few years ago. He and I got into trouble after we burst out laughing when the love interest said it.
I have no doubt she busted Dad’s balls after that.
I got away with the standard line of how one day a girl will break my heart, and I’ll be too much of an idiot to realize those cheesy lines I was making fun of were the ones that would’ve saved the relationship.
I highly doubt that.
But right now, those same corny lines appear to be working wonders with the six elderly men.
And Chloe. Her eyes have adopted a dreamy look, which works perfectly for our cover.
“If my dear Sophie were here,” Samuel says, “she’d be tearing up something fierce. She always was a romantic.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being romantic.” Lawrence narrows his eyes at me. “That’s the problem with the young men these days. They don’t know the first thing about romance.”
I laugh. “I’m not too sure about that. I’ve got plenty of male friends who have no problem in that department.”
By plenty, I mean two: Liam and Jayden.
And maybe a few guys on my hockey team.
“What do you do for a living?” Samuel asks me.
“I’m a substitute teacher right now. That’s how Chloe and I met. I’m currently on assignment at her school.”
“You don’t look like no elementary school teacher,” Frank says.
The man’s more perceptive than he realizes.
I study him for a second. “What did you do before you retired?” I ask in a casual, shooting-the-breeze tone.
“Spent my whole life in the Navy.”
That would explain it.
“We’ll be right back with your meals, gentlemen,” Chloe says in what seems like an attempt to rescue me from the interrogation.
Not that I mind. The fact that theyareinterrogating me means they’re buying my cover. It also means they care for Chloe the same way she cares about them.
“Sorry about that,” she tells me as we return to the kitchen. Around us, the chatter of conversations from the tables drowns out our own from prying ears. “They’re super protective of me.”
“In that case, I like them already. It’s nice that you have so many people looking out for you.” Unlike her family.
