I wanted a relationship with myself first.
But you never liked easy, did you?
Bitch, please.
Shelby Mae had been quiet for a while, but now she was back, exactly when I didn’t need her. At the head of the table, I had caught up with Hatch, who watched my final napkin origami effort.
“I think you’ve done this before.”
“Fern’s Diner in Biloxi.”
“Before or after the hockey fan bar in Jacksonville?”
I loved and hated that he remembered. This man knew me better than anyone, maybe better than myself. It wasn’t as comforting as it sounded.
I wanted to be the one who figured out Summer Landry.
“Before. Though we didn’t have cloth napkins. I liked folding the paper ones into interesting shapes during the downtime.”
“Frustrated artist?”
“Frustrated something.” I met his gaze, and there I was, flirting with him again. Time to set some ground rules. “Don’t look at me during dinner.”
He raised an eyebrow. “At all?”
“If you do, I won’t be able to …”
“What, Summer? What won’t you be able to do?”
Help myself.
Thankfully I didn’t have to answer because Adeline walked in and narrowed her eyes at the two of us standing far too close together.
“H, you had better be nice to our guest.”
He clutched his chest. “When am I ever not nice?”
“Just ignore him, Summer.”
I moved away in the direction of the living room, determined to shore up my defenses with cheese before dinner.
“I plan to.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Summer
* * *
Dinner was lovely, but really, it was the Kershaws who made it perfect. They were warm and generous, bawdy and rambunctious, exactly how I imagined they would be in each other’s company. The contrast to Dash’s family was stark, and I hated that my mind went there. After all, I wasn’t looking for a relationship with Hatch. His family was not part of some package deal.
But Adeline was my friend, so I contented myself with the knowledge that I was here because of my connection to her.
Most people seemed to have their preferred spots at the table, so I was seated by default opposite Hatch—of course. He made a point of narrowing his eyes to indicate his faux dislike of me, which meant I was already doing what I did not want to do: smile.
Despite Mrs. Kershaw’s warnings about her family’s more indiscreet members, no one brought up Dash or the wedding. The conversational focus was on Theo’s contract extension, Jason’s move to the Rebels, and how the team was in a rebuilding phase.
“Yeah, time for the oldsters to retire,” Conor said.
