about you.”
“It’s really not her business.”
“I know. But to Sheryl, you will always be her little brother who needs her protection.”
His frown deepening, Clay began flipping the burgers over with an aggressive motion. “I fear that’s what I’m in for the rest of my life,” he muttered.
“Can’t blame her for thinking you’re falling for Jordan again. I can see it in your face.”
“See what?” Clay asked irritably. He wasn’t used to this sort of heart-to-heart questioning from Dean. He liked the man well enough, but he’d hardly consider him a close friend.
“That you’re smitten,” Dean suggested, then waved the word away, unhappy with it. “Call it what you will. I’ve seen it on her face, too, when she looks your way.”
Clay uttered his best skeptical laugh. “You have a romantic soul, Dean.”
“Okay, I won’t force the issue,” his brother-in-law conceded with a chuckle of his own. “I think those burgers are done.”
Clay glanced down at the burgers, beginning to char on the grill, and quickly grabbed a plate to transfer them to safety.
Once called to dinner, the girls dropped their mallets and swarmed the patio. As they gathered at one of the picnic tables, Clay handed out burgers and Lorraine and Sheryl served garden and potato salads.
“Let me help,” Jordan offered, rising from the other table.
“No need,” said Lorraine. “You sit down and start eating. Clay, get her a burger, will you?”
Clay set two burgers on two plates and took them to the table where Jordan sat. Handing one plate to her, he swung his leg over the bench and settled next to her.
“Thanks,” she said, smiling serenely.
“Enjoying yourself?”
Jordan nodded, picking up her burger with both hands. “I’m famished, and this looks delicious.”
The other adults arrived at the table with their own plates, Sheryl carrying the two salads in huge bowls.
“Try some of this,” she instructed Jordan. “It’s our grandmother’s secret recipe. Definitely not low fat. But you can afford it.”
She heaped potato salad onto Jordan’s plate, and double the amount onto her own.
“She’s been taking this eating for two idea very seriously,” quipped Dean, who added quickly, under his wife’s glare, “but she’s never looked more beautiful.”
“Smart man,” Sheryl said, allowing him to help her step over the bench opposite Jordan and Clay.
“Do you know if it’s a girl or a boy?” Jordan asked as Sheryl lowered herself onto the bench.
She beamed down at her belly. “A girl.”
“Got a name picked out?”
“We’re still debating it. Either Lisa or Sarah. We’ve already used Grammy’s name, Alice. And our Alice actually looks quite a bit like Grammy did as a girl, amazingly enough.”
“It’s quite nice to be reminded of Grammy every time we look at Alice,” Clay remarked, plopping a spoonful of potato salad onto his plate. “It keeps her in our thoughts. If I were to have a son, I’d probably name him Liam, after Dad.”
Clay’s mother, seated at the end of the table in a lawn chair, reached across the plates to squeeze his hand. “That would be lovely,” she said, her eyes brimming with emotion. “If it ever happens. You’ve got to get yourself remarried while you’re still young. Kids take a lot out of you,” she added, smiling now. “Best to have them when you’ve still got the energy.”
“Mom, don’t push him,” Sheryl chided, reaching for the ketchup. “He’s still reeling from his divorce.”
“Far from it, Sheryl,” he replied mildly. “I am in fact fully recovered and ready to move on.”
Clay avoided looking at Jordan as he spoke, not wanting to give his family, or Jordan, the impression that he had any notion of moving on with her. Although the idea had definitely crossed his mind, the last thing he wanted right now was a public declaration.
“Of course he is,” Lorraine countered. “Look at him, he’s never looked so relaxed
“It’s really not her business.”
“I know. But to Sheryl, you will always be her little brother who needs her protection.”
His frown deepening, Clay began flipping the burgers over with an aggressive motion. “I fear that’s what I’m in for the rest of my life,” he muttered.
“Can’t blame her for thinking you’re falling for Jordan again. I can see it in your face.”
“See what?” Clay asked irritably. He wasn’t used to this sort of heart-to-heart questioning from Dean. He liked the man well enough, but he’d hardly consider him a close friend.
“That you’re smitten,” Dean suggested, then waved the word away, unhappy with it. “Call it what you will. I’ve seen it on her face, too, when she looks your way.”
Clay uttered his best skeptical laugh. “You have a romantic soul, Dean.”
“Okay, I won’t force the issue,” his brother-in-law conceded with a chuckle of his own. “I think those burgers are done.”
Clay glanced down at the burgers, beginning to char on the grill, and quickly grabbed a plate to transfer them to safety.
Once called to dinner, the girls dropped their mallets and swarmed the patio. As they gathered at one of the picnic tables, Clay handed out burgers and Lorraine and Sheryl served garden and potato salads.
“Let me help,” Jordan offered, rising from the other table.
“No need,” said Lorraine. “You sit down and start eating. Clay, get her a burger, will you?”
Clay set two burgers on two plates and took them to the table where Jordan sat. Handing one plate to her, he swung his leg over the bench and settled next to her.
“Thanks,” she said, smiling serenely.
“Enjoying yourself?”
Jordan nodded, picking up her burger with both hands. “I’m famished, and this looks delicious.”
The other adults arrived at the table with their own plates, Sheryl carrying the two salads in huge bowls.
“Try some of this,” she instructed Jordan. “It’s our grandmother’s secret recipe. Definitely not low fat. But you can afford it.”
She heaped potato salad onto Jordan’s plate, and double the amount onto her own.
“She’s been taking this eating for two idea very seriously,” quipped Dean, who added quickly, under his wife’s glare, “but she’s never looked more beautiful.”
“Smart man,” Sheryl said, allowing him to help her step over the bench opposite Jordan and Clay.
“Do you know if it’s a girl or a boy?” Jordan asked as Sheryl lowered herself onto the bench.
She beamed down at her belly. “A girl.”
“Got a name picked out?”
“We’re still debating it. Either Lisa or Sarah. We’ve already used Grammy’s name, Alice. And our Alice actually looks quite a bit like Grammy did as a girl, amazingly enough.”
“It’s quite nice to be reminded of Grammy every time we look at Alice,” Clay remarked, plopping a spoonful of potato salad onto his plate. “It keeps her in our thoughts. If I were to have a son, I’d probably name him Liam, after Dad.”
Clay’s mother, seated at the end of the table in a lawn chair, reached across the plates to squeeze his hand. “That would be lovely,” she said, her eyes brimming with emotion. “If it ever happens. You’ve got to get yourself remarried while you’re still young. Kids take a lot out of you,” she added, smiling now. “Best to have them when you’ve still got the energy.”
“Mom, don’t push him,” Sheryl chided, reaching for the ketchup. “He’s still reeling from his divorce.”
“Far from it, Sheryl,” he replied mildly. “I am in fact fully recovered and ready to move on.”
Clay avoided looking at Jordan as he spoke, not wanting to give his family, or Jordan, the impression that he had any notion of moving on with her. Although the idea had definitely crossed his mind, the last thing he wanted right now was a public declaration.
“Of course he is,” Lorraine countered. “Look at him, he’s never looked so relaxed
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