And so did Sean.
I felt his anxiety keenly. His broad shoulders were tight with tension and his smile was a bit strained during dinner, which was odd because it was a pretty casual affair. We piled tacos, beans, rice, and salad on our plates and ate around the island while Lullah begged for scraps at our feet. I noticed that Penny and I were responsible for the bulk of conversation. She talked about a spring play at school, her friend Mandy’s bunny, Benedict, and a dance recital she was either going to attend or was going to be in.…I couldn’t be sure. I talked about tacos, how much I hated grocery shopping, and I mentioned that one of my neighbors really, really loved opera.
Sean’s eyes twinkled. “And you don’t?”
“Fu—farts no,” I huffed.
Parker snickered at my near faux pas. “Why not?”
“It’s just not my thing. I love all kinds of music, but—”
“What’s your favorite kind of music?” Sean interrupted.
“R and B.”
“Favorite band?”
“Metallica,” I replied quickly.
“That’s not rhythm and blues.”
“I know, but I don’t just like one thing. I love soulful music, and I love music you can get lost in. Depends on my mood.” I did my best to keep my smile under control. It wasn’t easy. Sean had a way of making a simple inquiry seem important, as though my musical preferences were super interesting somehow. I glanced away briefly, then asked, “Who’s your favorite band?”
“Zero.”
Okay, I gave up. My megawatt grin hurt my face, and I probably looked like a lovesick idiot. I didn’t think the kids noticed. Penny was busy setting up the board game. When she yelled at Parker to help her, he yelled back, Lullah barked, and chaos reigned. I took advantage of the bedlam and leaned closer to Sean, who stood a few feet away, darting his gaze between his kids and the dog before landing on me again, nearly blinding me with his beautiful smile.
“Favorite song?” I whispered softly.
“ ‘This is Love.’ ”
“Sap! That’s a love song.”
“I know. It’s beautiful. I like all kinds of music too, but I have a thing for love songs,” he admitted sheepishly.
I opened my mouth and closed it like a goldfish. “I’m gobsmacked.”
Sean chuckled. “Why? It’s not that big of a deal.”
“It’s just so…geeky.”
“Really?”
“Well, no…yes. Yes. It’s kind of dorky. In a good way. Maybe.” I made a funny face, then shook my head. “There’s a scale of dork-itude. Let’s see where you land. Hit me. What’s your favorite love song? Warning…if you say ‘Endless Love,’ I may barf.”
“Nice tune, but not my favorite.” He sidled closer, glancing over my shoulder toward the kids. “I’ll give you another guess.”
“Dude, I’m coming up empty. Love songs aren’t my thing and—”
“ ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.’ ”
“Oh. That’s a good one,” I replied softly.
“Yeah. I like it.”
Was it me or was he closer now? Was he breathing my air and pulling oxygen from the room? I sucked in a breath and let out a ragged one in its place. I licked my lips, watching his gaze follow my tongue. And damn it, I couldn’t look away from him. I wished I could touch him. Just a little.
I dropped my hand to my side and oh, so slyly brushed my pinkie against his. Everything in me lit up. My heart sped a million miles an hour, my palms were clammy, and his eyes…God, they were beautiful.
“What color are they?” I whispered.
“What?”
“Your eyes. They’re light. Are they blue or green?”
He laced his finger around mine and squeezed gently. “Blue.”
“Dad! Johnny! Let’s play,” Penny called.
I jolted with a start and hooked my thumb toward the other side of the room. “We should…”
He smiled sweetly. “Yes.”
We headed for the round table in the breakfast nook, next to a generous window overlooking the yard. It was dark outside, but the lights along the hedge-lined path around the pool cast a pretty glow across the water. I obediently sat where Penny directed and stared blankly at the board as I wiped my clammy palms on my jeans.
“What do you want to be, Johnny? I’m the cat, Parker is the dog, and Dad is the car. But you’re our guest, so if you want to be one of those, we can fix it for you,” Penny said, sounding extremely mature.
“That’s okay. Um, I’ll be the hat.”
“Yeah! Good choice. Roll the dice,” she instructed.
And we were off.
An hour and a half later, I had two hundred bucks to my name, and I was the proud owner of three crappy properties with no hotels.
Whose idea was this?
Oh, yeah. Mine.
As bad as my Monopoly prospects looked, Sean’s were worse. He had better properties than me, but no hotels. Just two measly houses and fifty bucks. Since the goal of the game was to amass as many real estate holdings and as much money as possible, he was in trouble.