Riley laughed softly. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Kids grow up a lot faster these days than they used to.”
Great. A few minutes earlier, she’d been fretting about whiskers and driving. Now she had to add strippers to the worry equation. “Just tell me you didn’t really talk about strippers with my ten-y
ear-old son.”
“I was just teasing you. We talked about fish, not flesh.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Joking aside, maybe Mark had been fairly discreet during the outing, she reassured herself. Not that there were any big secrets to reveal about their little family, but it made her uncomfortable to think of her son discussing her with other people. Okay, specifically, it was the thought of being discussed with Riley that felt particularly awkward.
He seemed to be studying her face, as if searching for something in her expression. “What?” she asked involuntarily.
His eyebrows lifted. “Was I staring at you?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry. It’s just…”
She found herself taking a step toward him, curious about what he was going to say. “What?”
His smile was crooked. Almost sheepish. “You look very pretty in the moonlight.”
She felt her cheeks warm in response to the unexpected compliment. “Oh.”
He didn’t seem to notice the inanity of her response. “Of course, you look pretty in daylight, too,” he continued. “But the moonlight really makes your eyes sparkle.”
She frowned at him. “I thought you’d stopped doing that.”
He was almost as bad as Marjorie at feigning innocence. “Doing what?”
“Flirting with me.”
“I was merely stating facts. Can I help it if I’m just naturally charming?”
She rolled her eyes. “And possessed with such natural modesty.”
“Another one of my assets.”
“Don’t you ever stop joking?”
“There are some things I take very seriously.” The look he gave her came perilously close to a leer. “Would you like me to demonstrate for you sometime?”
“You’re incorrigible. And, besides, we agreed that we would maintain a friendly, professional relationship.”
“I can be very friendly.”
“Stop it.” For some ridiculous reason, she felt herself smiling—probably because his tone was more silly than suggestive. She straightened her expression immediately. “That isn’t what I meant.”
He sighed with exaggerated regret. “I know. But that doesn’t stop me from daydreaming.”
Shaking her head, she took a step toward her door. “It’s getting late. I’m going inside.”
“Afraid to spend any more time alone in the moonlight with me?”
“Yes, that’s it.” She kept her voice dry as she shot back her answer. “I’m afraid I’ll be too tempted to climb over this fence and throw all caution to the wind.”