Travis smiled at his older sister when she entered the kitchen, looking delicious in a pair of black stretch pants and a green sweatshirt that hung off one shoulder.
“Good one, but I don’t have that yet. I brought Uno. Duh. Vincenzo brought Apples to Apples, whatever that is.”
Cenzo stood at the island counter, smiling at his siblings while he made some kind of boozy punch. He stood beside Antonio, who worked carefully on his presentation for the photos we would all have to endure before we could dig into the picture-perfect dishes.
“There are no wrong answers, so you should love it.” He laughed at his own joke and Antonio only shook his head.
“Help me out here, Cal. What did you bring?”
“Monopoly, of course. No other board game beats it.” I smiled at Teddy and she gave me nothing but a blank stare. “And I brought beer.”
“See?” Travis stood and motioned in my direction. “This guy is a doctor, and even he doesn’t want to play your final-exam games, Teddy. Give it a rest, please.”
“It’s not my fault you refuse to hold anything in that brain of yours other than phone numbers and bra sizes.”
Travis smiled. “I save all the important details in here.”
“Pig,” she muttered but her lips curled into an affectionate smile.
It was nice seeing her so at ease. Hell, it was nice to see her, period, and I had a feeling her presence at game night tonight had everything to do with me. She was trying to prove, for some reason, that I wasn’t the reason she avoided the family gatherings I attended.
It was bullshit, of course, but I was happy to have her here.
“Hey, Teddy.”
“Cal,” she said stiffly and turned to steal a piece of whatever Antonio was working on.
I smiled at her reluctant greeting. “How’s it going?”
She froze. “Fine.”
“Me too,” I answered loud enough for everyone to hear. “You’re a real master of conversation, you know that?”
Teddy shrugged. “I am when I want to be.”
“Ooooh, burn.” Travis laughed as he pulled a beer from the fridge and disappeared into the living room, where Hannah sat chatting with the town mechanic, Ryan Branson, while Rosie attempted to braid her hair.
There was no official end to game night, not even when Rosie was put to bed upstairs, but eventually, after too much food and drinks, it turned into a small late-night gathering.
“I can’t believe you’re still here.” Antonio shook his head. “After working all day, I was sure you’d be the first to leave.”
“Not until I eat the rest of those shrimp and pepper dumplings.” I patted my belly and flashed a wide smile.
“Still a terrible liar, I see. Maybe we should add poker night back to the schedule.” He showed off a knowing smile, arms folded as his gaze shifted toward the back door. “Teddy’s out back.”
“Is she?” I’d been biding my time for the past ten minutes, waiting to see if she was just taking a breath, or if I could talk to her in private. “Interesting.”
“Whatever, man.” He shook his head, grabbed a beer, and headed back to the living room.
I didn’t know if it was a sign or a blessing on his part, but as soon as Antonio was gone, I made my way out to Teddy. “Nice night out.”
“Yep.” Teddy kept her brown eyes focused overhead, enjoying the twinkling lights high up in the sky.
“You look beautiful in the moonlight, Teddy.”
The words slipped out before I could call them back, but they were true. Her hair hung down her back and she looked at ease with a serene smile curving her lips.
She let out a snort-laugh and shook her head. “Thanks.”
“You doubt my words?” I took a few steps closer and I didn’t stop until the floral, earthy scent of her perfume wrapped around me.
Teddy focused her eyes on my face and studied me for a long minute. “I think you’re probably attracted to me, sure. Or you’re just so shocked I’m not that ugly little girl I used to be that now you want a piece of me. Do I think you think I’m beautiful? No.”
I took another step closer, hungry for a reaction other than disdain or annoyance from this woman. “I do think you’re beautiful, Teddy.”
Her breath hitched and I noticed the way the little pulse in her throat fluttered wildly. I smiled. Teddy might hate me, but she was affected by me. She was attracted to me. I could definitely work that.
“You just want to sleep with me, Cal.”
“Is that so bad? You’re beautiful and your body is smokin’ hot; I’ve been having fantasies about all the things I’d like to do to you.”
Teddy nodded and put a hand to my chest, giving me a gentle push. “Then let those fantasies keep you warm until you find your next victim. I’m not interested.”