“No strippers.” This from Kacey.

Jake nodded in agreement, still keeping his eyes trained in Char’s legs as she stood a few feet away from him talking to his mom.

Travis snapped his fingers in front of Jake’s face. “Get it together, man. If you don’t watch it, you’re going to start panting.”

Already there. “Sorry, just distracted.” He cleared his throat and turned to look at Travis and Kacey. Travis looked irritated, Kacey looked concerned. Oh great, he was going to get the talk again. To save time he beat her to the punch. “Kace, I’m fine. It was a rough night, bad choices, I’m better now, and I’m hitting the water, not the alcohol. Seriously, you’re not my mom.” That sounded harsher than he’d meant it to sound, which was proven when Travis took a step forward. But Kacey stopped Travis with her hand.

And then her eyes followed Jake’s as he stole another glance at Char.

With a growl she handed Travis her drink and pulled Jake by the ear outside. “OW, what the hell, Kace!”

“You slept with her!”

“What? Who?”

“Char!”

“Yes!” Her eyes grew twice their normal size. “No, I mean a long time ago, yes.”

Holy shit he was sweating.

Kacey released the hostage ear and crossed her arms. “How long?”

“A year or so.” He looked down at the ground. “It was a mistake.”

“You!” Kacey poked his chest as Jake tried to shush her. “You’re the one that she spent the night with before the whole YouTube clip.”

“Guilty.” In more than one way.

Scowling, Kacey shook her head. “I should have known. All signs pointed to a Titus.”

“All signs?”

“Yeah, drinking, debauchery, irresponsibility, TV…”

Jake held up his hand for her to stop. “Fine, I get it. But it’s not like I’ve done anything since, and you know it.” Damn her for calling him on his bullshit. When he’d got drunk at her engagement party she’d told him to shape up his life or die in a prostitute’s bed—no joke. It wasn’t as if he didn’t try to do right, it just seemed like every time he did, he got shit on. It was so much easier to go the other route, to be what people expected. Irresponsible and carefree. It seemed the minute he did try to act serious and be responsible—people asked if he was drunk. It was embarrassing and again made him want to flinch, to pull away, and fall back into old habits.

“You have that look,” Kacey said, interrupting his morose thoughts.

“Look, what look?” Jake tried to change his face but failed miserably when Char walked by the window.

“That look!” Kacey poked him in the chest again. “You’re falling for her!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

Jake wiped his face with his hand and cursed. “Can you please be an adult?”

“Says the guy who slept with two drunken twins last night.”

“I didn’t.” Jake coughed. “I couldn’t… I mean… I didn’t want to and I didn’t.”

“Couldn’t? Or didn’t?”

Jake felt his face flush. “Both.” Damn, maybe he did need Viagra. What a depressing thought. How old was he, twenty-three?

“You hurt her,” Kacey’s finger pressed harder into his chest, “I cut off your—”

“Dinner!” Grandma announced, opening the door to the outside porch.

Kacey turned away and answered. “Coming, Grandma!’ Then shot a glare to Jake. “Use your imagination.”

“Finger?” He said sweetly.

“You’re an ass.” She looped her arm within his as they walked around the house to the outdoor gazebo where dinner was being served.

Jake exhaled. “So I’ve been told, over and over and over again.”

Kacey stopped walking and sighed. “Aren’t you tired of it?” Her eyes pleaded with his and for once in his life he couldn’t find his mask of indifference, the one any insecure guy used when he was trying to damn the world and live for himself. With a heavy shudder he shrugged. It was all he could manage to do. Words seemed too hard to form.

Kacey looked toward the gazebo where Char was escorted by Jace. “I hate losing, so know I’m only saying this because I love you… but.”

Jake waited.

“Love is always worth it.”

With that, Kacey leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, then walked toward a waiting Travis.

Char was going to gnaw her own arm off and eat it. Was Jake’s mom trying to torment her by waving those delicious-smelling potatoes under her nose? Char had heard that Jake’s mom had a problem with talking too much, but she had no idea it would be like that.

Back and forth the spoon went as Bets talked. Over the plate, over the bowl, over the plate, over the bowl. She probably looked like a cat playing with its mouse.

Bets laughed with Kacey—dipped the spoon into the mashed potatoes and lifted to serve Char—but then was distracted by the conversation. The spoon hovered yet again over Char’s plate and then returned to its serving bowl. Char could have sworn Kacey was keeping Bets talking on purpose.

Finally, three hours later—okay, fine, it was more like twenty minutes—everyone was served and happily eating. You know, if happily eating included Grandma telling Vegas stories while Travis stared at the chicken like it was turning him on.

Char had half a mind to feel sorry for the guy; then again, he was getting married in a week. It wasn’t as if he was going to die or anything.

Jace was to Char’s right, Jake was to her left. Yeah, so that wasn’t awkward. Each time Jace’s arm brushed hers she leaned further into Jake, which made her shiver all over whenever his skin touched hers.

Drinking water had always been her nervous tic. Awkward moment? Take a sip of water. Don’t know what to say? Take a sip of water.

She had no water.

Only wine.

Which meant if she had any hope of getting through the night she’d be polishing off every single bottle on the table.

As it was, she had already had two glasses and they were only on the third course.

“So.” Jace poured her another glass. Oh dear. “Travis tells me you’re a star reporter.”

“I don’t know if I would say star…”

“Of course you are.” Travis winked from across the table. “She’s a Seattle favorite.”

“You’d be my favorite.” Jace winked.

Jake coughed wildly next to her. She elbowed him in the ribs while she kept her eyes trained on Jace’s. “Thank you. That’s sweet.”

He shrugged in an oh golly gosh way that made Char want to puke and said, “Yeah, well, it’s true.”

Char looked away and took a bite of mashed potatoes. At least the food was amazing even if the company were all slowly losing their minds. Jace said something else, but she wasn’t focused enough to care, not with Jake’s leg touching hers.

She turned her attention to Jace, who laughed and leaned in. “Sorry, it’s just that you have mashed potatoes on your face.”

His mouth was inches from hers when all of a sudden Jake jolted from his seat. “Son of a bitch!”

“What? What’s wrong?” Wescott Titus, Jake’s dad, flew out of his seat and looked around the table.

“Uh.” Jake’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. “Squirrel. I thought I saw a squirrel.”

Kacey took a sip of wine. “Jake’s scared of squirrels.”

“Remind me to put one in your pants,” Char joked.

“Maybe then he could find his nuts.” This from Travis.

Bets laughed awkwardly and poured more wine into her glass and then nudged for Wescott to say something, but Grandma was already on top of things.

“Oh, I don’t know. All my grandsons possess nuts. Every last one. I made sure every one of them were males when they were born, didn’t I, Wescott?”

“I, uh…” Wescott looked to Bets and nodded his head emphatically. “To the most dutiful of Grandmothers.” He cringed and lifted his wine glass. “Cheers.”

“No nuts?” Jake repeated, apparently still stuck on the first jab against his manhood.

“You heard him,” Jace said from Char’s right. “The first step is admitting you have a problem.”