Second Chance at the Orchard Inn, page 32
“Obviously.”
He tried the pork first, because how could he not.
“Get some mango with it,” Han urged him.
Devin raised a brow. He didn’t ignore the advice, though. He scooped up a noodle for good measure and shoveled the whole thing into his mouth.
His eyes slipped closed and he thumped his fist onto the table.
“Uh…”
“Shh.” Devin put a finger to his sealed lips as he chewed. Once he swallowed, he opened his eyes.
“Well?”
“Man, that’s good.” Salty and sweet, rich but not heavy.
“The mango really makes it, huh?”
“Yup.”
“You getting the garlic?”
“Uh-huh.”
“But not too much.”
“Close—I wouldn’t do any more. But seriously. It’s a keeper.”
“Try the veg.”
Devin forced himself to stop cramming delicious, delicious pork in his face. The vegetable was some weird green thing Han had been messing around with. It’d been a little bitter for his taste last time, but it’d probably go pretty well with the pork. He gave it a shot and nodded. “Yup. Cutting the ginger helped a lot.”
“Thought so.” Han flashed a smug, ever-so-slightly-secretive smile as he dug into his own plate.
“What’re you up to?”
“Nothing.”
“Yeah, I don’t buy it.”
Han had always had fun messing around with new recipes, but he’d been more intense about it of late. There was definitely something going on.
“You don’t have to.” Then his smirk deepened. “But maybe someday someone will.”
Devin put down his chopsticks. “You aren’t finally doing it.”
Han had always idly talked about opening his own restaurant. It never came to anything, though. He was too busy at the family business.
“No.” Han shook his head. “Not yet. But let’s just say I’m working on something that might be a first step.”
“Okay, you keep your secrets. As long as you keep the awesome grub coming, too.”
Chuckling, Han nodded. “That I can do.” He took a bite of his own lunch and seemed pleased. “Speaking of which, I’ve got a few other things I’m ready to guinea pig. Dinner at my place tomorrow?”
Normally, Devin would jump at the chance, but heading to the Leung house made all the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. He cleared his throat. “Who all’s going to be there?”
“Does it matter? Free grub, remember.”
“I know. I’m just asking.”
Han shrugged. “Bobbi and Caitlin probably. Clay if I can pry him away from the Junebug for a minute, and you know he’ll want to bring June.” He listed the names of a couple of other guys they hung out with regularly. Then he grimaced. “I think Zoe has the night off, so she’ll probably invite herself.”
“Oh?” Devin’s voice came out strangled to his own ears.
“Maybe. Who knows.”
Not good enough. But he couldn’t probe any deeper without sounding suspicious. He rummaged around in his brain, trying to think of excuses why he couldn’t go, but he came up with squat.
Zoe was a firecracker. She said their secret was safe with her, but she loved to push him, and he had to admit it—he kind of loved it when she did. But interacting with her at their family home, with Han right there? What lines would get blurred?
It wasn’t just her he didn’t trust. His fingers twitched. He was getting too comfortable hanging out at his apartment with her. They spent half their time naked or snuggled up or both. Reaching out and putting his hand over hers and pulling her into him was becoming second nature.
Would he be the one to slip up and give them away?
Oblivious to Devin twisting himself into knots, Han pursed his lips. “Then again, she’s been going out a lot recently.”
“Yeah?” Devin’s throat threatened to close again.
“It’s super weird. She bummed around the house all the time when she first moved back in, but now it’s like she’s never there. I think she’s sneaking out at night, too.”
Devin tried not to choke on a piece of mango and pork. He coughed into a napkin.
“You okay?” Han asked.
No.
“Yeah, yeah.” Fighting both to breathe and to come off as casual, Devin asked, “Is it really sneaking, though? She’s in her twenties, right?”
“Fine, fine, whatever. It’s still weird. I didn’t think she had a lot of friends around here.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m pretty sure she’s not dating anybody.”
“Maybe she’s just working late? The Junebug is a bar.”
“Maybe.” Han frowned. “You’re right—it’s none of my business. I just hope she’s not doing anything stupid.”
Devin’s stomach flopped around inside his abdomen.
She was doing something stupid all right.
Namely him.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” he lied.
Only he wasn’t so sure of that.
He wasn’t so sure at all.
“So…do you want me to stay away?” Zoe had her back turned to Devin as she brushed her hair, but her gaze flicked to his in the bathroom mirror.
He was a little groggy, still splayed out on the mattress, naked and boneless. She hadn’t had to close the bar tonight, so she’d come over after her shift, which was great—he loved seeing her. But it was past his bedtime, and that last round had been particularly athletic.
There was something in her voice that told him he needed to pay attention, though.
He rose onto his elbows and rummaged around in his skull for enough brain cells to rub together. “What do you mean? It’s your house.”
Their pillow talk had inevitably turned to a discussion of the dinner party Han was holding at the Leung house. She’d seemed surprised to hear he was trying to find a way out of it.
“Yeah,” she allowed. She set down her brush—one of a couple of her things that had somehow found a home for themselves in his bathroom this week—and came back over to the bed. As if she could tell that he wasn’t at his best when she wasn’t wearing any clothes, she pulled the covers up over her chest. “But Han is your best friend. I don’t want to get in the way of that.”
He wasn’t quite tired or stupid enough to laugh. He’d only resisted her as long as he had because he hadn’t been willing to risk Han’s friendship or Arthur’s welcome. Of course his being with her now was going to affect his relationship with her family.
He reached for her hand and held it in his, running his thumb along the lines of her palm. He should be stressing out right now, but it was hard to be anything but relaxed when it was just the two of them. She made talking about his feelings easy in a way no one ever had. “You aren’t in the way. I’m just nervous he’ll catch on to something being weird between us.”
“Yeah…”
He closed his fingers around hers more firmly. “You know I don’t like keeping this secret, right?”
“I know.” She wasn’t looking at him, though.
“It’s just…”
“I get it. I’m probably not going to be here for long.” She huffed out a breath and pitched her voice higher, putting on the fake-happy smile she always used when talking about her job search. “Fifteen more applications submitted today.” She deflated back to a more natural tone. “No point rocking the boat for something temporary, right?”
Sourness coated the back of his tongue. This was good, them being clear with each other like this. It was smart and mature.
So why did he hate it so much?
He couldn’t bring himself to agree with her, so he barreled on. “Look, I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay away.”
“And I don’t want you to feel like you do.”
“So we won’t,” he decided. “We’ll both go—if that’s what you want to do. And we’ll just try to be normal. It’ll probably be fine.”
Her expression finally brightened. “Sure. We can do this.”
“Of course we can.”
“So, what do you think?” She scooted closer to him, and he breathed a little easier. “Does Han just keep living with our mom out of sheer martyrdom? Or is it because he’s using her for her kitchen?”
Devin tipped his head back and laughed. Leave it to Zoe not to mince words. “He’d probably say it’s to take care of your mom and save money.”
“Martyrdom.” She poked his arm with her index finger.
He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. “But you might be onto something with the kitchen.” Devin had helped them redo it back a few years ago. “He’d never find an apartment with one as nice.”
Gazing down at their joined hands, Zoe asked, “What about at your loner house in the woods? Any plans to build a giant kitchen there that he can use?”
“It’d be worth it just for the free food,” he mused. But he shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s going to be a small place. Just me kicking around it.”
“You don’t think there’d ever be anybody else?” she asked quietly.
The question settled on him heavily. She was still studiously looking down. He brushed her hair back from her face, but it didn’t let him see her eyes any better.
The answer should be simple. His whole life, he’d been dreaming of the day he could have a home of his own.
He glanced over at the bathroom, though. At the hairbrush and the toothbrush and the little bottles of lotion and soap.
He shrugged, noncommittal. “How about you? Gorgeous kitchen a must-have for your Realtor when you land your dream job?”
He kept his voice light, but forget heavy. This question sank inside him like a stone.
“Nah.” She put her head on his shoulder. “It’s not like Han would ever leave to come visit me.”
I would, Devin didn’t say. But her kitchen wouldn’t have a thing to do with it.
Silence hung between them for a minute. He twisted his neck to press a kiss to her temple, but before he could come up with anything smart to say, a yawn snuck out of him.
She laughed and kissed him back before ruffling his hair. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed. You have incident reports to write in the morning.”
“Don’t remind me,” he groaned, flopping backward into his pillow.
She got up and turned off the lights, and wow, she was so great. As she slipped back into the bed beside him, he curled his arms around her. Even the prospect of dealing with more paperwork and more people letting Bryce off the hook couldn’t bring him down.
Nope. Apparently, the only thing that could do that was the reminder that his time with her was temporary.
Which sucked. Because he was pretty sure he was going to get even more of those when he was pretending not to be sleeping with her at Han’s party tomorrow night.
Chapter Ten
Y’all—don’t even get me started on weird customers.” June held a hand in front of herself, palm out.
Zoe raised a brow and took another sip of her wine.
Ten minutes into Han’s dinner party, she, June, and June’s friend Bobbi were standing around the island in the center of the kitchen, trading work stories. Over by the stove, Han prepped ingredients while trying to keep Ling-Ling from stealing any of them—with mixed success. Between fond rebukes to the dog, he kept a light conversation going with Clay, Bobbi’s girlfriend, Caitlin, and a couple of guy friends.
“Ooh.” Bobbi rubbed her hands together. “This is going to be good.”
June smiled. “Let’s just say there’s a reason the Sweetbriar Inn now has an official policy prohibiting birds.”
Zoe snickered, but before June could dive any deeper into whatever guest at her family’s B&B had prompted that new rule, the doorbell rang, setting Ling-Ling off.
Zoe’s pulse raced, and she put her glass down with a thunk. “I’ll get it!”
“Seriously,” Han called after her, “nobody’s fighting you for it except the dog.”
And okay, yeah, she was a little eager, racing to get the door each time a new person arrived. But this time, she had extra reason to run. Devin was the only person they were still waiting for. This had to be him.
She skidded to a stop in the entryway, making sure her body was blocking Ling-Ling from getting out before flinging open the door.
And there Devin was. All six foot something glorious inches of him, his cheeks flushed from the chill outside, his blue eyes sparkling, and what was it about the way he lit up when his gaze fell on her? Her heart pounded, her ribs squeezing around it.
Her over-the-top reaction made no sense. He was just a guy, and she was in a weird, temporary place in her life. They’d basically agreed that whatever they were doing together was just for fun. The very sight of him shouldn’t turn her to goo.
But she liked him so much.
She cast one backward glance over her shoulder before closing the door and launching herself at him. He caught her in his arms. Pausing only to set down the six-pack he’d brought, he pressed her into the freezing-cold siding of the house, and she didn’t care about the temperature or the fact that he was so worried about getting caught.
His mouth was hot as it covered hers, his tongue commanding. She kissed him back with a hunger that had nothing to do with the promise of the upcoming meal. Running her hands through his hair, she soaked up every second of contact with him.
It wasn’t enough. He jerked away, his breath coming fast, the darkness in his gaze pure torture considering what was coming next. “We should—”
“Go make out some more in your truck?” she suggested helpfully.
He buried his face in her shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could. “Don’t tempt me, woman.”
“Why not?” She gazed up at the stars and breathed him in. “It’s so much fun.”
“For you, maybe,” he said, but there was a hint of darkness in his tone.
The corners of her mouth turned down. “I was just messing around.”
“I know.” Did he, though?
The mood broken, he gave her one last quick peck before letting go.
Stepping away, he gestured at his face. “Do I have any…?”
“Just—” She reached up on her toes to swipe at the little smudge of lipstick at the corner of his mouth. Considering how they’d just been sticking their tongues down each other’s throats, it wasn’t bad. This long-wearing stuff was the best.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
He picked up the beer he’d set down and they headed inside. She stole another glance at him under the entryway light as he stopped to give Ling-Ling a quick scratch behind the ear. There was no sign that anything was amiss. The way she’d run her fingers through his hair could have easily been the wind. No one would know.
She tried to remind herself that that was a good thing.
“I’ll, uh, show you where to put your coat.” She started to lead him down the hall.
“Please,” her brother scoffed, appearing at the top of the half flight of stairs. “It’s just Devin. He knows.” Han smiled at Devin. “What’s up, man?”
“Nothing,” Devin replied.
“Was starting to think you’d gotten lost out there.”
“Nah.” Devin brushed past her. Out of her brother’s sight line, he gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze before continuing on. He held up the six-pack. “Almost forgot these in the truck and had to run back for them.”
“Nice.” Han accepted the beers.
But as Zoe followed Han and Devin into the kitchen, she caught June gazing at her appraisingly. Crap—she’d checked Devin for lipstick smudges but she hadn’t checked herself. She casually glanced at her reflection in the hallway mirror. Nope—she was basically okay.
Well, whatever. June could give her weird looks if she wanted to. Zoe wasn’t going to act like she had anything to hide.
To prove it, she snagged a fried wonton strip off one of the appetizer plates. She dragged it through the plum sauce dip and popped it in her mouth. She really didn’t know what that was supposed to prove, but it was freaking delicious, so it didn’t matter.
Around her, all signs showed this to be a successful dinner party. Han was doing his thing, cooking and putting on a show. If it weren’t so clichéd—and if they were Japanese instead of Chinese—he could’ve had a heck of a career at one of those hibachi places.
Zoe shook her head, trying not to stare at Devin, who had joined the loose cluster hanging out over by her brother. Han’s parties were never formal or anything, but people usually put in a little effort. Devin had traded in his work clothes for a sharp blue button-down that made his eyes look even brighter.
She wanted to peel it off him.
“So, you wanna talk about it?”
Zoe tried not to jump when June spoke from right beside her. “Talk about what?”
June’s friend Bobbi snickered.
Zoe’s face went warm. Crap. She was really bad at this secretly banging her brother’s friend thing, huh?
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she said, more firmly this time.
June didn’t seem convinced. “Uh-huh.”
“He’s one of Han’s friends.” Zoe swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Gross.”
“Gross? I mean—” Bobbi gestured with her wineglass at the guys. Her girlfriend, Caitlin, stood over beside them. “I don’t even like dudes, and I can admit he’s hot.”
“They’re all hot,” June said.
Zoe recoiled. “Ew. My brother is not hot.”
Shrugging, June took a sip of her wine. “May would kill me for saying it, but it’s true.”
“Seriously, though,” Bobbi said, leaning in. “Devin’s been sneaking looks at you almost as much as you’ve been sneaking looks at him.”
“Really?” Her voice came out too high. She retreated to the side a bit to reclaim her wineglass and took a gulp.
“Really,” June confirmed.
Zoe had to stop herself from glancing over at him to verify. “It doesn’t matter. Even if he weren’t gross.” He was so, so not gross. “It’s like I said—he’s my brother’s best friend, and you know how Han is.” Her mouth felt dry despite the wine. “If either of us made a move, he’d flip his lid.”
