“You have now,” James said. “You owe me.”
“How do I owe you?”
“Because you knew I wanted to pick Mandy up at work, and you purposely did it just to drive me crazy,” James said. “Since I’m not going to yell and scream like I normally would, you now owe me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“You’re just lucky that she’s here and safe,” James said. “Because if she wasn’t, you’d be spending the night locked in the trunk of a car.”
“You’re such a big talker,” Ally said, glancing over at Mandy. “See. I told you he was Captain Annoying.”
Mandy bit her lower lip to keep from laughing out loud. James scowled at Ally. “Captain Annoying?”
Finn and Grady, both in the kitchen grabbing plates and napkins, started laughing.
“You have to admit, the name kind of fits,” Grady teased.
“I wouldn’t be so smug Lieutenant Haircut,” Ally said. “At least he’s the lead. You’re just a sidekick.”
Grady frowned. “Lieutenant Haircut? That’s just … stupid.”
“I think it’s awesome,” Finn said.
“You would, Private Whinebox.”
Mandy couldn’t hold in her laughter, and even James was joining in now. He motioned for Jake, who was unsure of himself and loitering by the door, to come closer. “Ignore my sister,” he said. “She likes to irritate us. She knows exactly how to drive each one of us crazy.”
Jake smiled, clearly a little nervous, but he stripped his jacket off and laid it over the back of one of the dining room chairs. “I have three sisters,” he said. “I’m used to it.”
“Ugh,” Finn said. “You have three sisters? How did you survive that?”
“I was the baby,” Jake said. “They doted on me and spoiled me, for the most part.”
“That’s much nicer than growing up with three older brothers,” Ally said.
“They also put makeup on me and put me in dresses when they were bored,” Jake said. “Trust me, I developed a thick skin as a child.”
Ally laughed gaily, moving closer to Jake so she could talk to him. “My brothers used to dress me up and make me play war games so we had even numbers for teams.”
“That sounds like a lot more fun.”
Mandy watched Jake and Ally interact, her smile getting wider with each shared life tidbit. While she was watching them, James was watching her. “I know what you’re thinking,” he whispered.
“I’m not thinking anything,” Mandy protested.
“Don’t you dare meddle and try to push them together,” James warned.
“Why not?”
“He’s too old for her.”
“He’s your age,” Mandy reminded him.
“Yeah, he’s too old for her.”
“She’s my age.”
“So?”
“So, if she’s too young for him, that means I’m too young for you,” Mandy said.
James dropped a short, hard kiss on Mandy’s mouth. “Maybe I’m a dirty old man.”
“I like him,” Mandy said. “And, more importantly, Ally likes him.”
“Ally doesn’t know him,” James said.
“Ally doesn’t know him yet,” Mandy corrected. “It’s going to happen.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is.”
James sighed. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
Mandy slipped her fingers inside of James’ jeans and pulled him closer, causing him to shiver when he felt her fingers brush up against him. Mandy pressed her lips to his jaw, flicking out her tongue, and weakening his resolve.
“I want Ally to be happy,” Mandy said. “You do, too.”
“You don’t know anything about this guy,” James said. “You have no idea if he’s going to make her happy.”
Mandy glanced at them again, bright smiles on their faces, their bodies turned in toward each other. “He’s going to make her happy.”
James rested his head on top of Mandy’s, giving in. “What are you going to do now? You’ve set everyone in your life up. There’s nowhere else to meddle.”
“Heidi is still single,” Mandy said.
“I’m sure you already have someone in mind for her,” James said, chuckling.
“I do. Clint.”
James stilled, pulling back so he could gaze into the blue depths of her eyes. “That’s actually not a bad idea.”
“See,” Mandy said. “I told you I’m always right.”
James wrinkled his nose, cupping her face with both of his hands. “I’ve seen the light.”