“The farmer in the dell?”
“What the fuck? No. And not Phil Robertson either. Though Dad does like to duck hunt on occasion.”
“I have to say, the show is funny, but hunting kind of creeps me out.”
“I had a feeling you were going to be like that.”
“ ‘Be like that’?” She shifted in his arms and turned her head to look at him. “What does that mean?”
“City girl,” he said. “You’ve never tried it, have you?”
“No. And I don’t intend to.”
He shrugged. “That’s okay. You go to Zumba classes, which I don’t intend to try.”
She blinked at him. “Okay, then. I was afraid you might want to make me go hunting.”
“Nah. But in the summer you can come to my cabin and relax while I fish.”
“Do you have a boat?”
“Of course.”
Her lips pursed. “I could sit in a boat while you fish. If the weather’s nice. Just because I like cities doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the great outdoors.”
He grinned. “Okay. Back to the game this weekend. You’ll come, right?”
“Actually, I’m scheduled to work at the Sin Bin Saturday night.” She swiped her tongue nervously over her bottom lip.
“Well, shit. Maybe you could change that? I could talk to Rupper—”
“No! I don’t want any special treatment there. That’s not fair to the others. But I can see if someone else wants to trade a shift.”
He had to respect that, even though he really wanted her to come. “I understand. Okay. See what you can do. If you can’t come to the game though, you could come out for dinner with us Friday night. You don’t work Friday night, do you?”
“No,” she answered slowly. He sensed a strong reluctance on her part. “I guess I could come for dinner.”
“Okay, good. You know Phil Robertson could’ve been a pro football player?”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“But apparently football would have interfered with duck hunting.”
“Good to have your priorities straight,” she said musingly.
Fuck, he…he was falling hard for this city girl.
“Tell me about your parents.”
Her body immediately tightened again. “What? Why?”
“Just making conversation, sweetheart. I want to know about you.”
“My parents are divorced. They both still live in California.”
“Ah. You miss them?”
“No.”
What the…“Really?” He frowned at her. “You don’t get along with them?”
“I don’t have anything to do with my dad anymore. My mom and I talk on the phone. I’ve gone home a couple of times to, uh, help her out. Last time I saw her was at Christmas.” She shrugged. “So, um, what are your parents’ names?”
She was changing the subject. “John and Debbie.”
“You and Lovey are their only kids, right?”
“Right.”
“Will your parents stay with you while they’re here?”
“Nah. They’re staying in a hotel. I got them a room at The Drake. Weekend in the big city for them. Lovey and my mom are going shopping. Not sure what Dad’s going to do. Lovey’s all excited to see them. Although they’re gonna die when they see where she’s living.”
“What’s wrong with where she’s living?”
“It’s just really small. A studio apartment. It’s nice enough, I guess.”
“Says the guy living in a luxury three-bedroom condo.”
He frowned. “Did I sound like I was being snobby? Because I’m not. I’m totally proud of Lovey for finding her own apartment and being independent, and trying to get her new business going.”
“Sorry. Of course you’re not snobby. Good God, far from it.”
“Okay. So, where should we go Friday night? For dinner.”
“Eek. I don’t know. What kind of food do they like?”
“Dad’s not into anything too crazy. Which is good because neither am I.” He grinned.
“Dimple’s Diner?”
He laughed. “I’ve taken them there and they like it. But we could probably go a little more upscale than that. Oh, I know…there’s this steak house…Hawthorne’s. It’s not far from their hotel and I bet they’d like it.”
Chapter 16
Hawthorne’s was lovely, with low lighting, lots of wood and walls that gave the big booths a private air. Amber was a bundle of nerves though, her insides twisted and knotted to such an extent she feared she wouldn’t be able to eat a single bite.