the happy home of Wyatt and his wife. My mind spun back to our time together and the little bits of conversation I obviously mistook as flirting.
Ugh. I’d experienced so little flirting in my life, I didn’t even know what was and wasn’t.
“Come on in.” The woman motioned with her free hand as Francisco kept his eyes on us. “Wyatt would have come to the door, but he’s elbow deep in tonight’s dinner.”
Renee laughed. “Which is?”
The woman laughed. “Chili and cornbread. Hope you’ll stay with us. I’m Samantha, by the way.”
Before I could make up an excuse, Renee eagerly agreed and walked right by Francisco and Samantha and headed into Wyatt’s home. This was exactly why I should have told Renee who was assigned to teach me all the recipes. She’d recognize my horror, see my pain, and feel my agony of defeat again.
“Really nice to meet you, Samantha.” I smiled and followed her inside where Renee was already closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in.
“Smells amazing.” Renee grinned.
“If only the man knew how to bake, he’d be a real catch,” Samantha cooed, and I suddenly realized Wyatt had never told her what he was doing during his days.
My mind raced back to him telling me how making chocolates was his personal therapy, and I suddenly felt completely awkward.
“Hey, Sasha.” Wyatt walked into the foyer as he wiped his hands on a green kitchen towel in his hands. “I hope you don’t mind me making us dinner.”
I shook my head, unable to speak.
Just seeing him made my heart race, my temperature climb, and my mind stumble.
All in the presence of his very sweet wife.
I.
Was.
A.
Horrible.
Person.
Samantha placed Francisco on the floor and the flaming orange poodle trotted down the hall as if he owned the place. I looked around the beautiful log home, taking in all the timbers and the beautiful log banister.
“It’s really kind of you to feed us. I didn’t expect to come over to dinner. You’ve done enough already with Francisco and everything,” I explained, refusing to look at my sister.
I could feel her reaction bouncing off the walls of the entryway, and if I could fill up all the remaining time with chatter, maybe she’d never say anything.
“But we love chili,” I continued. “And Renee was just saying how hungry she was, so thank you.”
Wyatt smiled wider and looked at my sister. “So, you must be Renee. Sasha has said so much about you.”
I thought back to my conversations with Wyatt and hid a chuckle, realizing I’d actually said very little about my sister, which again, made me a horrible person.
“Umm. You’re the person who—”
Wyatt cut her off, obviously not wanting to reveal anything to his significant other. “Just handling all of Phyllis’s affairs.”
“No, I mean…” Renee looked at me as I silently pleaded with her to stay quiet. “I just can’t get over this. No wonder Sasha’s been so good about going into the chocolate shop.”
Samantha’s eyebrows raised as she turned her attention to me.
Wyatt stepped in. “I’ve just been showing her the ropes.”
“Interesting.” Samantha smiled. “Does Garrett know about this?”
“I just can’t believe you’re the person, of all people, to show Sasha the ropes.” Renee’s eyes stayed as wide as saucers.
Wyatt frowned. “Why’s that?”
“You know, because of her huge crush on you back in the day.”
Samantha laughed, and my cheeks flamed red instantly.
Wyatt leaned against the wall. “Crush?”
Renee finally turned to look at me. “Oh, you didn’t tell him?”
“Why would I?” I nearly hissed.
“I just thought…” Renee bit her lip and looked for Francisco. “Maybe, I ought to grab the pup and just head back to the car.”
“Why?” Samantha chuckled. “This is just getting interesting.”
Francisco scuttled into the hallway and Renee bent over only to have him back up and ferociously yap at her.
She quickly straightened. “Maybe not.”
“What about a crush?” Wyatt asked, his eyes catching mine.
My heart fluttered when I saw a spark ignite behind his gaze while simultaneously feeling completely guilty about Samantha standing right there.
I gave a flick of the wrist in the direction of the door, hoping Renee would take the hint. “It’s nothing. We should probably get going.”
“Oh, come on.” Samantha laughed. “I live for things like this.”
Renee’s brow arched in surprise. “You do?”
Samantha nodded. “I’m a writer, so…”
I turned to face Wyatt. “That’s nice she’s a writer. Sounds fun.”
Wyatt nodded in agreement. “It is. She does it well.”
A few seconds of silence overwhelmed the room.
Wyatt caught my gaze again and wouldn’t let it go. “What about a crush?”
It