wide smile as she delivered our food, taking in the beautiful spectacle Brenna made, laughing at my expense. “Enjoy your meal.”
The waitress startled Brenna, which produced another laugh. “My goodness you move like a ninja! I didn’t even hear you come up on us.” This time the young girl joined in, seemingly happier just being around the ray of sunshine that was Brenna McKenna.
“Sorry?”
“Oh, don’t be honey. It was a good laugh and that never requires an apology. Thanks for the food.”
“Enjoy your meal.” She walked away with a smile that was much brighter than the professional one she wore when she arrived with the food.
“What?” Brenna blinked innocently and looked over one shoulder and then the other. “Why are you staring? And don’t say I have food in my teeth because I haven’t eaten a thing. Yet.”
“Just watching. You have this effect on people, you know that right?”
She waved my words away and dropped a slice on my plate and then hers. “It’s just my laugh. I’ve been told it’s contagious.”
It was more than that, but I could see it was useless to argue, and the steaming slice on my plate was calling my name. I plowed through four slices in the time it took Brenna to eat two. And a half. “Want something else?”
“Yeah, I call dibs on two of the leftover slices. They’ll make a perfect midnight snack.” She licked her lips and in that moment, I was jealous of those leftover slices.
“I’ll take the rest, then.” She laughed and shook her head, digging in her purse for…something.
Brenna pulled out a five dollar bill and I frowned. “What?”
“What are you doing?”
“Since you were kind enough to pay for dinner, I thought I’d leave the tip. Is that a problem?” Her tone told me to tread carefully, but there was a part of me that hated the idea of her paying for any part of the dinner. “Is it?”
I leaned forward and flashed my most charming smile. “No ma’am, not at all.”
“Good. I’m ready to head out when you are.” Her smile never wavered and dammit, it was contagious. “Unless you want that chocolate fudge brownie pie?”
“Only if you let me eat it off your body.”
She sucked in a breath, her blue eyes darkened and her pupils dilated as the smallest intake of breath sounded between us. “That’s about all I’ll let you do after all that pizza.”
“Fine by me,” I told her and pushed the inside door open just as my friend Reese entered with a dark-haired man I assumed to be her boyfriend. “Reese?”
She looked up and gasped. “Grant Lopez, you handsome son of a gun, what are you doing in Tulip?”
“Picking up booze for my friend’s engagement party. Thought I’d stop to check out the best pizza in Texas.”
“And? Did you love it?” She posed the question to Brenna who nodded furiously.
“It was delicious, even better than Pilgrim Pizza, and that’s sayin’ something. Thanks for the recommendation.” She held up the red and white paper bag. “I got extra slices for later.”
“They’re good hot or cold,” she advised with a curious smile. “I didn’t know Grant was seeing anyone.”
“He’s not. I’m just using him for sex. Brenna McKenna, nice to meetcha!” She looked at the guy at Reese’s side. “And this one belongs to you?”
Reese laughed, amused by Brenna’s flamboyance. “Yes. This is my husband, Jackson Slater, Tulip’s very best detective.”
The man wrapped an affectionate arm around her and extended the other to Brenna and then to me. “Just Jackson will be fine. Tulip grapevine says that you run a bodyguard school. Do you do law enforcement too?”
“It’s a training academy for private security, but we do offer training and team building events.” I found a business card and handed it over. “Call and see if we can meet your needs.”
Reese laughed. “Wow, you sound like a proper businessman. I’m impressed.”
I stood a little taller and let out a chuckle. “Not just a pretty face, anymore. You should be very impressed.”
“I should, shouldn’t I?” She smirked and shook her head. “I’ll have to see you in action before I make up my mind. I’m so hungry right now, I can’t think straight.”
Brenna laughed. “It was nice meetin’ y’all. Enjoy the pizza!” I kept a hand on Brenna’s back until we were at my car. “She was nice. Sassy. I think I like her.”
“I figured you’d say that, once you stopped being jealous.”
She sucked in an outraged breath. “I was not jealous. Merely curious.”
“Whatever you need