Batter of Wits (Green Valley Chronicles #22) - Smartypants Romance Page 0,28

brother to go hike Coopers Road. I told her I'd bring her out there since Fran was still in the planning meeting."

In the entire seven years with Magnolia, I'd never thrown down such a deliberate chunk of bait for her. It felt necessary, even if it was entirely out of character.

I wanted to know if I'd see that audacious girl again, the one who proclaimed her victory before votes had been taken, no matter what people thought of her. I wanted to know if my girlfriend would tell me that it pissed her off. I wanted to know if she'd ask about these new people in town and offer to get to know them.

"Hmmm."

I shook my head. My fingers trailed around the base of the glass that held my whiskey, and her eyes tracked it as I lifted it to my mouth for a slow sip.

Carefully, I set the glass down and knit my fingers together on the table between us. "Magnolia, I'm trying to talk to you about something."

"I think I'm done with my dinner, if you don't mind getting the check." Her tone, normally sweet and pleasant, gained a sharp edge, even as she kept a polite smile on her face. It was the southern woman equivalent of If you know what's good for you, you will keep your mouth shut.

Every good soldier knew when to retreat, so I flagged down the waiter and asked for the bill.

We finished a few more bites of our respective meals before he brought the little black folder. From my wallet, I fished out enough cash to cover the dinner and a generous tip, and waited for Magnolia to gather her purse and stand from the table. We smiled at a few familiar people on our way out of the restaurant, but didn't stop to chat with anyone.

"Where do you want to get dessert?" she asked.

I tilted my head. "Magnolia."

"We always get dessert, and there's no reason for us to skip getting it tonight, no matter what strangers you hiked with today." She wore the expression I knew intimately after so many years. There would be no arguments from me on what we were about to do next. No discussion about the course of action she'd decided on.

Normally it didn't grate.

Normally, I was fine with whatever she wanted to do, because in my mind, there were more important things in life to worry about than dessert or where to eat for dinner or who got to pick the music on the radio. But tonight, it felt like a slap in the face, because of how clearly I wanted to talk to her.

"They have names," I told her. I propped my hands on my hips and faced her. "They are new in this town, and they have names. Grace and her brother Grady. They have families that you know. Their aunt and uncle go to your church. Their father works for your mom. Levi was one year younger than us in school. Cooper invited us to his wedding, Magnolia. And that means they won't be strangers for long."

Given we were standing just outside the restaurant, and dusk had barely draped itself over the sky, the sidewalks of downtown were still busy enough that people walked within earshot. A man with a Titans ballcap gave me a look as he passed us, like he was worried about the way I was confronting the woman in front of me.

Magnolia, even with the heels on her feet, was a solid ten inches shorter than I was, and I softened my posture. I held out my elbow, because she liked holding on to it while we walked. Her fingers curled lightly onto the top of my arm, but she held her body away from me as we started down the sidewalk.

"It's not like you have to befriend everyone in town, Tucker." She glanced up at me. "You're not the Green Valley welcoming committee."

"No," I agreed easily. "Wouldn't that be your dad's job? Or yours, as his office manager?"

Because of the skin tone she inherited from the mix of her parents, it took a deep blush for Magnolia's cheeks to turn red, but my pointed statement did it. Even worse than the blush, I saw her eyes brighten with glossy tears.

"I'm not trying to embarrass you," I told her.

She sniffed, lifting her chin and blinking away the tears. "Yes, you are. You're trying to make me jealous of some California bad girl with her black boots and fake