she got there. Turned out worrying was unnecessary. He just slid a hand down the back of her head to draw her closer so he could descend to kiss her hair.
His lips moved in her locks. “You just keep getting better and better.”
She grabbed his belt buckle while leaning back. “He’s also here to take you home.”
Turner’s brows just rose; his smile wasn’t worried. “Oh, he is, huh?”
“Mm hmm,” she said, her lips curling as he bowed over her.
“Let’s see how that works out for him.”
“I think the point is…” Raising her arms, Poppy looped them around his neck. “It’s supposed to work out for me.”
“Oh, I’ll make sure everything works just fine for you.”
“Always did, baby,” she purred.
“Damn right it did.”
His mouth was almost on hers when Clark spoke. “Poppy, we have company.”
Whether they had company or not, they shouldn’t be flirting it up in the dining room. She shouldn’t be flirting it up anywhere with the man she’d tried to send home.
Backing off, Poppy ignored Preston’s smirk while thanking her lucky stars that Ritchie wasn’t the one they’d summoned.
“I raised you better than that,” her mom said.
Grammie laughed. “Yes, but I corrupted her twice as much. I’m proud of you, Tater-Tot.”
Turner laid a hand on her back to guide her over to the table. He even helped her with her chair. All his years surrounded by women paid off for her, Poppy reaped the rewards over and over.
“So, Mr. Whitlock, you and our Turner are friends?” Grammie asked.
They spent the rest of the meal talking about friendships and learning more about Turner and his buddies. Poppy had fun. For a while, she forgot about Holden and his idiocy. That was something that couldn’t be taken for granted.
Her father’s phone rang at the same time the dessert dishes were taken away. Without saying anything to the table, he got up and left the room, which was usual if there was business to deal with.
“If I don’t take my medications on time, I get loopy,” Grammie said, pushing her chair back. “Primrose, come and help me up the stairs.”
Poppy was no fool. Her grandmother didn’t need help to get up the stairs. But Grammie knew as well as she did that her mom and Violet wouldn’t hang around alone with Poppy and the guys. And she was right. As soon as Grammie and Primrose cleared the threshold of the dining room, her mom started talking about clothing samples and excused herself and Violet from the table.
Their server came in and paused when she discovered most of the diners were gone.
“Would you like drinks, Miss Poppy?”
“She needs more wine,” Turner said, eyeballing her full glass. “I don’t think she likes this one.”
“No wine, thank you, Stephanie,” Poppy said to the server. “You can bring these guys a couple of beers though.” Stephanie nodded and disappeared back the way of the kitchens. Poppy frowned, drawing a fingertip around the rim of her glass. “I don’t know if we even have beer in this house.”
“If not, there’s a bar in town,” Turner said. “Guys are out tonight.”
“Do you think cabs pick up from this address?” Preston asked.
“I’ve got the truck.”
Preston raised his arms. “Oh, yeah, night on the town. You can show us all the hotspots, Poppy.”
She sank back in her chair. “All I’m good for is bed, gents.”
Turner’s hand skimmed the back of her seat. As he closed in, she wasn’t ignorant to just what that looming meant. “Sounds good to me, Candy-Cane.”
“Would you stop,” she said, giving him a gentle push. “You know my parents live under this roof. Even if sex was allowed, which it isn’t, it wouldn’t be allowed where my parents might hear us.”
“Truck’s outside.”
She laughed. “How romantic, so a quickie in the backseat?”
“Or the front, whatever works.”
He wasn’t serious, Turner was playing with her. When they’d been together before, his lighter side only popped its head above the parapet once in a while. There, without the stress of his zillion responsibilities, the guy actually had time to kick back.
Turner had never been shy about flirting with her. Though he seemed to have forgotten that she didn’t have the best track record when it came to resisting him. He was the one who’d found the brakes when they needed them before, Poppy was less disciplined.
“You two should be careful about being seen out partying around here,” she said, looking beyond Turner to Preston who sat at the opposite side of the table. The man at her side leaned