glanced down at the menu and saw that that item included one beef, one chicken, one cheese and one bean enchilada topped with sauce, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, and tomatoes. “Wow, you like to eat!” He immediately winced at the wide-eyed, red-faced expression on her face. Fuck… “That did not come out the way I wanted it to.” He rested his forearms on the tabletop, his palms upward in supplication. “I’m so sorry, Harper. I just meant that the choice has all our favorites... my favorites... and I’m glad you like to eat... shit, I’ll stop now.”
Her laughter rang out, lighting her face as her eyes danced. “You’re fine, Sean. Honestly.” Shrugging, she added, “And you’re right... I do like to eat. But I order this so I can take half of it home for another meal later this week.”
“God, you don’t have to explain.” He was glad she was laughing and not stomping out of the restaurant in a huff. Just then his stomach growled, and as soon as the server came by, he gave their order. Looking eagerly at the basket of nachos and salsa she had placed on the table, he nodded toward the platter. “Please, dive in.”
She dipped the chip into the salsa, popped it into her mouth, and closed her eyes, groaning. “Oh, my God, that’s so good.”
Her words accompanied by the groan shot straight through him, and he shifted slightly against the leather seat. Asking her to lunch had been impulsive, something he rarely was. Not wanting to stick his foot into his mouth again, he sat quietly, ignoring his body’s response to her as he wondered what to talk about.
“Are you from Hope City?” she asked, her eyes holding his gaze as she smiled.
Nodding as he swallowed, he relaxed, glad that she took the lead. “Yes. And you?”
Shaking her head, she smiled. “I’m from Wallburg, North Carolina. And don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it. Believe me, it’s tiny. My parents are still there, and I know they hoped I would always return. But it’s such a little town, and I always longed for living in a bigger city. I got a scholarship to the university here and never left.”
“What’s your favorite thing about living in a big city?”
Scrunching her nose, she admitted, “I don’t go out as much as I used to, but I love having concerts, theater, and even boat rides in the summer.” She tilted her head to the side and kept her gaze on him. “Have you ever lived anywhere else?”
“I was in the Army for eight years after high school. Once those tours were over, I just wanted to come back to where my family was.”
Taking a sip of tea, her eyes brightened. “Besides your brother, do you still have family here?”
Chuckling, he leaned back in his seat. “Oh, yeah. My parents are still here, along with my five siblings.”
Choking on her nacho, she sputtered. “Five siblings? Your parents had six kids? Oh, that must’ve been fun!”
He watched her eyes light, but then his gaze dropped to her mouth, and the idea of kissing her was all he could think about. Stop looking at her mouth… say something. “Um… my family grew up next to another family that we’re close to. They had five kids and we had six. So, you can imagine that there was a worn path in the grass between our house and theirs.”
“Oh, my goodness!” Harper exuded, shaking her head slightly. “Eleven kids running back and forth!”
Sucking in a deep breath, he dragged his gaze back to her eyes and tried to focus on their conversation. Clearing his throat, he said, “It was crazy at times. But it was also great. Brock was their oldest and the same age as me. Sometimes we got stuck watching the younger kids, but mostly, it was just a lot of fun. You always felt like you had someone around to talk to or play with.”
Her voice softened and she tilted her head to the side. “I can see you being the oldest. I think that sounds wonderful.”
He heard the wistfulness in her voice. Her gaze was penetrating, and he wanted to know more about her. “So, what about you? Siblings?”
Nodding, she licked a dab of salsa off her lips, and he once again focused on her mouth, her pink tongue snagging his attention.
“My parents were older when they had me. I don’t think it was because they couldn’t get pregnant. They were older when they met