they knew I was onto them. That usually worked too because it was really annoying.
"I think you're the first person other than my mother or grandmother that's cooked for me before," I finally said when the silence between us went on too long.
"I should say that's sad but the competitive part of me is very happy."
I had to laugh. Darn it, why did he always say the right thing?
He'd set the table with my plain white dishes, basic silverware, and paper napkins from my pantry. There was even a small flower centerpiece in a short vase. And votive candles flickering. It looked romantic and inviting. Like this wasn't any weeknight dinner, but a dinner. A special occasion.
There had to be a catch.
I'd known him long enough to know that he wasn't perfect, but right now I was struggling to remember a single one of his flaws.
Maybe his penis had given me brain damage. Or carrying his baby. Because I could clearly remember at least two occasions when I was in middle school that he'd driven me nuts because he left his humongous basketball shoes on the floor right in front of my bedroom door when he came over to play video games with Scott.
Or the time he'd tickled me until I'd nearly peed on myself. When I was fourteen, which was more than old enough to hold my bladder.
There were other times he'd irritated me, but the memories were beginning to fade as I watched him move around my kitchen in his socks.
Wait, where were his shoes?
I glanced around and, sure enough, they were right in front of the door.
Maybe he wasn't perfect after all. I got up and moved them against the wall so one of us wouldn't trip over them before the night was over.
J.J. gave me a sheepish smile as he slid the sheet pan of chicken and veggies into the oven. "Sorry about that. Drives Mom and Cam nuts, too, but I just do it on autopilot. If it makes you feel any better, I have a bruise on my elbow because I tripped over my shoes at home."
I laughed. "Some things never change. You used to leave them in front of my bedroom door when you came to visit Scott."
If I hadn't been watching him, I would have missed it. But I was, so I saw the flush creep over his cheeks.
"Why are you blushing, Jay?" I asked, moving back to my chair and sitting down before I did something stupid like go over to the stove and hug him.
He cleared his throat. "Uh, because I used to do that on purpose. You'll probably throw something at me for saying this, but you were really funny and, uh, kinda cute when you got all riled up and yelled at me for leaving them there."
I hadn't realized he'd done it on purpose, but I did remember the way he used to grin down at me when I would shake one of his shoe boats in his face. Huh, that explained a few things.
"But it wasn't like that, you know," he said. "You were too young for me, but you weren't as mean as Cam when I made you mad. It was actually kinda fun instead of scary."
I laughed. "No, you were just lucky I had a horrible crush on you. I have four older brothers. I've had a lot more practice getting revenge than Cam has. I just never did any of that to you because I could barely string two words together around you."
It was J.J.'s turn to look at me in surprise. "Huh. I never knew. I always thought you avoided me."
I got up and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. "Want one?" I asked him. When he nodded, I took the lid off and carried it over to him. Finally, I said, "I did avoid you because I knew it was only a matter of time before I humiliated myself in front of you."
J.J. sipped his water, his eyes on me. "It was probably for the best. You were jailbait when I got older anyway." He studied me. "But you never seemed to date anyone. Why was that?"
"Four reasons," I answered, which made him laugh because he knew I was talking about my brothers. "At least in high school anyway. I never hooked up with anyone in college because I had plans and I didn't want to deal with the drama that seemed to come along with dating. I got to