Jessie was wearing black linen pants and a deep purple shirt that exactly matched the deep purple in the paisley-print inset on Teagan’s dress. By accident or by design they looked very much the couple, but not matchy-matchy.

  A.J. looked rather dashing in a pair of worn jeans that fit him perfectly. Have I said anything about his rear? Suffice it to say that perfection would not be an overstatement. I’m just sayin’.

  He had on this really strange shirt. Strange in a good way. It had some kind of stitching on it that was unlike anything I’d ever seen. I wanted to run my fingers over it. Over him. And he’d let me. Without asking. Yay! Life is good.

  Although I’m in charge of fixing dinner, I’d actually taken the time to shower, shave, and even buff and polish everything important.

  I not only put on makeup, I even put on eyeliner and mascara. My hair was fabulous, for a change, and I was wearing my spiffy black dress. I admit, it isn’t really of the little black dress variety, but I like it. I’m pretty sure that it’s actually a bathing suit cover-up, but I wear it as a dress and I get lots of compliments on it. It’s kind of heavy t-shirt type material, it has a braid of the same fabric that makes up the straps and has a deep scoop neckline both front and back, and it’s short-ish.

  I’m ninety-nine point nine percent sure that the reason I get such a good reaction from the dress is that I never wear anything under it, so I feel a little risqué when I’m wearing it, which, of course, makes me act a little sexy.

  Last summer was the first time I ever went out in public in it. I got so many looks and comments that I came straight home and grabbed the lamp off the sideboard and put it on the floor behind me and checked myself out in the mirror to make sure I wasn’t showing everything I own to God and country.

  I was just sure that the dress was see-through and that I’d given a free show to anyone willing to chance losing their lunch to take a look.

  See how I said that?

  I think maybe I have self-esteem issues.

  Anyway, no problem. Not see-through at all.

  All the looks and comments weren’t about showing my bits and pieces to the world; it was about my attitude. I kinda like that. Probably how Teagan feels all the time when she’s out in public, but I’m guessing with my extensive lingerie collection, I feel like that more often in private than she does. So, now that I’m thinking about it, we’re equaled out in the looks department, probably for the first time since she was ten.

  Teagan introduced A.J. to Jessie. They did the male thing, looking each other over, without looking each other over. They stood looking uncomfortable for a minute.

  I got them settled on the couch, turned on the TV so they wouldn’t actually have to talk, and headed for the kitchen.

  Teagan offered to get them drinks. She must be on her best behavior. She’s more a get-it-yourself kind of hostess. The guys declined her offer of drinks, and Teagan followed me into the kitchen.

  The potatoes were already peeled and sitting in cold water awaiting their fate. The veggies were prepared and awaiting pretty much the same fate, a little less smooshing, and a little more steam than boil, but the outcome is about the same. The rolls sat ready to be heated, the dessert was arranged on the counter, the table was set, and the Pepsi was in the freezer getting extra cold. Everything was in order.

  I put a huge frying pan on the stove, on medium-high heat, and cut my boneless pork chops into thinish strips. I always cook extra pork when I do it this way, because although some people are a little put off by it at first, this pork dish is always a huge hit and people want seconds, and sometimes thirds.

  I had a small mountain of pork strips by the time the pan was good and hot. I threw a handful of strips into my pan and started stirring them around so they wouldn’t burn. As soon as that handful was browned, I moved those strips to the sides of the pan and threw in another handful, remembering to turn down the heat, something I’ve been known to forget, resulting in the smoke alarm doing its job.

  I flipped the meat, making sure all sides were browned, then added lots of seasoned salt and some pepper. I know, adding salt to pork sounds a little counterintuitive, but it’s good.

  With the pork cooked down and all the caramelized stuff at the bottom of the pan, I added enough water to cover the meat, and turned it down closer to simmer. I put the potatoes over a medium heat, grabbed extra cold Pepsis out of the freezer, and Teagan and I headed to the living room to talk with the guys while dinner cooked itself.

  Turns out that while we were in the kitchen cooking, the guys struck up a conversation and were deep in the middle of it when we walked into the room.

  A.J. had pretty much convinced Jessie that my safety is in jeopardy and if Teagan’s with me, her safety is in jeopardy, too. They were trying to figure out how to keep us safe from the boogeyman, and keep themselves safe from us. If they were dumb enough to cross the invisible line that marks the exact point where a guy is concerned, which is always a good thing, over to the other side, full of macho crap that makes you feel like he’s saying you can’t take care of yourself, which is always a bad thing, they were in trouble.

  A.J. hasn’t known me long enough to know where that line is — it’s a different tipping point for everyone — and the beautiful girly nightgowns might alter the tipping point he would attribute to me.

  Jessie has known Teagan forever, but he knew her best when she was but a wanton teen lass, so he may be in danger of overstepping the line, too.

  This could be interesting.

  Teagan and I exchanged a little sisterly psychic message that pretty much said, ‘Shut up and let ‘em suffer!’

  A.J. took a deep breath and said, “We’ve been talking.”

  I gave him a smile and said, “Good.”

  Jessie tried next. “We’re a little worried about you guys running all over town when there’s a chance that you’ve come to the attention of an undesirable.”

  Teagan laughed. “An undesirable?”

  Jessie looked a little flustered. “Teagan, don’t make this harder on me. I’m worried. I just got you back in my life. I’m trying to get acclimated to that and now all of this. There are worse things than being overprotective of people you care very much for.”

  Teagan went and sat right beside him. “That’s true, and I’m grateful for your concern, but Cara and I will be fine. We’re O’Flynns. We’re made of sturdy stuff.”

  Way to go, Teagan. So much for keeping your mouth shut and letting them suffer.

  Jessie looked over at A.J. and said, “I told you.”

  I couldn’t help it, I jumped in, which means I won’t be able to throw the fact that Teagan jumped in, in her face, which is annoying. I might have been a little snippy. “He told you what, exactly?”

  A.J. was caught between a rock and a hard place. The whole male bonding thing had started, but they weren’t bonded yet. He had to decide if he should keep his mouth shut and not stomp all over the guy thing, and maybe look a little whipped, or if he should cave and come over to my side.

  I’m willing to bet a pretty hefty sum that I look better in lace than Jessie. I also found this little place on A.J., just below his shoulder blade, on the left side, and if I brush my forearm over it, he about loses his mind, although he doesn’t seem to be conscious of why. Those two little facts alone should have A.J. siding with me. It’s a well-known fact that a guy will go a long way to…

  Jessie interrupted my thought. “I told him that you guys would be stubborn and that if we tried to insist that you do something smart, like go out of town, or maybe hang out at your brother the cop’s house, you would get all O’Flynn offended and do the opposite. It’s been years since I’ve had regular contact with your family, but some things don’t change.”

  The man took a fall. Threw himself in front of the bus. Didn’t even make A.J. confess to their shared conversation. I guess they had bonded, or maybe Jessie just feels pretty confident about his relationship with Teagan; after all, they have known each other a long time. But with Teagan, assuming anything can be a fatal error.

  Teagan’s turn to respond. I couldn’t imagine what she was going to say, but she’s witty, and quick, and smart, so I knew it would be good. She just doesn’t let stuff like this slide.

  Wait for it.

  “You’re right.”

  Her response shocked the shit out of me! The woman actually said, “You’re right.”

  I heard the air escape from my lungs. I couldn’t hold it back. Not real classy. “What the hell do you mean he’s right?”

  “I mean he’s right!” Teagan started to count off the possibilities on her perfectly manicured little fingers; a newish habit that was beginning to annoy me. “If they do nothing and something happens to us, and we live through the experience, we’ll be pissed forever and never let them forget it.”

  Next finger. “If we don’t live through the experience, they have to face Mom.”

  Next finger. “If they try to do something and nothing happens, we’ll hold it over their heads ‘til we die or they kill us because they can’t stand the attitude one more minute, whichever comes first.”

  Next finger. “If they do something and something happens, we still aren’t going to be happy, because we’ll claim they brought the problem to us, or we could have handled it without them. So no matter what they do, they’re screwed.” She exchanged a look with Jessie, smiled and said, “And not in a good way.”

  The look Jessie and A.J. both gave her was a familiar one. The same look every thirteen-year-old boy gives her when she walks across the beach in her blue bathing suit. A mix of complete adoration, a bit of awe, a smattering of Thank You, God, and just a smidge of I’m not worthy.

  One of these days, I swear to you, I’ll have a camera at the ready. I’m going to capture that look if it kills me.

  I sniped at her, “And just when did you go over to the dark side?”

  She snapped right back. “I didn’t go anywhere, Cara. It’s not their side versus our side. I’m just stating the obvious. Either one of us alone is capable of being a little bit more than a tad stubborn; when we’re together, God help the person that tries to inflict their wishes. Especially if they don’t happen to match ours.”

  “Oh, please, when did that ever happen?”

  “Remember when you were about thirteen and we went to the beach and you decided to check if you were getting too much sun, and you lifted your head up off the towel and pulled your bathing suit bottoms away from your tummy to check for a sunburn line, and that guy walking past said to all the guys he was with ‘she’s a real redhead,’ and we chased them down and beat the crap out of all of them?”

  Teagan turned to A.J. and Jessie and explained, “They went to our school and knew if they hit a girl, the nuns would beat them to a bloody pulp; then their parents would have to come collect the mush that was once their boys and kill them all over again.”

  Teagan looked back to me and said, “That was the first time I remember us throwing personal safety to the wind. Those guys could have really hurt us if they’d decided to, but we didn’t back down.”

  “One time. When I was barely a teen, give me a break, and thanks for the visuals.” I could feel the blush on my face. I didn’t need Teagan sharing such personal details with Jessie.

  Teagan rolled her eyes and went on. “One time? How about when Mom and Dad left Seamus in charge and he gave us money and told us to go down to the liquor store and get him a soda, then locked us out of the house ‘til we had the soda to buy our way back in? We not only didn’t go to the liquor store, we went to the ice cream shop and spent his money on ice cream for the two of us. Then when Mom and Dad drove up, we popped out of the bushes and told them that Seamus had locked us out and we were hot and scared, and he got grounded for a month. Every time Mom or Dad was out of earshot he threatened to kill us.”

  “Okay, twice.”

  “How about the time you stole Dad’s camera and took a picture of Troya, with Benny kissing her, on the slide down at the park? You didn’t tell anyone about it, so when Dad had the film developed, he came straight home, and Grandma and Grandpa were over for a quick cup of tea, and Dad laid all the pictures out on the table for everyone to see, and there’s pictures of Benny happily accosting Troya, right in front of Grandma and Grandpa and everyone else.”

  I snapped, “Okay, three times!”

  Teagan started to say something. I shut her down but quick.

  I continued, “I still don’t see how those stories are relevant.”

  “You’re kidding. I’m surprised they didn’t kill us in our sleep. We were still young back then. I don’t know why they didn’t figure it out. There were so many of us kids in the house, Mom and Dad wouldn’t even notice two were gone. They could have buried us in the backyard and nobody would notice until the next family vacation when Dad was taking a headcount before he ordered at McDonalds.”

  Flustered by the truth of it I said, “Anyway, now we’re older and wiser. We use common sense. We aren’t going to do anything stupid.”

  Just then I heard the meat on the stove start to sizzle, which could only mean that the water had all cooked off, which means that I needed to jump up and attend to it.

  There is a God, and he likes Teagan, we have proof, because I was just about to explain a couple of the facts of life to her, and one of them is that you don’t go changing boats midstream just because there’s a really good-looking guy sitting in the other boat.

  Right or wrong. Good or bad. Left or right. She’s supposed to stick with me. At the very least she’s supposed to stick with me in public. We’re supposed to present a united front. That’s the rule, dammit.

  I quickly excused myself and went into the kitchen. I stirred the pork, which was looking really good, and added just enough water so that it could evaporate again. I do that several times. It builds up the flavor by coating the pork with the caramelized stuff from the bottom of the pan.

  Can you tell I’m not a gourmet? I don’t claim to cook fancy, but I cook well. My mom has always called herself a country cook. I’m like that. Wouldn’t even know where to start with a recipe.

  Teagan walked into the kitchen while I was checking the potatoes.

  “Don’t be mad. I’m not a traitor.”

  “I didn’t say you were.”

  “You didn’t have to say it.” She looked me straight in the eye, not easy in my little kitchen, with our height difference. “Cara, you don’t spend your entire life with someone and not know what they’re thinking, but in this case, you’re overreacting.”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “If I’d come to the same conclusions, without Jessie in my life, you would have thought I was smart, but because I happened to agree with the guys, you think I’m a turncoat. Not only is that not fair, but it’s every ugly stereotype about females wrapped up with a little bow. We don’t do that.”

  “You’re right.”

  Her face registered her surprise. “What?”

  I admit, I don’t usually back down so quickly.

  “I said you’re right. I would have thought you brilliant for your response, if it hadn’t left me the odd man out. That’s just stupid. This whole guy-girl thing is complicated, and I’m not good at it. I don’t have a lot of practice. You need to be patient with me.”

  “Judging from A.J., I’d say you’re pretty good at it.” Her eyebrows danced all over her forehead. “He seems a little worn out tonight. When he got up to go to the bathroom, he had a little hitch-in-his-git-along. Just what happened on that couch?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Liar!”

  “Okay, not nothing, but we’re blowing this into legend-type proportions, and it wasn’t like that. We didn’t do anything wrong; we didn’t even do anything particularly kinky, although I wouldn’t want what we did do in full grainy color on the front page of the newspaper.”

  Teagan rolled her eyes. “Lord, how dysfunctional are we? How many times did Dad tell us never to do anything we didn’t want printed on the front page of the newspaper?”

  “Yeah, well, I’ve been channeling Mom lately.”

  “Me, too.”

  I gave her a bit of a shrug. “Everybody makes a joke of women turning into their mothers. I’m beginning to think it isn’t a joke, it’s a warning. Are we really destined to be Mom?”

  “There are worse things we could turn into.”

  “True. I like Mom, but I don’t want to be her.”

  Teagan pulled a face. “I’m glad she had so many kids, especially since we’re numbers four and six, but there is no way on God’s green earth that I’m popping out the better part of a dozen kids.”

  “Seamus always says Mom and Daddy should have quit after one, since he’s the first, and he’s perfection.”

  “Yeah, well, everyone’s entitled to one mistake.”

  “Are you talking about Seamus making the mistake, or being the mistake?”

  The guys walked in to see what we were laughing about.

  If and when we work up the courage to bring the guys to meet the family, my mom is going to be really impressed that we’re thinking about introducing such good genetic material to the family gene pool. I know you’re not supposed to think about things like that less than twenty-four hours into what can’t even be called a relationship, but as long as I don’t tell the world what I’m thinking, it doesn’t really count. Right?

  A.J. walked over and put his hand on the small of my back. He said so quietly that only I could hear, “We okay?”

  “Couldn’t be better. I have blurtation issues. I tend to blurt first and think second, if at all. I can’t help it any more than Teagan can help rolling her eyes.”

  On cue Teagan rolled her eyes.

  A.J. gave me a look, and I knew what he was thinking.

  I think that quite possibly nothing is more intimate and sexy than shared experience, which leads to shared knowledge, which of course leads to more intimacy. I knew without a doubt that he was thinking what I was thinking. I love that.