Page 51 of Call My Bluff
But she didn’t move it.
That would show weakness, she told herself, although something in the back of her mind knew that wasn’t the reason.
“Why won’t you just tell me?” she asked again.
Noah smirked from his seat. “Because it requires a blood sacrifice, and I’m too pretty to die,” he said.
Olivia snorted. “That’s a matter of opinion,” she replied.
He retrieved another french fry from his basket and then pushed the remaining pile toward her. So, hehadnoticed her thievery. Interesting.
“Do you have any?” he asked, and Olivia had to remember he wasn’t talking about fries.
“What, birthmarks?” she shot back.
“Or tattoos, whichever.”
She crunched on a handful of his cast-off treats. Now that he’d given them freely, there was no reason to sneak them one by one. “No,” she admitted. “I’ve thought about getting three birds somewhere for me and Michael and Danny—”
“Who?”
“My brothers.”
“Oh yeah, the Marines.”
She nodded, surprised that he’d remembered that tidbit of information. “Yeah, but I can never decide for sure where to put them, so I haven’t had it done. Someday, maybe.”
There was a lull in the conversation, and Noah nudged her leg with his. “So, you said your family is scary, but like,howscary?”
Olivia smiled and took a drink from her straw. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“No, I just want to be prepared. I mean, do I need to increase my insurance plan or something?”
She laughed. “No, but my dad will probably threaten you with bodily harm.”
“Can’t be any worse than his daughter.”
“When have I ever threatened you?” she demanded, and Noah scoffed loudly before leaning his elbows on the table.
“Umm, let’s see, I believe you once threatened to scoop out my eyeballs with a spoon,” he started, ticking items off on his fingers. “Then you said your brothers could remove my arms and beat me with them, andthenthere’s the unforgettable time you mentioned castration.”
Olivia laughed and mirrored his position. “Alright, the first one is legit, but the arms thing is somethingDanny and Michaelwould do, not me personally, and the castration comment was meant for Lexie’s old boyfriend, Colt.”
“Even so, you were very committed to the concept, which was frightening.”
She chuckled again and wondered how exactly she’d ended up having dinner with Noah and actuallyhaving funwhen she’d intended to go straight home from work and curl up under a blanket with a bowl of popcorn. “What’s your family like? Any siblings?” she asked. For some reason, she pictured a whole horde of little pranksters with dark hair and mischievous eyes.
Noah’s expression shifted slightly, becoming more guarded than it had been, and he seemed to focus on something over her shoulder. “Nope, just me,” he said lightly.
“And what about your parents? Who taught you to cook?”
“My mom,” he answered. “She’s a chef.” He pulled away from her and lifted his drink before draining the rest of the glass in one long swallow.
“Oh! No wonder, then,” Olivia said in surprise. “What does your dad do?”
Noah brought the glass down to the tabletop with a thunk that rattled the basket of fries. “He’s a magician,” he said curtly, his eyes hard. “Are you wanting to leave Friday or Saturday?”
Olivia furrowed her brow at his unexpected reaction and the abrupt change of subject. Had he really said his dad was amagician? Was that a real answer or—
