Page 18 of A Family Affair: The Plan
“Get to you?” Her laugh said he seriously overestimated himself. “No, I came here to do a job and that’s what I plan to do. I realized I shouldn’t limit my conversations to people I’d identified in the notebook, and he seemed a logical choice.”
“My father is never the logical choice.” Sam blew out a sigh, thought of his father’s gruff mannerisms, and straightforward comments.
“I found him to be quite approachable, and very forthcoming about the town…except for you.” Her lips pulled into a tight smile. “He didn’t have much to say about you.”
“No kidding?” Big surprise there. “My father has an eye on you, and he’s already told my mother all about you. That’s a really bad sign.”
Her complexion turned two shades paler. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, in this town people come together and help out if someone needs it. Your driveway gets plowed when you can’t get out, food’s delivered if you’ve had surgery, and you’re taken care of… But the one thing this town can’t stand is seeing a person they think belongs with someone.That’swhen the matchmaking starts. It’s brutal, and it’s relentless. If you’re not careful, you’llbecome a target and you won’t be able to get away from it until they’re done with you.”
She bit her bottom lip, wrung her hands. “I think we’re already targets.”
“That’s what I told you. My parents aren’t going to stop.”
“No, it’s not that. I think it started before I visited your dad.”
“What are you talking about?” Her next words told him it was much worse than he’d imagined.
“Harry Blacksworth’s going to call you. He wants us to have dinner together at his place.”
9
Hope and Sam decided the best strategy to combat matchmaking attempts was to face them straight on, beginning with Harry Blacksworth’s offer of dinner at his restaurant.We’ve got to let him know we aren’t going to play this game,Sam had said.We’ll go to dinner and I’ll set him straight.
Sam seemed quite confident it would work, and she hoped he was right. But as they sat in the booth of Harry’s Folly, Dean Martin’s voice crooning “Everybody Loves Somebody” throughout the restaurant, Hope began to have doubts. “How are you going to get him to stop? Harry Blacksworth doesnotseem like the sort of man who accepts no for an answer the first, second, or fifth time.”
Sam’s lips twitched, his eyes sparkled. The man was too handsome with his dark hair and whiskey-colored eyes… And when he smiled, well, he made a person forget what they were about to say. That proved ridiculous and unwelcome, especially for someone like Hope who prided herself on her ability to be concise, deliberate, and in charge. The more time she spent with the man, the more she realized he was what many mightcall “captivating”. Tonight, he wore a white dress shirt with tiny burgundy pinstripes and dark slacks; classic, elegant, very appealing.
“I’ve got an angle on handling Harry Blacksworth. Just sit back and enjoy.”
“I will, almost as much as I’ll enjoy seeing you try to keep red sauce off your white shirt.”
He laughed, a real laugh that made his expression soften, his eyes turn two shades brighter. “I spend most of my time in scrubs and T-shirts and this is one of the only dress shirts I could find.” A shrug, another laugh. “The rest are boxed up and maybe I’ll get to them. Or maybe I’ll just donate them.”
Maybe he’d forced himself into them too many times and wanted to forget that period in his life. “Whether you’re wearing faded T-shirts, scrubs, or a suit, you’ll get noticed—and not because of what you’re wearing.”
“Is that an actual compliment from Hope Newland?” The raised brow and broad grin made her shake her head.
“I’m stating the obvious and I’m sure it’s not the first time you’ve heard it.”
“But not from you. People say things all the time, sometimes because they’re true, sometimes to get a reaction, and sometimes because they want something…but not you. You’re a straight shooter.” He leaned back against the booth as though dissecting every word she spoke. “I find that very interesting.”
She fumbled for a response, wished she’d kept her mouth closed about clothing and getting noticed. Before she could think of a half-intelligent response, Harry Blacksworth descended upon them in all of his boisterous glory. “Well, hello and welcome. How are you both doing tonight?”
The man was smooth. Even if Hope hadn’t heard the stories about him, she’d have guessed he knew how to handle people, how to say just the right thing so they couldn’t refuse what heoffered, and how to get them to relax. Sam didn’t appear as affected or willing to accept the man’s platitudes. “Harry, before you get started, I want to thank you for the dinner invitation.”
“Of course, it’s my pleasure.” Harry winked at Hope.
“But I’m paying for it.”
“What?” The man looked surprised but recovered fast. “No, I invited you and Hope. I want to do this.” He smiled at Hope, nodded. “She hasn’t tried the penne with spinach and garbanzos or the shrimp scampi. And what about the tiramisu or cannoli?”
Sam held his gaze, his voice firm. “Hope can have as many entrees as she wants, including all of the desserts, but I’m paying. And one more thing.” He eyed the new Godfather of Magdalena. “You’re going to leave us alone. I mean it, Harry. No more matchmaking or trying to get us together in some sneaky manner. Just let us be.”
“I shouldn’t get involved, not even if the attraction is sitting between you on the table?” Those blue eyes turned brighter, his expression serious. “Not even then?”
“Not even then, because if you do, I’ll have to stop coming by your house to check on Cooper. No more special visits to see the big guy. You’ll have to come to the clinic and I won’t offer any more advice on how to get him to go to the bathroom on command or calm him when it storms…unless it’s at the clinic.”
