Page 34 of Forbidden Love

“Fishing?” Deb perked up, her eyes lighting with interest. “Can I come?”

Ben gave her a skeptical look, nose wrinkling. “You fish?”

“Of course I do,” Deb said with a mock gasp. “What, you think girls can’t fish?”

“Most don’t,” Ben said, his expression doubtful.

“Well, I do,” she replied, one brow arched and a challenge in her voice. “In fact, IbetI can out fish both you and your uncle.”

Brock chuckled, the sound low and warm. “Nowthatsounds like a challenge.”

Deb shot him a playful grin. “You better believe it is. Girls against the guys. What do you say, Tammy?”

Tammy gave an exaggerated shiver. “I’m in—as long as I don’t have to touch a worm. Or a fish.”

Deb laughed. “Deal. I got you covered.”

She stood, stacking a few plates with practiced ease. “Why don’t you boys grab the fishing poles? Tammy and I will clean up real quick. The fishing gear’s in that little room in the basement.”

“Ben found them a couple of days ago,” Tammy said with a fond smile, glancing at her son. “He’s been begging Brock to take him out ever since.”

Ben’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. “Yes! Come on, Uncle Brock!”

Brock chuckled as he stood. But his gaze lingered on Deb as she began clearing the table. Her movements were easy and natural. He stepped closer, just enough to lean down and murmur, “You’re gonna lose.”

Deb looked up, her smile teasing as she shook her head. “I don’t like losing. So I wouldn’t bet on it.”

“Actually,” Brock said, his voice a little lower now, his eyes locked on hers, “I will bet on it.”

“Oh?” She paused, still holding the dishes. There was a spark in her eyes now, something warm and challenging. “What kind of bet?”

“If I win,” he said, straightening to his full height, “you have dinner with me. Just you and me.”

Deb tilted her head, rising to stand a little taller herself. “And ifIwin?”

Brock’s lips curved into a slow, confident smile. “Whatever you want.”

She laughed softly, the sound curling around him like a whisper of summer wind. “That’s dangerous, you know.”

“I like dangerous,” he murmured.

“Well then,” she said, her eyes dancing with mischief and something a little deeper, a little more curious. “If I win, I get to pick the restaurant.”

“So does that mean either way I win because you’ll have dinner with me,” Brock said, his voice rougher now, caught somewhere between flirtation and something real.

“Yes, either way, I will have dinner with you.” She said, a pink blush coloring her cheeks. They stood there for a minute too long, the quiet hum of the afternoon buzzing around them, something unspoken settling between their smiles. Then Tammy cleared her throat, and Deb turned with a smile, carrying the dishes inside.

Brock watched her go, a smile still tugging at his mouth.

Ben tugged at his sleeve impatiently. “Uncle Brock,come on! We have to beat the girls!”

Brock nodded, ruffling Ben’s hair as they headed toward the basement. “Don’t worry, kid. We’ve got this.”

CHAPTER 16

Deb carried the dishes into the kitchen, her smile lingering long after the playful banter on the porch faded behind her. But the moment her back was turned, it slipped—replaced by a nervous flutter in her chest that she couldn’t quite ignore.

What the hell just happened?

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