Page 49 of Treat

“Knock it off, Tuck,” Esme said and stepped forward to hug Jude. “Sorry, sweetie. I told him we should’ve called first.”

“It’s okay,” Jude lied, hugging her back. “It’s good to see you.”

She pulled back, a knowing look in her pretty hazel eyes—probably because she could feel the erection he hadn’t yet managed to suppress—and turned to smile at Brynn. “Hi, I’m Esme.”

“Brynn Cates.” Brynn held out a hand, her cheeks the color of ripe raspberries. “I’m, um, Jude’s assistant.”

“Sorry.” Jude wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. “This is Esme and Tuck, friends of mine from Grand Rapids.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Esme said warmly while Tuck waggled his eyebrows at Jude over her head. “Tucker?”

Alerted by the warning note in his wife’s voice and practiced in the art of switching gears from dickhead to charmer, Tuck beamed a smile at Brynn. “A pleasure, darling. Sorry about barging in.”

“Nice to meet you, too. It’s fine. Um.” She glanced at Jude for the first time since the door had banged open. “I’m sorry, but we’re supposed to be at the stadium in half an hour.”

“Shit.” He’d forgotten about the game.

“Stadium?” Tuck draped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. She wore a narrow strapped red tank top tucked into jean shorts that showed the half-sleeve tattoo on one arm and her curvy figure. Tuck wore a faded Yesterdog t-shirt over khaki shorts he’d probably had since college. “You guys going to a game?”

“Jude’s throwing out the first pitch at the Tiger’s game,” Brynn explained.

“Nice,” Tuck crowed. “You’re a local celeb. You opening supermarkets yet?”

“Shut up.”

Esme dug her elbow into her husband’s rib cage. “I told you we should’ve called first.”

“Nah,” Tuck said, still grinning. “This is better.”

“Would you like to join us at the game?” Brynn asked, and everyone turned to look at her. Well, Esme and Tuck did—Jude was already looking at her.

“Can they?” Jude asked, surprised.

“Sure.” Brynn walked around him to pick up her phone from the counter. She picked up her glasses, too, sliding them on before opening her phone case. “They had four tickets set aside, so I’ll just make sure they’re still available.”

“Do we have time, babe?” Tuck asked.

“I’m not due on the floor of the convention center until five, so unless it goes thirty innings, sure.”

“Aces.” Tuck grinned. “I love baseball.”

Brynn looked up with a smile. “Me, too. I like to keep score.”

“Keep score?” Jude echoed, confused. “Don’t they do that for you?”

“Ignore him,” Tuck said and turned up the charm factor on his smile. “He’s uncultured.”

Brynn laughed and dialed. “I’ll just call them, make sure the seats are still there.”

She walked out of the living room and down the hall, her phone to her ear, and as soon as she was out of sight, Jude scowled at Tuck. “Knock it off.”

“I’m just being friendly,” Tuck said, the picture of innocence.

“You’re messing with Jude,” Esme corrected.

“I can do both,” Tuck pointed out, then looked at Jude. “So?”

“So, what?”

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