Page 52 of How Good It Was (Excess All Areas 3)

“You know what I mean,” Nan said, gesturing to the sofa. “Have a seat. Luke can help you get a drink, and Alex, you can get yourself back in the kitchen and help me out.”

“Why me? Just because I’m the only one who didn’t bring a date.”

“Chaya isn’t a date,” Ben said.

“Well, you come and help with the chicken, then,” Alex said.

Luke laughed as Ben flipped him the bird.

“Whereabouts in America are you from, Willow?” Nan asked once they were all seated around the table.

Willow raised a hand to her mouth and quickly chewed her food before answering. “I was born in Florida, but I moved to California when I was five and Malibu shortly after I made my first film.”

“Oh, anywhere near that TV show in the nineties? What was it called? 90210?”

“Maybe an hour in traffic. California is a very sprawling place.”

“One of my cousins went out to America. Moved to Arizona. Got good work at a golf club. Are you near Arizona?”

Willow laughed. “Unfortunately, no. That’s over five hundred miles away.”

Nan nodded thoughtful and chewed her food. “You won’t know my cousin, then?”

Ben and Chaya began to laugh, and Luke found it hard not to.

“No,” Willow said. “I think that’s probably unlikely.”

“How did you meet Luke?” Nan asked.

“They did the horizontal tango after one of our gigs in Detroit, Nan,” Alex said mischievously.

Chaya put her hand over her mouth, struggling to not grin.

“Luke Bryson. Did we not raise you better? You’re as bad as this one,” she said, thumbing in Alex’s direction. “He’d stick it in a melon if he was out of options. But you.”

The table broke out into uproarious laughter.

“A fucking melon,” Ben said, wiping his eyes as his shoulders continued to shake.

“Nan,” Luke gasped between laughter. “It’s why she’s here. Love at first sight and all that. And it’s hard to carry that on with an ocean of water between us. It’s not like I ...”

“Dined and dashed?” Ben offered helpfully.

“Wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am’d,” Chaya added.

“Okay, you two. Thanks for the helpful commentary. She’s here now. It’s not like I just left her.”

Willow looked up at him. “Well, technically you did,” she whispered.

“Jesus Christ,” he said quietly, leaning close to her. “Not you as well.”

She ran her tongue along her lower lip. A lip that was inches away from his own. “You did dine and dash. I had to hunt you down.”

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

“Really?” The wonder and uncertainty in that one word squeezed his chest.

“Yes, flower.” He brushed his lips over hers. Softly, because he was in company. But with feeling, because fuck the contract. “I promise you I won’t do it again.”

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