Page 14 of Belong With Me

Chapter Five

Sienna

I shuffled the potatoes around my plate. Honestly, it made me nervous eating around other people. Momma was always critiquing my plate when I’d eat at home. Her voice rang through my mind as I pierced and swiped a piece of broccoli through the gravy. ‘Sienna, darling, are you sure that’s a smart choice?’ She’d then launch into her favorite saying. ‘A moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips.’

Well, Momma wasn’t here, was she? She couldn’t smell the aromas from this table, the taste of the food that was entirely out of this world. I had no idea what Savannah had done to this gravy, but it was amazing.

The sausages were so full of flavor, it made me wonder what I’d been eating at home if this was what a meal tasted like here. Then again, just because we had a cook in charge of the kitchen, didn’t mean that Momma didn’t reign over that menu with an iron fist.

“Are you okay, Sienna?” Savannah asked me, then offered me a basket of bread. “Do you need some Tylenol or anything?”

I shook my head just a little, and raised my gaze to her. “I’m fine. Just tired, it’s been a long day.”

“How about a shot of whiskey?” Logan offered. “That’s always a good answer.” He dragged the plate of beans toward him. There was enough food on this table to feed at least ten men, and there were only five of us. It was a veritable smorgasbord of choice.

“That’s your answer for everything.” Kenzie rolled her eyes. “Ry, can you pass the gravy?” The jug in front of me disappeared and Kenzie pouring it liberally over the remaining sausage and potatoes on her plate.

“Hey.” Ryder nudged me softly with his knee under the table. “You sure you’re doing okay? I don’t want you to faint or something. You’ll tell me if you don’t feel well, won’t you? The doc’s only a phone call and a twenty-minute drive away.”

“I’m fine,” I said again, “just a little sore is all.” I needed some heat. “I probably just need a hot shower.” I slid him a glance and noticed he was already looking at me.

“Sienna, I loved that skirt you were wearing before.” Kenzie’s voice saved me, and I eagerly seized the lifeline as she added, “it’s Chanel, right?”

I nodded, finally deciding that what Momma didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, and pierced the potato I’d been pushing around for most of the meal. “You’ve got a good eye.”

I had to hold back a moan at the burst of flavor that exploded on my taste buds after placing the potato into my mouth. I chewed the buttery goodness and smiled. There was no way the potatoes I’d eaten anywhere else came close to these.

“The bag was Hermes, right?” Swallowing what remained in my mouth, I nodded at her, and she grinned. “I’ve always wanted one.”

“Where would you take a bag like that?” Savannah rolled her eyes, putting another sausage onto Logan’s plate. The mechanic grinned wide at her and she froze for half a second before darting her eyes away, and busied herself with serving. This time it was the green beans.

Slicing a piece of sausage, I stabbed it and ran it through the gravy, using my knife to remove the excess before lifting it to my mouth There had to be herbs mixed in with the sausage meat, because once again my mouth watered. If Savannah cooked like this all the time, then how was it that everyone at this table appeared so healthy and toned?

I mean, Logan was a mass of muscles, but that’s all they were. Muscles. As far as I could see, there was no fat anywhere on him. Sure, he looked like he could bench press a house, which meant he wouldn’t have any trouble picking me up and pinning me against the wall. I shook that thought free, afraid someone would read it on my face. Luckily, I did so just before his gaze landed on me, as though he had felt where my mind had just run away to. My focus lowered to my plate as I stabbed a bean.

“With a bag like that, I could go anywhere,” Mackenzie insisted.

Ryder swiped a piece of bread from the two pieces remaining and put one on my plate. “For the gravy, trust me,” he whispered, before taking up the final piece. I slid my eyes to him and watched as he mopped his plate clean.

Across the table, a loud groan made me startle. I glanced up to see Logan leaning back in his seat, rubbing his stomach over the shirt that stretched tight across his body. I could see well-defined muscles and just the hint of skin as he stretched his arms over his head. Well, that was something I wouldn’t turn away from.

“Van, you’re like Wonder Woman.” His gaze was firmly on her as he gave her a crooked grin and a wink.

She tucked a strand of long blonde hair behind her ear before smiling. “You’d be lost without me. Well, your abs would be. You’d be eating at that bakery every lunch and that bar every night.”

He laughed. “True that. Like you don’t appreciate the effort I put into this body.”

He stood and stretched even more, and yes, his shirt rose further than before, confirming there were indeed abs. Holy cow.

I saw Savannah already eyeing that same sliver of skin I was just looking at, and her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. Ryder clinked his glass with mine and broke the spell. Her blush deepened as she looked toward us. “Thanks for the great meal, Van.”

“We should be heading to get this,” he chuckled jingling my keys, “Beetle.” As he shook his head, I heard him mutter, “I still cannot believe there’s a bug in Belle Springs,” under his breath.

“Watch it,” I told him. “Don’t hate on the bug. It was going perfectly well until that deer ran out of nowhere.” I reached for the glass of water and took a hearty swallow.

Logan assessed me for a moment before nodding. “That happens to the best of us.” He eyed me intently, tilting his head slightly, and the assessment changed. I wanted to ask what he was thinking, but I didn’t get the chance.

“Peaches and cream!” Savannah stood, interrupting the conversation. “We’re having fresh peaches and cream for dessert. You boys hurry now. Go get that car and I’ll have bowls waiting for you when you get back.” Logan’s eyes finally left me and flicked to his friend.

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