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hard, and her normally full pink lips were plastered into a flat line. “I’ll have a half turkey and Swiss with a cup of potato soup. Thank you.”
    I found it interesting that she was responding the way a jealous lover would. I thought that beyond anything else proved she had stronger feelings for me than what she let on.
    “A half?” I looped an arm around her shoulders and leaned into her space. “Is that going to be enough? I know from experience that the food here is special. You’re going to want more of it.”
    Her entire body seemed to bristle, but I didn’t let go. “I’m sure you’ve had plenty in the past.” Amber’s gaze shot to Coree’s.
    My friend shivered. “Whew. That was cold. Positively frosty. I’ll leave you two to get a table. I’ll have Bethany bring the food out if it’s all the same to you.”
    I let go of Amber and put both of my hands on the counter. “Coree…sweetie,” I said, trying to smooth her ruffled feathers.
    She shook her head and lifted a hand. “It’s all good, D. Carry on with your date.”
    When I turned back to Amber, she was already across the room sitting in the farthest corner possible. Her legs were crossed, and her arms were folded over her chest. If I had a book on defensive postures, that image would be on the cover.
    I made my way over to Amber, pulled out the chair, and sat heavily. “That was interesting.”
    Amber lifted her chin. “You take your dates here often then?”
    “Is this a date?”
    Her shoulders seemed to sag, and she let her arms fall to her lap. “I’m sorry. I thought this was something else. Why did you ask me to lunch?”
    I grinned, ready to turn the tables on her. “We had our first class. I wanted to get your thoughts on the experience. Answer any more questions. And besides, why would I go to lunch alone when I can sit across from a beautiful woman and share a meal?”
    Amber sat back and pushed her hair behind her ear before she leaned an elbow on the table. “So this is a working lunch?”
    “Do you work for me?”
    I’d have sworn it was like watching a balloon deflate. Amber’s sparkling green eyes dulled, and her face went pale.
    “Not really.”
    “Amber, I’m just joshing with you. This is most certainly a lunch date. I wanted to learn more about you. Plus, we’re going to be working together for the next several weeks. We need to be able to communicate openly and honestly. Starting with why you were so flustered about Coree.” I laid my hand over hers where it lay on the table. “I didn’t expect that.”
    She jerked her hand away and sat as far back as she could, obviously preferring more distance between us. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    At that, I let my head fall backward and laughed. Loud. “Are you kidding? If you had been any more stone cold to my friend Coree you’d have been an iceberg!” I chuckled and propped both elbows on the table. “You obviously picked up that I had a relationship with her in the past. I’m just trying to figure out why that bothers you.”
    “It doesn’t!” she countered instantly, her voice sharp as a knife edge.
    I huffed. “Really? I thought with your religious nature, you’d be less likely to lie or blow smoke up my ass.”
    “Excuse me? I can’t even believe you said that. Look, just because I’m faithful and live my life according to much of the scripture that He set forth doesn’t mean I have a weird complex about it. Besides, you were all over that woman, leaning in, letting her touch you. It was embarrassing,” she huffed.
    Again, another bout of laughter ripped through me. I hadn’t had this much fun bickering with a woman in ages. Damn, Amber was refreshing.
    “Fine. Let’s start over. Can we do that? I brought you here to share a meal. To learn more about you. I thought, perhaps, you’d like to learn more about me. Am I wrong?” I slanted my head and gave her my best puppy dog eyes. I’d been told by women