at her, her hair in gray curls pinned on top of her head and her eyes alight with excitement. Emma was wearing her favorite green blouse and olive-green-and-brown broomstick skirt, an outfit she fondly called her âearth clothesâ because she looked like she could blend into the woods on a summerâs day. The green blouse emphasized the green in her amber eyes, and she looked so perky and happy it made Lori smile.
âSo,â Emma said, cutting into one of her enchiladas, âdid you want to tell me about that?â
âAbout what?â Lori asked, feigning cluelessness. She knew just what her grandma was referring to.
âPaul kissing you.â
Lori tried to keep a straight face, but couldnât. She hadnât expected him to kiss her. She only wished he hadnât done so in front of an audience. Rose was still teasing her about it. Lori was glad Rose hadnât taken a picture or video of the deed and posted it on Facebook.
âHe was trying to get me to give up my weapon. Or appease me for scaring me to pieces.â
âAnother man might have gotten angry when you hit him with the broom. I thought that was an⦠interesting way to handle the situation.â Emma cut up another slice of enchilada.
Lori sighed. âTotally surprised me. But you know thatâs part of their training.â
âKissing a woman in distress?â
Lori rolled her eyes. âUsing the element of surprise.â
âItâs about time.â
Lori shook her head. âHeâs not ready to settle down. Iâm not sure he ever will be.â She took a bite of her enchilada.
âA man like that needs to find an interest that begs for attention more than the mission he goes on. Iâd say he might just be looking for something else, even if heâs not fully aware of it.â
âYou mean because he kissed me? It was just a rash, impulsive gesture.â
âDonât think I donât know whatâs going on between the two of you.â
â Nothingâs going on.â Which was the problem. But Lori wasnât going to chase after him or beg him to stay with the family. She didnât want to screw up a good thing. Right now she really cared for him and she thought he cared about her, but she didnât want to act like a clinging vine.
âLori Lee Greypaw, lately, every time he returns home, you conveniently make yourself scarce. He knows why too.â Emma speared another piece of her enchilada. âYou were there for him when he needed to heal when you both were younger.â
âHeâs a grown man. A SEAL who loves his work more than anything.â
âHave you ever stopped to think he comes home to see you?â
Lori frowned at her grandma. âHeâs too busy doing things with Allan or seeing Allanâs family when he comes here.â
âAnd me. He always spends some time with me. You think he really wants to see an old lady like me?â
âOf course he wants to see you. Youâre part of his pack, whether he wants to admit that heâs our leader or not.â
Emma humphed under her breath. âYou know very well he comes by to see you, and you always skedaddle out of here for some purpose or another. If you were around more, heâd do things with you. Not just with Allan. He knows you are purposefully avoiding seeing him.â She cut into her last enchilada. âYou know why he really kissed you?â
Lori let out her breath. She didnât want to hear what Emma had to say, but she knew she was going to hear it anyway. âWhy?â
âHe had to prove to you that he wanted to see you. And not just to say hi. No way was that just a sweet, little hello kiss.â
Lori fought a smile. She had to agree with her grandma. She couldnât deny that she had been avoiding him. But it all had to do with not wanting to feel more about him than he felt for her. She didnât want him to feel