Page 19 of Her Three Rangers
It would have been really unsettling if I hadn’t known he was actually warm and kind and sweet under that smoldering stare.
Oh, and really, really sexy.
“I think dinner sounds like a really good idea,” he said, finally. “Is that something you might be interested in, Grace?”
I nodded, pausing to look at each one of them in turn before I answered. Yeah, I was definitely interested. No doubt about that.
“We can have dinner,” I answered, swallowing hard since my mouth had suddenly gone completely dry. “I’d love to. But… that still won’t be enough. I still want to do more.”
“There’s nothing else we really need, to be honest,” Ty said. “So don’t worry about—”
“No,” I said, putting a hand up to interrupt him before he could tell me not to worry. “It’s a big job, and I really appreciate the help. But I want to help, too. I can go this afternoon and finish the paperwork for the permit. Be sure to bring me the receipts for any supplies you buy so I can reimburse you. And when you’re finished, I’ll waive Rambo’s bill.”
“That’s too much,” Jaeger said.
“We can’t agree to that,” Cody chimed in. “This is supposed to be a gift for you, not for us.”
“Those are my terms,” I shrugged, crossing my arms. I could tell that I would at least have to pretend to play hardball if I was going to prevent them from going overboard to help me. “We help each other or we don’t have a deal.”
“I’m a fan of helping each other,” Ty said. “And even though I think we would all have rather done this for you without receiving anything in return, we thank you for what you’re doing. We definitely won’t forget this.”
I smiled and quirked an eyebrow. “Does this mean we’re on for dinner tonight?”
“Oh, we’re definitely on for that,” Ty said.
“We wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Jaeger added.
“Perfect.” I clasped my hands together. “I’ll see you all at six, then. Jenny, I hope you can join us, too. You know you’re more than welcome.”
“I wish I could,” she said, grimacing. “My son has a soccer game tonight, and I’m bringing snacks for the team. Feel free to bring me some leftovers for lunch tomorrow, though.”
“Done,” I said, watching as everyone began filing out the door.
Cody was the last one out, but he paused and turned back toward me at the last minute. “Thank you for this, Grace. For Rambo, for dinner… everything. I knew you were a special lady the first time we saw you. I’m glad you proved me right.”
I felt my cheeks flush with heat and opened my mouth to reply, even though I was at a complete loss for words. He was gone and down the corridor before I could make my voice work again, though.
“Thank you,” I whispered, though there was nobody left to hear me. “All of you.”
My grandmother helped me carry the large serving bowls to the table. There was pasta, meatballs, sauce, and garlic bread. It was a simple meal, but one of my favorites. And even though I had been too distracted earlier in the afternoon to ask what the guys liked, I was pretty sure this had to be better than whatever they’d been eating around the campfire for the past few days.
“I hope you all like spaghetti,” I said, once Nana and I were finally seated next to them at the table. “There’s plenty to go around, so please take as much as you’d like.”
“Thank you, Grace,” Ty said, smiling warmly, his eyes sparkling. “It looks and smells so good.”
“Yes, thank you very much,” Cody said, waiting patiently as the large bowls of food made their way around the table. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a good home-cooked meal like this.”
“It’s been way too long since any of us have,” Jaeger added. “We really appreciate this. And thanks to you, too, Miss Amaya, for putting up with all of us tonight.”
We all looked over at Nana, who hadn’t said anything up to that point. She had been mostly quiet all evening, even before the guys had arrived.
I didn’t know what she was thinking, but I could tell just from her body language that she might be starting to warm up to the guys.
“You’re quite welcome,” she said, her lips turning up in a faint smile. “It’s not often that we get a chance to cook for friends.”
Friends.
I felt my eyes go wide, but tried to look down at my plate before anyone could notice. Friends was a pretty strong word for her, since she had been mostly convinced they were going to rob us blind and wreck the place just a few days ago.