“Look around, no one is dressed up.”

She did, and he was right. Some of the patrons wore jeans, and most of the women wore California casual attire. The place felt fancier than that. Or maybe she was so far out of the loop she’d forgotten what fancy was.

Colin pulled her chair out.

The little scoreboard in her head kept racking up the Colin points.

He smiled across the table, flashing the dimples that probably had gotten him plenty of dates in the past.

Damn, he was sexy.

“Does this feel like a first date for you?” he asked.

“Yes . . . no.” Parker made a fist in her lap and tried to find the right words. “Most of my first dates in the past were with guys I didn’t really know. So when compared to that, no. But . . .”

“But?” he asked as he sat back and seemed to enjoy the way she squirmed under his gaze.

“Oh, no . . . you answer.”

He leaned forward and lifted his palm up over the table in a silent request for her hand.

She shook out her fist and placed her palm in his. Slowly he traced the back of her hand with a thumb for several seconds. The slow, mesmerizing motion was impossible to pull her eyes away from. Everything inside her, from her breath to the way her nipples constricted, sparked to life with such a little touch. Colin stopped moving his thumb and she looked up.

“That feels like a first date to me,” his voice promised what his touch had started. Chemistry and fireworks and all the tingles that went with it.

“Yeah . . . that definitely feels like a first date.”

“Good. Let’s eat a great meal, talk about whatever comes up. Phase two of our date is at nine thirty. But if we want to skip that, we can.”

“Phase two?” She figured dinner and conversation and that was it.

He pointed out the window and down the street. “We have reservations at the comedy club. I thought a good laugh might be exactly what you need right now.”

She couldn’t stop smiling. “I’ve never been to one.”

“They’re a lot of fun.”

“That’s really thoughtful, Colin.”

“That’s me, Mr. Thoughtful. Maybe I’ll have some T-shirts made.” He squeezed her hand.

“I was thinking some TDH T-shirts.”

He questioned her with a narrowing of his eyes. “TDH?”

Did she say that out loud? “Tall, dark, and handsome.”

He laughed, squeezed her hand. “Only if you get a shirt that says TTD.”

Okay . . . The first T for tall, but what were the other letters? “I give up.”

“Tall, tan, and dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“The first day I met you there was a shotgun slung over your shoulder like it was normal.”

She laughed. “I guess I deserve that, then.”

The waiter walked up to the table in that moment and Colin gave her back her hand. She ordered a fruity martini and Colin ordered a whiskey she’d never heard of. When she opened the menu, her eyes grew large with sticker shock. Suddenly some of the lightness in her chest started to thicken.

The last date she’d been on, the guy had met her at a popular chain restaurant and expected her to split the bill. Something she’d done more than once in her life. And since she and Colin hadn’t talked about who was going to pay . . . she didn’t know what to expect. At least she had a credit card in her purse.

Maybe she’d just have a salad.

“What are you going to get?” she asked.

When he didn’t answer, she lowered her menu and looked at him.

He was grinning ear to ear.

“What?”

“Grace told me there are two types of women out there. The kind who ask their date what they’re ordering so they make sure to not order anything more expensive than the guy, and the kind of woman who orders what she wants with no regard for her date’s wallet.”

She folded the menu and placed it in her lap. “Grace forgot about the third kind of woman.”

“Who is she?”

“The kind who doesn’t assume her date is picking up her meal and realizes the only thing on the menu she can afford is the salad.”

Colin slowly nodded. “Ahhh, right. I forgot about that woman. I haven’t met her.”

“Yeah, you have.” Parker pointed to her chest.

“I’m not that guy. I asked you out, took you to a place I can afford, and don’t expect you to do anything but have a good time.”

That was a relief. “You sure?”

He reached over again, rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand. “My mother would disown me.”

The muscles in the back of her neck started to relax. “I like your mom.”

Colin lifted his menu again.

After twenty seconds Parker asked, “So what are you having?”

She’d finally settled on the ahi and didn’t leave one vegetable on the plate. She ohh’d and ahh’d and thanked him more than he felt comfortable accepting. They talked about the project and Austin’s interest in the big machinery. He talked about his family and the recent in and out of Grace’s latest boyfriend. “So your family brings all the boyfriends and girlfriends around your parents?”

“Yeah. From the beginning, my mom insisted that family dinners included whoever we were dating from the get-go. None of that bring a woman around only if you’re planning on a trip down the aisle nonsense.”

“Why?”

By now they were sharing a dessert he insisted on but Parker was enjoying even though she said she was full.

“My dad will tell you it was so we could do something if Grace started dating some ass. He didn’t want to find out too late that his future son-in-law was wrong for her.”

“Isn’t that for her to decide?”

“Ultimately. So far she’s quick to beat us to the relationship dump. We don’t have to do much more than ask a few questions and she sees what’s not ever going to work.”

Parker was scooting the crème brûlée around with her spoon. “It must be nice to have two older brothers looking out for her.”

“Her high school prom date dumped her at an after-party and she ended up having to call home to get picked up. My dad was still working at the time, so our mom called Matt and me. We showed up, tucked Grace in the car, and then found her boyfriend.”

Parker stopped smiling. “You didn’t—”

“No. We didn’t. Her feelings were hurt, but he hadn’t crossed the line and gotten physical with her. Which was good for him and my brother and I. Especially since he was seventeen and we were both adults. That wouldn’t have gone over well.”

“You’re a good big brother.”

“I try.” He set his spoon down, let her enjoy the rest of the dessert. “Which brings me to a question.”

The tip of the fork sat on her tongue and suddenly his mind jumped right in the gutter.

“What’s that?” she asked, oblivious to the scene that had flashed in his head.

He closed his eyes, told his body to calm down. “Thanksgiving. My mom wants you and your brother and sister to come over.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I was talking to her this afternoon. I told her I thought it might be too soon to ask, but now I’m not so sure. As first dates go, I think this one is working out pretty well. Besides, you know half my family at this point, and I know yours.”