Still standing behind her, he fought an urge to curve his hands around her shoulders. Just as if they were a couple and he couldn’t resist touching her.
“Do y’all eat here very much?” Shannon asked after he sat down. “All I’ve ever gotten here is a burger.”
“Burgers are a good choice. What else do you like, Jen?”
She swallowed. “Everything is pretty good, though I don’t eat here all that often.”
“I’m getting chili and a chicken sandwich,” he added.
“I’ll have to try that soon,” Traci said. She took another sip of her beer and grinned. “So, buddy, have you recovered yet from today’s big adventure?”
“Yep.” Boy, he’d hoped she wouldn’t go there, but the moment he saw both Jennifer’s and Shannon’s looks of interest, he knew it was a hopeless wish.
“What happened?” Shannon asked.
He gave Traci a warning look. “Nothing.”
“Oh, it was something, all right,” Traci said. “My partner here got his butt kicked by a poodle.”
Shannon giggled.
He was just about to give Traci a pretty fierce look when he realized that his sister had chuckled as well. Traci’s teasing had helped Jennifer settle down. He couldn’t remember the last time that had happened in public.
It was totally worth the loss of a little bit of pride.
“It wasn’t that big of a deal. It was just a matter of miscommunication.”
“Between?”
“Between me and the dog’s owner.”
“The octogenarian who couldn’t hear all that well.” Traci grinned. “Dylan and I had to keep raising our voices so much that Snookie got freaked out.”
“Snookie?” Jennifer said.
Dylan rolled his eyes. “I didn’t name the thing.”
“He only ran from it,” Traci added, her eyes bright.
Oh, brother. “We were yelling so loud, the dog thought we were screaming at the lady,” Dylan explained.
“She’d called for assistance. She thought someone was trying to break into her place, but the wind had just caused a broken shutter to clap against the house,” Traci supplied. “After we ascertained that there was no danger, Dylan here went to talk to the lady. But that little dog went into attack mode. It was quite the sight.”
Jennifer’s lips twitched. “I wish I could have seen it.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Dylan said. “Snookie was dangerous.”
“All fifteen pounds of her,” Traci said.
“Come on, Lucky. You know it was bad. I had no idea poodles could be so vicious. That dog almost bit off a piece of my um, rear end.”
Shannon’s eyes were dancing. “How did you stop it?”
“I had a piece of beef jerky in my pocket,” he said. “Thank God.”
Jennifer made a face. “Oh, Dylan. How old was that?”
“Not too old,” he said. “But don’t give me grief about it. If I didn’t have that, it could’ve been a real mess. I could’ve gotten injured.”
Traci snorted. “He isn’t lying. That jerky saved his hide.”
“Good pun!” Shannon high-fived her sister.
“Now I’ll never be able to convince you to get a dog,” Jennifer said.
“Jen, that’s the last thing we need.”
“That might be the last thing you need, but I would love one. One day you’re going to get home and there will be a puppy greeting you at the door.”
Shannon looked from him to his sister. “Y’all live together, just like Traci and I do?”
Smiling at Jennifer, Dylan nodded. “Yep. She’s a good roommate. She cooks like Betty Crocker on steroids.”
“No way. You can cook?” Traci asked.
Jennifer nodded. “I enjoy it.”
“She’s phenomenal. I’m not kidding,” Dylan said, more than happy to talk up his sister’s talent. “Jennifer can make anything.”
“My brother’s a little biased. I just have a way with casseroles.”
“They’re terrific. And she does all the cleaning up, too.”
“It’s the least I can do.”
“Why?” Shannon asked.
When Jennifer hesitated, Shannon added, “I mean, since I live with my two sisters, I’m confused why she feels like she needs to do all of the cooking and cleaning.”
Just as Dylan was about to share that it wasn’t her business, Jennifer said, “I don’t work, you see. And I’m agoraphobic. I only started going out to eat with Dylan a couple of months ago. Before then, I’d hardly leave the house.”
After darting a quick look in his direction, Shannon smiled. “Oh. I see.”
Jennifer looked down at her hands. “I know. It’s odd.”
“It’s fine,” he said. He hated when his sister put herself down. “Jennifer has her reasons.”
“I’m sure,” Shannon said quickly. “Please, you don’t need to explain anything to us.”
“No, I don’t mind,” Jennifer said. “I’m working with a therapist. I’ve gotten a lot better, but it’s a work in progress. Things like this are good for me to try, but it’s not easy. I know I can be a little awkward. I’m trying to get out of my shell.”
“That’s really hard,” Traci said in a softer tone than Dylan had realized she was capable of. “I actually became a cop because I’d been working through some things myself.”
Dylan noticed that Shannon looked stunned by that news. Again, he wished he knew more of the story about Shannon and her sisters. He was especially intrigued by the sense that she was eager to ask about it but didn’t. He had a feeling the problem wasn’t because he and Jennifer were sitting there.
“Here’s your order,” the server said to the ladies, putting two large cheeseburgers in front of them. Turning to him, she added, “Your meals should be out in about ten.”
“No problem. Thanks.”
“These look so good, Shan,” Traci said. “I’m starving.”
He and Jennifer exchanged smiles. He already knew that Traci didn’t shy away from eating a decent meal but Shannon looked so elegant. For some reason, he had thought that she would have only eaten a salad.