Trev narrowed his eyes, folding his arms with a distinct lack of discernable remorse. “Is it my fault you had a jumbled mess up in there?”

“That’s enough,” Danica said. “Leanne will think you’re arguing for real.”

To her surprise, Trev slung an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Nah, she knows me better than that. Sustained bickering takes too much energy.”

“It’s true.” She added to Titus, “Your house is so inviting. Thanks for having us over.”

“My pleasure. And Trev’s right, I made chicken marsala. There’s also roasted potatoes, a green salad, and some fresh-baked bread. I thought we could have it with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. But if that’s too many carbs—”

“It sounds delicious,” she cut in with quiet amusement.

She could practically smell how nervous Titus was. The poor man was nearly wringing his hands, and now she got why Danica liked him. For her part, he wasn’t her type physically, as she wasn’t a fan of burly or bearded, but that wide-eyed earnestness and eagerness to please, yeah, she saw it. At least his beard was well-groomed. She’d seen a few where the owners appeared to be storing food for winter or something.

As predicted, she enjoyed the meal down to the last bite. In fact, she ate until the band of her skirt pinched at the waist, and she didn’t even finish a whole slice of cheesecake on her own. She nibbled a few bites then gave the rest to Trev, while Doris looked on with huge, sad eyes. At first, Leanne wasn’t sure what to make of such a huge dog. Truthfully, she was a little scared of them, but Doris seemed docile enough. Leanne gave her a wide berth anyway, just in case.

And, of course, Trev noticed. “Does she freak you out?” he whispered, once the other pair headed to the kitchen with their plates.

She eyed the dog who was currently lying on the rug in the kitchen, watching while Titus and Danica tidied up after the meal. “A little,” she confessed.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

How does he always know?

Normally, she wouldn’t share a story like this. What was the point? But she found herself saying, “When I was eight, I was walking home from school. It took forever if I stuck to the sidewalk, but if I cut through people’s yards, it was much faster. Hardly anybody had fences in that neighborhood, and…” Her heart lurched with remembered fear. “The dog was huge, and it came out of nowhere. Baring its teeth, chased me all the way home. I didn’t get bitten, but…”

I did wet my pants.