She tried not to shiver when Sam leaned over and kissed her on the side of her head. “That was exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you.”

“I’m so glad we could do this on Valentine’s Day,” Miss Leona said as she poured a healthy amount of champagne into her glass. “Get to spend some quality time with my babies and my babies’ friends.”

Zach went on outlining new plans for the ranch once the weather warmed up again and it seemed like everyone had moved on from Amanda’s brash comments. She latched on to the comfort of Sam’s strong fingers as they occasionally brushed her thigh throughout the meal. He’d clearly forgiven her, but she hoped she hadn’t accidentally gotten herself banned from all future Pleasant family functions. Not that she and Sam were working on a real future or anything. They hadn’t even been on a real date, but still. It would be nice to be invited back.

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lunch went on smoothly after Amanda extracted her whole foot from her mouth. She enjoyed spending time with Sam’s family and envied how close they all were. And he was right, well, kinda. She wasn’t exactly sure Miss Leona loved her like one of her own after one meal, but she was extremely kind and gracious and made Amanda feel very welcome. By the time Jesse was full and everyone else was well on their way to being drunk on carbohydrates, Amanda felt significantly less awkward.

She sat back, with Sam’s arm draped over her shoulders, while Zach and Lilah debated the finer points of LeBron James’s shooting average. If his affection toward her made their new situationship a thing with his family, they didn’t mention it.

“Any hot plans for you tonight, Miss Leona?” Vega teased just before she finished her glass of juice. Jesse made a weird noise at the end of the table. Amanda didn’t miss the glance Zach shot in Jesse’s direction. Jesse didn’t look up, but his jaw clenched. Amanda was dying to know what was happening there, but of course she kept her mouth shut. Sam got her attention with a gentle squeeze to her arm. She turned and met his handsome smile, smiling back at him as a few dozen butterflies fluttered their wings in her stomach. His wink told her he’d let her in on the dirt later.

“I’m going out with Mig and Pam tonight,” Miss Leona said.

“Gonna tear the club up?” Corie replied. She stood and started clearing her and Vega’s plates.

“You know Mig’s granddaughter bought the Gutierrez farm and she set up a wine and cheese tasting for us. I will be skipping most of the cheese and enjoying all of the wine and the conversation.”