sixty.
Tight faced with disapproval and, if he didn't miss his guess, barely disguised apprehension, the
older woman stared at him.
Bringing his gaze back to Cam, Dean asked, "Lorna?"
Cam's taut expression said better than words that she expected a scene. "Yes."
Regardless of al the lectures Dean had just given himself about keeping his emotional distance, he
didn't want to cause her worry. "She's going with us?"
"When she found out you were here, that is, when I told her Jacki and I were going to dinner with you
—"
Dean cupped her shoulder and moved her out of the doorway. "No worries. It's fine." He stepped
into the house past Cam, and she rushed into introductions.
"Aunt Lorna, this is Dean. Dean, our Aunt Lorna."
No one would miss the way Cam stressed our aunt. While Dean hoped to ensure a peaceful
evening, he did not intend to claim Lorna as a relative. Cam could forget any thoughts along those
lines.
Dean couldn't even bear to touch Lorna, not after what Cam had told him about her wiping him from
her memory. To keep her from offering her hand—if she'd intended to—Dean kept his distance and
nodded. "Lorna." He didn't bother with a smile. "So you're joining us for dinner."
A surprisingly firm chin elevated. "I feel very responsible for the girls, and we don't know anything about you. Of course I'm coming along."
"I already know quite a bit about him," Cam corrected. "After Dean and I talked, I looked him up on the Internet. He's famous."
Dean swal owed back his groan. "I'm known within a niche audience, but I'm hardly famous."
"Don't be modest, Dean. You're paid to endorse dozens of products. You have a big fan club. The
SBC has created T-shirts with you on them."
She had him there. The SBC actual y had a whole line of apparel with his face or name on them.
"Okay, true enough."
Cam smiled at his reluctant agreement. "There, you see Aunt Lorna. We're probably safer with
Dean than without him. He's wel known and very capable." Good manners had her adding, "But, of course, we're thril ed that you're coming along. I'm sure you'l want to get to know Dean, too."
Rather than listen to Lorna choke over that, Dean turned his attention to his youngest sister. "So,
Jacki, you can make it after al ?"
Jacki gave a negligent shrug. "Cam twisted my arm."
"I did not!"
Seeing how easily Jacki riled Cam, and how much she enjoyed doing it, made Dean laugh.
"Relax, Cam." Jacki tossed back her hair, now styled bone straight with an occasional skinny braid here and there. "He's not taking me seriously."
With her coal-lined eyes and funky outfit, Jacki looked wickedly teasing. Dean wondered if she was
a handful when younger. He'd bet his next fight on it.
She wore a metal ic brown halter top that tied behind her neck and super low jeans with holes
manufactured into the knees, across one thigh, and over a hipbone. Her tattoo showed through, but
he couldn't quite make out the design.
"I'm relieved to see we're not dressing up." He'd worn his own holey jeans and an untucked Grateful Dead T-shirt. He'd half expected to catch a little grief for his super casual wear, but Cam, dressed in
white slacks and a turquoise shirt, was too pleased to be anything but bubbly.
Lorna, however, made her disgust apparent with a searing look.
"This is as dressed up as I get," Jacki told him. "But Aunt Lorna wouldn't be caught dead in jeans, especial y any as comfortable as ours."
From her styled light brown hair, fake fingernails, designer dress and heels to her aloof attitude,
Lorna Ross was everything Dean had expected. Uncle Grover hadn't exaggerated one bit.
"Some of us," Lorna said, in a frosty tone, "care about our image."
Their aunt was so cold that Dean almost felt pity for his sisters. Grover hadn't supplied a cushy life,
but at least he'd known how to laugh and occasional y cut loose with a beer and a few raunchy jokes.
Sticking his hands in his pockets. Dean tilted his head at Jacki. "I've never real y
Tight faced with disapproval and, if he didn't miss his guess, barely disguised apprehension, the
older woman stared at him.
Bringing his gaze back to Cam, Dean asked, "Lorna?"
Cam's taut expression said better than words that she expected a scene. "Yes."
Regardless of al the lectures Dean had just given himself about keeping his emotional distance, he
didn't want to cause her worry. "She's going with us?"
"When she found out you were here, that is, when I told her Jacki and I were going to dinner with you
—"
Dean cupped her shoulder and moved her out of the doorway. "No worries. It's fine." He stepped
into the house past Cam, and she rushed into introductions.
"Aunt Lorna, this is Dean. Dean, our Aunt Lorna."
No one would miss the way Cam stressed our aunt. While Dean hoped to ensure a peaceful
evening, he did not intend to claim Lorna as a relative. Cam could forget any thoughts along those
lines.
Dean couldn't even bear to touch Lorna, not after what Cam had told him about her wiping him from
her memory. To keep her from offering her hand—if she'd intended to—Dean kept his distance and
nodded. "Lorna." He didn't bother with a smile. "So you're joining us for dinner."
A surprisingly firm chin elevated. "I feel very responsible for the girls, and we don't know anything about you. Of course I'm coming along."
"I already know quite a bit about him," Cam corrected. "After Dean and I talked, I looked him up on the Internet. He's famous."
Dean swal owed back his groan. "I'm known within a niche audience, but I'm hardly famous."
"Don't be modest, Dean. You're paid to endorse dozens of products. You have a big fan club. The
SBC has created T-shirts with you on them."
She had him there. The SBC actual y had a whole line of apparel with his face or name on them.
"Okay, true enough."
Cam smiled at his reluctant agreement. "There, you see Aunt Lorna. We're probably safer with
Dean than without him. He's wel known and very capable." Good manners had her adding, "But, of course, we're thril ed that you're coming along. I'm sure you'l want to get to know Dean, too."
Rather than listen to Lorna choke over that, Dean turned his attention to his youngest sister. "So,
Jacki, you can make it after al ?"
Jacki gave a negligent shrug. "Cam twisted my arm."
"I did not!"
Seeing how easily Jacki riled Cam, and how much she enjoyed doing it, made Dean laugh.
"Relax, Cam." Jacki tossed back her hair, now styled bone straight with an occasional skinny braid here and there. "He's not taking me seriously."
With her coal-lined eyes and funky outfit, Jacki looked wickedly teasing. Dean wondered if she was
a handful when younger. He'd bet his next fight on it.
She wore a metal ic brown halter top that tied behind her neck and super low jeans with holes
manufactured into the knees, across one thigh, and over a hipbone. Her tattoo showed through, but
he couldn't quite make out the design.
"I'm relieved to see we're not dressing up." He'd worn his own holey jeans and an untucked Grateful Dead T-shirt. He'd half expected to catch a little grief for his super casual wear, but Cam, dressed in
white slacks and a turquoise shirt, was too pleased to be anything but bubbly.
Lorna, however, made her disgust apparent with a searing look.
"This is as dressed up as I get," Jacki told him. "But Aunt Lorna wouldn't be caught dead in jeans, especial y any as comfortable as ours."
From her styled light brown hair, fake fingernails, designer dress and heels to her aloof attitude,
Lorna Ross was everything Dean had expected. Uncle Grover hadn't exaggerated one bit.
"Some of us," Lorna said, in a frosty tone, "care about our image."
Their aunt was so cold that Dean almost felt pity for his sisters. Grover hadn't supplied a cushy life,
but at least he'd known how to laugh and occasional y cut loose with a beer and a few raunchy jokes.
Sticking his hands in his pockets. Dean tilted his head at Jacki. "I've never real y
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