She cleared her throat. “You cooked dinner?”
He chuckled. “I wish I could say yes. I’m just plating takeout. I thought you might be too tired to think about dinner. I hope you like barbecue.”
She had to get a grip on her runaway emotions before she gave away too much to him. Tossing her coat and bag into a living-room chair, she spoke breezily as she moved toward him. “I’m from Arkansas. Of course I like barbecue.”
“Hmm.” Turning back to the bowls on the counter, he glanced at her over his shoulder. “If you want real barbecue, you’ve got to come to Texas, of course, but I’m told this place makes a passable substitute.”
“Not getting into that argument.” She headed toward the refrigerator. “But thanks for the food—even though you didn’t have to provide for us again tonight. Wine or tea with your meal?”
“I saw your wine. I’ll take tea.”
She laughed.
“You’re in a mood tonight.”
He caught her shoulder when she was within reach and spun her into his arms for a thorough kiss.
“A good mood,” he said when he gave her a chance to breathe.
She released a long sigh, bracing herself against him for a moment until her knees remembered how to support her again. “Hmm, me, too. Now.”
He smiled and picked up a platter to carry to the table when she started toward the fridge again. “How was your day? Other than long?”
“I’ve had worse.” She would share a few tidbits with him during dinner. But first… “BiBi called me as I was leaving the hospital this evening.”
Silverware clanked. Jason looked sharply at her. “Because of me?”
Filling two glasses with iced tea, she nodded. “Ostensibly to tell me happy Thanksgiving. But yes, really because of you. She heard through the impressive family grapevine that you were here in Little Rock, and she put two and two together.”
“Was it bad?”
“Surprisingly…no.” While they sat down to eat, she gave him a quick summary of the call—leaving out the part where BiBi had pretty much mapped out a future for Madison and Jason.
Jason shook his head in bemusement. “So we now have her approval to spend time together?”
“Something like that.”
“Madison? Your friend BiBi? She’s not quite normal.”
Madison laughed. “Trust me, you aren’t telling me anything new. But then, some people would say the same about me.”
He made a show of considering, then nodded. “I can see that.”
She laughed again, enjoying the banter. “Would you like some more iced tea?”
“Yes, please.”
She stood and moved toward the fridge, sheepishly aware she wore a besotted smile as she did so.
“So, now that we have BiBi’s blessing…”
Lying on the pillows snuggled next to Jason later that evening, Madison lifted an eyebrow in response to his out-of-the-blue comment. “You’re still thinking about BiBi’s phone call?”
“Thinking about it again,” he corrected. “I was distracted earlier.”
She walked her fingers up his bare, still slightly damp chest. “Pleasantly distracted, I hope?”
“Fishing for compliments?”