Megan’s smile mesmerized him. “Thank you.”
They ate in companionable silence for a while before Megan spoke. “My grandparents liked you, so you know you’re always welcome here. But why are you here?” Her voice was light and teasing, further putting him at ease.
Ean inhaled the warm, savory scents wafting up to him from his soup bowl. “When I first saw you and Quincy enter the restaurant last night, it never occurred to me that the two of you might be on a date.”
“That’s flattering.”
Ean winced at her dry tone. “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right.”
“Then try again.”
Ean took a moment to collect his thoughts. “The evening with Ramona wasn’t going well. I thought inviting you and Quincy to join us would distract Ramona.”
“I don’t think that worked out for you.”
“Not as well as I’d hoped.”
“I can’t blame a man for trying.” Megan seemed unaware of his discomfort. She continued eating her chicken stew.
Ean’s eyes moved over Megan’s delicate features, her wide chocolate eyes, high cheekbones, long, elegant nose and stubborn pointed chin. The realization that he could watch her all afternoon filled him with a strange restlessness.
“Have you and Quincy ever dated?”
Megan paused. “Why are you asking?”
He shrugged with more nonchalance than he felt. “Curiosity.”
“Some would call it nosiness.”
A reluctant grin tugged at his lips. “OK. Nosiness. But the two of you would make a good couple.” The words didn’t come easily. “You’re both even tempered. You share similar interests, and you’re both intellectually curious.”
Megan tilted her head. “You make us sound like brother and sister.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Was he doomed to insert his foot into his mouth each time he spoke with her? Little Mega
n McCloud had grown into an intimidating woman.
“Would you like to try again?” Megan’s calm, steady gaze made Ean feel like an insecure teenager.
He took a deep breath and tried again. “I meant you’d make a good couple because you’re similar.”
“Yes, like brother and sister. Like you and Ramona.” Megan sipped her iced tea.
Ean’s brows knitted. “You think Ramona and I are like brother and sister?”
“Especially in high school.” She continued eating her stew as though she hadn’t just blown his mind.
“How?”
“You had similar interests. You both enjoyed the limelight. You were both popular. And you both defined success as shaking Trinity Falls’s dust from your sneakers.”
“We had similar goals. That doesn’t mean we were like brother and sister—”
She interrupted him. “You were each other’s mirror. You didn’t challenge each other. You were more like group think.”
Ean sat back in his chair. The remainder of his chicken stew cooled in front of him. “Does Quincy challenge you?”
Megan swallowed a spoonful of stew while her big brown eyes seemed to read his thoughts. “Why don’t you ask me what’s really on your mind?”