“Maybe you should try it before you judge.”
Everly gestured to Blake’s empty plate. “There isn’t any left! You ate all of it.”
“There you go. It was so good I cleaned the plate.”
“I don’t know. I’m starting to question the integrity of your decision-making skills.”
Blake shoved his plate to the side and propped his arms on the table. He spent a lot of time around Everly, but they rarely hung out alone, even in public places. When she’d been with David, Blake hadn’t wanted to cause trouble. He’d never make a move on a woman who was in a relationship, and he didn’t want anyone to get the idea that he would even consider it.
Plus, Everly was a temptation. Better not dangle the carrot in front of the horse.
“Potatoes on tacos are always a good decision. Fight me,” Blake said. His stare was unwavering, but his tone was playful.
Everly rolled her eyes. At least she was smiling now. “You know I never fight.”
“Not even over potatoes and tacos?”
“Not even that.”
Blake stared at her. He’d waited almost five long years to be able to be himself around her, and all those pent-up feelings were churning inside him. “You never have to fight with me. I’ll always be on your side.”
She grinned, but her gaze fell to the table. “I know that. I just don’t know why.”
“Pardon?” Blake asked.
“I mean, you were Ridge’s agent, but you were always there for him. You weren’t just someone on the payroll. When he got into trouble, you stuck by him.”
Blake bristled at the mention of Ridge’s sentence. “He would have been there for me.”
Everly leaned over the table. “But you went above and beyond. You quit your job and moved to help him get back on his feet. He needed that. He needed a friend when everyone turned their backs on him.”
“You didn’t turn your back on him either.” To Blake, it didn’t seem like he’d done anything over the top. He’d made his mark on the sports industry, and making a change didn’t seem like much of a sacrifice. Now that he worked from dawn to dusk at the ranch, life was better.
Everly was the girl he couldn’t get rid of. She’d always been around when he was in the sports industry, and when he thought Ridge had a good idea to hide out at Wolf Creek Ranch, she was there. Always tempting him. Always reminding him of what he couldn’t have.
“He’s my brother,” Everly whispered.
Blake’s gaze held hers. “And I’m right where I need to be.”
Everly looked like she wanted to protest, but neither of them could deny it. The ranch was his new home, and he would choose it over hotel rooms and conference calls any day.
Blake cleared his throat. He needed the subject to change before they got too deep in the details of why Ridge had ruined his own career.
Before Blake had a chance to bring up the weather, Haley Harding bounced to a stop in front of the table. “Hey! I haven’t seen you two in a while.”
“Haley!” Everly scooted out of the bench seat and stood to wrap her arms around Haley. Everly’s light-blonde hair contrasted with Haley’s fiery-red hair as they hugged.
“Where is your little one?” Everly asked.
“My sister, Gabby, is in town and she offered to watch Caleb so we could have a night out.”
Everly looked to the small stage in the corner of the room. “Is Asher playing tonight?”
“Yes! He’ll be on in just a minute.” Haley looked to Blake and opened her arms. “What have you been up to?”
Blake stood to greet Haley. Her husband, Asher, was one of the first friendly faces Blake, Ridge, and Everly met when they first moved to Blackwater. Blake had gotten himself into a friendly conversation with Asher in Grady’s Feed and Seed, and the rest was history. Friendships weren’t made in passing like that in the cities Blake had lived in, and he assumed most small towns shared that quality.
“You staying out of trouble?” he asked as he wrapped one arm around Haley.