He grinned. “Nice one. Are we even yet?”
“Not by a long shot,” she said, sweeping past him. “Let’s get this over with.”
“By all means,” he said as he shut the garage door behind them, then led her toward the front entrance. The door was open and light was spilling out onto the street. “Mack must have beat us here.”
Sure enough, his brother was in the foyer and his aunt was chiding him for not wearing an overcoat.
“Destiny, I parked less than ten yards away from the front door,” Mack said, defending himself as if he were twelve, rather than a grown man. “It’s not that cold out. Besides, I have all this muscle.”
“Between your ears, mainly,” Destiny said, cuffing him gently. “I really thought I raised you with more sense.”
“You did,” Mack said, kissing her. “You made me the man I am today, no question about it.” He grinned at Richard over her head. “Look who’s here. Big brother and his new girl.”
Destiny whirled around, a smile spreading across her face. She rushed forward and embraced Melanie with genuine affection. “Darling, I’m delighted you’re here. Don’t mind Mack. Too many sacks on the football field knocked out most of his manners.”
“I had fewer sacks than any quarterback in the National Football League,” he countered. “I’m very quick on my feet.”
“You were,” Richard agreed. “Unfortunately it only took one sack to wipe out your knee and destroy your career.” He pulled Melanie forward. “Melanie Hart, this is Mighty Mack Carlton, ex-football hero who is still reliving his glory days on the field every chance he gets, especially if it’ll help him score with some female.”
“A fine way to talk about your brother,” Destiny scolded, linking her arm through Melanie’s. “Pay no attention to either one of them. They’re barbarians. I’d disown them, if it weren’t too late.”
Mack grinned at her. “Destiny, there’s still time to change your will. You can leave all your money to your cats. Sad, lonely spinsters do that all the time.”
Destiny scowled. “I’m neither sad nor lonely, and I don’t own any cats.”
“Then get some,” Mack advised. “You’re going to need the company when you run all of us off.”
Destiny turned to Melanie. “See what I have to put up with? Consider this fair warning. If you continue going out with my nephew, you’ll find that we’re a tough crowd to love.”
Richard wondered if that was an out he could use. While he was pondering the possibilities, Mack jumped in.
“Listen to her,” Mack advised Melanie. “Get out while you can.”
Melanie glanced toward Richard, her expression hopeful. She clearly wanted him to give her some signal whether this was indeed the moment she should cut and run for the nearest exit.
Richard winked at her. “Have a drink instead. It’ll make the rest of the evening more bearable.”
Between Mack’s teasing and Destiny’s quick retorts, Richard and Melanie remained safely off the hot seat at least through the appetizers. But when Destiny led the way into the dining room and seated Melanie right next to her and him at the opposite end of the long table, Richard knew the gloves were about to come off. There was nothing he could do to protect Melanie now. He hoped she really was quick on her feet with diplomatic evasions.
“Darling,” Destiny said to Melanie over the soup, “have I told you how delighted I am that Richard invited you to join us this evening?”
Melanie managed a weak smile. “Thank you.”
“The two of you have so much in common,” Destiny continued in the same slick tone she might use if she were about to sell her a used car.
“We do?” Melanie said skeptically.
“Of course you do. Or perhaps I should say that your talents and interests are complementary. You have exactly what Richard needs to fulfill his destiny.”
Richard choked on a sip of water. He hadn’t expected his aunt to go quite this far. It was beginning to look as if she wanted to seal this deal tonight. He wouldn’t be surprised to see her whip out an engagement ring.
“I’m sure Melanie appreciates the intended compliment, but I think you’re embarrassing her,” Richard said, giving Melanie a bolstering smile. “Mack, why don’t you tell us about the team’s chances in the play-offs?”
Destiny cut Mack off before he could utter the first word. “There will be no talk of football over dinner,” she said firmly.
Mack rolled his eyes. “You say that as if it involves talk of blood and gore.”
Richard sat back happily, his mission accomplished. He knew from past experience that Mack and Destiny could spend hours debating whether football was a real sport or simply some macho excuse for a bunch of men to pummel each other senseless. Only the mention of boxing set her off more.
To his shock, Destiny waved off the comment. “I will not be drawn into this discussion tonight.” She frowned at Richard. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re up to.”
“Me?” Richard asked innocently. “What did I do?”
“You’re trying to keep me from asking Melanie too many personal questions. You seem to have forgotten that I knew her before you did.”
“Believe me, I have not forgotten that,” Richard said grimly. “Not for an instant.”
“Did she tell you about her sisters?”
“Yes.”
“You know that she graduated from college magna cum laude?”
“I did not,” Richard admitted. “Are you planning to trot out her résumé over the fish course?”
Destiny gave him a look that might have terrified him a few years back. Now he knew there was no real anger behind it. It was simply an intimidating tactic she’d found handy. He grinned at her. “Just thought I’d ask.”
“Well, excuse me for trying to get it through your thick skull that she’s very talented,” Destiny said. “Talk to him, Mack. Tell him he’s cutting off his nose to spite his face by trying to defy me.”
Mack bit back a grin. “I think he heard you, Destiny.”
Richard gave his aunt a bland look. “So if I were to hire Melanie right here, right now, you’d be happy?”
“That’s all I ever wanted,” Destiny said, her face the picture of innocence.
Richard shrugged, then turned to Melanie, who was listening to the exchange with an increasingly bemused expression. “You’re hired.”
She stared at him. “Really?”
“Really,” he confirmed, then glanced at his aunt. “Satisfied?”
“I think you’ve made a very wise decision,” she said happily. “That means the two of you will be working very closely together. Melanie, dear, would you like to move in here?”
Melanie choked on a sip of water. “Excuse me?”
“I thought it might be more convenient,” Destiny said blithely.
“I have my own place.”
“Not even two miles from here,” Richard said, amused by his aunt’s blatant attempt to maintain complete control over her protégé. “The only thing more convenient would be for her to move in with me.”
Destiny’s expression immediately brightened. “Perhaps until the election—”
“Absolutely not,”