“You looking to sell it, by chance?”
“Nope.”
“You sure?” Mitch asked, stepping more fully into the garage again. He glanced over at the truck. Then straightened, noticing Brynn. “Oh.”
She smiled and shifted to sit up away from the windshield. Penn made an annoyed noise at being moved and slipped off her lap, heading for the open window. He jumped down onto the truck’s seat and she knew he’d be asleep in about two minutes.
“The truck is being used,” Noah said. One corner of his mouth curled ever so slightly as he looked at Brynn.
“Yes, I see that.” Mitch’s grin was not ever so slight. It was wide and warm as he said, “Hi,” to Brynn.
“Hi.” She clutched her e-reader against her stomach and gave him a little smile.
Mitch was good-looking. He wasn’t as…alpha as Noah, but still good-looking. She’d never used the word alpha to describe a man before coming to Bliss, but Cori and Ava had introduced her to the term, and it fit Noah. Really, really fit.
“You a mechanic?” Mitch asked, pulling her attention away from Noah, who was now frowning as Mitch made his way across the garage toward the truck. And her.
“Um, no.” She gave him a smile. “Just hanging out.”
“You must be new here,” Mitch said, stopping at the side of the truck. He tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “The place to hang out is the diner.”
She gave a little laugh. “That’s where most of the town spends most of its time,” she agreed. “Which is why I take my breaks here.”
“You like the smell of motor oil?” Mitch asked.
She did. She really did. She nodded. “And the quiet.”
“Ah.”
His gaze wandered over her, seemingly cataloguing details like her ponytail and her glasses and the black tank she wore with her khaki shorts. And her bare legs. He seemed to linger there. And suddenly she felt…jumpy. She wasn’t used to men looking her over, and she wasn’t used to thoughts like well, I do have to date six guys by March.
Her father’s will had stipulated several kooky things. Like, that the girls move to Bliss for a year, and run his pie shop together, making it profitable by the end of twelve months. Something it had, apparently, never been when he’d been running it.
Even stranger, he’d put conditions on their love lives. Party girl Cori, who loved men almost as much as she loved baked goods, was not to date at all for six months. Powerhouse CEO Ava was to date one guy—one regular, raised-in-Bliss, non-CEO-type guy—for six months. And shy homebody Brynn was to date six different guys.
Cori was past her six months, and in love with Evan, and Ava had only two more months to go on her six-month timeline. Of course, the guy she was dating for those six months had turned out to be the guy she intended to date for the rest of her life, so…yeah, they were both doing well.
Brynn, on the other hand, hadn’t even started. And she was very aware that the last six months of their mandated stay in Bliss began in eight days.
She knew that Cori, Evan, Ava, Parker, and Noah, were aware of that too. Any minute she expected them to start asking about her plan. The plan she didn’t have.
“There are other quiet places in town,” Mitch finally said.
“Oh?”
“Like my back deck,” he said with a nod. “I could arrange it so the only sound you hear is the sizzle of a steak on the grill and the top of a beer bottle popping open.”
She couldn’t help but smile. That was kind of smooth. And he’d just asked her out. And maybe now she did have a plan.
“But no smell of motor oil?” she asked. Huh, that might even be flirting.
His grin grew. “I’ll buy you a can. You can sit and sniff it all night if you want to.”
She laughed lightly. She was pretty sure this was definitely, maybe, flirting.
“I’m Mitch Anderson,” he said, extending a hand.
Brynn wet her lips and held her hand out as well. “Brynn Carmichael.”
Mitch didn’t shake her hand. His hand engulfed hers and he just held it. “Carmichael? You’re one of the triplets who own the pie shop?”
She nodded. She didn’t want to pull her hand away, exactly. He wasn’t squeezing, his palm wasn’t sweaty, it wasn’t unpleasant at all. But she kind of did want to pull away. It felt weird to be holding his hand.
Of course, that could have been because they had an audience. A glowering, alpha audience who was now stalking toward them.
“I hear you and your sisters have made some waves around here,” Mitch said.
“Where did you hear that?” Noah asked, coming up beside Mitch.
Brynn slipped her hand from Mitch’s and tucked her hands under her thighs. Yeah, it felt weird to be touching another guy with Noah right there. And that was not only confusing—she and Noah were friends and didn’t do a lot of touching themselves—but it was going to be very inconvenient when she had to start dating. In eight days.
She’d just started really thinking about it. She’d been avoiding it. For six months. Telling herself that she should focus on the pie shop and her sisters first. But now…the shop was doing okay and her sisters were in love.
She was running out of excuses.
Mitch laughed at Noah’s question. “Everywhere. My mom was telling me about the pie shop and everything before I even got back to town.”
Noah shifted to wedge himself slightly between the side of the truck and Mitch. Mitch didn’t comment on it, but he took a short step back.
“Heard that Evan and Parker are involved with two of the Carmichael girls.” Mitch looked up at Brynn. “Didn’t realize you were involved with the other one.”
“We’re just friends,” Noah and Brynn said at the same time. They glanced at one another, then back to Mitch.
How many times had they said those three words? Individually and in harmony? Dozens and dozens.
Brynn swallowed and gave Mitch a smile. “Noah not only keeps Elvira running, he’s helped us a ton at the pie shop.”
Mitch looked over at Noah. “I’ll bet he has.”
Noah arched a brow. “I’m a pretty great guy. Love to help my friends out.”
He hadn’t specifically emphasized friends, but that’s how Brynn heard it. Yeah, yeah, they were only friends. Fine.
“So really just hanging out?” Mitch asked. “That’s great to know. Hate to think I’d asked your girlfriend to my back deck.”
Had he said “back deck” with a strange tone? Brynn looked back and forth between the men who seemed to be having a stare down.
“Well, no worries,” she said brightly. “I’ve never even seen Noah’s back deck.” She hadn’t said it with a weird tone either, and yet it still sounded strange hanging in the air.
But it was true. She’d never been to Noah’s house. And yes, it bugged her a little. But she saw him all the time. He was at Parker’s diner a lot which was connected to Blissfully Baked, the pie shop. He was at the pie shop itself a lot as well. He really had helped them get it cleaned up and renovated. He’d painted walls with her and had redone most of the wood trim around the doors and windows. He’d even helped her with making the pillows that now decorated the seats of the wooden chairs throughout the shop. Noah, the big, tough, ex-Marine, mechanic had helped her make pillows. It was still one of her favorite things about him. He was also often over at her and her sisters’ house. They had a near weekly game night that included Parker and Evan as well.
So she saw him a lot. She spent a ton of time with him even outside of hanging out at his garage. But she’d never been to his house. And while she considered him one of her best friends, she thought that was weird.
Too bad she wasn’t the type to just show up on his doorstep. That was a Cori or Ava move. Brynn didn’t…insinuate herself into situations or places. That just wasn’t her style.
She sighed to herself. Nor was arguing her point or asking for favors or insisting on…anything her style. She had two sis
ters with very big personalities, and she’d learned early on that things were a lot easier if she just kept her mouth shut. It wasn’t that she always went along with Cori and Ava. She did her own thing. She just didn’t announce it or make a big deal out of it. She smiled and nodded and agreed, or kept quiet completely, and then did whatever she wanted when everyone’s attention was elsewhere.
Though that had all gotten more difficult living and working with them 24/7. Time on her own was now an even more precious commodity.
“Then my back deck offer stands,” Mitch said, giving her a slow smile.
Brynn felt her eyes widen as she felt a little flutter in her belly. Huh. That was a nice smile.
“I’m not much of a beer drinker,” she said with a smile of her own.
“Anything you want, Brynn Carmichael,” Mitch said. “You just say the word.”
Yeah, there was another little flutter. Anything you want. Hmmm…those were three really nice words to hear. Especially from a good-looking guy who was watching her with clear interest.
If nothing else, Noah always paid attention to her, listening to her, watching her, often anticipating her needs before she even realized them. He was willing to help her out at all hours with anything she needed. But he was her friend. He wasn’t romancing her.
Being romanced might be nice. She watched Mitch as the thought went through her mind. She’d been half anticipating, half dreading the dating thing. It would definitely be outside of her comfort zone, but she knew that was the point. Rudy Carmichael had demonstrated more insight into his daughters with his will than he ever had while alive. He’d put each of them into a position, both professionally with the pie shop and personally in their dating lives, that would make them step outside their usual, safe boxes and experience something new.
Brynn had initially realized it was a good thing. For her sisters. She’d even been the one to insist that they stop trying to get out of moving to Bliss and just do it. She’d actually agreed with Rudy that Cori needed some stability and Ava needed to learn to relax. Of course, Cori and Ava were pretty easy to figure out. Besides big personalities, neither shied away from letting their thoughts and feelings known.
Brynn was different from her sisters though. Rudy hadn’t known her. Then again, she hadn’t let him.
Still, considering he hadn’t been an overly attentive father, getting two out of three right on what his daughters needed was not a bad percentage.
And the move to Bliss had been okay, even for Brynn. Temporarily anyway. She’d even gone so far as to appreciate the fact that, with Cori in one place for an extended period and Ava having to give less attention to Carmichael Enterprises, the sisters would all have more time together.
It had taken Brynn about a month of having Ava and Cori in the same space with her almost constantly for her to realize that, while she loved her sisters dearly, they were…a lot. Then her feelings of being overwhelmed and overstimulated had all really come to a head when they’d finally gotten the pie shop open and she’d had to wait on customers and interact with multiple people all day long. Along with her sisters. Constantly. Twenty-four-seven.
All of which had driven her to Noah’s shop, seeking solace.
Now though, Mitch was making her think that maybe dating wouldn’t be all bad. None of the other men in Bliss had paid her much more than friendly attention. They smiled, they held doors for her, they greeted her nicely when they came into the shop. But no one had asked her out.
Until now.
“How do you feel about margaritas?” she asked, swinging her legs around and over the side of the truck.
Mitch didn’t step back as her feet swung past him. His eyes dropped to her bare legs. “I feel like I could become a big fan of margaritas,” he said.
Noah let out a half-sigh, half-growl. “You probably need to get back to the shop,” he said to Brynn.
She found herself staring at him. He looked like he was in pain. She frowned. “Are you—”
“The shop,” he interrupted. “It’s almost two.”
They didn’t have set breaks or lunch hours. The three sisters just took turns keeping the place open and running. They’d fallen into a comfortable pattern, each sister doing her part and filling in where needed. According to the will, Ava had to be in charge of the kitchen, Cori was in charge of the books and accounting, and Brynn covered the front of the shop, interacting with the customers. But that didn’t mean that Brynn never helped peel apples or that Ava never boxed up to-go orders. Cori kept the books straight, but she was also their barista, keeping the coffeepot on and mixing up lattes and cappuccinos and her specialty, caramel macchiatos. She was actually the cook and baker of the trio, but she was supposed to have nothing to do with the pies they sold. At least until their first twelve months were up. Next March she would be taking the baking over with Parker, Ava’s boyfriend, and from time to time even now she would experiment with new specialty pies and do taste-testings in the shop. It fit into a loophole in the will because they didn’t sell those.
There were, fortunately, several loopholes they’d all found in their father’s stipulations, and more than once Brynn had thought that Rudy had knowingly left them in there.
“Yeah, okay,” she said. She did need to get back to the shop. She started to push herself off the hood of the truck, but both men stepped forward to help her down and ended up bumping into one another, Noah stepping on Mitch’s foot, and Mitch banging his knee against the side panel.
They scowled at each other and Brynn slipped to the ground without assistance. She gave them both a wide-eyed look. “I’ll see you later?” She wasn’t sure who she was addressing that to. Probably both of them.
“Of course,” Noah said, his expression softening slightly as he met her eyes.
“Definitely,” Mitch said with promise.
She had no idea what else to say so she stepped around them. “’Bye, Penn,” she called to the cat. Who likely didn’t even lift an eyelid. Then she headed out into the September sunshine and turned toward the bakery. She felt a tingle on the back of her neck, as if she was being watched, but she resisted looking back. She did, however, feel an extra bounce in her step.
She liked the idea of two men standing there watching her go.
Huh. This was all very interesting.
She was hardly neglected. She wasn’t ignored exactly. She worked to not call attention to herself so when people didn’t pay her a lot of attention it was because that’s how she liked it. But she was so not the one that people first thought of when they heard “The Carmichael triplets”. She wasn’t the one men tripped over trying to impress. She was not the one that people watched leave a room. Or a garage.
Until today.
And yeah, she liked it.
2
“So, that’s Brynn Carmichael,” Mitch said to Noah as Brynn rounded the corner at the end of the block.
Noah gritted his teeth. He turned back into the shop and to the car he’d been working on.
Cars. Those he understood. Those he could fix.
God, he loved cars.
Everything else in life less so.
He picked up a wrench and leaned in over the engine. He’d known Mitch Anderson all his life. He was hardly worried about hurting the guy’s feelings or offending him by getting back to work in the midst of a conversation.
A conversation he did not want to have.
“Mom said that things have been interesting since the Carmichael girls came to town,” Mitch commented, moving to lean against the front of the car.
Noah didn’t respond.
“Now I can see why. Have there been a lot of injuries?”
Noah frowned. “Injuries?”
“From all the men in town tripping over their tongues?”
Noah rolled his eyes. Mitch was a dumbass. A handsome, successful dumbass who had made Brynn blush. Noah gripped the wrench. “Everyone’s been very nice to them.”
“I’m sure,” Mitch mused.
Noah tried to focus on the hoses he was supposed to be replacing. It wasn’t working. “Of course, Cori’s been involved with Evan from day one and Parker and Ava have been together for about three months now,” Noah said. “So it’s not like guys have been lining up or fighting over them.” Mitch made a “huh” sound and Noah glanced up. “What?”
“Just that Evan and Parker are with Cori and Ava.” He looked over. “No one’s with Brynn.” He paused. “Right?”
Noah clenched his jaw and straightened away from the car. He wiped his hands on a rag. No, technically no one was with Brynn. Except that he was with Brynn nearly every spare hour either of them had. They both worked a lot. Brynn spent her days at the pie shop and then at least an hour each evening on the phone or computer with people running her lab back in New York in her absence. Brynn also had her sisters and he had his mom and dad and Maggie, his buddy Jared’s mom, to take care of. So they both had other things and people taking up their time, of course. But yeah, they seemed to spend a lot of time together too.
“She’s not dating anyone,” he finally said in answer to Mitch.
That much was true. What he and Brynn were doing wasn’t dating. Because dating came with the expectation of things possibly progressing and becoming more over time. He and Brynn were exactly where and what they needed to be for each other. That wasn’t going to change. No matter how much he wanted it to. She was here because her father had mandated it. And it was temporary. Thank God. Noah was looking out for her as her father had asked him to. But there was a goal here. An end point. Brynn was going back to New York in six months and he was never leaving Bliss. So yeah, they were just what and where they needed to be. For sure.
Mitch hadn’t replied to the news of Brynn’s single status.
“You’re going to ask her out, aren’t you?” Noah asked.
“Probably.”
Noah sighed. Dammit. He had to get used to this. She had to date six men. It was in the will. If she didn’t, she and her sisters didn’t inherit Rudy’s company, and his fortune. Noah didn’t think the money, or the company for that matter, was that important to Brynn, but it was to her sisters, so she would do her part. For sure.
Cashmere and Camo Page 2
