“But don’t you think for a relationship to actually get more serious and to progress, at some point the people involved have to acknowledge what it is and what they want?” Brynn asked. That was what was bugging her most about the idea of Noah being in love with her. He’d never said anything. So, even if that was how he felt, he didn’t want to feel it.
“Yes, okay, at some point you do talk about what your relationship is and where you want it to go,” Ava acknowledged. “But maybe that’s what he’s waiting for. He’s waiting for you to get this dating thing over so that he can tell you how he really feels. I mean, maybe he wants to be guy number six. Right? The last one. The one that can keep seeing you and doesn’t have to share you.”
That made Brynn’s heart feel like it had flipped over in her chest. She didn’t want her heart feeling things, but for maybe the first time, her brain seemed to be the less strong of the two organs. Her head had talked her heart out of feeling hurt by her dad, but it was having a hard time tamping down what felt like excitement over Noah. Dammit. “If he wanted to get this over with, he’d be setting me up though, wouldn’t he?”
Cori shook her head. “Even if he knows this is how it has to happen and he wants it over with, it’s going to be really hard for him to see you with the other guys, not to mention actually setting those dates up.” She glanced at Ava. “I know how much it pained me to see Evan and Ava together even though I knew they were only pretending to date. And you won’t be pretending.”
No, but she wasn’t convinced it would feel very real either.
“Will Evan and Parker set me up then?” Brynn asked. “They know everyone around here and could pick nice guys.”
“That might work,” Cori agreed. “Though Evan’s already said he’s not looking forward to dealing with Noah if he’s responsible for you being out with someone.”
“So I just wait for someone to ask me out?” Brynn asked, feeling frustration building. “I’ve been here six months and no one’s even wanted to buy me a cup of coffee.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not true at all,” Ava said. “I’m thinking there are several that wanted to, but they think you’re not available.”
“I’m sure he’s not telling them to stay away,” Brynn said. He certainly hadn’t said that to Mitch the other day.
“He doesn’t have to tell them. It’s pretty obvious how he feels and you’re together a lot,” Cori said.
“So I have to stop spending time with him?” Brynn felt her heart drop at the thought.
“Actually, I might have a better idea,” Ava said.
Brynn sat up a little straighter. She loved when Ava had ideas. “Okay.”
“You ask someone out.”
Brynn blinked at her. “I don’t know how to do that.”
Ava laughed. “You just walk up to them and say ‘would like to have dinner with me?’”
But Brynn was already shaking her head by the time Ava finished her thought. “I can’t do that. I hate even trying to upsell people on à la mode at the pie shop.”
Ava rolled her eyes. “I know. We need to work on that too. But, honey, any guy around here is going to be thrilled that you asked. You’re not selling anything. You’re asking another person to have a meal with you.”
Brynn already felt sick at the idea. “I hate one-on-one dinners with people I don’t know very well.” Yes, dinner with her dad when she was a kid had scarred her. That wasn’t a good thing, but it was true.
“So not dinner. Something else,” Ava said.
“I don’t even know who to ask.”
No, she didn’t want to go six more months without a date. But she wasn’t sure how to start this whole process. Still, she’d actually been looking forward to getting more comfortable with dating and meeting new people. She knew that wasn’t her strength. She’d planned to gain some confidence and experience to take back to New York with her. And now that her sisters were staying here and were up to their armpits in plans for the pie shop, Brynn could go back to New York and do a few things on her own.
She hadn’t seen them daily of course, but Ava had dragged her to hot yoga twice a week and lunch at least once. Cori had dragged her out to clubs and crazy weekend getaways at least once a month. She loved her sisters, but she was looking forward to not being dragged anywhere.
It had made them happy for her to go along, so she did. But Evan, Parker and the pie shop were not taking a lot of their attention and Brynn felt the relief of that, she had to admit.
“Evan thinks that Sean Matthews might be a good guy to ask,” Cori was saying. “He’s the high school science teacher. Nice guy. Was engaged for a while, but she broke it off about a year ago and he hasn’t been out much since.”
“Maybe he wouldn’t want to go out,” Brynn said.
“Evan won’t set you up directly,” Cori said. “But he will talk to Sean if you want to ask him to dinner.”
Brynn swallowed hard.
“Honey,” Ava said, reaching out for her hand. “We’re running out of time. I mean, you could date six guys in a week and meet that stipulation. So it’s not imperative that you do it now. But I do think that the sooner you get started, the better you’ll feel. You’ll realize it’s no big deal.”
Cori glanced at Ava, then back to Brynn. “But Dad’s intention was for you to get to know these guys at least a little. To give this a chance. I don’t think you should go out with six guys in six days.”
Brynn took a deep breath. “You’re right. Let’s get this thing going. Heck, it might be fun, right?”
“Of course it will be fun,” Cori assured her. “You don’t have to be in love or looking for a wedding ring to go out and have a good time with a guy. You deserve to be romanced and wined and dined, Brynn. You’re amazing and I really think that this can help you see that there’s more to you than your research lab.”
That would be nice.
Brynn couldn’t help the thought that tripped through her mind.
She was incredibly proud of the lab and the work they did there, but… it was all she really had. Being a researcher was all she’d ever been. And she’d ended up there because it was the easiest path. She’d been great at science and her sister had bought her a lab. When Ava had revealed the purchase to Brynn at dinner after she’d graduated with her PhD, Brynn hadn’t been able to say anything but “thank you.” That lab was how she took care of people, and that mattered to her.
But it had given her a place to hide. Plain and simple. That lab had been for her in New York what Noah’s garage was for her in Bliss.
“Fine. Tell Evan to talk to Sean and get me his phone number.”
3
Parker set a cheeseburger down in front of Noah and, in spite of his pissy mood that was going on six days now, he felt his frown ease.
And this was no ordinary cheeseburger. This one had fried Canadian bacon, grilled pineapple, and mozzarella on top, along with a teriyaki glaze. And it was not on Parker’s diner menu.
Which meant something was up.
And Noah knew exactly what it was. This was an intervention.
Parker slid a cherry coke to him and then leaned onto the counter in front of where Evan was chowing down on a Hawaiian burger of his own. He was clearly relishing Parker’s willingness to go off-menu for this. Parker never went off-menu.
Well, except for Ava. But that was another story.
It was past closing time, so they were the only three people in the diner. Blissfully Baked, right next door, was connected to the diner now with a huge doorway in the wall between them, thanks to Ava’s huge I-love-you gesture to Parker, but the girls closed the shop before Parker closed the diner.
Noah didn’t ask what was going on. He knew. And he wanted to eat at least half of the burger before Parker and Evan told him a bunch of stuff he didn’t want to hear.
Like how today was officially six months since the triplets had come to town. And officially six months from when their mandated year in Bliss would be ov
er.
And how Brynn really needed to start dating.
He bit into the burger and concentrated on the amazing mix of flavors and textures. Parker had a gift. This burger was amazing. He should put it on the menu. Noah made a note to mention that to Ava. She was really the only way to get Parker to make any changes.
Evan picked up a fry and ran it through the drips of teriyaki sauce on his plate.
Noah just chewed.
Parker watched them both.
Evan picked up another fry and did the same thing.
Noah kept chewing.
“For fuck’s sake,” Parker finally muttered. “Tell him.” He was clearly addressing Evan.
“You tell him.”
“I’m not going to tell him. You’re the one that… did it. You tell him.”
Noah swallowed and eyed the rest of his burger, gauging if he could finish it off in the next two minutes. Probably. But his stomach was already knotting up over the conversation they were about to have. The last three days had been shit and this wasn’t going to help.
After Mitch had made the comment about being number six on Brynn’s list, Noah had tried to get back to work, but he’d had a hell of a time concentrating. Fucking Mitch. Who would have guessed he’d be so quick to figure all of that out? Or that he’d care.
That was really the last thing Noah needed. These guys caring about taking Brynn out. They were just supposed to be practice. She was supposed to get more confident, get some experience going out with nice guys, so she could go back to New York and pick out the decent ones from the assholes.
She wasn’t supposed to get serious about anyone here. And vice versa.
Noah had always disliked Mitch Anderson.
Thinking of what a dick Mitch had been in high school—starting quarterback, class President, Homecoming King, all of that cliché bullshit dickhead stuff—had Noah scraping his knuckles on the car engine and banging his head against the hood. He’d finally thrown his wrench across the room—earning him a glare and a hiss from Penn—and he’d given up on the car for the day and headed over to Maggie’s place.
But Maggie had been home. Which meant he wasn’t able to get the downspout fixed or the lawn mowed. She was supposed to be out of the house at that time every afternoon, but once in a while something happened with her schedule. He never knew what exactly. Because they didn’t talk.
Yeah, he wasn’t going to be able to finish this burger. He felt sick and pissed off in spite of the grilled pineapple. Dammit. He set it down, wiped his hands, and took a swig of Coke.
“I already know,” he told Evan and Parker.
Evan looked over at him. “You do?”
Noah nodded. “It’s six months today.” He didn’t need to specify what “it” was.
Parker shifted his weight behind the counter. “Yeah, it is.”
“And Brynn needs to start dating,” Noah said.
“Um.” Evan glanced at Parker. “Right.”
“And I should have encouraged it a long time ago.” He’d really thought getting her settled and the shop going strong first had been a good plan. Because he hadn’t planned on falling for her. That had definitely complicated everything.
“Well, that doesn’t matter,” Parker said. “It just has to get done.”
“Why haven’t you encouraged her?” Evan asked, in spite of Parker’s words.
“I was concentrating on one thing at a time on Rudy’s list,” Noah said.
Rudy Carmichael’s will specifically outlined what he wanted each daughter to do in order to inherit his fortune. The document, written by Evan himself, was pretty straightforward. Noah loved that. It was so easy to look at it and know what he had to do to keep his promise to Rudy to take care of the girls. Well, Brynn anyway. No one really needed to take care of Cori and Ava and, regardless, Evan and Parker had stepped into their lives pretty quickly.
Brynn was different. She didn’t really do people. Or socialization. And Rudy had felt strongly that she needed that. But he’d also worried. So he’d asked Noah to look out for her.
Take care of her, Noah. Send her back to New York happier and more confident.
Those had been Rudy’s words to Noah. That was what Noah ultimately had to do.
The last thing Noah had wanted in his life was someone he loved asking him to take care of someone they loved. Again. But who said no to a friend who was dying of cancer?
Besides, this time he’d had the checklist. Now that Cori and Ava were on track with Evan and Parker looking out for them, all Noah needed to do was make sure that each of Rudy’s wishes for Brynn came true. And they were very specific. She had to waitress at the pie shop, spend time with people and really get to know them, and date six guys from Bliss. That was it. That list had actually seemed like a dream come true.
Noah really wanted to do something right for someone he cared about. He really wanted to be the guy people could count on to keep his promise. It hadn’t worked out with Jared and Maggie. But he would, by God, keep his promise to Rudy.
Noah sighed. “Okay, I haven’t brought it up to her before this because I’m a selfish bastard. I liked having her to myself. And I liked feeling like I was helping her—getting the shop fixed up and helping her get more comfortable socializing on a smaller scale, like when she waitresses and our game nights and stuff.”
The six of them had game night at least twice a month, sometimes more, where they sat around the huge dining room table in the girls’ house and played board or card games. It had started as a way for Evan and Ava to spend time together as they pretended to date without one-on-one time. But it was fun and they all enjoyed it enough to keep it up. And if sitting around with Evan and Cori and Ava and Parker felt like a big couples’ date night…that had never bothered Noah and Brynn. They didn’t call what they were doing dating, but they didn’t mind being paired up either. In fact, when they were partners, they generally kicked the other couples’ asses.
And yes, all of that—seeing her relaxing and laughing and comfortable with Evan and Parker—had made him feel like he was accomplishing the things on Rudy’s list.
The girls were trying to make the shop profitable when it had never been that before. But they were on track now. And Noah liked to think he’d had a hand in that. Watching Brynn paint walls and put up curtains and weave between tables with a coffeepot in hand made him smile. It was a far cry from her research lab in New York, he knew, and yet she was just rolling with it. He admired that. She skyped with her co-workers regularly in the evenings, but, unlike Ava, who had continued to act like the CEO of Carmichael Enterprises even in the midst of trying to bake pies, Brynn focused on the pie shop while she was there. Sure, she needed a breather here and there—that she took in his garage—but she was in there, doing the job, smiling sweetly at the customers, and letting them grill her with questions and give her their opinions on everything from the crumb topping on the pie, to what the state legislature was doing.
Brynn wasn’t what anyone would call talkative. She didn’t flirt and tell jokes and laugh like Cori did. She didn’t take charge like Ava did. She didn’t talk much at the pie shop beyond, “What can I get you?” and “Would you like a refill?” but she got talked to. A lot. The older guys, Hank, Walter, Roger, and Ben, spent a few hours every day in the shop and loved to joke with her and give her advice. And it seemed that everyone else who frequented the shop—and that number was increasing all the time—also loved to talk to Brynn. Not with Brynn, exactly, but definitely to her.
Which, in spite of her smiles, drained her a little. But she was better at it than she gave herself credit for. He knew, because he saw the smiles she got in return.
“I know that I need to make sure she gets out there,” Noah continued. “She’ll need a little pep talk, but I can do that.” He had no idea if he could do that. Could he actually encourage Brynn to go out with another man? “I’ll talk to her tonight.”
She didn’t need to get serious about anyone. She didn’t
need to even see any of them more than once. In fact, that would be best. She needed to spend time with six different guys from Bliss. There were no other details included in the will. It didn’t say how much time, how often, or what that time had to be like. Very technically, she could sit in a booth across from a guy for an hour for lunch and that could count. Noah had made sure to clarify that with Evan.
“You don’t have to do that,” Parker said.
“I don’t have to talk to her?” Noah asked.
“Right.”
Noah looked back and forth between his friends suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
“We didn’t set all of this up to get you to talk to her,” Evan said. “We did it because we have something to tell you.”
“Okay.” Noah didn’t like the sound of this.
“She’s going out with someone. Tomorrow night,” Evan said.
Noah felt his gut twist. “Who?” His voice had dropped to a low growl instantly.
“Sean Matthews,” Parker answered.
Sean Matthews. Briefly, Noah wondered if there was any name they could have said that wouldn’t have sent a hot shaft of jealousy through him. No way. It didn’t matter who was taking Brynn out. He wouldn’t be good enough.
Noah cleared his throat, then wadded his napkin up and tossed it on the counter. He pulled his wallet out, dug for a ten, and tossed it beside his plate. Then he got to his feet.
“Where are you going?” Evan asked.
Noah was pretty sure Evan already knew the answer to that question. “To talk to Sean Matthews,” Noah said simply.
Parker handed his ten back to him. “No charge.”
“Keep it,” Noah told him. “If you keep babying me, I’ll think that this is a big deal.”
Parker paused, then gave him a single nod, and pocketed the bill. “You’re right. No big deal.”
Right. The woman he was in love with was about to start dating.
No big deal at all.
* * *
Well, that had completely sucked.
Brynn stood at the bottom of the porch steps leading up to the house she was sharing with her sisters. Evan and Parker were both here. Their trucks were in the driveway. Noah was very likely here too. They would all want to know how things had gone.
Cashmere and Camo Page 4
