Brennan chuckled. “It’s okay.” He got it. “I know what you mean. I’m usually on call at times like this.” It was odd thinking he was the only one of his brothers that wouldn’t be responding to this situation. He had to admit, as much as they annoyed him, he loved working with them.
“You like what you do?”
That had to be the first personal question she’d asked him. “Love it.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“It can be, but not all the time. I enjoy helping people.”
“You do it well. I was very grateful you took the time to help the kids in my classroom the other week.”
That was when Corbin was supposed to talk about fire safety with her class. The time he’d backed out at the last minute, claiming a cold, and not wanting to infect the little ones. Brennan had stepped in, even though it had been his day off. Given Corbin didn’t like children—apparently they terrified him—Brennan added that incident to his growing list of suspicious activities involving his siblings.
“I had fun.”
“So did my kids. You were…” She smiled. “I saw a side of you I hadn’t seen before.”
“They’re good kids.” And he’d experienced a side of Evie he hadn’t known. She may be free-spirited and chaotic—two things that had her crossed off his ill-conceived list—but her ability to keep a roomful of six-year-olds relatively under control was a skill he admired. And one he certainly didn’t have.
“You stayed longer than planned.”
“They didn’t want to let me go.” There’d been many questions from both the boys and the girls. It had been a challenge phrasing answers for such a young audience, but he’d loved seeing their excitement and the dreams in their eyes.
“I highly doubt Corbin would’ve stayed as long as you did.”
Brennan shrugged. “Probably not.” A spark of courage rose. “So,”—he grinned—“you noticed me?” There was a certain degree of protection in the limited light. If he screwed this up, at least he wouldn’t have to see it in living color.
“Hard not to. You are my best friend’s brother.”
“She has a lot of them.”
“She does.”
“And yet, you’ve never asked any of them to model for you.” At least he hoped she hadn’t. That unsettled feeling in his stomach at the thought was new.
Her gaze flew to his. Eyes wide, mouth slightly parted. The soft sound of air rushing past her lips reached his ears.
“Are you flirting with me, Brennan O’Reilly?”
Was he? “Is it working?” He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand.
“Maybe,” Evie said. “Depends on the answer to the next question.”
Her eye color was deeper, almost navy-blue. Was it an emotional change or just the effect of limited light? “What’s the question?”
“Why?”
The answer stumped him. Not because he didn’t know it, but because his mouth and brain had returned to their previous uncooperative state.
Why was he flirting with her?
Because he liked her. Because he wanted to see if there was more between them—hoped there was more. Because he’d been crazy about her since the first time Lacey had brought her to the family dinner one Saturday night and sat her down next to him. He’d spent the evening with Evie’s subtle scent distracting him through the entire four courses, her arm brushing against him, and the occasional bump of her leg against his. But between the shadow of her being Lacey’s best friend, and the stupid list he’d pinned his future on, he’d done nothing about it. And when his heart and mind had finally stopped arguing, his inability to make words happen around her had kept him at a standstill.
But with the strong possibility Lacey would actually approve, and here in this dimly lit cabin, with her hands in his, and no oneelse around, he wanted to make them happen. Could he, though? He wouldn’t know unless he tried.
“I—”
“We should get some sleep,” Evie cut in and pulled her hands from his. She turned her head away and rose. The window had closed.
