" That woman is a menace. One day she's going to offend someone who isn't as nice as we are and there will be no saving her."
More peals of laughter rang out and I actually had to hold the phone away from my ear because I couldn't stand the volume any longer.
When the noise died down, I asked, "Are you done?"
"Yes, dear," my mother replied. Her voice shook and I knew she was fighting back more laughter.
I knew exactly how to get her goat and said, "Ben Murphy came by the shop today."
Never one to miss an opportunity to remind me of the attractive, eligible men in the area, my mother replied, "Oh, really? Well, he is a very good-looking young man. And single."
I rolled my eyes again. "Actually, he dropped in to tell me that Brody is back and he brought his daughter with him. I didn't get the details, but my impression was that he and his wife had split up."
"Oh, I knew that. Your brother called me last week and asked me to keep an eye on him. Apparently, the divorce is finalized but there's still a lot of bad feelings. Or at least on his ex-wife's part. I got the impression that Brody put up with a lot before he said enough was enough."
Damn. There went my leverage. It figured that my mother would know more about the situation than I did. As she did with Sierra, Colette McClane took Brody under her wing as well, mothering him as much as possible as well as passing out lectures when necessary.
"Maybe he'll take a liking to Sierra when he's here for Sunday dinner," she commented.
Something in the vicinity of my chest twisted at her casual implication. It couldn't be my heart, but it sure felt like it. More likely, it was the guilt I felt for having to subject Sierra to him because she was my best friend and she didn't deserve that. "Yeah, maybe," I murmured.
"Oh, I have to go. Your father's two o'clock is here. Love you, Cam."
"Love you, too."
I didn't lower the phone after the line clicked, signaling that my mother had hung up. Instead, I stared at my front door, wondering why in the hell I cared if Brody hooked up with my bestie. I'd barely seen him in seven years and my pitiful high school crush was long gone.
"Whoa, what did your mom say to put that look on your face?" Sierra asked.
I shook myself out of my thoughts and shrugged. "Nothing. She's thinking of playing matchmaker for you."
Sierra's blue eyes widened. "Oh, hell no. I'm not going Sunday. I'll come down with meningitis or something."
I frowned at her. "You do realize meningitis is a serious illness and that you'd have to be in the hospital if you had it, right?"
"Shit. I meant the mumps."
"You've had all your vaccinations, Sierra. Mom and Dad made sure of that, so I don't think they'll believe it."
Sierra sighed. "Damn. Well, what creepy dude are they planning to set me up with?"
"Brody. He's Ben's older brother."
Her expression turned calculated. "Oh, really. Is he as hot as his baby bro?"
Hotter. Definitely. But I wasn't going to admit that out loud. Instead, I lifted my hand and rocked it back and forth. "So-so. He's handsome, but I don't know if I would say he's better-looking than Ben."
"There is something to be said for the bad boy turned good. Or at least, better." She cocked her head. "What's Brody like?"
Smart. Funny. Sexy. Infuriating.
I didn't utter the description aloud. "He's my brother's best friend. He lived to make my life difficult while I was in high school but I haven't seen much of him since he went to college over a decade ago. I have no idea what he's like now."
Other than the fact that he'd looked even better at thirty than he had at twenty, the last time I'd seen him in more than just passing was seven years ago at his wedding. Maybe he'd gone bald and grown a beer gut.
If only life worked like that.
"Hot or not, I'm honestly not ready to jump into anything. The last guy I dated turned me off when it comes to relationships."
