“Not even Uncle Braden and UncleBrock?”
“We’ll tell them when the time is right,” I assuredhim.
We finished breakfast and grabbed everything we’d need for the day, stopping off at Max’s to pick him up. The boys were boisterous the entire drive to the property, filled with excitement and energy. I rolled up to the beach, and had barely put the car in park before both of them had leapt out and were racing toward thewater.
I set up my chair and grabbed the worn paperback I’d been trying to read for the last several months, setting up camp with my bare feet on the cooler. I had high hopes of scoring atan.
Keeping half an eye on the boys splashing around in the lake, I exhaled, breathing in the fresh air and taking in mysurroundings.
Since our grandfather had died, the care of the waterfront had fallen to the wayside, and for a while there—it’d been a little overgrown. With Brock back for weeks at a time, he’d managed to do some cleaning up and had added sand to the beach, restoring it to its formerglory.
“You guys are here early,” Braden said, startling me. My paperback fell to the ground when I jumped, and I leaned sideways to grabit.
“Yeah,” I said, gratefully accepting the cup of coffee he’d broughtout.
Braden stole the cooler from beneath my feet, moving it a little so he could sit beside me and still look out at the lake. “I was talking to Brock last night. Their flight gets in atmidnight.”
“I know, I spoke to Tessa the other day. They’re coming over for dinner on Monday,” I responded, my stomach lurching uneasily. I was a grown woman—I knew that, but my brothers were the only family Aiden and I had left, and I wanted them to approve. I couldn’t help but worry a little that theywouldn’t.
“Yeah,” he replied, looking at me curiously. “Am I notinvited?”
“Of course you’re invited, you live there too,” I answered, arching abrow.
“What aboutElle?”
I arched a brow. “Are you guys back together? I thought she wasn’t answering calls…” I trailed off, remembering the look of steely determination on Elle’s face the night before. I knew she was back in town, but I didn’t know thecontext.
“Yeah, we are. She forgot her phone at home, and tying up her loose ends took longer than she expected. She messaged me on Facebook a few times, but I don’t ever go on Facebook,” Braden shrugged with a rueful grin. I knew he was thinking about all the energy he wasted beingupset.
“Okay, well dinner’s at seven, I’ll pick up the food and you’re barbequing,” I added, knowing that’s what he was waitingfor.
Braden’s grinwidened.
“Don’t be surprised if I bring a guest, okay?” I remarked, thankful that my sunglasses hid myeyes.
Braden’s eyebrows shot up with surprise. “Is this the mystery dude you were with the night of thewedding?”
“We’re not talking about it now,” I retorted, my lips pulling down in a slightfrown.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he laughed, his eyes twinkling a little. When his laughter faded, he looked at me again. “Does Aiden know?” he asked, peering out at the lake. Aiden and Max were taking turns jumping off the floatingdock.
“He’s been introduced as a friend,” I replied. “It’s better that way, so I’d appreciate it if everybody didn’t make a big deal about it in front of him. Save your commentaries for when he’s notaround.”
“Don’t worry, we’d never put you on the spot. Besides, it’s a good thing, Becky. I’m glad you’ve decided to date again and I’m sure Brock will betoo.”
Yeah, until he sees who I’m dating, Ithought.
Tessa pursed her lips at me thoughtfully. She was sun-kissed and glowing, her week in paradise having done wonders for her complexation. “I just don’t know why you’re keeping it a secret. Why can’t we know hisname?”
She leaned against the counter, watching me scoop out the potato salad from the plastic container into a serving dish. I wouldn’t deny it came from the grocery store if I was asked, but I didn’t want to advertise my lack of skills in thekitchen.
“You’ll know it soon enough,” I replied evasively, glancing at the clock over my stove. Travis would be pulling up at any moment. A small part of me deeply regretted inviting him tonight, and I wondered if perhaps it would have been easier to just tell everybody individually, without himthere.
The welcoming committee out front did little to ease my anxiety. Brock and Braden had decided to stand on the front yard and check out the roof, as the next thing on Brock’s hefty to-do list was replace the leaky, rotten shingles. Of course, this gave them a wonderful vantage point of both the neighbourhood and the driveway from where they stood on the front lawn. They would be able to spot Travis before he even hit my street. I hoped they would have hid in the backyard, manning thebarbeque.
Elle stood at the other counter, making a Caesar salad. She glanced over her shoulder at me, a knowing look in her eye. I wondered if Sue had let anything slip to her. If she did, Elle was doing a wonderful job keeping thesecret.
The distant sound of the rumbling diesel engine had my head swivelling, and I stepped out onto the porch just as Travis’s truck came into view. I could see the confusion and surprise on both of my brothers faces from where they stood. Braden turned to speak lowly to Brock when Aiden flew across the yard to greetTravis.
