“So I’ll ask my question again. Since when does your brother have friends who are wealthy enough to purchase an Italian sports car?” Emma asked.
For half a second, she considered lying and telling Emma that Matt had rented the car. It wasn’t unheard of for people to do that on vacation. Last winter, her parents had rented a Corvette when they’d visited wine country.
“Matt and Owen were roommates in college.” Liv had never told anyone, not even Emma, that Owen’s former roommate was not only the lead singer of Eclipse but also a member of the wealthy Sherbrooke family.
“Oh. I don’t suppose he’s single?”
At least she could answer that question honestly without leaving out details. “I don’t know. But have you forgotten about Brian?”
“You know I’m only kidding.”
She’d known that but hadn’t been able to resist.
“What are you doing tonight?”
Not surprisingly, curiosity oozed from Emma’s voice. Lately, except for the time she spent with her brother and sister-in-law on the weekends when they came up, all of Liv’s plans were with Emma or Phoebe.
“Matt invited me over to play pool.”
“As in Owen’s friend Matt? The one who owns that beautiful sports car.”
“Yeah, he has a house in town.” It was more like a mansion, but the word “house” was close enough.
“Interesting.”
She didn’t care for Emma’s tone.
“You two must know each other well if he’s inviting you to his house. How come you’ve never mentioned him to me before now?”
“We’re not that close of friends. But other than me and my family, he doesn’t know many people in town, and I think he’s bored. Orchard Harbor isn’t exactly an international hotspot.”
“If you say so,” Emma replied, sounding unconvinced. “But if your plans change or you and Matt want to join us, Phoebe and I are going to the Northside Tavern around seven.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Liv promised, even though she already knew she’d never suggest that they meet her friends. The last place Matt Sherbrooke would ever want to go was the Northside Tavern for karaoke night.
* * *
After parking, Liv sat and admired the exterior of Matt’s house, something she hadn’t been able to do the last few times she was there. The home consisted of two floors. She couldn’t see the back of the house from here, but there was no doubt that at least one deck was attached, providing Matt and his guests with a place to relax and enjoy the fantastic view. Unlike her parents’ home, which until recently only had a one-car detached garage, his attached garage could house four vehicles. Clearly, someone took care of the grounds, because they were perfectly manicured and full of color.
She had no desire for a house as large as the one before her, but she wouldn’t mind having a yard filled with flowers and a vegetable garden. While her apartment was convenient and within her price range, it made gardening impossible, and the only time she had flowers was when she splurged and bought some from Exquisite Flowers.
The front door opened moments after she rang the bell.
“Good timing,” Matt said in greeting, gracing her with a who-turned-up-the-heat smile, and then stepped back so she could enter. “I only got home about ten minutes ago. It took Fireside forever to get our order done.”
While the town was home to four pizza restaurants, only Fireside Pizzeria prepared theirs in a brick oven, making it one of the more popular establishments, and customers often had to wait longer than if they’d gone somewhere else. In her opinion, the wait was worth it.
“What’s in the bag?” Matt asked with his eyes narrowed.
“Cue stick. What else?”
“I was hoping you were going to say your flute or clarinet.”
“I’ve never touched either in my life. But if you want, I can go home and get my guitar. It won’t take me long.”
Matt closed and locked the door behind her. “No need. I’ve got two here. You can borrow one if you want. I knew Owen played, but I didn’t know you did too.”
Liv nodded. “Owen actually started lessons after me. I also play the piano. But I can’t go home and get one of those.”
