Theo’s comments were understandable, and he wasn’t wrong. Still, they annoyed him.
“Her brother and I have been friends since college.” As far as he could remember, he’d never told Theo about how he’d come to know of Orchard Harbor.
“I didn’t realize you had friends in town.”
“Owen lives in Boston now, but his parents and younger sister still live here.”
Across from him, Theo drummed his fingertips against the granite, a signal that he was thinking. “Was he your college roommate one year?”
Matt nodded as he chewed. “Freshman year. He invited me to have Thanksgiving with his family that year.”
“I wondered how you found this place.”
“Sorry, that took longer than I expected,” Brianna said, entering the room. “Gina gets talkative when she’s excited.”
Before Matt could offer her a drink, she pointed toward the wine bottle. “Can I have a glass?”
Nodding, he filled a glass and handed it to her. “How long are you staying?” His brother had given him an arrival date, but he’d never shared how long they planned to be in town. Since it didn’t matter to him, he hadn’t asked until now.
“Unless you need us gone by a specific date, we thought we’d play it by ear. We both have the week off and don’t need to be anywhere until Adam’s wedding next weekend.”
If Theo and Brianna stayed past Monday, he’d be shocked, but even if they left Sunday morning, it would give him a chance to catch up with his younger brother.
* * *
Across from him, Theo rechecked his watch and shook his head.
“Got a hot date or something?” Matt asked.
“Just wanted to know what time it was.”
Matt wasn’t buying it, but if Theo didn’t want to share, he wouldn’t push the issue. Instead, he switched on the baseball game. “What do you think of the Dodgers so far this year?”
“I think they have a good chance of making it to the World Series this season,” Theo answered.
“Yeah, if they can keep Williams and Perry healthy and not repeat last season. Have you made it to many games this year?”
Much like him, Theo was a big baseball fan, and for years, he had had season tickets.
Frowning, Theo shook his head. “Brianna’s not into baseball.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t go.”
“I’ve been working a lot and would rather spend the weekends with her.”
“Fair enough.” Matt raised his glass to his mouth, but before he took a drink, his cell buzzed, letting him know someone was at the door. “Liv must be here. Do you want anything while I’m inside?”
Since they’d have more space, they’d taken their drinks and snacks up to the rooftop earlier.
“Some more wine would be good.”
He could hear Brianna’s voice as he passed by the guest room. Less than fifteen minutes after they’d gone outside, she received a phone call and came back inside. That had been at least forty minutes ago. Matt couldn’t imagine talking to someone on the phone for so long.
Downstairs, Matt opened the door and once again reminded himself to get Liv a key so she could come and go.
“I would’ve been here sooner, but I stopped home to change,” Liv said as she stepped into the house.
He didn’t need her to tell him that. He could tell. While she didn’t have a uniform in the traditional sense, she always dressed in black pants and a white top when working at the restaurant or catering an event.
