Matt exchanged a look with Aiden and then Jake, and he knew they were all thinking the same thing. Who used the word “ornery” in everyday conversation?
“Since Brianna likes it, perhaps I’ll pay the DJ to play it Saturday night,” Matt said.
As he expected, his comment earned him a death stare from Theo.
“Enough about the music. I’m curious too about the woman you’ve been photographed with. Is she an actress who’s just starting out?” Charlie asked.
“In her dreams, maybe.” Although Brianna whispered the comment, Matt heard it. Based on everyone’s expressions, he wasn’t the only one.
He clenched his teeth until he knew he could speak and not tell Brianna what he thought of her.
“No, Liv’s not an actress. She owns a catering company in Maine.”
“She catered my friend’s wedding last weekend. The food is probably the best you’ll get, considering the area, but it’s nothing special. Gina only hired her because it was the only option. I kept telling her Orchard Harbor was a terrible place to get married, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”
Why are you joining this conversation?
Matt envisioned himself tying his napkin around Brianna’s mouth and then locking her in a storage closet for the rest of the cruise.
“C’mon, Bri. The food at Gina and Blake’s wedding was outstanding.” Matt hadn’t expected Theo to contradict his girlfriend and come to Liv’s defense. “And there isn’t anything wrong with Orchard Harbor. It’s just small and a bit out of the way.”
Yes, he had a feeling his brother would be sleeping on the floor tonight.
“You consider what we had at the reception outstanding? What do you consider subpar, then? Dog food?” Without warning, Brianna pushed back her chair and stood. “I need some air.”
He’d seen people overreact before, but Matt suspected Brianna was upset about more than Theo disagreeing with her about food.
“Someone’s not happy. What did you do?” Jake asked once Brianna was far enough away that she wouldn’t hear him.
Theo glanced at the door as it closed behind his girlfriend. “I didn’t do anything. She’s?—”
“Just a bitch and always needs to be the center of attention,” Aiden said, interrupting his twin.
“Don’t start again, Aiden.” Standing, Theo headed toward the door.
“So, um, Liv owns a catering company. How did you meet her?” Charlie asked.
Matt wanted to address Aiden’s comment, since it was out of character for his brother to insult someone in that manner. Not to mention, while he’d found Brianna annoying and self-centered, her behavior while she’d stayed at his house hadn’t warranted that title. But now wasn’t the best time or place to question Aiden about it.
“I’ve known her brother since college.”
He shared a condensed version of how he’d met not just Liv but the Middleton family and recounted everything that had transpired over the past few months.
“Why didn’t you bring her with you? Were you worried we’d share all the embarrassing stories we have about you?” Aiden asked.
“I invited her, but she’s catering an event.”
“Sounds like a convenient excuse to me. Are you buying it, Jake?” Aiden turned to their cousin.
“Nah, he probably thought we’d make sure she got to know the real Matt Sherbrooke and then she’d kiss him goodbye.”
“Hey, you’re all welcome to visit us anytime you want. We’re in Maine, not the other side of the world,” Matt said.
“It sounds like you’re not going back to Florida.” Aiden’s comment was followed by the sound of a car horn, and he pulled his phone out.
Who uses a car horn for text notifications? “What, couldn’t you find a more annoying sound to use when you get a text?”
“I tried, but this was the best I could do.” Aiden responded to the message and then placed the phone on the table. “So, are you staying in Maine?”
