Andie grinned widely, her pretty face filling with such light and love that Ty felt a longing to know the sensation for herself.
“It was by far the best day of my life,” she admitted. “I only regret that our parents weren’t able to be here for it.” Before Ty could ask where they’d been, Andie added, “They died in an accident years ago.”
“Oh my heavens.” Shock coated her reaction. Ty cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry.”
Andie nodded and set her gaze out the window. “It almost split our family up altogether, honestly. We all just…sort of went our own way. Until we decided to buy into this place and run it together. Now we’re stumbling all over each other.” She chuckled under her breath and set her gaze back on Ty. “Actually, we have a lot of fun together. We really do. I never knew what great people my brothers were.” She shook her head. “I probably shouldn’t admit that.”
“No, I like hearing it,” Ty assured. She took a moment to explain her own family situation before turning their conversation to the topic that interested her most. “So, did Memphis tell you he’s replacing my car battery today?”
“Yes, I heard about that. He asked Trenton if he had experience with them.”
“And does he?” Ty asked.
Andie nodded. “Yes, and he offered to do it for him, but Memphis said he had it covered and that he’d call him if he ran into any problems.”
Ty grinned. “I like how determined he is to learn new things. And the way he admits to not knowing what’s foreign to him, even if it is something as common as jumpstarting a car.”
“Yes,” Andie said with a grin. She took a pull from her icy glass and set it back on the table. “The twins are younger than me, you know, but that didn’t stop my friends from wanting to hang out with them when they came over. They took turns crushing onallof my brothers, really. But who could blame them?”
Ty shook her head. “Not me. I fell for a fair share of my friends’ brothers,” she admitted. “Memphis and Maverick sure are different from one another.”
“You got that right.” Andie rested her fork on her plate and leaned in a bit. “Which reminds me…Maverick’s been appropriate, hasn’t he?”
“Yes,” she assured. “There haven’t been any issues.”
“That’s good,” Andie breathed. “I know he’s flirtatious, but it’s rather innocent. I would never call himslimyor crude. And I will say that he’s matured a lot over the years. Memphis, though, that kid was born a gentleman, I think.”
Ty’s heart melted a little. “That’s not surprising to hear.”
Andie’s face went thoughtful. “Of course, Maverick provokes the rowdy side of him, and Memphis has risen to the occasion plenty of times, enough to cause a whole lot of mischief. But I think in many ways they’ve been good for each other.”
“It’s crazy, too,” Andie continued, “because Memphis doesn’t even know his own appeal. I think he believes Maverick inherited most of the charm and that he was left with the scraps. But the truth is, Memphis has always been the hard-to-get one. The quiet guy women only wished would ask them out. Meanwhile, Maverick was doing all the asking and, therefore, most of the dating too. Or at least most of the arranging. I think they double-dated more often than not.”
“Hmm,” Ty said. “I can picture that.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Andie added. “Women love Maverick. He’s magnetic. Emmitt is too. They have that playboy quality about them. But that doesn’t appeal toallof us.”
It didn’t appeal to Ty, that was certain. “I was always drawn to the lessobvioussort of guys. The quieter ones.”Like Memphis.
“Yeah, me too,” Andie said.
Already, her mind was drifting back to Memphis yet again.Sheesh.She needed to get a grip. She recalled what it was like when she had a crush on someone as a schoolgirl. Her thoughts became consumed with them until she could think of little else. But she wasn’t a schoolgirl anymore. She was a full-grown woman with a child of her own, and she needed to gain better control of her thoughts.
The jingling sound of a key gained Ty’s attention then. Andie must have spotted the source first, because a small smile appeared at her lips as she put a hand up to wave.
As if sensing who it was before she even looked, Ty felt a rush of tingles wash over her skin as she turned to look over her shoulder. There, in a pair of rugged jeans and a black tank top, stood Memphis. He dangled her small key chain on one finger as a triumphant grin spread over his handsome face.
“She’s running like a champ,” he announced.
The grease streaks she’d imagined were there. A smear along his muscled forearm, another at his wrist, and a smudge just above one brow. Oh, and on his jawline too.
A flare of heat filled her face and chest at once. “You did it, then?” she exclaimed as she came to a stand.
“Yep,” he announced proudly. His gaze dropped to the table. “Well, here’s the keys. I’ll let you guys get back to your lunch.”
“We’re pretty much done,” Andie said, coming to a stand. “I was just about to go check on a few things in the office.”
Memphis turned a lifted brow on Ty. “Oh. Well, I could walk you back to the spa if you’d like,” he offered.
Ty worked to keep her grin in check as another surge of warmth pushed through her. “Iwouldlike that, thank you.”
Andie and Ty took their trays over to the kitchen bar, then headed their separate ways with a final goodbye. Andie ducked through a door leading further into the inn, and Ty walked back to where Mr. Wonderful stood with her keys.
Her heart fluttered and skipped.
It felt exactly like the first time Dillon Walsh walked her to class. He’d held her hand and everything. Weeks later, he gave Ty her very first kiss. As Memphis tugged open the door for her, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to kiss him. He was probably a really good kisser.
Ty cleared her throat in reprimand to her rather juvenile, relentlessly crushing mind. She’d turned into someone she didn’t even recognize, for crying out loud.This is what you get for shutting men out of your life for the last seven years.
Perhaps that was true. Regardless, Ty hoped to tame the twitterpated girl inside her and take things one day at a time. If there really was something between her and Memphis, she’d know it soon enough.
