“Where is this coming from?” I take a sip of my drink.
Ford rests his arms on the table. “I just… you kind of punished yourself for your last relationship, even though you are not to blame, and I’ve been waiting for the sign that you’re ready to move on again. Lately, you seem to be in a good place, so I have to ask. Are you ready?”
My mouth opens but only air escapes. He has caught me off guard, but then honesty overwhelms me, along with a gushing smile. “I think… I am.” Ready for a relationship, a real one. There is someone who has unintentionally given me a taste of how great it could be.
Ford wiggles his finger in the air. “I was hoping you would say that.” He smiles to someone over my shoulder, and suddenly, I feel as though this is an odd situation. “Don’t kill me. Brielle mentioned you might. But I kind of invited someone to dinner.”
Oh my God, did he figure out that I’m seeing Declan? Is this his way of testing me?
“What do you mean?” I ask with caution.
Ford doesn’t have the opportunity to answer, because he stands to greet the man arriving at our table. My eyes roam up, and I think I might kill my brother.
The sheriff.
“Hey, Violet, I was hoping to run into you.” Carter smiles at me like I’m treasure. He’s out of uniform, in dark jeans, and I notice a few eyes land on him, as natural good looks don’t get ignored by humans.
Quickly, my eyes dart between both men before me and quickly connect the dots. “Hi. Let me guess, my brother mentioned I would be here…” I nervously smile.
Ford answers for him. “I ran into him at the general store and invited him to join us. Please, have a seat,” he offers.
My entire body tightens from disappointment that the wrong man is in front of me, and the fact that Ford, although with good intentions, sprang this on me. To be fair, I may have mentioned months back that the sheriff could be a contender, but that was before Declan entered my life and raised the bar so disproportionally high that I’m not sure anyone can compare.
We all sit down, both guys in front of me very much ready for this evening that I’ve been tricked into.
“How was your day, Sheriff?” Ford asks.
Nervously I twirl hair around my finger. “Bet there were a lot of cats in trees to save,” I attempt to joke, but my stomach feels numb.
What the hell do I do? I can’t exactly say I’m taken, because then Ford would want to know by whom. Can’t exactly say I’m sleeping with his friend, because no sister wants their brother to know about their sex life. Besides, Declan doesn’t want more than this, whatever it is that we’re doing.
Carter chuckles. “No cats today. Actually had to appear at the county courthouse to testify in a case on speeding tickets. I wasn’t working the big bad streets of Lake Spark today.” I hear the humor in his tone. “How is the flower business going?” Carter asks with interest.
“The usual. Men phoning in to ask for the right flowers to apologize. Brothers ordering flowers after their sisters threaten murder. Oops, shouldn’t share that info with you, as I may soon be involved in a crime.” A short laugh escapes me because this is just beyond bizarre.
“I’ll go easy with the handcuffs,” Carter jokes.
My brother chortles, while I stare blankly at these men.
Someone save me.
“You’ll what?” A deep voice with an undertone of rage fills my ears.
No. Nope. This is not who I meant to save me.
My eyes turn to saucers and snap in the direction of the familiar voice that I love. “Declan.” I sound unsteady.
Declan looms over our table, with his jaw tight and his eyes blazing with fury.
“Hey, man, I didn’t know you would be here.” My brother smiles while he stands to greet his friend with their ridiculous team handshake.
Declan looks at Ford, completely unimpressed. “I told you when I was at the rink earlier that I would be in town for the weekend, and you mentioned we should meet for a drink tonight.”
My head gently falls into my hand as this is one colossal setup, and I shoot a death stare at my brother.
“You’re right, perfect timing. We can leave these two alone and go grab a drink at the bar,” Ford suggests.
Declan ignores him and grabs a free chair from the table next to us and slides it between Carter and me. “Or we could stay here. I’m sure your sister doesn’t need two guys chaperoning herdatefrom the bar. Might as well make it a group dinner, less awkward, you know.”
