Glowering, I warn her. “Stop it. Can we focus on the now, please? Did you not get the memo that we are not 100% sure what we are?”
She isn’t listening. “No, because I’m the one watching the show and seeing the obvious. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to remind the guys that a well-done burger makes me happy.”
She grabs her wine glass and strides away through the French doors to the back patio. As she leaves, Summer walks in, and I gulp.
“Hey there.” She smiles and sets her grocery bag on the counter.
“Hi.”
Summer tries to conceal her ear-to-ear grin, but she really can’t. “Enjoying my brother’s hotel?”
“I…” I also can’t seem to hide my smile. “It’s fine.”
She inspects me in a curious way. “I think it’s great that he isn’t alone. I’m sure you are keeping him in line, too.”
Shrugging, I decide to focus on the snack plate that I gave up on. “Maybe.” I feel her eyes on me and perhaps she’s having a field day with this whole situation.
“I’m sorry about your house. Well… This might sound vicious but also not, it brought you closer to my brother.”
My eyes flick up in surprise. “You barely know me.”
Summer slides up onto the kitchen counter and begins tounpack the bag. “I don’t need to. Just hearing my brother talk about you and seeing his smile now is enough.”
My heart feels light due to her observation, and my body straightens from the boost of assurance. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“Nothing. Sometimes we don’t need to use many words.” She pulls out a box of animal crackers.
“Oh, Keats mentioned Bo likes those, and I already got a box at the store. I think it’s in the pantry.”
She is struggling to contain her smile, and I can tell that she’s thinking to herself. “I think that he might be a family man, even if he hasn’t figured it out. Or maybe it’s not for him.”
“I think he just wants to be a great uncle.”
She shakes her head. “I think he just realized that he can have someone in his life. Because I’m nosy and ask wildly rude questions when it is none of my business, do you want a husband and kids one day?”
My eyes grow bold, as Keats’s sister isn’t afraid. “Uh, wow, you’re really going for it. I haven’t really thought about it until now.”
Summer claps her hands together. “Perfect. You two are on the same timeline and just working at your own pace toward what you two want, and I don’t just mean kids, I mean the whole future outlook.”
I choke a laugh. “You sound very convinced.”
Her shoulders slant up to her ears. “It could be that I’m excited because I haven’t seen my brother this way, but it’s more because he needs someone on his level. He’s always been headstrong.”
“Oh, I know,” I agree.
“It also means that he needs a sort of partner. Enter you.”
“Hmm. Well, this is kind of strange for you to be so… enthusiastic.”
She laughs. “Esme, my brother talked about you long before you two got together. Surely, you know that. His pretend complaints were so apparent.”
I bite my inner cheek because it makes me content to hear because our behavior goes both ways. “I see.” I play it cool.
“Anyhow, it’s awesome. I’m happy. He’s happy, and it’s all good.”
I appreciate her effort to ease me. I’m not sure what I was expecting today. Lifting the snack plate, I feel safe enough to close the conversation and move on to a relaxing dinner, but as I move, my feet remain cemented to the kitchen floor.
Taking a deep breath, I go for it. “I care about him.”
