Ethan shrugged, and Brody spoke up. “Okay, fair enough for him. But I don’t?—”
“Lauren?”
“Is a friend.”
“Right.” It was my turn to laugh. “Keep telling yourself that, brother.”
Ethan turned and gave me a fist bump, joining in with my laughter. It wasn’t a secret that our big brother and his best friend had been playing a game of push and pull forwaytoo long. As far as everyone in town was concerned, it wasn’t a matter ofifthey would get over themselves and finally be together, butwhen.
“So, are we going to talk about this dog?” Ethan handed me a fresh beer. “Is he yours? And why is he in my brewery?”
Both brothers looked at me expectantly. I hadn’t thought much about the pup besides the fact that I couldn’t leave him in the truck, and when I’d dropped Pete off at his house earlierand spoken briefly with his mother, it was clear the puppy couldn’t stay there.
“His name is Summit.” I shrugged.
At the sound of his name, which he couldn’t possibly know yet, he looked up at me with big, brown eyes. He was a cute little guy. “I guess he’s my new adventure buddy.”
“Quinn’s going to love him.” Ethan laughed.
Brody nodded. “He is a pretty cute little guy.”
The conversation officially shifted, and we moved easily into talking about my niece Quinn and the rest of our big, crazy family.
I was happy to talk about anything as long as the focus was off me and how I may or may not have felt about Jess Anderson. Because it didn’t matter whether I’d once, a very long time ago, had a crush on her. Those days were long gone.
Now, the only thing I felt about Jess was anger and annoyance. As far as I was concerned, she was the enemy trying to ruin my town. And if she thought I was going to sit back and let her do it, she was sorely mistaken.
Jess
The diamond on my finger sparkled in the candlelight as I spun it around. I had to admit, it was beautiful. Even if it was much larger and flashier than anything I would have chosen for myself.
But Trevor had been so proud of the ring he’d given me.
“We make such a good team, Jess.”
He handed me the little box across the table, almost causing me to choke on my wine. We’d only been seeing each other for a few months. We hadn’t even talked about a future together. I took the box and carefully opened the lid, almost snapping it shut again, when the diamond flashed out from the velvet lining.
“Oh.” I blinked once or twice, sure I was seeing things. “This is?—”
“I guess this means we’re getting married then.”
As far as proposals went, it wasn’t the most romantic one I’d ever heard of, and some of my girlfriends had been appalled when I told them, but ultimately, I was okay with it.
Mostly.
Trevor was a good man. He was stable and solid financially. He was ambitious, and he recognized that in me, too. As a woman who’d always put her career first, it could be challenging to find a man who not only appreciated that but encouraged it, too.
Sure, we didn’t have a wild, passionate love affair, but he treated me well, and maybe that was more important than the fairy-tale romance I’d read about and seen in the movies. And more recently, seen firsthand in a few of my friends.
I looked across the table at my fiancé, and not for the first time, wondered whether maybe I was missing something or rushing into things with him.
“Hello.” With his roll in hand, Trevor waved his hand up and down. “Earth to Jess.”
I shook my head and took a sip of water to clear my head of the thoughts before I could let them take hold. “Sorry. I was just…” My gaze dropped to the diamond on my left hand again.
“Were you thinking about the wedding?” His handsome face lit up. “It’s going to be the event of the year,” he said. “Everyone will be talking about it.”
“Oh, I don’t know ifeveryonewill be talking about it.” I picked at my Caesar salad. “It’s not like it’s going to be huge or anything. I’m sure no one will?—”
