His muscles snapped tight as he went on alert, scanning the crowd gathered after a day of skiing on fresh powder. His eyes swept the room once, then a second time. Then more slowly, a third. Not a threat. The three beautiful women had caught the attention of many folks in the bar, and more than a handful stared or cast surreptitious looks their way—men and women alike.
“How’d it go?” Philly asked, sliding his hand around Callie’s waist and pulling her to his side.
“Dreamy,” she replied, lifting her lips for a kiss. No hardship for Philly to deliver. The man was smitten with his wife. Thefeeling was mutual, so Lovell didn’t feel the need to tease his brother.
“You’re moving better,” he said to Daphne.
“As long as I keep moving, I think I’ll be fully back to normal in another day,” she replied, her attention on the back bar. “Something from there wouldn’t hurt either.” She pointed to the artfully arranged and backlit bottles.
Lovell gestured to the bartender, then pointed to the table by the window he’d reserved for them. The older man, with his well-manicured gray mustache, long-sleeve button-down, vest, and bow tie, nodded.
“We’re over there,” Lovell said to Daphne, jerking his chin toward the table.
“I’m going to head out,” Amber said before they took a step. “I want to help Dottie with the dinner cleanup.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Philly replied.
“We told her you’d be home late,” Lovell added.
“I appreciate that, but I like the work. It helps me sleep,” she added. Not giving anyone else a chance to protest, she hugged Callie, then Daphne, then turned and left.
“You don’t think she feels she has to work, do you?” Philly asked as they wound their way around tables. The sun had set long ago, but lights lined the buildings and walkways, sparkling off the fresh snow. A pretty sight that made Lovell wish they’d put an insulated sunroom on the clubhouse. Or a wall of windows.
“I think she has her routine, and her routine both gives her purpose and helps her process what happened to her,” Daphne answered. “She may not always need it, but she must need it now.”
Philly let the subject drop as they sat. Ten minutes later, Daphne had a cocktail, Callie, sparkling water with lime, and he and Philly, beers. They’d also placed their dinner order, burgersall around, and put in an early dessert order of chocolate fondue. The last wasn’t really his thing, but Callie and Daphne had wanted it, and he figured between the two of them, they’d finish it off.
After raising a toast, Lovell glanced at Philly, who gave a small shake of his head. Lovell lifted an eyebrow. He loved his brother, but sometimes he questioned his choices. They’d made a plan while the women were in the spa, and he doubted the sisters would hop on board without a fight. Daphne was a straightforward person, though, and ripping off the Band-Aid and telling her seemed like the best approach. Philly had other ideas.
Daphne sipped her drink and laughed at something Callie said.
Then again, maybe Philly had a point. If they brought it up now, there was a fair chance Daphne would walk out without eating. And if she did, Callie would follow. At least Philly’s way, when they did storm out, they’d have full bellies.
They sipped and ate as the conversation flowed, mostly about the antics of Callie, Philly, and Daphne as kids. None of them had had great childhoods, but they’d found friendship and adventure and fun in each other. He liked seeing them laugh.
By the time they finished dessert, which he had to admit was pretty damn good, it almost felt like a normal night. As if the threats to him and Daphne had blown out with the storm. As if the conversation they needed to have didn’t need to be had.
Waiting by the front door for the women’s coats and hats, Daphne stretched her arms overhead. She only winced twice but pushed through the tightness as she twisted her body side to side.
“Lovell’s going to the cabin with you, Daph,” Philly announced.
Lovell jerked his attention from Daphne to his brother.
“No,” Daphne replied, without missing a beat in her stretch.
“Yes,” Philly replied
“No.”
“Yes.”
They were like a fucking Ping-Pong match.
“Gabe,” Callie cut in. He turned to his wife. Lovell chanced a glance at Daphne, but she remained unbothered as she hooked her elbow around her other arm, pulling it across her body.
“Babe,” Philly replied.
“When did you decide this?” Callie asked.
