I’d already realized Ana was outspoken, but her question still took me by surprise. As someone who tended to play things close to the vest, I was tempted to gloss over her question. But my gut had steered me right in the past—saving my ass more times than I wanted to admit—so I trusted it and gave her the truth instead. “Probably more than I should be, considering we just met this morning.”
Her eyes lit up at my answer. “I was hoping you’d say something like that.”
“Is this where you try to play matchmaker?” Crossing my arms over my chest, I quirked my brow. “Give all those people who’ve commented about us falling for each other what they want?”
“I might’ve given my sister a hard time about all those comments because it’s a blast to get her riled up, but I couldn’t care less what strangers have to say.” Her gaze slid toward the swing set where Mel and Harry were playing. “I just want her to be happy.”
I didn’t have any brothers or sisters, but I got where she was coming from because I had worked with my team long enough that we were like siblings. But that didn’t mean I had to like the idea of Ana teasing Mel. Something about the woman sent my protective nature into hyperdrive, as proven by the fact that I’d been so determined to be the one to fly her out here. But until she was mine—something else I was intent on making happen—I’d do my best not to interfere with how the sisters interacted with each other. Even after, I’d only step in if Mel was hurt by something Ana did, which wasn’t a concern today as her laughter drifted toward us. “She looks pretty damn happy to me right now.”
“Because she’s with Harry.” Ana smiled as she watched them play. “Mel has always had a special bond with him, even before she saved his life.”
I thought about what my research into Mel had turned up. “Why isn’t she looking for a job out here, now that she has her degree?”
“In the ten years that Jeff and I have been married, he’s been promoted or transferred five times. I’m proud of him for being so good at his job, but we’ve moved three times.” She circled her index finger in the air. “We’ve lived in Oregon for almost five years, which is the longest we’ve been in any state. The only reason we’re still here is that Jeff turned down a promotion shortly after Harry was diagnosed. We felt comfortable with his medical team and didn’t want to make any changes at that point.”
Her voice wavered at the end, and I knew her thoughts were stuck in the past. “You made the right call. Just look at him now.”
“Yeah, which is why Mel isn’t looking for a job in Portland.” She heaved a deep sigh and seemed to shake off her sadness. “With Harry doing so well, Jeff won’t turn down the next promotion, so odds are good we won’t be here for the long-term.”
I nodded. “Makes sense. No reason for her to move that far, only for you guys to leave.”
“So, back to you being into my sister…” She trailed off, not even attempting to hide that she was hoping to get something started between Mel and me.
“I get that you want your sister to be happy”—I leveled a chiding look her way—“but you don’t know me, let alone if I could give Mel what she needs.”
“I know more than you think,” she huffed, lifting her hand to tick off her points. “You served your country, have a steady job, are willing to help others when they need it, and stayed to help with my son’s seventh birthday party when his friends’ parents ran for the nearest exit even though you only met him today.”
She wasn’t kidding about the parents of the other kids. I’d been surprised that none of them had opted to stay for the party...until I experienced being around ten hyped-up seven-year-old boys for myself. I’d found them a lot to handle, and I’d been trained to combat sensory overload torture techniques during my time in the Army. “I’m not going to argue with you about being a good guy.”
She used her index finger to tick another check mark off an imaginary list. “I forgot to mention how smart you are.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Seriously, you’ve barely seen us interact with each other today.”
Ana snorted. “Yeah, because you have her running scared.”
“Running scared?” I echoed, my eyes narrowing as I watched Mel and wondered if her avoidance of me since the party started was more deliberate than I’d thought.
“My sister has always been on the quiet side.” She sighed and shook her head. “Probably because I was so loud and bossy when we were growing up. When we got older and Mel didn’t have me around to push her out of her comfort zone, she mostly kept to herself and focused on her studies. But she doesn’t have a book to stick her nose in right now, and you’re kinda hard to avoid since my backyard is only so big. Plus, you’ll be alone on a plane again at some point. Then factor in how clumsy she tends to be and the fact that she gets flustered around hot guys, and I can guarantee that she’s freaking out about embarrassing herself in front of you.”
I’d already figured out most of what Ana had told me, but I still appreciated her insight into Mel’s personality. Flashing her a quick grin, I muttered, “Thanks.”
Ana’s eyes widened when I stood from my chair and strode over to the playset. Mel’s back was to me, but Harry spotted me right away. Holding on to the swing’s coated chain with one hand, he waved at me with the other. “Look how high Auntie Mel is pushing me!”
“You’re getting up there, buddy.” When I got to her side, I carefully bumped my side against her shoulder. “How about I give it a try?”
“Sure.” She quickly stepped back but didn’t get too far before Harry begged, “Watch, Auntie Mel! I bet Devon can get me all the way up to the bar.”
I grinned up at the birthday boy, thrilled that my hunch about him not wanting Mel to get too far had been correct. Even with all his friends here, he’d been happy to stick close to his aunt all day. “Hold on tight, and we’ll see how high you can go.”
After about five minutes, Ana interrupted our fun by calling, “Harry, come inside and help me put all your new toys away!”
Harry wasn’t happy to trade swinging for cleaning up, but he jumped off and ran inside anyway. Mel and I were the only two left in the backyard, which was probably what Ana had intended all along and definitely was what I’d wanted.
Before Mel could make a break for it, I nudged her toward the swing. “Your turn.”
“Oh, no. I couldn’t.” She shook her head even as she sat down and wrapped her hands around the chains. “If I don’t end up breaking this thing, I’ll hurt myself instead.”
I stepped between her legs, setting my hands on the edges of the swing’s seat, and pushed until her feet dangled in the air. “Trust me. I won’t let you fall.”
