“That makes one of us,” I muttered, but his confidence was contagious.
I followed him to the door, the shift between us like a breeze clearing away storm clouds. As we stepped outside, I spotted Austin, Braden, and Ben clustered around anewly planted section of hibiscus and palm trees. The sight of them gathered like that twisted my stomach into anxious knots.
Chase caught my eye, his expression a mix of encouragement and empathy. “Looks like you’re up.”
“I guess so. See you Friday, then?”
He stroked my arm, a light, lingering touch. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
I realized I had no idea where we were going. “What should I wear?”
His smile turned wolfish, and I had to laugh. Then his expression softened as he looked me up and down. “I want to take you somewhere nice. Wear whatever you think is appropriate.”
Somewhere nice? My wheels were already spinning, mentally going through all my mom clothes and finding nothing appropriate. I might have to dig into the very back of the closet. “I’ll be ready at six. See you later.”
I smiled and broke away, focusing on the three figures ahead. Austin leaned against a palm tree, his rugged face and intense gray eyes taking everything in with a quiet, reserved presence. His arms were crossed, a subtle shield against the world. Next to him, Braden shifted impatiently and checked his watch, probably eager to get to Tidal Hops for the day. His hair was a shade lighter than Austin’s and Ben’s but darker than Eli’s. His easy grin matched his energetic blue eyes and restless ambition. Ben stood slightly apart with one arm resting on the handle of a shovel, his observant gaze missing nothing. The image of them together should’ve been intimidating, but I’d never backed down from the brotherhood before.
Taking a deep breath, I walked purposefully toward them. They turned as I approached, the noise of construction fading. Their attention felt like somethingphysical, the manifestation of the secret I was about to unload.
“Morning, Harper.” Braden’s voice carried a teasing lilt. “Did you bring us breakfast?”
I held out my empty arms. “Does it look like it? You’re all grown men, you know. You’re on your own.”
Austin nodded hello but remained silent. His gaze shifted pointedly past me toward the bungalows, then back to my face, a single eyebrow lifting almost imperceptibly. He hadn’t missed Chase and me emerging from Bungalow Four. Damn his fisherman’s eyes. He saw everything.
Ben shifted position, his expression thoughtful. “Did you come to rescue us or recruit us?”
“Maybe both,” I said.
“How’s the bungalow construction going?” Austin asked.
“It’s going well,” I said, my voice steady and determined. “Which brings me to why I came over here. Chase has already talked to Eli, and I wanted you to hear it from me. Chase and I started seeing each other. Uh, romantically.”
The words hung in the air, and I watched as they landed.
Austin’s reaction was subtle but immediate. His gray eyes narrowed, not in anger, but in sharp assessment. A vertical line appeared between his brows—concern, maybe? Or just his default state of guarded evaluation. He shifted his weight but said nothing, his silence a heavy blanket of unspoken thoughts. Typical Austin. He’d process it internally before saying anything out loud.
Ben, predictable in his own quiet way, met my gaze steadily. His evaluation was swift, his decision seemingly made in an instant. He gave that slow, deliberate nod I knew so well. “Chase is a good guy. You could pick worse.”Then he added the inevitable Coleridge caution, “Just… be careful. Lots of complicating factors here.” His acceptance, quiet but firm, felt like solid ground beneath my feet. He trusted Chase, or at least trusted my judgment enough not to interfere immediately.
Braden, however, reacted as I might have predicted Eli would have, minus the immediate threat of bodily harm to Chase. His grin exploded across his face, wide and full of surprised amusement. “Seriously?” He barked a short laugh, shaking his head. “Wow. Took Ashworth long enough.”
I blinked, thrown by his enthusiastic lack of concern. “Huh?”
“Are you kidding?” Braden scoffed as he picked at his Tidal Hops T-shirt. “The way you two have been dancing around each other? The arguments over faucet finishes? Total foreplay, sis. Obvious to everyone.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “We havenotbeen?—”
“Oh, please,” Braden interrupted, waving a dismissive hand. “The tension was thicker than the stout I brewed last week. Austin saw it, right?” He nudged our notoriously pensive middle brother.
Austin shrugged, his expression unchanging and offering no confirmation or denial.
“See?” Braden declared triumphantly, apparently taking Austin’s silence as agreement. “Anyway, good for you guys. Chase is solid. Good business sense too, investing like that.” His focus had already shifted, characteristically, to the practical, business implications.
While I appreciated his lack of drama, his easy dismissal felt odd. It was almosttoocasual. Did he really not see the potential complications? The minefield of mixing family business with a relationship involving Eli’s best friend? Or did he just assume Chase, being successfuland stable, was automatically a “good catch” and therefore uncomplicated? It felt like he was skipping over the emotional risks entirely.
“It’s… complicated, Braden,” I said quietly.
He shrugged again, already glancing back toward Tidal Hops. “What isn’t, with this family? Look, as long as it doesn’t mess up the renovation timeline or my beer delivery schedule, I’m good. Just try not to have any dramatic breakups in the middle of the brewpub, okay?” He winked, then clapped Ben on the shoulder. “Gotta run. Those kegs won’t clean themselves.” With a final jaunty wave, he headed off, leaving me with Austin and Ben.
