She was far more optimistic than me, but I couldn’t give up on Silas without at least talking to him face-to-face. If he didn’t want to date me again, I’d accept it. But it’d be nice to knowwhy.
“Caitlyn, I could kiss you right now,” I said with a grin. “Thanks so much.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Branson grumbled, even though he knew I had no interest in his bride.
“Fine, you kiss the woman. Express my gratitude properly.” I pushed back my chair. “But be quick about it. We need to get to that meeting.”
Caitlyn laughed as Branson planted a big showy kiss on her lips.
“Okay,” she said, “let’s go get you the man of your dreams.”
“And the wedding of yours,” I added.
“Well, that’s a given,” she said playfully. “Silas is the best.”
“Yes, he is,” I said with a sigh.
Molly shook her head. “All the good men are taken or ga—er, bi.”
“Or way too young for you,” Caitlyn said, a sassy tone entering her voice. “Bryson isfamilynow. Think of him as a bonus son.”
Molly smiled. “Oh, of course! I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just something people say.”
We cleaned up our dishes and headed out the door.
“I’m sorry if my mom made you uncomfortable,” Caitlyn said. “She’s flirty, but I don’t think she means anything by it. Since her divorce, she’s been a little lost. I think she just wants some validation that she’s still attractive.”
“Oh, it’s okay. I can handle some flirting. As long as she knows it’s not going anywhere.”
Caitlyn linked arms with me as we went down the porch steps. “Well, don’t be so sure.Silasmight not like it.”
“That’s assuming he ever gives me another chance,” I grumbled.
“Oh, he will,” Caitlyn said with a confidence I was lacking. “We’ve got a wedding to finish planning, and surely the best man will want to be involved.”
I chuckled. “You’re more devious than I realized.”
“How do you think I got Branson? The man gave new meaning to the word oblivious. I had to be persistent. Forsolong.”
Branson groaned. “Not this again.”
“You know, I spent the night at his place once because of a storm, and when I said the sofa might be a little chilly to sleep on, he gave me his bed and slept there instead.”
“I was being a gentleman!”
“Take a hint!” she cried. “A girl can’t come out and say ‘take me to bed, please’.”
I chuckled. “See? This is why I like dating men. They tell you exactly what they want.”
“You’ve got it easy, bro,” Branson said. “Caitlyn expects me to read her mind.”
“No, justlistento my words and think about what they mean, boys. You’re both brats.”
She skipped ahead of us as we laughed. She wasn’t wrong.
“You really slept on the couch?” I asked Branson, eyebrow raised.
He sighed. “I’ll never live that down.”
