“Oh God, no. He knows I’d kick his ass.”
I snorted a laugh at that. “Okay, I don’t think I’ve met Levi.”
“He’s a hotshot firefighter. All big and strong,” Amelia said.
“If you didn’t notice it yet, you’ll learn there’s asurplusof hotshot firefighters here,” Chloe added.
“Cole’s one,” Elsa offered helpfully.
Instantly, all eyes turned to me. My cheeks flamed hot.
“Why are you pointing that out?” I asked, not realizing that I’d just opened the door to a swarm of curious questions.
“Cole likes her,” Chloe said, alsoveryhelpfully.
“I don’t think Cole likes me,” I said, trying to sound casual.
“He does,” Elsa said, her nod bordering on vigorous.
“Those Silver boys,” someone else chimed in.
“Not the first time I’ve heard them called that,” I offered.
“Well, it is their last name,” Chloe pointed out in a perfectly dry tone.
I looked around the table. “Okay, so everybody here knows them?”
“Most of us grew up with them,” Amelia offered, with an eye roll. “They’re great guys. All of them.”
“And handsome,” Maisie added.
“Anyway, enough about Cole,” I said.
“Well, Cole might have a crush on you, but you sure don’t want to talk about him,” someone teased.
My cheeks were burning hot as I looked around the table. Finally, feeling a little helpless, I said, “I don’t have… I don’t do relationships.”
“Fair point,” Chloe replied. “I can understand that.”
“Well,” Lucy said, lifting her wine glass with a brow waggle, “be careful out there then. You’re at your own risk.”
Chapter Fifteen
COLE
All you had to do was ask
“Cole, would you please go check?”
“On what?” I looked over at my mother from where I sat at the dining room table.
We’d finished eating and things were quieting down. Tommy had been dispatched to do homework. Haven had gone back to his house with Elsa, and Jude had left to pick up Kendall. That man was so whipped. We were all still amazed by it.
“I just want to make sure Adele is all situated in the barn. She rode home with Elsa and Chloe. Chloe is already back here,” my mother explained.
“How do you know?” I asked, hoping to get my mother off this track.
“Because I saw Chloe come in,” my mother explained, undeterred. “I don’t think Adele had enough time to get settled in. I just want to make sure she has everything she needs. I packed a little bag for her of?—”
