Page 75 of Mountain Dreams

He hoped she liked it for more than just the beautiful scenery. If that was the most important factor, she could live anywhere in or around the Smoky Mountains.

“Great, because we have a proposition for you,” said Avery.

A server walked up and interrupted the conversation. “Hi, my name is Mike. What can I get you to drink?”

“Is beer okay with you, ladies?” Cody asked.

Avery and Maddie nodded.

“A pitcher of beer for the table, then,” Cody said.

After the server left, Avery continued where she’d left off. “Cody probably mentioned that we could use some help with our bookkeeping.”

“Yes and yes,” Maddie replied.

“You’ll do it?” Avery was practically bouncing up and down in her seat, and the men laughed.

“As long as I can keep my other clients, I’ll be happy to help,” Maddie said, smiling sweetly.

“Yay!” Avery said, reaching over and squeezing Jax’s bicep. “Isn’t that great, honey?”

“Honey?” Cody rolled his eyes, and the women laughed.

“Shut up,” Jax grumbled. Then he turned to Maddie and said, “We’d appreciate your help. Avery is good at a lot of things, but math isn’t her strong suit.”

Instead of taking offense, Avery nodded. “He’s right. I’m not a numbers girl.”

“Lucky for us, Maddie is,” Cody said, feeling a sense of pride in his girl. My girl? Really?

“Since it’s tax season, I’m pretty busy. Would it be all right if I started in a couple of weeks?”

“We’ve waited this long, so we can wait a little longer,” Jax said.

“If you get some free time, stop by the office, and I’ll show you around,” said Avery.

Maddie nodded enthusiastically. Then the server reappeared and set down a pitcher of beer and four glasses.

“Are you ready to order?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” said Jax.

Cody turned to Maddie. “Do you know what you want?”

A smile split her face, and her eyes twinkled with amusement. He realized how that sounded, but in this case, he’d actually been referring to food. He liked where her mind went, though.

“What are you having?” she asked.

“I was thinking about a rack of ribs, but it’s a lot of food. Want to split it with me?”

“Sure. Sounds good.”

After Jax ordered for him and Avery, Cody did the same for him and Maddie. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a double date with his brother, or anyone else for that matter, but he decided he liked it, especially because it was Maddie.

While they waited for the food, the women started talking about some book they’d just read that was being made into a Netflix series. He was glad to see them getting along so well, and since they were both intelligent, caring, and well read, it was no wonder.

Jax, a man of few words, seemed content to drink his beer and listen in, but after a while, he broke his silence.

“Some guy stopped by the resort yesterday, looking for construction work.”