“We’re hosting a barbecue tonight.”
“Cool,” Evie said. “I could go for a burger.”
Gwen gave her a look that often resulted in her youngest sister sticking out her tongue in response, but apparently Evie had evolved into just rolling her eyes. “So setting aside that it’s weird to be hosting a barbecue on a Monday night...if we’re the hosts, who are the guests?”
Mal stared into her coffee for a few seconds. “Lane and Case are coming over so we can have a group discussion. She said it’s time to stop trying to convince them everything’s just peachy keen over here. We’re all in this together and we have to start acting like it.”
“Case really isn’t in it, though,” Gwen protested, belatedly realizing it was an odd thing to say, since Case’s presence wasn’t the most important information Mallory had relayed.
Mal shrugged. “He’s Lane’s cousin, business partner—though a different business, of course—his best friend, and he lives across the street and helps us out with a bunch of things. He’s not going to be able to keep himself out of it, and we need all the help we can get.”
“So Lane’s coming here for dinner tonight is what you’re telling us,” Evie said, her usual effervescence seemingly muted somehow.
“Are you okay with that?”
Evie sighed. “I have to be, don’t I?”
Even her many years of experience in being the big sister didn’t help Gwen come up with a response. Evie was right, and she didn’t really have a choice about it. Thanks to their dad, her ex-husband was going to be all up in their lives and business for quite some time, and there was nothing anybody could do about it.
While Mal and Evie talked about Lane, Gwen’s mind wandered to their other guest for the evening. In the rush and annoyance of packing up what she needed and getting back to Stonefield, she hadn’t given a lot of thought to just how much time Case spent at the Sutton house. Avoiding him was easy when she was only in town for a couple of days to visit her parents and get out again. She wasn’t going to be able to avoid him this time.
But if Evie could work alongside her ex-husband, Gwen could work alongside a longtime family friend she’d had a crush on growing up. She’d pretend she hadn’t felt anything yesterday, definitely not think about the way he’d looked at her, and ignore any tingling and yearning that might pop up in the future.
She was a grown woman now and she absolutely could not be attracted to Case Danforth anymore. It was that simple. He’d dated her sister. He had very deep roots in this town she couldn’t wait to get out of. There was already too much on her plate, and she didn’t have time for misguided entanglements.
It was time to outgrow the childhood crush she’d never been able to shake. She’d outgrownBeverly Hills, 90210, as well as a steady diet of frosted toaster pastries and soda.
She could outgrow Case.
“You ready for this?”
When Lane made a growling sound deep in his throat, Case took that as ahell no. But Ellen hadn’t been wrong about the need to bring them all together so they could be on the same page as they worked toward a common goal.
“At least there will be burgers,” he said to Lane, but it was the dog who picked up his head and looked excited at the prospect. “Yes, Boomer. You know Ellen always makes you a burger of your own, hold the pickles.”
Since David died, Case had done what he could across the street. Using David’s old tractor to clear the snow. Then changing out the attachment when it was time to mow the extensive lawns. Lugging mulch for the garden beds. Odd repairs. Replacing a ceiling fan. And not only did Ellen not have cash to spare, but Case wouldn’t have accepted it from his neighbor anyway. He was raised better than that. But he didn’t turn down free food, and Ellen was a damn good cook. Boomer wasn’t great at the working part, but he was Case’s sidekick, so he always got a treat, too.
“I was already over there for several hours today,” Lane pointed out.
“Yeah, but you parked over here and went in through the back door of the carriage house to lock yourself in the brewing room, so they probably didn’t even know you were there,” Case countered. “And Ellen and Mallory would have been at the thrift store, so it wouldn’t have been much of a group meeting.”
“Now that Gwen’s here, you know she’s going to take over, anyway.”
“She’ll probably try.” She’d always been the bossy one. He was an only child, but he’d gotten the impression over the years that it was a personality trait that came with being the first kid born. “But you’re the only one in this little group who actually knows how beer is made, so you’re definitely the one in charge.”
“I wonder how Evie feels about me being involved.”
Case could tell by the clenched jaw and stiff shoulders that Lane didn’t think she’d be very happy about it. But he and David had known that was a possibility going in, and there was nothing that could be done about it now, so he shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out if you ever stop stalling and put your shoes on.”
“Fine.”
They paused in the yard to let Boomer have a few minutes before crossing the street. Somebody—probably Mallory—had already fired up the grill, so he took that as a sign they’d eat before they got down to business. That worked for Case. He was starving, along with being a little sore. He and the crew that worked for them had to step it up a bit now that Lane was essentially working half days. They weren’t falling behind, but it wasn’t going to be long before they’d have to consider hiring on another guy. Especially since he’d told Ellen he could volunteer more of his own time.
“Boomer!” Both of Mallory’s boys spotted the dog at the same time, and Case smiled as his dog ran off to get belly rubs that would surely be followed by chasing sticks and whatever balls they could scrounge up. Their mother wasn’t up to getting them a dog because it would just be home alone all day, so Jack and Eli soaked up all the time with Boomer they could get.
It was the laugh that yanked his attention away from the boys and his dog.Herlaugh.
He turned to the porch just as Gwen stepped through the door, holding a tray of uncooked burgers and laughing with Mallory, who was right behind her with a spatula and a bag of buns.
