I stood and grabbed my beer. “Okay, lead the way.”
Silas weaved between tables, his narrow hips and shapely ass drawing my gaze as I followed him. Damn, no wonder the man was leaving a trail of panting men behind him.
He led me to a booth with two other men. One had fuchsia hair that flopped over his forehead, a pert nose, and a wide generous mouth. He was a looker, for sure. The other guy was like a cute boy next door with wavy brown hair and big eyes that gave him an air of innocence.
“This is Maverick and Jamie,” Silas said as he took a seat. “Guys, this is Bryson. I’m planning his brother’s wedding.”
“Histwinbrother’s wedding, yes?” Maverick said, a hint of knowing in his tone. So Silas had told his friends about me. That was a good sign, right? Maybe not all was lost just yet.
“That’s right,” I said. “Have you all been friends long?”
“For a few years now,” Jamie answered. “We met when Silas planned my brother’s wedding, too.”
I chuckled. “No kidding.” I glanced at Maverick. “What about you?”
“I’m a florist. We do a lot of work together.”
I nodded. “Makes sense. Are you doing Branson’s wedding?”
“He is,” Silas answered. “The Kennedy wedding.”
“Not the Larkin wedding?” I asked.
“Caitlyn did all the planning with me for months, hence, it’s the Kennedy wedding,” Silas said with a challenge in his voice.
“I see how it is,” I said with a grin. “My mistake.”
“Damn right,” Silas said. “Caitlyn has worked hard, and she deserves a lot of thanks for carrying the load for Branson.”
“No argument there. Bran kept working while Caitlyn was between jobs, though, and he managed the sale of their house. I think they both have worked hard to set up the life they wanted.”
“Fair enough,” Silas said, relaxing a fraction. “I didn’t know the whole story. Caitlyn certainly is in love with him. I can tell they’re the real deal.”
“Are some couples you marry not the real deal?”
“A whole lot of them, unfortunately.”
“Wow. It’s a big commitment, though.”
He shrugged. “Some people take it too lightly. They’re not ready for it, but they go along because it seems like the next step and they’re not ready to face the fact they’re not actually compatible.”
“Silas is jaded, if you hadn’t caught that yet,” Maverick put in.
“I’ve picked up a few hints,” I said. “Like how he won’t go on a second date with me.”
Jamie looked surprised. “Oh, Sy, but you were so upset when?—”
“Let’s change the subject,” Silas interrupted. “Bryson, how is your store setup going?”
“It’s coming along,” I said. “We’ve got some inventory delays that are holding us up, but I’ve still got plenty to keep me busy.”
“What kind of store?” Jamie asked.
“Outdoors. Supplies for camping, fishing, river tubing. Stuff like that.”
His eyes lit up. “Oh, that’s really cool. My dad loves to fish, and he always has to go to Riverton ifhe doesn’t want the super basic supplies at the hardware store. He’ll be really excited to have something local.”
I grinned. “I sure hope so. We’ve had a few folks stop in and ask questions. So far, they seem pretty interested.”
