I wouldn’t expect anything to get bigger than that, nor did I even know there was a winter recital.
“She won’t want to do renovations during that time.” I’m just thinking out loud, but Lucas confirms my suspicions with a nod.
“She made it clear to my dad that she wanted the project done through the summer and fall. So if it doesn’t start soon, it won’t be on the books until next year at the earliest.”
“Fuck,” I mutter and wipe a hand down my face.
It drops back to the table and I find two sets of small eyes staring back at me, hardly phased. My cousin's kids, Jake and Matty, are nine and six, respectively. I usually call refer to them as my nephews, since it makes it easier. Two of my sisters have children, so I’m used to kids. Lucas and Knox are much more lax about cursing than Ava and Piper are, though.
“You’ll figure it out.” Knox drops into the seat at the head of the table. His perfectly unkempt, dark blonde hair flops against his forehead as he leans against the armchair. “So, in the meantime, do you have any plans for this Friday?” The question catches me off guard.
Squinting, I take in his innocent expression. But I’ve known Knox since we were all in our undergraduate programs, and he’s never innocent. “Not at the moment. Do you need a babysitter?”
“Oh, nothing like that. We’re actually taking the boys to Disneyland with our friends for the weekend.”
Shaking my head, not in disagreement but confusion, I ask, “Okay, do you need a housesitter?”
“No, not that.”
“Do you nee—”
“Uncle Liam,” Jake lets out a dramatic sigh. “It’s easier foreveryoneto let him just get to the point.”
Knox scowls at his son, but it’s playful. Lifting his gaze back to me, he asks, “Would you be open to a blind date with one of our friends?”
“Mmm.” I grimace, not sure how I feel about the idea. Blind dates hardly ever go well for anyone. However, it would be nice to spend time withanyoneother than my cousins. It doesn’t have to be romantic or sexual. “Did you meet her at a PTA meeting?”
I’m not interested in dating a woman with children and wouldn’t want to waste either of our time.
He snorts. “God,no. That’s the last place you’d ever find her.”
“And whyher?”
He shrugs, thinking it over for a second. “You’re both single.”
“I’d hope so,” I retort, giving him a dry look. Trying to muster up even an ounce of excitement at the prospect of meeting a woman, not even a spark lights.
He laughs. “She’s a business owner. So are her brothers. And they have a lot of respect from the town. Her entire family does. Plus, soon-to-be extended family.”
That’sthe exact carrot to dangle to get my ass hopping.
“Is this a blind date or a potential business meeting? I’m not going to use her if she has completely different expectations for the evening,” I insist.
Tilting his head to the side, he admits, “She’d probably prefer a business meeting, to be honest.”
From the counter, Lucas snorts but stays out of the conversation. I gather he had nothing to do with this. He would have put a stop to it if it wasn’t a good idea, and Knox doesn’t have a malicious bone in his body. Only about two hundred mischievous ones.
“What the fuck, Knox?” I ask, exasperated. “What is going on?”
“I’m just a willing participant in someone else’s plan.” My brows furrow in confusion. The only person who it could be is Mia, but she doesn’t typically meddle into other people’s business like Knox. “If you agree, I promise she will be at Max’s on Friday at seven. I think it would be good for you.”
Quickly thinking it over, I concede. “Fine, I’ll go. But it isn’t a date or a business meeting. It’s just dinner.”
“Dinner. Deal,” he agrees with a nod, but excitement sparkles in his green eyes.
Chapter Three
Liam
