Page 71 of Tennessee Trouble

“I suppose that⁠—”

“If you’ll excuse us,” Brandt cuts Jerome off. “I’d like to steal this beauty to have a moment just us.”

He doesn’t give the Cochrans time to react, gently tugging me away from them and leading me across the room. I don’t know where we’re headed, but I’m more grateful than I’ve ever been to someone for getting me out of that conversation. Usually it takes someone cutting in to want to talk to either one of them to find an escape. Brandt simply walked away.

“Sorry to take over like that,” he says, stopping short of where my brother is standing scrolling on his phone. “I know you can hold your own, but…he needed putting in his place.”

“No, no. Thank you. The two of them are…unbearable. It’s…” I stop, swallowing hard. “Do you really mean all that?”

“That Wink & Shine is genius and that they should be proud to have you?”

I nod, nerves fluttering inside my chest. Brandt cups my cheek, running his thumb over my skin. It sends a shiver through me, the ache to know if he meant what he said growing by the second.

“Every fucking word, Lindee. I’m in awe of you. And I think that there isn’t anything on this earth you can’t do.”

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit…

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

Leaning in, he steals a quick kiss. It’s brief, light, and leaves me soaring.

“I know that you think no one takes you seriously. But I do. I know what you’re capable of. Because, Lindee, you are incredible. And your genius outdoes your beauty. Which is saying something, because you are fucking gorgeous.”

Oh, shit…I can’t breathe. All the air has been sucked out of the atmosphere, all while the temperature of the room rises to a thousand degrees. Somehow, my heart is still beating. Racing even. No one has ever said anything like that to me. I’m not that kind of girl.

I’m the girl who you ask when you need to borrow chem notes. Or help dissecting a problem. Not the one that is gushed over.

But fuck me if I don’t like this feeling.

“Brandt,” I choke out, my own emotions getting caught in my throat. “I⁠—”

“Ry! Lind!” Declan exclaims, throwing an arm over my brother’s shoulder and pulling him into our huddle.

Brandt and I step back, making room for them, cutting off our moment at the knees.

Fucking brothers! Ruining everything…

“I was just talking to Clarence Mercher and you’ll never believe what he told me,” Declan says.

I shrug, not really giving a damn what the town lawyer has to say about anything. It certainly was not worth ruining the most romantic moment of my lifetime for.

“They found the person that Tutu left the B&B to.”

“What?” Rylan gasps, suddenly hanging off the edge of his seat. “Who? When did this happen?”

Declan shakes his head. “Clarence wouldn’t tell me who. Just that she has ninety days to say she wants it or to release the property. I told him that if she’s not interested to please let us know and we’ll make her an offer.”

“The inn?” Brandt asks. “I thought that place was closed.”

“It is,” I confirm. “Tutu died last month, and she was running the place basically by herself.”

“She didn’t have any living relatives that we knew about, and nobody was sure if she had a will,” Declan adds. “But apparently they found one and so they’ve been trying to track down the person that she left everything to. It appears they finally found her.”

“And he really won’t tell you who?” Rylan asks.

“Nope.” Declan shakes his head. “Which I get. She did just inherit a whole bunch of stuff from someone she may or may not have been in contact with. Clarence did say she’s someone who has some ties to Trouble.”

“Interesting,” my brother muses. “I really didn’t think she had anyone.”