Page 5 of Shallow Remains

As a bachelor, he appreciated food prepared by someone else. Bonus points if it was also tasty.

“Boys,” Tripp’s dad John said to them, slicing a loaf of bread at the end of the island. Lachlan played golf with him and Tripp once a month or so at the course down the road. “You have to try some of my fresh sourdough. Made it this afternoon.”

“What’s this now? You bake?”

John shrugged. “Just a hobby I picked up. Here. It’s still warm, best time to slather it with butter.” He put a thick slice on each of their plates with a proud smile.

Lachlan got straight to work smothering his in butter. The warm bread soaked it up like a sponge.

“Hey, leave some for the rest of us.” Grey snatched the butter knife from his hand.

Lachlan groaned at the first bite. Chewy, crackly crust, with a bit of tang from the bread and a rich, salty silkiness from the butter. “Oh, man. You better give me another slice before the others get in here.”

“Sure thing. Here.” John gave him another big slice, clearly enjoying the praise. “Grey? What about you?”

“I wouldn’t say no to another piece.”

“Okay, these two are cut off from the sourdough for the rest of the night,” Blaine said, walking up with his own plate so John could serve him a slice.

“John made it himself,” Lachlan said around another bite.

“That right? I didn’t know you baked.” Blaine buttered his piece and took a bite. Made a low rumbling sound and nodded. “Oh yeah.”

John grinned. “Happy to see it’s appreciated.”

The other guests began trickling in, Xanthe in the lead. “I smell fresh bread.” She took a deep, appreciative breath.

“It’s John’s homemade sourdough,” Blaine said.

“Oh, yeah, come to mama.” She grabbed a plate and went straight to John. “Don’t be stingy.”

Lachlan glanced around the far room with sharpened interest, but didn’t see the person he was looking for. “Maddy with you?”

“She drove herself up, but yeah, she’s here somewhere,” Xanthe said, busy buttering her bread.

That was his cue.

“Excuse me.” He left his reserved brother to fend for himself with the others.

The great room was full of people and conversation. He smiled and said hello to everyone he knew on the way by, but his focus was on finding Maddy. He hadn’t seen her since Charlie’s funeral. Couldn’t stop thinking about her.

When he saw her, his heart gave a hard thud.

She was standing off to the side of the room with her back to everyone, looking at framed pictures displayed on Tripp’s mantel. Her shiny brown hair was cut into a chin-length bob that left the nape of her neck bare, and her black knit sweaterdress hugged every inch of her sweet little curves.

“Whatcha looking at?” he asked, stopping behind her.

She spun around, and he saw the quick spasm in her face as she schooled her expression into a polite mask. “Oh, hi. Just some pictures of Tripp when he was in the military.”

Lachlan glanced at them. He’d known Tripp since they were kids and had seen them plenty of times. “Never been here before?”

“No.” She cleared her throat, rubbed her palms on the sides of her thighs as she went back to studying the pictures rather than looking at him.

Lachlan didn’t know what to make of her.

She’d been uncomfortable with him since he’d taken her back to his houseboat after she’d had too much to drink the night they’d rescued Xanthe and Blaine from a remote island up the strait. She’d insisted on coming on the boat with him, Grey, and Allistair.

Nothing had happened between them when he’d brought her home, but she was still embarrassed about it for some reason. He wanted that to stop. Because he definitely wanted something to happen between them. And he’d start with getting to know her better.