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“That’s her job.” Sam took a swallow of whiskey. “But she doesn’t sell people out.”
“Why would she…” Jake pulled his eyebrows together. “Man, what went on with you two up there?”
Sam tightened his grip on the glass. A dull flush heated his neck. Since he was a kid, he’d made a point of not showing people how he felt. Now, apparently, Jake could see right through him. That’s whatfeelingsdid. They made you transparent.
“Her family’s been in Bliss Cove forever.” Jake cracked open a peanut and popped it into his mouth. “That’s why everyone was so worried when word got out that she was trapped up in the mountains. Then when people heard she was with you…”
“I know, I know,” Sam muttered irritably. “Beauty and the beast.”
“Destiny was taking bets that you’d come back engaged.” Hunter grinned and reached for his beer. “At least, until Aria put a stop to the betting pool.”
“We’re not engaged.”Why did that thought make his heart skip a beat?“We’re not anything.”
Anymore.
The other two men fell silent. Sam swallowed the last of his whiskey. The liquor burned down his throat, adding fuel to his frustration.
“New appetizer, gentlemen.” Rory Prescott, Grant’s girl, approached from the kitchen, carrying three plates. “On the house, in exchange for your honest opinion. Fried calamari with lemon-garlic aioli.”
After thanking her, they all tried the crispy squid and made noises of thumbs-up approval.
“Are you cooking back there now?” Jake nodded toward the kitchen and ate another piece of calamari.
“Lord, no.” Rory laughed as Grant came up beside her with drink refills. “I’m a helper and the official food-taster. I’ve applied to be the Mousehole’s official IT manager, but the stubborn, technophobe owner still refuses to consider investing in a computer system that would greatly streamline his workflow and more than likely increase his profits.”
She shot Grant a sweet smile. He patted her ass in response.
“Thanks for your help, guys.” Rory headed back to the kitchen, her long black ponytail swinging. All four men watched her go appreciatively.
“She hasn’t converted you yet, huh?” Hunter asked.
“I won’t let her.” Grant shrugged and began polishing highball glasses. “I mean, she’s probably right about the workflow or whatever, but the battle is too damned much fun.”
“Losing the battle can also be fun,” Hunter said. “Trust me on that.”
“Man, you didn’t lose.” Jake shook his head and ate another peanut. “None of us did.”
“That’s the truth,” Grant agreed.
Another brief silence fell as the three other men contemplated their great fortune in winning the hearts of the Prescott sisters. Jake and Callie had gotten married last year, Rory and Grant were engaged, and Aria and Hunter…
For whatever reason—probably the whiskey—Sam found himself saying, “So, you planning a Mariposa Street wedding?”
He half-expected Hunter to stammer out some excuse about why he and Aria weren’t getting married anytime soon. Instead, the other man nodded. “I asked Aria to marry me last summer, but she wanted to wait until the Mariposa work was finished and we’d gotten Monarch Enterprises up and running. I hope it’ll be this summer. If—”
He pointed his chin at Grant. “She doesn’t want to steal your and Rory’s thunder.”
“No thunder to steal.” Grant glanced toward the kitchen, as if he could see his fiancée through the doors. “I’d marry Rory tomorrow, and I’d wait a lifetime. Whenever it happens and whatever she wants, I’m in.”
He suddenly shot a narrow look at the other men. “And if you tell me I’m whipped, you’d be right. No better way to be, as my wise kid brother once told me.”
Jake chuckled. “No argument from me. Before Callie, I didn’t have a clue that marriage could be this awesome.”
“It can’tallbe hearts and flowers,” Sam muttered, cracking a peanut against the bar top.
“No.” Jake creased his forehead. “When I was single, I had a hell of a lot more closet and drawer space. Not to mention, I didn’t have to store my shampoo under the sink because I actually had room on the shower shelf. Callie has so much crap in there now I barely have room for one bar of soap.”
Despite the lengthy diatribe, Jake didn’t seem too annoyed by the surplus of feminine products in his bathroom.
