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“Really? I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.” I take a pull of my beer as the bartender places Palmer’s in front of her and quickly scurries away.
“Oh, I’m not. However, I know I don’t want to be some spinster cat lady. I believe that there’s someone out there for all of us. I just haven’t found mine yet.”
I hold my beer up, and she taps hers to mine. “Maybe Ramsey needs to get involved, so you don’t hold this over her head forever.”
“Oh, I’m so going to regardless.” Palmer laughs. “She’s my best friend, and she’s marrying my brother. I set them up. That’s lifetime bragging rights, my friend.”
“Good to know. I guess my brothers and I can take credit for Orrin and Jade since we all helped him get ready for their first date.”
“That gives you like a year, maybe. I mean, I set them up, I planned it, and now they’re getting married. Lifetime.” She grins, bumping her shoulder into mine once again.
“Savage. I like it.”
She nods before turning to face the crowd, resting her back against the bar. I mimic her stance and survey the room.
“Orrin and Jade seem happy.” She nods to where my oldest brother has his girlfriend, Jade, wrapped in his arms, swaying back and forth on the dance floor.
“Yeah. Things are getting serious, I think. At least they are for him.” I realize that Jade is one of Palmer’s good friends and is her sister Piper’s best friend, and I might be freely giving information that I should be keeping to myself.
“No, for her too. She’s really into him.”
“Good.” I nod even though I’m not sure she’s looking at me.
“We’re probably going to find ourselves at one of these with those two as the guests of honor sooner rather than later.”
“You’re probably right. My momma will be thrilled. Two weddings and the chance at more grandkids. Declan moved to the top as her favorite when Blakely was born.”
“Stop.” I turn to look at her to find her smiling up at me. “Your momma is too damn sweet to have favorites.”
“Oh, that’s not true. Blakely is by far her favorite.”
“Am I sensing some jealousy from you?”
“Nah, she’s cute as hell. Besides, when she was born, it kept Mom from asking the rest of us when we were going to give her grandchildren. Now that Orrin is in a serious relationship, it’s only a matter of time before she starts asking again. Hell, she might already be.”
“Carol would never.” She places her hand that’s not holding her beer over her heart and acts offended on my mom’s behalf.
“Oh, she would. In fact, let’s place a bet.”
“I thought you left the betting to your brothers,” she teases.
“We do, but this calls for one anyway.”
“All right, big man. What are the terms?”
“If I win, you have to… you have to be my dance partner for the rest of the night.” I don’t know where that came from, but I can’t take it back. Besides, Palmer is beautiful, and she looks sexy as hell in her little black dress. I could think of worse ways to spend the rest of my cousin’s engagement party.
“And if I win, you have to come to my shop and help me put together a new bookshelf I bought for the lobby to display framed photos and store albums of my work. The one I had was too small.”
“Done.” I hold my hand out for her to shake. She slides her much smaller hand into mine, and a zap of something I can’t name hits me out of nowhere. I quickly drop her hand and search the crowd for my brother, pretending that touching her soft skin didn’t feel as though I was being electrocuted in the best way.
“Moment of truth,” I tell her, nodding to where Orrin and Jade are standing on the opposite side of the room, still swaying back and forth in each other’s arms.
“Let’s do this.” She grabs my hand, and that feeling hits me once again. This time she stops and stares up at me and back to our joined hands before shaking her head and pulling me across the room to my brother and her friend. “Hey, guys,” she greets them, dropping my hand.
“What are you up to?” Jade chuckles.
“Who me?” Palmer places her hand against her heart just as she did earlier, feigning innocence.
