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“My grandmother has this neighbor who does the same thing. A big party on Christmas Eve. The same with Christmas Day. When I go to my grandparents’ house there are all these cars all over the road.”
“Sounds like my aunt’s house. But since she is going to try to set me up with a future husband I’d rather stay home. I’m the last one standing at the moment so, as I’ve been told before, the cards are stacked against me.”
He frowned. “So your family tries to set you up? My grandmother’s neighbor does this. She did it for all her kids. Now she has my grandmother thinking she can do it for me.”
“Who is your grandmother’s neighbor?” she asked slowly.
The hostess came over and put their drinks down. They ordered the meals and he picked his beer up and took a sip. “Ahhh. So good. My grandmother’s neighbor has a special touch with brewing. Or their one son does.”
Faith’s jaw dropped. “Mason? Mason Fierce?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Do you know him?”
She was laughing so hard she started to cough. Her eyes were watering on top of it. “Give me a second,” she said, picking up her water and taking a drink and then blotting her eyes. “Okay. I think I’m good. Is your grandmother’s neighbor Jolene Fierce?”
“Yes,” he said, grinning. “I’m sure you’ve heard of them. Most have in this area. I almost suggested we go to The Restaurant tonight, but I feared she might see me and want to come over and find out what was going on.”
A new round of giggles started. “She would have totally come over to see what was going on. Aunt Jolene is on a mission with me, but I’m holding firm.”
“Son of a bitch. Connor O’Malley’s daughter? I didn’t even put it together.”
He felt like such a fool. He’d heard the names over the years. If not from Jolene, then his grandmother when she talked about Jolene and her family. Her brother and sister and their kids. The kids in Durham on Gavin’s side. There were so many he’d lost track over the years.
They were only names to him.
Sure, he’d met and knew The Five. It was hard not to when he wasn’t that much younger than them and he’d spent a lot of time with his grandparents in high school. Sometimes he’d go over and swim with Brody and hang out. The other siblings were normally in college, but Brody hadn’t gone.
Then Sawyer went to college and didn’t visit as much, or didn’t run into The Five much anymore.
“That’s me,” Faith said. “And you know my aunt and the rest of my family. I’ve never met you though.”
“My father and I moved here when I was sixteen. Two years of high school and then I went off to college. I did hang out with Brody a bit, but I’m younger.”
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Thirty-three. You?” He wouldn’t admit he looked at her age on her driver’s license.
“Just turned thirty. I’m the baby of the group. I want to say what a small world, but my aunt would call it fate.”
His mind was spinning. Shit. Jolene was trying to set her up, which meant he probably didn’t have a shot with her.
Though she did admit she was the last one standing and wasn’t going to give in to it. “You don’t want to be set up?”
“No,” she said firmly. “Though I know it’s all working out with my cousins, but I’d rather find my own man. This kind of puts us in a pickle.”
“How?” he asked.
“Well, it’s not like I’m in the habit of telling anyone who I’m dating, but if I go on a few dates I do tell my mother or father. I mean, just to be safe.”
“And they will recognize my name?” he asked.
He also started to think she’d know about his family history. Yet she didn’t say much about it.
If she didn’t know, he was positive her parents did. Most definitely her aunt and uncle.
Not much he could do about it though. It’s not like it was his fault. He was just born into that mess.
“Yeah, I’m sure they will,” she said. “But I could be wrong. I don’t remember ever hearing your name before.”
