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“See? Dad gets it. Besides, driving out here, you can go as fast as you want as long as you don’t drive drunk.” He waves my comment off. “You let me worry about my record. Go and say goodbye to Charlie. Then get in the truck and get ready to have your mind blown. I have big plans for us, little brother.”
I roll my eyes but just sigh. “All right. Dad, why don’t you walk me around the house to where Sarah and Charlie are? Leave Speed Racer here to get that huge truck started.”
Rex grins and turns toward his truck. Dad walks me around the house, chatting excitedly about the upcoming Red Rice Revel.
But I’m a million miles away, wondering just what my brother has in store for me.
4
Savannah
When I get out of the rusting hunk of junk I call a car, I straighten my blue and white polka-dotted dress and then shade my eyes against the early afternoon sun. It’s cool enough that I snag my white sweater from the car before hurrying toward Gem’s Diner. Pushing open a heavy door, I am immediately enveloped in the scent of fresh coffee and sizzling bacon.
I look around the diner, eyeing the pink and white checked linoleum floors, the hot pink booths, the chrome bar and order window, and the well-worn white tabletops. Gem’s is open early and late and serves up fluffy hash browns, perfectly fried eggs, and enormous stacks of buttery pancakes. Add in the wail of 50s music from the old jukebox rising over the sound of hungry patrons chatting, and you get Gem’s.
“Savannah!” Over in the corner, a pretty redhead is trying to get my attention. Lucy Taylor-Bennett is in the far corner, looking cute as a button and eager to see me.
There are ten other booths in the restaurant, but my eyes are glued on Lucy’s table. Two dark-haired men are seated opposite her, both much too large to be squeezed into the booth together. I recognize the one with the buzz cut and motorcycle jacket as Rex Bennett. But the other person at the table is a curious mystery.
I thought that I knew everyone that is anyone in Cape Simon and the next town over from here. But as I slide into the booth and give Lucy a little side hug, I meet the rather blunt gaze of a stranger.
A really handsome stranger.
A really handsome stranger who kissed me six months ago and then vanished without a trace.
Cole.
“Savannah, this is my brother, Cole,” Lucy explains. “And, of course, you know Rex.”
I blink a few times, caught in Cole’s dark blue gaze. His eyes don’t give much away. Does he remember me?
Does he ever think about the searing heat of that kiss late at night when he’s alone?
His dark hair is extremely curly and well-groomed. He’s dressed kind of preppy, in a button-up and chinos. The sleeves of his shirt are wrinkled and pushed up, as though he ran out of patience with them. And his scent…. He smells like freshly shaved cedar and soap.
Yum, I think. If I had any idea that the Cole who’d kissed me like I’d never been kissed before was not a stranger, but was, in fact, my friend Lucy’s big brother, I would have asked her about him months ago.
Cole clears his throat, swiping his hand across his mouth. Then he puts his hand out for me to shake.
“Nice to meet you,” he says. He scowls while he says it. The timbre of his voice is low and his tone is flat, so I don’t get the feeling that he’s speaking the truth about it being nice to meet me. He’s definitely still a grumpy storm cloud.
“Hi.” I flush and have to look away, eager to shift my attention elsewhere. “Hi, Rex.”
“Hey, Savannah.” There is a semblance of a smirk on Rex’s face. “Long time, no see.”
I give him my megawatt smile. “I didn’t realize that you both had another brother. I’ve met you, Rex. And I’ve met Rhett and River.”
Lucy rolls her eyes. “There are actually five of them, believe it or not. Rhett, Rex, Cole, River, and Brooks. Plus, I have a big sister named Eden.”
My jaw drops. “You have six siblings?! Your poor mom!”
All three of the Bennetts look at each other, and something dark passes between them. Tension builds. I must have stepped in something, but I haven’t the faintest idea what.
I’m ready to drown in the awkwardness when Cole finally extends me a life preserver. “We’re a blended family.”
“Oh!” I jibber. Blood rushes to my cheeks, turning my face to what I’m guessing is the shade of a tomato. “I’m sorry, I honestly didn’t mean any offense.”
“It’s all right,” Rex says, amicably.
