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“He is not,” Reese said with a grin. “He’s engaged and it’s not to me.”
Jodi seemed satisfied with that answer. “Okay, second question. Are you dating my brother?”
“No, we’re just friends.”
“You’re not lying, right? Sometimes Grady gets all secretive, and he almost never brings anyone here. I mean, I don’t know anything for sure, but he’s different around you. Unlike his stuck-up ex. Talk about a princess. I have no idea what he saw in her. Okay, I do know, but sex and huge boobs aren’t everything.”
Reese hid a grimace. This wasn’t the kind of conversation she wanted to be a part of.
“I’m not lying. If we ever start dating, I’ll let you know.”
Jodi stopped walking, and Reese nearly walked into her, which could have sent them both tumbling down the stone steps.
“There’s a chance?”
Reese bit her lip in consternation. She hadn’t meant to give Jodi hope. “I meant that as a hypothetical.”
They reached the bottom and took the walk along the path to the dock. Grady saw them coming and swam up to the dock’s edge. Reese tried to look away as he pulled himself out of the water, but she couldn’t. His lean body rippled from the exertion, and beads of water dripped down his smooth, toned chest. His six-pack was on full display, and it took Reese a moment to realize she was staring. He made eye contact with her and smiled before grabbing a towel he’d left on the dock.
“Mom says we’re eating soon. Consider yourself summoned,” Jodi said, reaching down to her dad and giving him a hug.
“When did you get here?” Ted asked.
“About twenty minutes ago. Mom’s pissed that I didn’t pick up the cake in time.”
“Is it someone’s birthday?” Reese asked, worried she’d be thrust into an awkward situation of not having a gift.
“No, but I think I know what happened here. She wanted to have a special cake for you, and my sister didn’t get to the bakery before it closed. Now my mom is stewing upstairs, wondering what she’s going to get for dessert,” Grady said, using the towel to dry off his chest.
Reese was watching him as though he were a master violinist the way he worked that towel over his body. She shook herself out of any impure thoughts that would come next.
“I passed by and got one from Henderson’s. They had a whole bunch of cakes.”
“The grocery store,” Grady explained to Reese. “Now my mom is freaking out, figuring how to transform a cheap cake into something nice,” he said with a sneaky grin.
“I’m about to push you back into the water,” Jodi said.
“I’d like to see you try.”
“We can make that a reality.”
Reese took it all in. Was this what it was like to have siblings? Teasing and play-fighting? If it was, she was envious beyond words. She’d always longed for a sibling, and when Cam came into her life, he was the big brother she’d been wishing for.
“Enough,” Ted said. “Jodi, go help your mother. Grady, hurry up and dry off so you canalsohelp your mother. I’ll go to keep an eye on the barbecue so that your mother isn’t doing everything. Reese, don’t listen to these jokers. Just relax while we get dinner organized.”
Ted rose from his chair and slowly headed up to the deck, book still in hand. Jodi followed up behind him, no doubt complaining since Ted turned back to her once and scowled. That left Reese alone with a shirtless Grady. She was staring at his pectorals when he spoke.
“I figure after dinner we can pin Jodi down on a time to do our video. Or would you like to pin me down?”
“Sounds good.” She paused. “Wait, what?”
Oh no! He’d caught her staring again, and this time her cheeks flushed red hot.
“My eyes are up here,” he said with a smirk.
She wasn’t sure how to play the situation, so she went with the truth. “You’re in fantastic shape. I was admiring your assets.”
Cam had always chided her on her blunt honesty. It had gotten her into trouble before. She was well aware that it was probably another one of the reasons she didn’t keep long-term friendships. She wasn’t the type to cajole. Her motto was to give the truth whether a person liked it or not. Over the years Cam had gotten used to it. Others took off without giving her another chance.
