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“Wouldn’t hurt to ask,” he murmured.

Lydia’s smile returned. “No, it wouldn’t.”

CHAPTER SIX

Lydia pulled up to the barn, a smile on her face. That was the norm these days. The more time she got to spend with Chet, the happier she was. But that was how friendships like theirs went, right?

Absolutely.

Even so, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. With Chet or herself, she couldn’t tell. And perhaps it didn’t matter in the long run because they still had each other.

Chet guided Misty out of the barn, catching Lydia’s eye, and she grinned. Her hands fumbled to shut off her truck so she could climb out. With quick steps, she hurried over to meet him, but then she slowed right as her brother came out of the barn, following Chet to the corral where they’d work with the horse.

They were talking business. She could already tell based on the look her brother wore. That stern, no-nonsense face rarely cracked unless he was with Cece. She didn’t begrudge him for finding his person. Heaven knew he needed her to bring him out of his shell now and then. But would a smile hurt every once in a while?

She didn’t want to interrupt whatever it was, but then Chet looked her way. His genuine smile immediately settled her. Spending time with him fit. The last piece of a jigsaw puzzle that completed the picture.

Jason glanced her way and then returned to what he was saying. “I’m hoping we’ll hear back from them today.” His dismissal didn’t hurt so much as it stung. But this was how her brothers were. Both of them. When they were in business mode, nothing else came first.

Chet’s eyes stayed locked with hers even as he spoke to her brother. “It would be great if we could get confirmation. The faster our calendar fills up, the harder it’ll be to give a priority client the time they deserve.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Jason lifted his phone. “I’ve got a phone call scheduled with them in a little bit. I’m going to go over a few things to see if we can sway their decision.” Jason cut a glance at Lydia. “You here to help with Misty?”

She nodded. “I can’t stay super long. I have a meeting in town with city council.”

Both men stared at her, curiosity the main reaction, but somehow Chet’s stare went deeper. It was more than simple curiosity. It was deeper, for a reason she couldn’t name.

Lydia shook that off and the reaction it stirred. The flip inside her. The thrashing of her heart that called out to him.

Friends.

They were friends, and she wasn’t going to go further because she couldn’t trust herself. End of story.

She straightened. They were still staring at her. Then she laughed a little. “You know that art fair that’s been scheduled for a few weeks? They asked me to organize the participants. I’m going to be the liaison between the vendors and the council. Anything they need, I’m going to help with.”

Jason’s brows furrowed. “That’s a little short notice, don’t you think?”

“It’ll be fine. I’m taking over because the original lady handling it had a family emergency. It’s not that big of a deal, but I do need to get a bit more information so I don’t look like I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“But you don’t.”

She narrowed her eyes at her brother. “It. Will. Be. Fine.” She flicked her fingers in her brother’s direction. “Don’t you have a call to make or something?”

Jason eyed her a moment before he glanced down at his phone and sighed. “If you need any help, I’m sure Cece wouldn’t mind taking something off your hands.”

Lydia pursed her lips to the side. It wasn’t a bad idea for her to enlist help since this was so short notice, but she had better sense than to ask Cece. Her future sister-in-law had her own business to run. And while it was sweet of her brother to offer, he didn’t have a say in what Cece could or couldn’t do. “I’ll think about it.”

Her brother nodded and headed toward the house, giving Lydia some one-on-one time with Chet. She turned to face him but before she could gush about how excited she was about the art fair, he cut in.

“I could help.”

“I—wait, what?” She blinked at him, a smile breaking free. “You want to help?”

He shrugged. “Why not? Sounds like you might be in over your head.”

Huffing, she cut him a look. “I’m definitely not in over my head. I could do this gig with my eyes closed.”

“Well, that’d be a shame.”