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“Why would she be nervous?”
“Because this is her first big girl job interview,” my mom said.
I groaned. “Mama, you make me sound twelve.”
“It’s just Mac. What’s the big deal?” My brother looked bewildered. “She’s known him forever and she’s basically guaranteed the job.”
“He’s your friend, not Faith’s,” my mom said.
“Exactly,” Sera said. “How much time has Faith actually spent around MacKay?”
More than anyone knew, that was for damn sure.
“I don’t know,” my brother said. “Some.”
“Try almost none. He’s an intimidating man if you’re a young girl,” my mom said.
I was not a young girl. Not even close.
“Plus, he’s totally hot,” Ava, Sera’s fifteen year old daughter, said. “I would, like, throw up if I had to interview for a job with him as my boss.”
“Really?” Cash sounded astonished, like he’d never once considered that MacKay was muscular, handsome, and successful.
Which he probably hadn’t. All his friends were similarly gifted.
“He’s like Thor,” Ava added. “Without the long hair.”
“Oh, that’s a good description,” my mother said, nodding.
I was both amused and pleased they both found MacKay attractive.
“Thor? No one’s ever called me Thor before,” Cash said.
“You’re more like a bear,” Ava said.
“Abear? How do you figure? I’m the nicest guy you know.”
He wasn’t wrong. Cash oozed kindness. Out of all my brothers, he was the one who had never picked on me, and always protected me. “Maybe she means your size.” Cash was a brawny country boy.
“Exactly. You are nice,” Ava said, and she sounded sincere about it.
“Thank you,” he said, clearly mollified. “How would you describe me?” he asked Sera.
She put a hand on her very round belly. She was definitely pregnancy goals. She moved like it was no big deal that she had a seven pound human being inside her. Then again, this was her fourth time doing this so maybe it wasn’t a big deal.
Sera was also smart enough to recognize when her husband was fishing for a compliment. “I would describe you as the perfect man. You’re super sweet, intensely protective, loyal, an amazing provider, and way, way, way sexier than Thor and I’m the luckiest woman on the planet.”
Sera had obviously understood the assignment. Stroke her husband’s ego. I had told Sera months ago I couldn’t see myself getting married anytime soon and that was one of the reasons why. I’m not great at flattery. It’s because I’m the seventh child and was forced to do any number of torturous things as a kid. It made me thick-skinned but also a little adverse to being vulnerable.
“Gag,” Ava said.
“Gross,” I agreed with her, though I was mostly amused. My brother looked like at that moment he would do anything for his wife. Build her a castle in the sky. Clear a forest with his teeth. Give her seventeen babies. Whatever she wanted.
“I’m going to puke,” Johnny, Sera’s son, said, though it was clearly an empty threat given he was piling his plate precariously high with food.
“Totally disgusting,” my brother Conway said, wandering into the kitchen and eyeing the spread.
“I can’t even get respect in my own home,” Cash said. He leaned over and kissed the side of Sera’s head. “At least my wife respects me.”
