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“I know you are. It looks good on you,” she said as she pushed open the door.
“Don’t bring any of this up when we go to dinner tonight, okay?”
“You think Brinkley Reynolds isn’t going to sniff this shit out? I’m not even observant, and I know something’s going on.” She laughed as we both walked through the space and brainstormed ideas.
“I can handle Brinkley. Just don’t add fuel to the fire. What are your plans for design? Have you thought about it?”
“Well, my bestie is an investor in the business, and she’s also a talented painter. I thought maybe she could paint a mural in the meditation room.”
“Really? You don’t want to do swanky wallpaper?”
“I don’t. I want it to be earthy and cool and vibey.” She chuckled.
“All right. I’d be happy to paint a mural when the time comes.” When was the last time that I’d painted? It had always been therapeutic to me to paint, but I’d stopped after Wes and I got married. He’d been very particular about the art in our home, and he knew painting was a hobby of mine, but it wasn’t something I’d ever shared with him.
“Great. I’ll send you some photos of what I have in mind. Hopefully, we can get construction going sooner rather than later.” She glanced down at her phone. “Oh, we’re going to be late. It’s already time to meet the girls for dinner.”
It was the first afternoon in two weeks that I hadn’t seen Cage and Gracie, and he’d already pouted about it this morning, which made me laugh. We’d kept things very private, only meeting at the barn, but we’d have dinner at his house, and we’d even started venturing out with the three of us. We’d been to Reynolds’ a few times, but Gracie was with us, and Cage explained that we’d just finished riding, so Hugh and Lila hadn’t questioned it.
Brinkley would be another story.
* * *
After some inappropriate yet completely typical conversation with Mrs. Runither, she led us to our table in the back.
“I love bringing Lincoln here because he gets so awkward with how touchy Mrs. Runither is.” Brinkley had a wicked smirk on her face.
“Well, Finn loves it. He eggs her on,” Reese said as she opened the menu. “And have I mentioned that this baby has an appetite because I’m always starving.”
We all laughed, and Georgia told us how Maddox refused to come to Cottonwood Café because he felt like he was being violated. She shook her head with a big smile on her face. Lila told us that Hugh always wraps his arms around her when they walk in, so it sort of wards old Mrs. Runither off.
“Damn. You all have these hot men, and I’m still single. How is that fair?” Lola asked.
“Maddox’s brother is single,” Georgia said with her eyes wide. “You would love Wyle.”
Lola put her hands up. “I’ve heard about him from Madison and Felicia, who told me he’s charming and gorgeous and completely unattainable. I’ve had plenty of that, thank you. I’m over the good-looking playboys. Been there. Done that.”
“Well, if he met the right woman, I think he’d settle down,” Georgia said. We paused to place our orders quickly and then jumped right back into the conversation.
“I totally agree. He just hasn’t met the right woman,” Lila said.
“Any time you start a sentence withIf he met the right woman, it’s a huge red flag for me. That’s just asking for a lot of heartache.”
“Speaking of unattainable men… You and my brother seem to be spending a lot of time together,” Brinkley said, her gaze finding mine.
“Yeah. It’s been nice catching up after all these years. He’s helping a ton at the barn right now, but I think my dad found someone who can start in a few weeks.”
I cleared my throat and reached for my glass of wine, trying to act completely at ease while Lola squeezed my hand beneath the table.
“Interesting.” Brinkley reached for her glass. “I stopped by to see Gracie on my way over here, and she went on and on about how much she loves riding with youevery day. And apparently, she loves it when she and her daddy have dinner with you, which is almost every night.” She raised a brow as a wide grin spread across her face.
The server set our food down, and I thanked her before looking up to see everyone gaping at me, waiting for an answer. “I love riding with her, too. And it’s been nice to spend time with her and Cage. I know you all have questions, but can you give me a pass on this one? I don’t want to analyze it. I just want to just enjoy the time I have with them.”
Georgia’s eyes watered, Lola smiled like she was proud that I hadn’t denied it, Reese had her hands on her heart like I’d just said I was pregnant with twins, Lila was nodding in agreement, and Brinkley’s gaze completely softened.
“I love that you didn’t make up some crazy story. You’re clearly a gifted lawyer. And that’s a fair request. Listen, we all want you to enjoy the time you have here because I haven’t seen my brother this happy in a long time. So, even if it’s just for a few weeks, I’ll take it.” Brinkley picked up a chicken finger and took a bite.
That was easy. I didn’t have to admit to anything, yet I’d found a way not to answer the questions.
