I’m a kid trying to sneak a spot at the grownup table.” Chuckling, he shook his head. “You know my family’s not fancy like the Bishops. This just all feels a little weird. Why couldn’t we just have a cookout in the backyard at home or something?”
Turning her head, she looked at him and laughed. “Kyle, can you imagine the sophisticated Bishop family hanging out in your dad’s backyard? Come on!” Then she motioned toward the inside of the massive house. “And are you telling me you’re not enjoying the food here? The menu has been spectacular! I’m already planning on putting about a dozen crab cakes in my purse for later.”
“Classy,” he said, still laughing. They stood in companionable silence for several moments. “So I hear you’re moving to Raleigh.”
She nodded. “Yup.”
“Why so far?”
“It’s only three hours away.”
“You know my sister is freaking out over it though, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” she said sadly, her eyes never leaving the waves crashing on the shore. The sun was going down and it was her favorite time of day. “Once the baby’s born, she won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.”
But it wasn’t Kyle who spoke, but his older brother Dean.
As in…the man she wanted most in the world and couldn’t have.
Why did he have to come out here? I specifically came out here to escape!
Both Courtney and Kyle turned and looked at him and she did her best to appear calm and cool–and not at all like her heart was ready to beat right out of her chest at the sight of him.
Tall, shaggy dark hair, blue eyes, and dimples. Honestly, every time she was near him her ovaries sighed. It was so unfair that he was off-limits.
Smiling at her, Dean raised his beer as he commented, “It doesn’t matter how much time my sister spends with the baby, nothing can replace a best friend.”
And he was sweet too, damn him.
When he continued to stare at her expectantly, she realized she probably should respond. “Nah. I think between the baby, Mason, and everyone coming to see the baby, Scarlett’s going to be just fine. And it’s not like I’m moving to another country or anything, I’m only a few hours away.”
“Still not the same,” he said mildly before looking at his younger brother. “Can you believe our baby sister is getting married tomorrow?”
Kyle shrugged. “Considering she’s just about ready to give birth, I’m kind of happy she’s getting married tomorrow.” He winked at Courtney. “Am I right?”
“Look, I firmly believe in the institution of marriage,” she said evenly, “but it’s not like they had to get married. No one has to do that anymore.”
“Still,” Kyle replied, “I just think it’s the right thing to do.”
“What is this, 1950?” Dean asked with a small laugh.
“On that note, I’m going to get a refill,” she said, stepping away from the railing and raising her glass. “I’ll see you two later.” She sashayed away and got a brief whiff of Dean’s cologne–all fresh, clean, and masculine–and she wanted to rub up against him and just inhale deeply.
Yeah, it was definitely time for another drink.
Maybe two.
As she made her way back toward the bar, she caught a server walking by with those mini crab cakes she loved so much and grabbed a few. At the bar, she had her glass re-filled while she noshed and then caught another server who had a tray of chicken satay. So she grabbed some of them as well. She figured if she was going to slam back some cocktails, it would be smart to keep eating.
Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Dean walking back into the room with Kyle and sighed.
It wasn’t fair. She’d been crushing on him since she was fifteen and because he was six years older, it was completely inappropriate. Now? Not so much. But he was her best friend’s brother and as such, that meant Dean was completely off-limits. There had never been a conversation between her and Scarlett regarding this–mainly because she was too embarrassed to admit how she felt. For some reason, Courtney felt her friend wouldn’t have a big problem if she had crushed on Kyle or even Hunter because they were closer in age. Dean was…well…not only was there a bigger age-gap, but he was way more serious and level-headed than his brothers. He didn’t do casual relationships and for a long time, Courtney wasn’t looking for anything long-term.