by J. B. Lynn
“It seemed important.”
“It is.”
“Eric?”
He looked at her sharply. “How do you know that?”
“Because you grit your teeth at the mere mention of the man,” she teased with a soft smile. “I could practically hear your molars cracking.” Growing serious she added, “I meant it when I said my thing, whatever it is, isn’t time sensitive. Do what you need to do. I can come back in six months and get this sorted out.”
“No!”
The intensity of his tone startled them both. She pressed herself back in her seat, eyeing him warily.
Striving to keep his tone light and even he explained, “I just meant we don’t have to do that.”
Her gaze bored into his, trying to figure out what he wasn’t saying.
“I’m enjoying this,” he confessed.
Relaxing, she nodded. “Of course. It’s fun figuring out a secret code, tracking down a hidden message.”
He’d meant that he was enjoying spending time with her, but decided to go with her conclusion so as not to scare her off. “We’ve practically got a decoder ring and a treasure map. What else could we want?” He turned back to the folder they’d found.
It didn’t take long to find the clue Milton Willen had left in the Ellis v. Snyder file. It was labeled clearly: S. Winn—Allegiance Bank—Box 791
“Got it!” Brady crowed triumphantly. “Now it’s time for you to meet my mom.”
“Great,” she muttered, frowning at her cellphone.
He wasn’t sure if her ‘“great”‘ was a reaction to him or her phone. “Something wrong?”
“It’s the restaurant. No doubt they want me to work tonight.”
Brady’s previous sense of triumph evaporated into disappointment. Striving to keep his tone light, he asked, “What are you going to do?”
He grit his teeth to keep from telling her to take the night off. To spend it with him. He could only hope she wanted to as badly as he did.
Chapter Seventeen
Amy weighed her options. Saturday nights were the best for earning tips, but Brady had spent his day off helping her.
Her phone stopped buzzing. She could imagine the pitiful message Adrian would leave. No doubt it would successfully leave her feeling guilty for not keeping her promise to Bea.
Glancing up, she found Brady staring at her. His expression, shuttered tighter than a house before a hurricane, revealed nothing of what he thought or felt.
“You probably have plans for tonight,” she suggested awkwardly.
He shook his head, his blue eyes never leaving her face. “I don’t, but I thought we could go get the key and maybe grab something to eat.”
Amy squeezed her phone, suddenly having the urge to throw it against the nearest wall, just so she could tell Adrian she’d never gotten his message.
“But I understand if you feel like you have to go,” Brady said softly.
Realizing how much she didn’t want her day with him to end, she shoved the phone back in her purse. Busy Bea’s could survive a day without her. Perhaps her absence would even help Adrian see he needed to change his ways. She smiled uncertainly at Brady. “If you’re sure it’s no bother…”
The heart-stopping grin he flashed back at her erased any doubts she’d had about her decision.
“Can we eat first? I’m starving,” he asked with boyish enthusiasm.
“Sounds good.”
Two hours later, having shared a “loveboat” of sushi and many laughs, they drove toward the home of Brady’s mother.
“It’ll be a little chaotic,” he warned. “Stick by me and you’ll be just fine.”
“Chaotic?”
“I told you, I’m the youngest of six. There’s no telling how many of my siblings, their significant others, and their kids will be milling about. We don’t really go for formal family dinners. It’s more of a free-for-all. Since it’s Saturday, it’s pizza night. Who knows who might be there.”
Amy watched his profile carefully. He didn’t speak of the chaos in an amused tone, rather he seemed to be slightly annoyed. “We don’t have to go tonight,” she offered. “If a quieter time would be better...”
“There are no quiet times when it comes to my family,” he muttered bitterly.
“I guess it’s one of those ‘Be careful what you wish for’ things,” she mused. “Growing up, it was only ever me and my mom. I used to dream about what it would be like to have a big family. Never having to be lonely.”
Brady snorted. “Trust me, even in a house filled with people, you can be lonely.”
Instinctively, she reached out and placed her hand on his forearm, wanting to comfort him. She could feel his muscles work as he adjusted the steering wheel. “Were you?”
“Was I what?” he asked, glancing down at where they touched, clearly distracted by their physical contact.
She squeezed his arm. “Were you lonely?”
He nodded. “What about you?”
“When my mom wasn’t home because she was working I was,” Amy confessed. “But when she was there, I was her sole focus and I sometimes felt smothered by all that attention.”
“Now that,” Brady admitted, “is something I’ve never experienced. When you’re the youngest, everyone in the family parents you, which means your actual parents don’t have to invest that much time.”
Amy winced at the obvious pain in her voice. “I’m sorry.”
Brady remained quiet for a long moment, his jaw muscle twitching as though he was fighting not to say more. Finally he spoke, “Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have a terrible childhood. My parents loved me. My brother and sisters are a pain, but for the most part, they meant well, too.”
“But you were lonely,” Amy whispered.
He nodded tightly.
“And you still are?” she asked.
He chuckled softly, but there was no amusement in the sound. “Aren’t you?”
Amy turned away and stared out the window, wondering how she’d ended up in such an intimate conversation with a man she’d only met the day before.
“Sorry,” Brady murmured. “My inquisitiveness is a plus with my job, but can be overwhelming in private. Here we are. Full house tonight. The impromptu used car lot gives it away every time.”
She chuckled at his apt description. A myriad of cars were parked on the driveway and in the yard of a sprawling ranch.
Instead of parking there, Brady continued down the street and parked behind a black panel van in a driveway three doors down.
Catching her inquisitive look, he explained, “I like to be able to make a quick getaway. This is my friend Jackson’s place. He doesn’t mind me parking here.”
He slowly climbed out of the car.
She followed suit. “Do you often have the need for a quick getaway?”
Instead of answering, he said, “I hope you like pizza.”
Before she could remind him they’d just eaten sushi, Brady was hit squarely in the chest with a basketball.
He blinked, surprised, but didn’t seem annoyed.
“You missed the game,” a male voice accused from behind Amy.
Turning to see who’d thrown the ball, she came face-to-face with a handsome man who flashed a killer smile at her.
“But if she’s the reason you missed the game, you’re forgiven.” The stranger winked at her.
Warmth flooded Amy’s cheeks.
“She is the reason,” Brady replied, calmly picking up the ball from the ground. “Amy Winn, I’d like you to meet my oldest friend, Jackson.”
Slightly confused, Amy automatically extended her hand and murmured, “Nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, lovely lady.” Jackson made a slight bow while he shook her hand.
Amy didn’t know what to think of the mysterious man. She couldn’t tell whether or not he was flirting with her. She was unsure of whether Jackson was his first or last name. And with his dusty skin and green eyes, she
couldn’t tell what race he might be.
With an enigmatic half-smile, Jackson released her hand and trained his gaze on Brady. “Don’t usually see you around here on a Saturday night, buddy.”
Brady looked to Amy, silently asking her how she wanted to explain their arrival.
Jackson let out a low whistle. “Wow. I didn’t even know you were seeing somebody. Let alone that it’s serious enough to introduce her to the family.”
“We’re not—” Amy and Brady began simultaneously.
Jackson chuckled. “You can end each other’s sentences already.”
“We’re not a couple,” Amy hurriedly assured him, her cheeks now flaming.
Jackson ignored her. “Good for you, buddy. It’s about time.”
“You’re getting this all wrong,” Brady protested.
Amy noticed that there wasn’t much conviction behind his words.
“Tom told me that you were working with that psychic matchmaker of his. Boy that woman works fast.”
Amy expected Brady to explain the situation, but all he did was nod.
“Look,” she interjected. “We’re not a couple. We just met yesterday.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Jackson studied her carefully. Since he stood well over six feet tall, she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.
“Love at first sight? Who would have thought my man had it in him?”
Amy balled her hands into fists at her sides. “It wasn’t love at first sight. Tell him, Brady.” She looked to Brady, who was watching the exchange with amusement.
“It wasn’t love at first sight,” he agreed obediently, bouncing the basketball for emphasis.
“See?” She put her hands on her hips, glared at Jackson and waited for an apology.
Jackson’s disbelief was almost palpable as he looked back and forth between them. “Bull.”
Amy wondered how Brady could be friends with such an impossible person. She was ready to ask him that very question when Brady spoke.
“Second.”
“What?” she asked, thoroughly confused.
“I didn’t fall in love with you at first sight.” He held her gaze steadily, forcing her to hear what he was saying. “I fell in love the second time I saw you.”
Her heart flip-flopped at the romantic notion, but then her practical side took over. “I was soaking wet.”
“And you’d just tangled with a mugger. Your cheeks were almost as pink as they are now.”
Self-consciously Amy slapped her hands over her face to hide the evidence.
“And your eyes were sparkling.”
“It was the adrenaline rush,” she protested weakly.
“Maybe. But it was when I fell in love with you.”
She shook her head, not wanting to give credence to his declaration. There were so many reasons he couldn’t be in love with her. So many reasons a couple like them would never work.
“I knew it!” Jackson fist-pumped the air. “The second I saw that silly, besotted look on your face, I knew it, buddy.”
“I’m never going to hear the end of this,” Brady told Amy drily. “Once he’s right about something, he’s like a dog with a bone.”
Amy, feeling like the world was suddenly spinning, held onto the car for support. “So you’re not helping me because Mildred asked you to?”
Brady shrugged sheepishly. “She did ask, but usually when she asks me to do something, I give it to Gerald.”
Jackson leaned closer to Amy to stage-whisper, “He’s a duty shirker.”
“Gerald is very good at his job and I’m very good at mine, which is why I’m a delegator,” Brady retorted. “Something Jackson is not good at. I don’t think the words ‘sorry, but I can’t’ are in the man’s vocabulary.”
Jackson winced as though Brady’s words hit home, but he kept his tone light. “You don’t seem to mind when I let you park in my driveway.”
“Nope. I’m grateful.” Brady tossed him the basketball. “But I’m not here to introduce Amy to my family, not officially anyway. We’re here for business reasons.”
Jackson tossed the balls back and forth between his hands. “Business reasons? Sounds intriguing.” He looked to Amy, hoping she’d elaborate.
Deciding that she did like this friend of Brady’s, she tossed him a bone. “We’re on a kind of treasure hunt.”
“More interesting!” Jackson bounced the ball for emphasis. He twirled an imaginary mustache. “What kind of treasure do you seek?”
“I’m not quite sure,” she admitted. “It’s an inheritance of some sort. The whole thing is a bit of a mystery.”
“The matchmaker and the mysterious inheritance,” Jackson intoned dramatically. “May I come along on your adventure?”
Amy blinked her surprise.
“Most quests require an expedition. Right now you have one piddly helper.” He waved his hand dismissively in Brady’s general direction.
“And Gerald,” Brady shot back.
“I could be of great assistance, milady.” He gave her a full bow. “After all, I’m a professional.”
“Oh yeah?” She laughed. “And what makes you a professional?”
“My card says so.”
“Your card?”
“My calling card.”
“He’s a private investigator,” Brady said to clarify things.
Jackson frowned at him. “You make everything sound so boring. Did you pick that up in law school?”
“Nope. Learned it from you every time you tried to pick up one of my sisters,” Brady countered without missing a beat.
Amy chuckled, enjoying the banter. In some ways they reminded her of her relationship with Diego... someone else who’d labelled Brady her boyfriend.
The thought sobered her. Was he really in love with her? The thought was both thrilling and scary. She knew that they were all wrong for one another, but at the same time, she couldn’t deny the attraction growing between them.
Sensing the change in her mood, Brady suggested quietly. “Let’s go get the key.”
“Key?” Jackson asked.
“I’m pretty sure it will open a safe deposit box,” Brady explained.
“How’s that for a treasure chest?” Amy added quickly.
Jackson surveyed her closely and said seriously. “I joke around, but you should know that there’s no one better to have in your corner than Brady. You’re in good hands, Amy.”
Amy glanced at Brady. “I sort of knew that.”
Brady grinned back at her.
“Oh yeah.” Jackson laughed. “The boy is smitten.”
“C’mon.” Brady held out his hand, inviting Amy to join him. “Let’s go find your treasure.”
“It was nice to meet you,” Jackson said softly.
“You too.”
Hand-in-hand, Amy and Brady made their way toward his family home.
“You two have been friends for a long time?” she asked.
“Since we were four.”
“Wow, I thought Diego and I had been friends forever.”
“How long have you two known each other?” A note of tension threaded through his tone.
“Since we were ten.”
“And have you always been friends?” Brady spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully.
“No,” she said quickly.
“Oh.” His tone was laden with disappointment.
“We were mortal enemies when we were ten. We were both captains of dueling dodgeball teams during gym. It was war.”
Brady chuckled, his relief evident.
“But since then, we’ve been friends. My mom used to say he was the son she’d never had. I always say that he was the brother I’d never wanted to have.”
Brady laughed at her joke and a warm feeling settled in Amy’s chest.
“But seriously, I don’t know what I would have done without him when my mother got sick.”
Brady squeezed her hand, offering her wordless support.
Weaving
their way through the parked cars on the lawn, they made their way to the front door of the house.
“It can be kind of loud and overwhelming,” he warned.
“They can’t be any worse than a bunch of drunks on a Saturday night at the restaurant.” She squeezed his hand, reassuring him that she’d be okay as he opened the door and they stepped inside.
Chapter Eighteen
Amy’s breath caught in her throat as the wave of noise assailed her. It sounded like thousands of people shouting at once, but as Brady led the way to an oversized dining room, she realized it was only about twenty family members eating pizza off of plastic plates and chatting away.
“Baby!” a female voice called out.
“Baby’s here,” another chimed in.
Twenty sets of eyes swiveled toward them and the room fell silent with such abruptness that Amy couldn’t help but think about how it felt like swimming underwater, with all the noise buffered.
“This is Amy,” Brady said as way of introduction.
“Hi, Amy,” a wave of voices greeted simultaneously.
“Hi.” She smiled weakly, unsure of who to focus on.
“Have a seat,” a man about forty suggested, hopping out of his own chair and indicating she should take it.
Focusing on him, she smiled her sincere gratitude. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m Sam, Brady’s only brother.”
“Nice to meet you, Sam.”
“Oh god, we’re not going to have to go around the table again are we?” a boy of about ten complained loudly.
“Rachel brought a new suitor,” Sam explained. “And my nephew Mikey doesn’t want to go through another round of introductions.”
Smiling, Amy winked at the little boy. “I don’t want to do it, either. I’m really bad with names and faces. Maybe next time.”
“Yay!” Mikey cheered.
His victory yell reopened the floodgates of conversation and the noise level of the room once again swelled.
“You’ve made a fan,” Sam said with a good-natured grin.
Amy nodded weakly, distracted by the realization she’d said “next time” as though she and Brady had some sort of future. She glanced up to see what he’d thought of her slip of the tongue, but his attention was already being monopolized by a woman who looked so much like him she had to be his sister. For a moment, he wondered if he had a twin.