Love at First Laugh: Eight Romantic Novellas Filled with Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After

by Krista Phillips

  Ah, Brandon. Ever trying to make her laugh, but right now, she wasn’t in the mood. She’d rather just be by herself and have a good cry. “Please go away.”

  Instead of listening to her, he pushed off the doorjamb and walked toward her, taking the brush from her hand. “Seriously, your hair is too beautiful to pull out because of one case of bedhead.” Turning her toward the mirror, he pulled the brush through her hair, slowly, stroke by stroke.

  “You don’t have to brush my hair.”

  He winked at her through the mirror. “I know.”

  “Isn’t this against some type of mancode?”

  He shrugged as he brushed. “Probably. But Natalie was a bossy big sister and used to make me brush her hair when we were little. Of course, she stopped making me play beauty salon with her when I put gum in her hair one time as a joke. Best move I’ve ever made.”

  “Ah, typical little brother.”

  “Do you know from experience?

  “Nope. Only child. And I think I have it from here, thank you.” She pulled away and turned to face him, but he was closer than she anticipated. His eyes caught hers, and she couldn’t look away from their oceany depth if she tried.

  He reached behind her to set the brush on the dresser, but that only brought him closer. “Mari, I—”

  “Brandon, this isn’t going to work.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his hand reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then rested on her shoulder, the contact sending shivers down her body. “You’re probably right.”

  “I’m not the kind of girl who kisses guys and sleeps with them at random.”

  “I know you’re not.”

  But how could he know that? She’d done just that, and here she was, standing alone with him in a bedroom, wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around his neck and try the whole kissing thing again. “Then what are we doing here?”

  His hand traveled up her neck to her cheek, leaving tingles in its wake. His thumb traced along her cheek bone. “Honestly? I have no idea. Every sane thought in my head says this is a bad idea, but there’s just something about you that—”

  Natalie’s voice filtered down the stairs. “You guys coming to eat anytime soon?”

  Mari jumped back, her legs slamming into the dresser.

  Brandon took a step back himself. “I—I’m sorry. Let’s go eat breakfast, shall we?”

  Breakfast. Yes, that would be good. And safe. She didn’t trust her voice, though, so merely nodded.

  “Coming right up, Sis.”

  Following him, Mari put on her best smile and tried to pretend her heart wasn’t in the process of being turned completely upside down and inside out.

  Chapter 12

  “Spill it, Brother.”

  Brandon looked from the bottle in his hand to the dark hardwood floors in the living room, then to Natalie. “You want me to spill my drink on your fancy floors?”

  “If you want to die an early death, yes.” His sister sat in the chair across from where he had collapsed onto the couch after the girls were safe and sound in bed. She looked as poised and regal as always, ever the beauty queen even in yoga pants and a t-shirt.

  He took a swig of his Dr. Pepper, then set it on the end table, using the coaster to appease his sister. He could use every bit of good graces he could salvage right about now. “I suppose you’re talking about Nanny Mari.”

  “Why do you insist on calling her that? She’s just Mari.”

  There was no just when it came to Mari, but he wouldn’t belabor the point to his sister. “Fine. Mari.”

  Natalie sat forward, her elbows on her knees, her hands clasped in front of her. “Don’t mess with her. I mean it.”

  “I don’t mess with anyone, Nats. I don’t know who you think I am, but—”

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Brandon. I’ve seen you with women. They’re nothing more than a fun past-time for you. Mari’s different. She has goals and dreams. Aspirations. A bright future in front of her. She doesn’t need to be tangled up with someone who doesn’t take life seriously.”

  That was exactly who Mari needed to be tangled up with since she took it way too seriously herself. But his sister was insinuating far more than just that. “First, let’s get this straight. I don’t mess with women. Just because I’m not ready to settle down yet doesn’t mean I’m a player who can’t keep his pants zipped.”

  “So explain to me why I came home this morning to find my nanny asleep on your lap? That was a great one to explain away to the kids, by the way.”

  “We were watching a movie with the girls and fell asleep. Period. Believe me, we were both as shocked as you when we woke up.” Shocked—but he couldn’t quite say he regretted it. He should regret it. He’d give her that. Because as much as he would defend his innocence, his sister had a point. The same one he’d been trying to remind himself of over and over.

  Mari was not the type of girl who dated for play.

  And he was not in a place in his life where he was ready to date for keeps.

  “Are you telling me you have no feelings for Mari whatsoever, then?”

  “I—” He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and stared at the ground for a second. He wanted to reassure her, to put her mind at ease. But he also wasn’t a liar. “I’ve known her for what, two days? I can already tell you’re right. She’s an amazing woman and has a lot going for her. The kids love her, and I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t attracted to her. But I’m not ready to settle down, and I don’t plan on leading her on if that’s what you’re asking. In fact, I have it on good authority she has an insane crush on my boss.”

  Natalie threw her head back and laughed. “Oh yes. I can totally see Mari crushing on him. She told you that?”

  “I thought she was going to faint at the mention of his name.”

  “Interesting.” She pushed off the arms of the chair and stood. “Okay, as long as you promise you’ll behave yourself from now on, I’m going to bed. You coming with us to church in the morning?”

  “No, I’m gonna hit the early service so I can go to Andrew’s after church and see how he’s faring. Izzy texted me earlier saying he came out of surgery just fine and is resting at home.”

  “Good. Glad to hear it. Well, night, then.”

  “Hey, sis.”

  She turned. “Yeah?”

  “You never did tell me why you did this whole work and nanny thing. I thought you loved staying home.”

  Brandon stared in confusion as his big sister’s eyes instantly filled with tears. “It was—I was a really good actress, let’s just put it that way.”

  Not much could shock him more than hearing that from Natalie. “What are you talking about?”

  Her mouth curved in a trembling smile. “I was struggling. Honestly, I’d wanted to go back to work since they were about six months old, but what kind of mother wants to work? A good momma should want to be with her kids all day, every day, right? I thought I was being selfish. I tried to be perfect at everything to make up for the guilt I felt for even wanting something so wrong. But I was dying a little more inside every day and becoming depressed and—Anyway. Dave told me about six months ago that I needed to either see a therapist and get help or he was taking the kids and leaving me.”

  Brandon shot up out of his chair. “He told you that? How did I not know this? When I see him again, I’ll—”

  She waved him back to his seat, a motion he ignored. “No, no. He was completely right. I hid it from you well, but the girls were really suffering, and I needed help. Talking with her made me realize that I was trying to be the perfect mother according to magazines and mommy blogs and all these other standards except the ones that mattered, the ones that my kids and our family needed. When Star-Med called me last month out of the blue, I talked it over with Dave and my therapist, and we all thought it might be a good opportunity to test the waters. They’re doing a massive system conversion over the next two year
s, and they wanted to see if I’d come back to help, then when we’re done, taper off to part-time. Mari needed a job to save up money to get her master’s degree, and I needed a temporary nanny. Once the girls start back to school, I’ll cut back my hours to just while they are gone so I can be home when they are. It’s perfect in theory, and so far it’s going great. Which is why I really need you to—”

  “Not mess with the nanny. I get it, sis. I’m—sorry. That I was too dense to see that you needed help earlier.” What a rotten brother he was.

  She marched over to him and flung her arms around him. “You are the greatest brother a sister could ask for. Even if you are a little dweeb sometimes.”

  He squeezed her back. “You’re the greatest sister ever, too. Just don’t tell Liv I said that, okay?”

  “Olivia deserves to know the truth.” She pushed back and winked. “That I’m the greater sister was never in doubt. I am, after all, the oldest.”

  “So humble too.”

  “Okay, now I’m really going to bed this time. Don’t stay up too late.” She waved as she headed toward the stairs.

  He waved back. “G’night.”

  Two steps, then she turned around. “Wait. I meant to ask you. What happened to your head?”

  He’d wondered how long it would take her to ask. “The nanny.”

  She crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze. “Oh no. What did you do?”

  “Me? She was the one who whacked me over the head with your fireplace poker.”

  Her mouth formed a perfect O. “No way.”

  As he told his side of the story, Natalie doubled over in laughter.

  “It’s not funny, Nat. I passed out for almost five minutes.”

  She composed herself enough to stand up straight and wipe the tears of laughter streaming down her face. “You did not! I know Mari. She would’ve had an ambulance here and probably started CPR.”

  The idea of mouth-to-mouth with Mari—he swallowed hard. “Fine, more like five seconds. But still. Did you know you actually see stars when you get hit in the head? I felt like the coyote that kept falling from cliffs on those old cartoons.”

  Natalie shook her head. “You’re crazy. I think I’m gonna have to give my nanny a raise, now. Any woman who can knock out my little brother is a keeper.” With that, she headed back upstairs.

  Brandon debated turning in himself, but since he now shared the downstairs apartment, he didn’t want to risk running into the woman in question.

  Because while he’d told his sister the truth, that he had no intentions of messing with the nanny, he’d left out the part where he admitted that his feelings were more than platonic. Despite every sane argument, something about her stirred a place deep in him that hadn’t been disturbed in years. Every time she laughed with the girls, or spouted off her cute little schedule that he would never keep to, or looked at him like a piece of forbidden fruit she was dying to taste—

  It was enough to drive a man crazy.

  He wasn’t going to play games with her heart, though. His sister thought he was a player, and maybe a few years ago, she’d have been right. But Jesus had wrecked him not long after he’d started playing in Andrew’s band, and today, he was a different man.

  Not perfect, but making progress.

  His sister needed him to not screw this up.

  If he were a smart man, the only game he’d consider playing with Nanny Mari was one his two older sisters used to play with him, and he’d hated it with a passion.

  It was a little game called keep away.

  Chapter 13

  Mari let herself into Mom and Nate’s house and was greeted by the aroma of pasta and oregano and all things Italian. They’d rescheduled their Friday night dinner to Sunday night, but instead of looking forward to it, she now dreaded it with every inch of her being.

  Mom was going to take one look at her and know immediately something was different.

  She called it her Mom radar or something hokey like that. That time in the first grade when she’d stolen a candy bar from the supermarket? Yeah, an hour later, Mom had demanded she hand it over, then marched Mari back to the store to apologize.

  In eighth grade when Mari had forgotten to study for a history test, and her friend had been sweet enough to let her “accidentally” look off her paper? By the end of the evening, Mom was looking up the phone number to call the teacher at home so Mari could apologize and request she be given an F on the paper.

  The teacher had felt sorry for her and let her retake the test during study hall instead. She’d, thankfully, passed it with a C.

  The only time Mom hadn’t gotten it right was when Mari ran away from home Christmas morning the year Nate had come into their lives. Mari had been nineteen and convinced her mother was pushing Nate away because of her.

  “Mari, is that you?” Her mom called from the back of the house.

  “Yup.” She kicked off her tennis shoes by the door and hung up her coat on the hall tree. “Something smells good.”

  Aunt Kendra’s voice yelled back, “Thanks, it’s my new perfume.”

  Mari smiled as she walked back to the kitchen. “Perfume de la pasta. Nice.”

  Kendra, technically her step-aunt since she was Nate’s sister, along with her new husband, Josh, were setting the dining room table while Mom dished up fettuccine noodles into a large bowl, then ladled some sauce from a pot on the stove on top. She handed the dish off to Mari. “Put this on the table, will you? I need to get the bread out of the oven.”

  The noodles looked pretty as a picture and perfectly cooked. “Did Kendra make this?”

  “I’ll have you know I made dinner all by myself.”

  Mari set the bowl on the table, and Kendra leaned over and whispered, “Don’t worry. I gave her directions and watched her the whole time.”

  “What are you two whispering about over there?”

  Mari winked at her aunt. “Just about how amazing your noodles look, Mom.” Her mother was known for her less-than-stellar culinary skills. “Anything else ready?”

  “Yes, you can take the vegetables over—oh no.”

  Oh no from Sadie Meyers was never a good thing, especially when she was in the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”

  “The garlic bread had a little—mishap.”

  Sure enough, when she took the pan of bread out of the oven, the top half was close to black while the bottom was almost still frozen. How did anyone mess up making garlic bread, especially the kind that came from the freezer section? “What in the world did you do, Mom?”

  “I knew we’d be ready to eat soon and I wanted the bread to be ready, so I put it on broil instead of bake to hurry it along.”

  Only Mother. “It’s okay. We don’t need bread.” The faint charred scent starting to pollute the smells of Italy, she could do without, too, but she was used to it. “Where’s Nate?”

  As if on cue, footsteps sounded on the stairs. “I heard my name.”

  “Mari was just asking where you were, love.”

  Nate appeared at Sadie’s side and slipped an arm behind her. “Burnt the bread, I see?”

  “Rub it in, why don’t you?”

  He laid a kiss on her forehead and smiled. “It’s okay. We have a loaf of French bread in the pantry, don’t we?”

  She snapped her fingers. “I totally forgot about that. You’re a lifesaver, Baby.” She leaned up and kissed him on the lips, then swatted him on the backside on her way to get the bread.

  Mari looked away, the memory of her own kiss replaying through her mind for the hundredth time since it’d happened two nights earlier. Brandon had made himself scarce since the hair brushing incident Saturday morning, spending most of his time with the girls or in his room. She’d stayed awake last night, laying in her bed, listening to see when he came downstairs. It’d been almost ten o’clock before she heard the telltale thuds on the steps.

  For a moment, she’d held her breath, fearing he would knock on her door.

  But he
hadn’t even stopped in the common area, just gone straight to his room and shut the door.

  This morning, he’d been nowhere in sight when she’d left for church or when she’d come home afterward.

  Probably for the better.

  He’d only be there a few weeks before he’d be back on tour, then finding his own place.

  Brandon Stone was just a tiny detour from her plan in a moment of weakness. She’d get back on track, and everything would be fine.

  “Mari?”

  She blinked and turned away from the counter to see Mom, Kendra, and Josh already sitting down, and Nate holding out a chair for her. “Oh, sorry. I was—someplace else.”

  Her mom raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything else while Nate said Grace.

  When he finished, they all began to eat, the conversation revolving mostly around the ice storm.

  During a lull, Kendra glanced at Mari. “So how’s the new nanny gig going? You tired of the little rugrats yet?”

  “Nope. Well, I take that back. Being stuck in a house with them for two days during the icepocolypse wasn’t exactly fun, but we survived.”

  Josh nodded. “I heard you had company, though.”

  All eyes, including Mari’s, turned to him.

  Sadie looked back at Mari. “Company?”

  Mari picked up her napkin and made a show of cleaning sauce off her mouth. How in the world could Josh know about Brandon?

  Josh continued. “Yeah, Natalie’s little brother, Brandon, is back in town for a few weeks. Showed up just as the worst of the storm hit. He sometimes helps us out on drums in the worship band and came to the early service today.”

  Brandon had gone to church? She filed that information away to chew on later. “Uh, yeah. He was a big help keeping the kids entertained for so long. They do love their uncle.” That sounded normal, right?

  Kendra wiggled her eyebrows. “You know, Brandon’s a hottie too. Did you two hit it off? I need details, girl.”

  “There are no details to tell.” —ish. Did a kiss count as details? Not today, it didn’t. But they would never let her off that easy, so she’d throw them one juicy little tidbit. “Except the whole hitting him over the head with the fireplace poker.”