They said hello to Noah, who wore the traditional white button-up and black pants. He jotted down their order and was off.
When they were alone, Mollie quirked an eyebrow, a dimple showing at the corner of her mouth. “What’s this I hear about you lying down in front of a bulldozer to stop some guy from putting in a road?”
Brooklyn laughed before taking a sip of her ice water. “Never happened. You should know better than to listen to …”
“Norm. He said you were spitting mad about the changes going on.”
Brooklyn groaned. It had been two weeks since she’d confronted Asher about the Sweetheart Tree, two weeks since he’d held her in his arms, and she could still remember the way his chest had felt under her palm. Warm. Strong. Comforting. Protective. Safe. Ugh! The more she thought about it, the better it seemed. Weren’t memories supposed to dim with time? “Norm was supposed to have my back on this one—and he caved like a sandcastle.”
“I hear the developer is cute, though. Indigo, the one who does alterations out of her home, said he had a jacket altered. He had good measurements.” She pumped her eyebrows.
Brooklyn swatted at her arm, laughing. “Stop!”
Mollie held both hands up. “Her words, not mine.” She paused for a minute. “She was beet red after she said it, though.”
“She’s still mourning.” Brooklyn frowned. Indigo had lost her husband not long before she moved to Eureka Springs.
Mollie acknowledged her statement with a frown. “But this guy …” She brought the conversation back around. “He’s rich, right? Successful? I bet that makes him even better-looking.”
Brooklyn gave her a look. “You of all people don’t believe that.”
Mollie blew off any man she thought was arrogant, but she shrugged, her sparkling eyes giving away the joke. “Either way, I’d love to see you take this cute developer on. He won’t know what hit him.”
Brooklyn lifted her glass and saw the very man they’d been talking about standing in the doorway. He wore a polo shirt that stretched across his good measurements in the most attractive way. Her eyes darted to the cleft in his chin and then back up to his hazel eyes before scattering everywhere else in the room. She didn’t want to be caught staring.
But she couldn’t stay away for long. On her second drive by, she noticed the woman at his side. The beautiful woman wore a blush-pink dress. Her hair was shiny and perfect, and her lipstick was in place. Brooklyn’s hand flew to her messy bun. Of all the days to run into Asher and a date, why did it have to be taffy-pulling day? She never looked good after slaving over hot taffy.
“Speak of the devil,” she muttered behind her glass as she tipped her head in the direction Mollie needed to look. She sucked on a piece of ice. Her body temperature had gone up at the very sight of Asher.
Her curiosity over this woman was eating away at her. Who was she? Not a local. Was she staying at the mansion with him? Were they serious?
Why did she care?
Mollie casually turned in her seat and then flipped quickly back around. “That’s him?!” A surprised smile danced over her lips.
Brooklyn glared at the white linen tablecloth, feeling all those darn feelings Grandma told her were because of Asher.
Mollie let out a low whistle. “Yeah, he’s totally hot. And he’s—”
“He’s a toad in prince’s clothing.” Brooklyn cut her off, still looking down instead of at the stunning woman at Asher’s side. She was so upset seeing him with someone else, even though she had no claim on him whatsoever. She’d thought they’d connected, at least for a moment. That moment had taken hold of her, but it must not have meant the same to him. “Believe me. There’s not one redeemable quality in his whole being.”
“You must be talking about me,” said Asher.
She whipped her head up and stared at him in surprise.
“He’s coming this way.” Mollie smirked at her. She must have been trying to warn Brooklyn when she’d cut her off. One point for manners. Zero points for Brooklyn.
“We weren’t—”
He lifted a finger. “Now tell me, could you go to church on Sunday if you finished that sentence?” His hazel eyes danced a tango only the two of them knew the steps to. No one had been on the lake when she’d told him she couldn’t leave him behind and still go to church. He was flirting with her—in front of his date.
“Probably not,” she admitted flatly.
The woman looked back and forth between the two of them. Understanding dawned, and her whole face lit up. She pointed to herself. “I’m Naomi Lockmore, Asher’s older and wiser sister.”
Sister, Mollie mouthed with her back to the two of them. Amusement flashed across her face. Clearly, she enjoyed this little drama at her friend’s expense.
Brooklyn did her best not to react, even though her insides were jumping around like ballerinas on a sugar high. Asher wasn’t on a date. And he’d stopped to talk to them—to her. “It’s nice to meet you. Maybe you can talk some sense into your brother. He seems to think he owns the place.”
Naomi laughed easily. “That’s Asher.” She looked at Asher as if he’d hung the moon. The loyalty between these two reminded her of how she and Crystal were tight. No one came between them. The allegiance was a rock Brooklyn had leaned on more than once in her life.
“Your table’s here,” said Noah, gesturing to the empty seat next to Brooklyn and Mollie’s table.
Brooklyn’s heart flipped over as Asher brushed her back on his way to his chair. They ended up sitting close to one another. His aftershave was musky and made her light-headed. For a moment, she forgot what she was doing here.
Mollie cleared her throat, and Brooklyn startled back to lunch with one of her best friends. Their food arrived, and they took a moment to get settled. “Blue cheese dressing is the best part of a salad,” Brooklyn joked as she poured the contents of two small containers over the lettuce and chopped veggies. She could feel Asher listening in and groaned. She’d never be able to loosen up with him so close.
“Agreed.” Mollie did the same, fighting a grin as she gamely played along.
Brooklyn leaned forward to talk. Her chair was so close to Asher’s that she could feel the heat coming off his shoulder blades. “How’s your research?” Talking about Mollie was safe.
Mollie shrugged. “There’s so much to comb through in the library—so many diaries and journals. I haven’t found anything more than a few affairs and a story of a dog that went missing and turned up again eight years later.”
“Maybe you can work that one into the tour.”
Asher turned in his seat. “I’m sorry, did you say tour?”
Brooklyn turned in her seat, eager to brag up her friend and not at all sorry he’d inserted himself into their conversation. It was so much easier than trying to pretend he wasn’t there. Because every cell in her body screamed, He’s right there! “Mollie gives the ghost tours on Main Street after dark.”
His attention shifted to Mollie, and she felt immediately let down. “Do you have room tonight?” he asked. “Naomi and I love a good ghost tour.”
Naomi nodded eagerly.
Mollie’s eyes were on Brooklyn, silently asking permission, before she gave the others her most charming smile. “Tonight’s booked, but we have space tomorrow.”
“Wonderful.” Naomi clapped her hands. “Your town is so full of history. I read some things on the plane ride here. I have so many questions.”
“Fire away.” For the next half hour, Mollie entertained Naomi and Asher with anecdotes she couldn’t or chose not to use on the tour. Her cheeks grew rosier, and her whole face lit up as she lost herself in her storytelling.
Brooklyn tossed in a few words here and there, but she mostly watched Asher watch Mollie. Despite being forced to dress all in black for work, Mollie was adorable with her flame of long red hair and her animated face. It was no wonder he found her interesting.
Brooklyn didn’t have a claim on Asher, so why did
she feel so jealous that he was giving attention to her friend? She scolded herself for being childish, but that didn’t stop the green-eyed monster from raging inside.
When she could hardly stand it, there was a lull in the conversation and she jumped in. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to get back to the shop.” Her salad was long gone. She reached for the check that had been dropped off only moments before.
Asher snatched it out of her grasp. “Allow me.”
“I will not.” She grabbed for the leather folder, but he held it out of her reach.
“I owe you for saving my life on the lake.”
Naomi gaped. “You did?”
“It was nothing,” Brooklyn assured her.
“Nothing?” Asher faked shock. “My life means so little to you?”
Brooklyn pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “I hardly know you,” she countered.
“And yet you despise me all the same.” He winked to let her know he was teasing. “Go.” He shooed her away with his hand. “I’ll consider our debt settled after this.” He lifted the bill up a little higher, still keeping it out of her reach.
“So you think your life is only worth a Cobb salad?” The words were out, and in such a flirtatious tone, before she thought better of them.
“Did you get the ham?” Naomi asked.
“Yeees.”
“Then you’re even.” She laughed at Asher’s affronted look. “Trust me, he’s all ham.”
Brooklyn giggled. “I can believe that.”
Asher glowered at the two of them. “I’m not sure I like you two together.”
“I think we’d get along famously.” Naomi tipped her glass to Brooklyn. “And I’ll be stopping by your Sweet Shoppe while I’m here. I can’t wait to try the truffles.”
“That would be great.” She and Mollie said goodbye and then made their way out of the restaurant and back down the beautiful stairs.
Mollie was quiet until they were out of hearing distance, and then she slanted a mischievous look at her friend, grasping her hands excitedly. “How did she know you work at the fudge shop?”
Brooklyn stopped in her tracks. “I don’t know. It didn’t come up, did it?”
A slow smile spread across Mollie’s face. “Asher must have told her about you.”
“You think?”
Mollie nodded. “I know. And he made sure to take the seat closest to you.”
Brooklyn loved the way her heart lifted. It had been so long since she’d thought of a man as more than … well, more than a neighbor or customer.
For a moment, she allowed herself to feel the sensation of a hundred butterflies taking off in her stomach and a thousand fluttering around her, brushing her skin and making it tingle. But as it often did in her life, reality crashed through the buzz. “It doesn’t change anything. He’s still building a massive development in our town and ruining it.” She shook her head. “He’s the bad guy in all this.”
“Well, that bad guy didn’t have to buy us lunch.” Mollie studied her with an appraising look and then hugged her. “I think you like him. You just don’t want to like him.”
Brooklyn shook her head. There was no sense liking him. Sure, he had a deep voice, a way of getting things done, confidence, and a strong set of arms. But there was nothing else to recommend him.
Except … he could take a bad situation—like being dumped in the lake—and laugh.
And he’d listened to her talk about the Sweetheart Tree like he cared.
She forced her features into a frown. Asher wasn’t for her. The sooner she realized that, the less likely she’d be to do something stupid—like trip into his arms accidentally/on purpose. “He’s trying to distract me from stopping his plans. I can’t let him do that.”
Mollie’s brow lined with worry. “What are you going to do?”
Brooklyn gulped. She hadn’t thought through this until now. “I’ll ask for a water right investigation. If they don’t have the water shares, then they won’t be able to put in as many houses. I may not be able to stop things, but I can slow them down and even scale it back.”
Mollie nodded. “Eureka Springs fought off swindlers and gangsters. We can keep that hot man out too.”
Brooklyn took a deep breath, not wanting to be reminded of how much she liked Asher. “Our quiet town deserves to stay quiet.”
Her friend squeezed her hand. “Yeah, but not too quiet. I need new stories for my ghost tour.” She winked. “You’re the only one not allowed to star in them. I like you too much.”
She broke into a laugh. “Thanks.” She waved as she and Mollie split up to find their cars in the parking lot.
Submitting the form at city hall took less than thirty minutes, and then she was back at work, doing her best to put everything that had happened that afternoon out of her mind. Including the way she’d melted under Asher’s touch.
Chapter Twelve
Asher
Asher and Naomi took their cups of gelato from the restaurant to wander the hotel grounds. There was a well-kept lawn out back and gardens to the west. They ate in silence as they took in the giant chessboard and the archery club.
Seeing Brooklyn had stirred up the curiosity inside of him again. He finally asked, “Did Grandpa ever mention Eureka Springs to you?”
“No.” She sucked in her cheeks, a sure sign that she was on her way to a brain freeze. “Should he have?”
Asher wasn’t ready to divulge his email correspondence with Brooklyn quite yet. But he could share some things. “I think he may have stopped in here before he was deployed. I’m not sure, though.”
“You should ask him. He used to tell us his stories all the time.”
“Yeah, to get us to sleep.”
“True.” Naomi laughed. She looked lazily at the church spires to their right and then the mountaintops in front of them. The Crescent Hotel was built on the highest peak, so the views were fantastic. “I like it here, though. The people are open and friendly.” She watched him from the corner of her eye. “Brooklyn’s nice.”
“She’s a stinker, been stepping in my way since I got here.”
“You like her.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “Admit it.”
He chuckled. “I like feisty.”
Naomi hooted. “I knew it. The moment we got to the restaurant, your eyes were glued to her. And buying her lunch? A dead giveaway.”
“I bought her lunch because I knew it would annoy her.”
“Yeah, because people just hate free food.” She tossed her paper cup into a nearby trash can. “I say go for it. You need love in your life, little brother.”
“Coming from you, that’s a huge recommendation.”
She tipped her head back and soaked in the sun. “She’s a huge improvement over your last girlfriend.”
That was an understatement. “Unfortunately, all that proved was that I’m not the settling down type.”
“Who said anything about settling down? Go for some romance and see what happens.”
“Maybe.” The thing with Brooklyn was that he felt whole when he was around her. Even in their short interactions, he could tell that there was something chemical between them. But it was more than the obvious attraction pulsing between them that drew him to her time and again. There was a connection on a whole other level. A connection that had a more permanent, forever feel about it.
He just wasn’t sure what that meant for him.
But maybe it was time to find out …
Chapter Thirteen
Brooklyn
Brooklyn set the large box of T-shirts on the pavement and turned to make sure the door locked behind her. The UFO Convention was coming right up. She and Becky from down the street had gone in on T-shirts together to get a major deal. She needed to get these to her tonight so Becky had time to get them marked and in her system before Friday.
Brooklyn had worked late tonight, scrubbing the pots and pans by hand and enjoying the quiet kitchen. Spring break was wi
nding down, and families from the surrounding areas liked to take day trips to Main Street, picnic in the hills, play at the lake, and eat fudge. Only the ice cream shop across the street was busier than the Sweet Shoppe had been.
“Hi.”
Brooklyn spun around to see Asher and Naomi smiling at him. “Hi,” she said breathlessly. Asher looked so good in his khaki shorts and white polo shirt. She scrambled for something to say. “Are you ready for the ghost tour?”
“More than ready,” Naomi replied, rubbing her palms together.
“Good. Good.” She rocked back and her foot hit the box. Realizing she had a reason to move, she bent down and grabbed hold, only to feel like an uncoordinated goof as she tried to steady the box and stand up at the same time. Her face flushed with embarrassment.
Asher took her load. “Let me.” He held it easily, like it didn’t weigh a thing.
“I can’t let you do that.” She took hold, but he didn’t release it.
“I insist.” He smiled at her.
“You’ll miss your tour.” She nodded to the alley where the tours started. Several people were already gathered, and Mollie was chatting them up. She wore a long, flowing black skirt and a leather jacket with sharp studs. Her makeup was darker tonight, smoky eyes with lots of white powder on her face. Paired with her red hair, the outfit helped her play the part of a supernatural guide.
“I’ll get us checked in.” Naomi quickly left, leaving the two of them alone.
“So, where to?” Asher lifted the box and his eyebrows.
Admitting defeat, Brooklyn released her grasp. “Umm, this way.” She started off up the sidewalk. They walked in silence for a moment. “I feel bad you’re missing out on the tour. You paid for tickets, I’m sure.”
Asher lifted a shoulder. “Why don’t you give me the highlights?”
Her Billionaire Mistake (Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove Book 1) Page 8