“What?”
Flashing me his trademark grin, he said, “I’ve always liked your curls.”
That was the last thing he said before I found myself flying and plunging into the cold water.
The Hot Housewives of Eugene and their husbands, Briggs, and Layne Marten
Briggs: So…Shelby’s got a date tonight.
Logan: Nice. You making Jake jealous?
Briggs: It’s not me.
Tessa: Was it that tall drink of water who showed up with his family yesterday?
Logan: Oh hey, Tess, how you doing?
Tessa: He’s not MY tall drink of water. But he’s definitely a tall drink of water.
Logan: You’re still set to have our baby, right? Next month?
Briggs: Yeah, it’s that guy. I heard him telling his cousin.
Layne: HOW DO I TURN THIS THING OFF?
Kelsey: Why on earth would you want to do that?
Layne: JUST CALL ME IF YOU NEED ME TO DO SOMETHING. I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE.
Kelsey: Did you get it stuck in caps lock again?
16
SHELBY
It feltwrong to be on a date with Easton.
I wasn’t sure why. Beyond the fact that it was a slight betrayal of Jake’s and my agreement. But it had been Jake who was practically pushing me toward Easton yesterday. My brain went blank, and I couldn’t think of a way to say no. Or a reason to say no.
Maybe we didn’t need an agreement between Jake and me. Maybe just hanging out did the trick. Jake hadn’t had an attempted setup in almost two full weeks. Even Kelsey and Tessa had eased up on their knowing looks and remarks about us. Likewise, I had felt a shift in my ability to relax when talking with men. Easton, really. And occasionally Briggs, though he’d definitely given me a friendly distance after our basketball game.
Technically, my date seemed to be going okay. Great, actually. Jake reminded me before I left to tell myself that Easton liked me when I spoke to him. It felt like tricking my brain, but it did seem to help with my particular brand of self-sabotage. I didn’t move to hit, slug, or punch his shoulder once, and we laughed easily together. Granted, he was here for a week,and I was the only single female he wasn’t related to within a five-mile radius, but I kept pushing that thought away.
He had asked me out.
Easton took me to dinner at Chad’s restaurant, The Grub Shack. The building had seen a few days, but Logan had done some work on the place a while back and had spruced it up a bit. The smell of grilled hamburger meat and fries greeted us as we stepped inside. There were a few tables that occupied the middle of the room, with booths lining the perimeter. Chad saw us walk in from his place behind the counter, slapping meat on the grill, but gave me no special greeting beyond a quick head nod.
We sat down in a booth, the plastic red covering beneath us protesting loudly as we made ourselves comfortable in the dimly lit restaurant. When we were settled, I casually mentioned that the owner, Chad, was my brother. His eyes widened as he took in the burly man behind the counter. I could understand the apprehension on his face. My brother did look like he could kill a man with his bare hands. He wore a shirt and apron spotted with all kinds of questionable stains, his chest was thick, and his hair was always pulled back into some manly looking bun.
“Am I safe here?” he asked, flashing me a teasing smile. He looked handsome tonight. His brown hair was stylishly combed. He wore a fitted gray t-shirt with expensive-looking jeans. His blue eyes were kind, and a smile softened his face in a way that should have left me weak in the knees.
He was looking at me.
And I was casually picking a piece of lint off my shirt.
“Yes. He’s not like a normal brother. He’s super awkward. He probably won’t even recognize me as family.”
I was right. Beyond a grunt in greeting, my big bear of a brother gave me no special treatment, though I could feel his eyes on me the entire time.