Grayson gave him a pointed look. “You’re not going to be able to do that, and you know it.”
“You’re right.”
“If you don’t want to dredge up the past, then it sounds like your best bet is to start fresh. Approach her like an old high school friend, get to know her for who she is now.”
“I sort of started laying the groundwork on that at the carnival on the Fourth of July. We played one of the games, shared some fries, had a nice chat. It wasn’t anything deep, but it was nice enough.”
Jace shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll figure out she isn’t the one and you really can move on.”
Maverick knew there wasn’t a chance in hell of that.
“Go talk to her again,” Grayson said. “Even if it’s only about the weather. You’ve obviously broken the ice already. See where it leads. Avoiding her isn’t an option, Mav, because you’re clearly still obsessed with her. If you’re determined to leave the past in the past, then consider this day one.”
Maverick stroked his beard, considering that. He wasn’t stupid enough to think he and Ella could avoid all talk about the past forever, but he wasn’t ready to dive into the deep end just yet.
“And it looks like Boone and Theo just made it easy for you.” Grayson nodded toward the girls’ table.
Jace chuckled. “Should have known those guys wouldn’t be able to sit at home while the girls were out. I’m surprised they managed to stay away this long,” he joked.
“Looks like you can order another beer, Mav,” Grayson added.
Theo and Boone were pulling chairs over so that they could join the girls.
“Come on,” Jace said. “Might as well make this a real Storm party.”
Maverick hesitated, but his brothers weren’t giving him the option to refuse as they picked up their drinks and headed to the other table. He followed suit, standing to the side as Graysonand Boone pulled over an empty table, combining them so that they’d all have room to sit.
Maverick managed—just barely—to refrain from rolling his eyes when Grayson and Jace quickly claimed their seats, ensuring the only spot left was the chair next to Ella.
She smiled and said hello to him, the reticence he’d seen on her face the last time they were together at Whiskey Abbey gone. Their carnival conversation seemed to have broken the ice between them.
“What happened to the baseball game?” Grayson asked. If it weren’t for Maverick’s turmoil over Ella, he knew for a fact his brother would have remained at home with Boone and Theo, and his ass wouldstillbe there, despite the guys’ trip to the bar.
“The Nats were getting their asses handed to them,” Theo grumbled. “We decided we could sit there and get more pissed off, or we could come have a drink and a dance with our girls.”
“I’m so glad you picked us,” Gretchen said, curling into Theo, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m always going to pick you, Kitten.”
Jace ordered a pitcher of beer for the guys, while the ladies continued sipping on their margaritas. Conversation flowed easily as the women talked about their shopping excursion and the amazing dinner they’d had atCafé Des Amis.
“Manny’s been insisting that I eat there since I arrived in Gracemont,” Ella said to the table at large. “He wasn’t wrong. The food is incredible.”
“Did you have thecoq au vin?” Jace asked. “Because I’d walk two hundred miles barefoot on hot sand for thatcoq au vin.”
Ella’s eyes lit up with delight. “I did.”
When a slow song began to play, both Boone and Theo stood, asking their ladies to dance.
Jace glanced around the bar, brightening up when he spotted his best friend from kindergarten. “Look at that. Tommy just walked in. Haven’t had a chance to talk to him in ages. I think I’ll grab a beer with him.”
Maverick considered inviting Ella to take a spin on the floor, but when he recalled how much the mere brush of his hand shook him up at the carnival, he decided he’d be smarter to keep his hands to himself.
“Oh, hey,” Grayson said, rising as well. “Abbey’s working the bar tonight. I’ve been meaning to talk to her about her wine order. Be right back.”
Maverick snorted under his breath at his brother’s bold-faced lie. Nora handled all the distribution for Lightning in a Bottle Winery, and he was certain Grayson didn’t have a clue what wine Abbey stocked at the bar. His brother was assuring he had no choice but to talk to Ella.
Ella gave him a crooked grin. “The table cleared out quick.”