Page 18 of California Dreaming

Argh. His sister really knew how to push his buttons. Granted, all six of them knew exactly where to push one another to get a reaction. Which was why he tried not to show that she’d gotten to him as he replied, “I told Tessa she should sleep on the same level as me, but she chose a bedroom upstairs. Hauled a couple of heavy bags up there too. I couldn’t even help her.”

“Why did she do that?” his mom asked. “What if you need her in the night?”

Arch felt vindicated. “That’s exactly what I said. But she insisted that she’d keep her phone on and said I could call if I needed her.”

Mila laughed. “She’s probably worried that your snores will come through the walls and keep her awake. Besides, she doesn’t need to be on call twenty-four seven. She’ll need her space.” She paused a beat before adding, “I really do like her a lot, by the way. She seemed smart and intuitive when we met at Dad’s party.”

“And very pretty too,” his mom added.

He couldn’t believe it. Was his mother actually matchmaking? Arch knew there was nothing she wanted more than to see her kids happy and in love. Normally, his feathers might have been ruffled at the idea of his mother trying to set him up. But the truth was that in this specific case, he wouldn’t mind a little meddling, if that’s what she wanted, to encourage Tessa in his direction.

Arch felt Mila’s eyes on him again, but he refused to meet her gaze. He wouldn’t be able to hide the truth of what he felt for Tessa from his sister—or from any of his family, most likely. The truth that they could all clearly see was that he found Tessa overwhelmingly attractive. It was the real reason he’d asked Margaret Percy if she could spare her caregiver. And his family all probably knew it.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mila said exactly what he was thinking. “If you ask me, Arch noticed exactly how pretty Tessa is. That’s why he’s in such a bad mood. Mr. Famous Hollywood Star thought he was getting a sexy new playmate. But he ended up with a professional nurse instead.”

Arch scowled at Mila—he especially didn’t appreciate the Hollywood star stuff—then turned stubbornly to look at the view. But it was pointless to deny the obvious truth, especially when she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. When he finally met Mila’s gaze again, it was as playful as when she’d teased him when they were teenagers.

Still, he couldn’t let her get away with teasing him, especially when she was right. He grabbed the nearest cushion and swatted his sister.

“Ow,” she said, even though he could see she was hiding a grin. “This family can only deal with one invalid at a time.”

Arch grinned back and readied himself. “Bring it on, li’l sis.”

But before Mila could retaliate, his mom called a stop to the energetic cushion fight she could see brewing with a simple lift of her hand. “And where is Tessa now?”

The door buzzer sounded.

Mila said, “Right on cue.”

But instead of Tessa, his sister Erin appeared, clutching a bag from the local bakery.

“Hey, big bro,” she said, coming over to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Brownies for the broken.”

She opened the bag and added six brownies to the plate of cookies. By the smell, they’d just been baked and would still be warm. His mouth watered. What was Tessa going to think when she came back with bunches of kale and found him pigging out on sweets?

Erin took a seat on the couch. Next to Mila, Erin was tiny. “How are you feeling?” she asked. “I heard your stunt was pretty messed up.”

“I feel fine,” he lied in a slightly irritated voice, “and please don’t print that I was at death’s door.”

Erin glanced at the other two. “What’s gotten into him?”

“He’s grumpy because Tessa isn’t falling at his feet,” Mila replied.

Erin shot him a grin. “Good. I knew Tessa was full of good sense the minute I met her. I was wondering if the day would ever come when a woman would be able to resist you.” The grin turned slightly wicked. “I’m very pleased to know that day has arrived.” Erin might be the quietest of the six of them, but she could also lay out the sharpest words when the occasion called for it.

While Erin might have thought she was being provocative, Arch instantly saw her statement as more of a challenge than anything. Because if there was one thing he knew, it was that when he wanted something badly enough, he made it his mission to get it.

If Tessa was wary about giving in to the obvious chemistry between them, then he simply needed to show her how good they could be together. It shouldn’t matter that their worlds were different. He was nothing more than a guy who thought she was drop-dead gorgeous and wanted to get to know her better.

Now he just needed to figure out how to get her to want him as much as he already wanted her.

It was true that he hadn’t ever had to deal with this before—all his previous girlfriends had pretty much fallen at his feet. And they’d been nice to spend time with, mostly.

But none of them was anything like Tessa. He already knew this deep within himself. She was the kind of woman who finally made him understand why so many of his friends had stood at the altar and pledged to love the woman in front of them for the rest of their lives.

He’d waited a long time to find someone who made him believe that maybe happily ever after didn’t just belong in fairy tales.

He was already falling for Tessa.

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