Page 14 of In Another Lifetime

“Huh?” I blinked, suddenly realizing they were both staring at me. Shit. I’d been watching them, yet so lost in my thoughts I hadn’t even been seeing while Brennan waved a hand in front of my face.

“I was wondering if you’d like another beer,” Vale said. “Or anything else to eat? The burgers are gone, but there’s more of the pasta salad and fruit—and I have more burgers that could be grilled in the house. There’s also some cookies and cupcakes.” Her lips curled into a small, self-deprecating smile. “I love to bake. Probably too much. It’s a habit I can’t seem to break.”

“I could use another beer, but damn, I shouldn’t eat another bite.” I’d already had a couple servings of the Waldorf and pasta salads, both favorites of mine. Just like the cookies she brought over the other day. “Cranberry white chocolate cookies?”

“There’s some of those, I think. I also made peanut butter cup. I didn’t let my brother and his friends scarf them all up earlier.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m their dealer.”

My shoulders stiffened, and I glanced over at Brennan, wondering if I had to rush him out of here. Of course, this was too good to be true.

“Dealer?” I growled.

“Oh God,” she exclaimed, laughing and holding up a hand. “Cookie and dessert dealer, not drugs. Since I moved away, they’re here all the time begging for baked goods.”

And there I went overreacting, but hell, more than half my time went toward fighting the drug problem in our city. “After trying the batch you brought over the other day, I can see why.”

“Yeah,” Brennan chimed in. “He hogged them all.”

“I guess you’ll have to come over and pick up your own. I’m not even kidding; I probably bake every day. My brother has even started sending supplies over, since he won’t have me spending money on all of his, um, on all his friends.” She tilted her head toward the house. “I’ll go get that beer. You want anything, Bren?”

“Nah. I’m leaving soon. The guys and I are going to the drive-in.”

“Meeting girls there?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“There’s still a drive-in around?” Vale asked.

“Yeah. In Muskegon. You should go sometime. Maybe with Day.”

I blinked at my little brother. Was he actually playing matchmaker?

“Maybe…” Vale murmured. “I’ll be right back.”

“Way to scare her off,” I growled, once she’d disappeared through the back slider into the house.

“I didn’t scare her off. But you mighta by going all cop on her. Dang, Bro.”

“I didn’t go all cop.”

“Pfft. Right. So… Before I go… I’ve got some tough love for you.”

“Brennan,” I groaned. Geez, I had over a dozen years on the kid, and here he was, primed to give me advice.

“I’m just saying… I like Vale. You obviously like her, too. It’s been like five years. I miss Mel. You miss her. But she would kill you if she knew how you’ve been since she…” He cut off and swallowed. “Since that day. You know that’s true. You need to… I want you to… Just, well, dang it. Give this a chance, okay?”

My hand scrubbed over my mouth, pinching my bottom lip while I stared at my feet through the glass-topped table. “Brennan, it’s not as easy as—”

“It would be if you’d give it a chance. I know you were married to her, but I lost her too. She was like my mom—even before Mom and Dad died. Mel was my big sister and, well, like I said… She was my mom. If I can try, you can try.”

He wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t sure I could ever move on in a way that was fair to either woman. Not until Melonie’s murderer was behind bars. Because… What if it had something to do with me? What if I put someone else—Vale—in danger?

Vale returned before I could answer Brennan. He popped up as soon as she came back with two longnecks and a plate of the cookies she’d mentioned.

She held the plate toward my brother, and he took two, groaning at the first bite. “Oh my God, these are my new faves. And on that, I’ve gotta go before I’m late. You two be good and definitely do what I would do.” I didn’t even want to think about what my eighteen-year-old brother would do.

Vale chuckled. “Another for the road?”

Brennan shuffled his half-eaten cookie into the hand where he held the other, then plucked one more from the plate. “Thanks, Vale.”

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