Page 42 of Stars Shine In Your Eyes

Tom’s eyebrows went up. “But not to you?”

Malcolm would have answered that definitively had he not agreed just an hour ago to keep things with Josie completely secret. “It’s complicated.”

“Doesn’t seem that complicated from where I’m standing. You like her. She likes you. You date. And then if things start to get serious, you see where it goes from there.”

Malcolm frowned. Tom was making things sound easier than they were. “You know better than anyone how messed up relationships can be.”

“True,” Tom agreed. “Relationships can be a mess. But only if you pick the wrong person.”

What had come over Tom? He almost sounded like he was becoming a romantic. Just then, Aria’s and Josie’s laughter sounded throughout the bookstore.

“She’s beautiful, she seems fun, and Mari says she’s brilliant at what she does,” Tom said. “That’s quite a combination.”

Malcolm couldn’t keep from snarling, “Back off.”

“I’m just saying I’m not going to be the only one who notices how great she is.” Tom shrugged. “Not that she’d necessarily go for a guy like you. You’re not exactly the most cheerful person in the world.”

Malcolm knew he shouldn’t rise to the bait. He should just shrug off what his brother said. But he was jabbing him in all the places that he knew would get a rise out of him. “If it was between the two of us,” Malcolm said, “I’d make damn sure she chose me.”

Tom’s eyebrows went up again. “Is that a challenge?”

Malcolm refused to be drawn in any farther. “We’ve got to go. The painters are waiting.” But before he left, he had to say one more thing. “Josie’s heart isn’t for us to battle over. Whatever choices she makes in her life, they’re hers, not ours.”

He headed over to where Aria was reading the last page of the book to Josie.

“That’s the best story I’ve ever read,” Aria said.

“I agree,” Josie said.

They were adorable together and instantly made him think how great she’d be with a child of her own. But with his brother’s challenging words still ringing in his ears, he was gruffer than he intended to be when he said, “We should head out. The painters are going to be there in a few minutes.”

Josie smiled at Aria. “I hope we’ll get to read together again someday soon.”

“Daddy,” Aria called across the bookstore, “can Josie come over and read with me sometime soon?”

Tom smiled at her. “Of course, honey. Josie can spend as much time at our house as she’d like.”

At that, Malcolm all but yanked her up off the carpet she and Aria had been sitting on.

She shot him a confused look, clearly wondering what the problem was.

“Bye, sweetie,” Malcolm said to Aria, giving her a kiss on the cheek before he dragged Josie out of the bookshop, barely giving her time to wave and call a good-bye to Mari.

“Are the painters waiting to be let in? Is that why we’re suddenly in such a crazy rush?”

He knew better than to tell her that Tom had been acting interested in her. What if she preferred his brother over him? And why wouldn’t she, when he hadn’t exactly been all sunshine and rainbows? Tom had a lot of charm. Even Malcolm could see that.

“We were losing track of time in the bookstore.” Again, he was a gruff jerk. Not exactly winning her over, was he?

Though she was still frowning slightly at him, she let his lame explanation go. “Your niece is so sweet,” she said. “And your brother seems like an amazing father.”

“Aria is great,” he agreed. But he wasn’t in any mood to say nice things about Tom.

Fortunately, by the time they got to the cottages, the painting contractor Malcolm knew was just pulling up in his van. Malcolm went to speak with him while Josie unlocked all the buildings.

Within minutes, all systems were go. The decorator Fiona had recommended showed up, alongside his sister, who was there to explain what needed to be done with the remnants she had begun to collect. The hours flew by as they answered questions from Fiona, the decorator, and the painters, and continued to clear out the cottages ahead of them. Alice came by during her lunch break, bringing them sandwiches, which they wolfed down before getting right back to work.

The painters would begin the next day, painting the ceilings and trim white. Then Mari, Josie, Fiona, and the professional decorator would decide on wall colors. Meanwhile, there were curtains and soft furnishings to arrange. Mari had been disappointed when she realized there wasn’t time to prepare bedrooms, but she’d asked Malcolm and Josie to work out a plan and schedule for when they could be ready. She was definitely feeling optimistic that there would be future retreats.

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