Page 42 of Can't Fight the Moonlight

"That's a drag. I met them when they were here in February. Great couple."

"They seemed to have met a lot of people in this town."

"Well, Lizzie likes to merge the guests at the inn with the locals. She thinks it enhances their stay if they feel a part of the town. So, Chelsea and I get a lot of invitations to the inn. I can't complain. Lizzie always puts on a good party."

"She certainly works hard at treating her guests well and giving them a first-class, personal experience."

"Chelsea said Lizzie was always like that. Even as a kid, she'd bring home strays—not cats or dogs—but other children who were not quite fitting in. If someone was getting bullied, they were getting an invitation to the Cole house for a family dinner. Chelsea told me that it was the odd night that Lizzie didn't have someone in the chair next to her who she was trying to make feel better about something."

He could totally see her doing that. She seemed to feel a need to make sure everyone was feeling included and happy. It was a very sweet trait. Damn! He needed to find thingsnotto like about her. "It's good her parents went along with that. You'd think with five kids, they wouldn't enjoy having an extra child for dinner."

"They were cool. They always have room for one more. Lizzie's dad is one of the friendliest guys you'll ever meet. And he has the heartiest handshake. First time we met, I thought he was testing me to see if I was strong enough to take on his handshake and his daughter."

Justin grinned. "Apparently, you passed the test."

"Without a wince. But, honestly, I think as long as I was putting a smile on Chelsea's face, they were okay with me. They love their kids to death, and they're very involved, but not too much. They're big believers in letting their children do their own thing, have their own successes or their own failures." Brodie paused. "My father was nothing like Chelsea's dad. He got so wrapped up in my skiing career that my failures became his failures—same with my successes. He really had trouble when that career ended. But we're better now. With more separation, we actually seem to be getting closer."

He nodded, surprised that Brodie was volunteering so much personal information. But then, everyone he met in this town seemed to treat him like he was already a long-time friend. It was both strange and appealing at the same time. Most of his friends were tied to his business these days and he realized now how often those meetups turned to business talk. They never got personal, which he had always been fine with. But now…well, Brodie reminded him a little of his brother, who'd also had a rambling, over-sharing personality. And he realized how much he'd missed this kind of easy chatter.

"So," Brodie said. "Tell me more about your company. Do you provide law enforcement robots?"

"We do. Does the department here have any?"

"Unfortunately, no. But I've heard they're being used in a lot of creative ways in bigger cities."

"Everything from disarming a bomb, to infiltrating a hostage situation, clearing obstacles, and aiding in search and rescue operations. A robot can go where a man can't. But, of course, it requires some technological skill that some departments don't have."

"And money," Brodie said dryly.

"That, too, but we offer a lot of discounts for anything that can improve public safety and help first responders."

Brodie nodded. "That's good to hear. How did you get into it?"

"My brother was very into robots when I was young. I didn't know what I was going to do with them, but here I am now."

"You must have some brilliant people working for you."

"I do. I started the company with my freshman-year college roommate. He was an engineering major. I was business. It was a good match in a lot of ways."

"So, you started when you were eighteen."

"Pretty much. Eric and I built the company together."

"Did you ever think it would get so big?"

He smiled. "I always thought that."

Brodie grinned back at him, understanding in his eyes. "Yeah, I get that. People used to ask me if I ever imagined being as good as I was at skiing."

"And you had to say yes?"

"I saw myself on the Olympic podium from the first time I raced down a mountain. I was about eight. Unfortunately, I never got that moment, but I did stand on a lot of other podiums, and I skied the most incredible mountains in the world, so I can't really complain."

He was impressed that Brodie wouldn't complain about being deprived of a gold medal that would have been the pinnacle of his career. "You have a good attitude about it. I don't think I'd be so chill if I'd gone through what you did."

"Oh, it took me a long time to get to a place of acceptance. In fact, last year, I had the opportunity to get back into the skiing world in a different way, and I was tempted, but in the end, I knew that I'd moved on. I like being a cop. I actually help people. I'm not nearly as selfish as I once was. And then there's Chelsea…"

"When are you getting married?"

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