Page 93 of Places I've Never Been

“Flynn’s not like that.” Adam shook his head.

Brandon paused in his assault on Flynn. “Tina might have told someone after she bolted. She can be pretty spiteful.”

Mattie frowned. “Maybe.”

“Is that what’s bothering you?” Adam asked.

“Not exactly.” Mattie clutched her cocktail with both hands. “When we met, you said you did writing retreats all the time. But the way I hear it, you do most of your writing in dive bars.”

Brandon winced. “Ouch.”

Adam tried to keep his expression neutral. “Who’d you hear that from?”

“It doesn’t matter. Is it true?”

He thought about it. Mattie had gone back to the beach with Flynn while the rest of them played in the water. “Flynn.”

“Is it true?”

He sighed. The secret was out. He might as well come clean. “They aren’t dive bars. Exactly.”

“It’s a karaoke bar down by the bridge,” Cooper supplied. “Kinda sticky, but not seedy.”

She arched an eyebrow at Adam. “How many writing retreats have there actually been?”

He thought about denying it, but he didn’t see the point.

“None.” He glared at his brother and Flynn, then flicked one at Cooper for good measure. “This is the first time we’ve done something like this.”

“Okay.” Mattie nodded. “Then why did you lie to me about it?”

He cringed at the way she said the word “lie,” like it was the worst kind of curse. “I didn’t mean to. I blurted it out without thinking. Then I decided to make it true.”

Her expression shifted from suspicious to uncertain. “Why?”

“He does that a lot,” Brandon said. “He’s impulsive.”

“Yeah,” Cooper said. “He was having an Adam moment. Like the time his mother wanted a new dishwasher, so he bought them a whole new house. Then his dad turned it down. Adam had to turn around and sell it. His parents still don’t have a new dishwasher.”

“Or the time that his favorite ice cream place down the street from the studio was going out of business,” Brandon said. “So he bought the building and leased it back to them for $1 a year.”

Cooper grunted a laugh. “Or the time—”

“Stop helping.” Adam waved a finger salute at the pair of them.

Brandon laughed so hard he snorted. Cooper grinned and tipped his glass.

Mattie’s lips twitched with amusement, and the sparkle was back in her eyes. He took her hand in his and she didn’t pull away. “Truth. You seemed distracted and overwhelmed. I wanted to help, and I wanted to get to know you. The idea popped into my head and out of my mouth and I didn’t see any need to call it back. I scheduled the trip right after I dropped you off that night. Even if you’d said no, we still would have come here.”

“For a month?” Cooper raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe. I don’t know.” He stared at his feet. “Trisha’s been our unofficial mascot ever since she was born, and the diagnosis was a huge blow. Losing Johnny J left a hole we won’t ever be able to fill. It’s a lot to bounce back from. We all needed a break.”

Mattie studied his face. “That’s all this is? A break?”

“All?” Brandon snorted. “This is the best vacationever.”

“Not sure how we’ll top this,” Cooper said, “but I’m willing to try.”

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