Page 44 of Me and Mr. Just Right

“Aurelia Halifax,” Bennett finally breathed out as she finished the song and slid back into playing soft chord progressions. Bennett grabbed Jules by the arm he was leaning on, nearly toppling his brother. “One of the biggest voices in country music—ever.”

Jules shook him off with an irritated huff. “Yeah. I know.”

Bennett swiveled toward Haydn with an accusatory glare.

Haydn shrugged and said, “Yep.”

Bennett looked at Lia next, his mouth still gaping before he put his hand to his head like he had a headache. “I’m processing. I don’t understand what’s happening right now. Aurelia Halifax in Alaska. In our cabin.”

Lia stopped playing, and the silence seemed bigger than the music and their singing had been. “I came here to get away from … everything.”

His eyes widened in horror. She could see the pieces all clicking in his mind as it came together. “Bo and Gwen. Your boyfriend and your best—” He cut himself off. “When I read about it, it felt like one of those nighttime drama story lines, not something real, but obviously, you’re real.”

“Very much so,” she said.

Bennett pointed at Haydn and Jules and said, slowly, “How long have you two known?”

“Earlier today,” Haydn said, then tilted his head. Almost as if he didn’t mean for it to happen, their gazes collided, and it held her captive. Had she thought this room was cozy? It was sweltering. Whew.

“I’ve known since that first day, when we were sitting around and drinking hot chocolate. She smiled, and it clicked,” Jules said.

Lia and Haydn both turned to him in shock.

“Because of her smile?” Bennett asked. “How did you see it, and I didn’t? Rosie has made me listen to every new Aurelia Halifax album with her thenightit comes out. We stay up all night and eat road trip snacks, and she kicks me awake if I fall asleep.” He turned to Lia with an assuring smile. “Don’t get me wrong; it’s not a chore to listen. It’s just … Rosie.”

Haydn and Jules both nodded, so apparently they both knew what that meant. And maybe, after a week of hearing Rosie stories and being with the brothers, she understood what he meant too. The warmth of belonging filled her.

Jules continued. “The other lawyer who shares my office space is obsessed.” Jules turned to Lia. “The concert you did for VidStream is on a constant loop in her office when she’s working. She has her headphones in, but I can still see you on the screen.”

“And you?” Bennett turned to Haydn, who pushed out his cheeks. “You don’t even listen to country music.”

“Lia sings pop too.”

“Country that’s been remixed for the pop station,” Bennett corrected, but he turned to Lia for another aside. “It’s all brilliant, of course.”

“Thanks,” she said.

“She mentioned it to me earlier.” Now he wouldn’t meet her eyes. And she could see understanding dawning on Jules’s and Bennett’s faces. That’s why Haydn was acting so weird. That’s why the vibe had changed. Well, if they could figure out why it had changed so much, she’d love for them to let her know.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all sooner.” She wished Haydn would look at her again. “I liked being normal for once, I guess. And I didn’t know if I could trust you guys yet.”

Bennett huffed out a breath. “I get that. But you can trust us, for the record.”

“I know.” She started to play another one of her less popular songs, and Jules dove into singing it in a semi-decent falsetto that completely broke the tension.

“You know this one too?” Bennett threw his hands up. “It didn’t even have a radio release.”

“I am a multi-layered man,” Jules said before continuing to sing, in a normal voice this time. Bennett joined in enthusiastically, his cheeks bright and pink with excitement, and Lia sang harmony.

Haydn didn’t know this song, but she felt his gaze like a caress on her skin as she harmonized with Jules. She didn’t want to look at him, afraid he’d look away and break the tenuous connection she felt strung between them.

If singing kept that connection, then she’d sing all night. But eventually she’d have to stop and say goodbye to one of the best weeks of her life.

And one of the best people she’d ever known.

Chapter 21

LiawatchedRosie’sboatdraw closer to the island, arriving to take her to the airport. She couldn’t believe it was time. This week had passed in a blink, yet in such a short time, she’d changed. She wanted more time with this island. With Jules and Bennett. With Haydn—to convince him to take a chance on them.

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