Page 51 of Worth the Wait

Addi nodded her head. “I completely understand that.”

“Plus, Bells is doing real estate now too,” Matthew chimed in.

He was always chiming in.

“Shush.” Bella waved Matthew off. “I’m just starting out, and I’m not even sure how it will go or if I’ll even like it or not. It’s just something different that I wanted to try.”

“I think that’s great, Bella. Whatever makes you happy, but I bet the real estate business here is hard, isn’t it?” Addi asked genuinely as she finished off her own cosmo.

“There’s limited inventory. And not a lot of turnover,” Bella said with a shrug. “And people don’t always go through realtors in order to sell. Especially if they’re keeping it in the family or selling to a neighbor or someone they know.”

“I can see that.” Addi frowned in response to Bella’s explanation. “How’s your brother doing?”

Matthew let out a sound of disapproval as Bella frowned.

Bella’s older brother had been Matthew’s best friend in high school. He’d spent all of his time at their home when he couldn’t bear to be around us guys at the house. Especially after our mom died.

“He moved to the city!” The displeasure in Bella’s voice was beyond obvious. “Can you believe that? Met some girl here one summer and followed her down the mountain.”

Addi’s jaw dropped open. It wasn’t that we didn’t know people who had grown up and moved away; it was just that there were certain ones we expected to stay forever. Bella’s brother had been one of them.

“He. Moved?” She enunciated each word slowly, like they were difficult to speak.

“Says he’s never coming back either.” Bella stuck out her hip defiantly and put her hand on it.

“Sound familiar?” Matthew asked.

Addi spun so fast that I thought she might get whiplash.

She pointed a finger at my brother. “Hey! I never said I wasn’t coming back.”

“Well, are you?” he fired back just as quick, and when Addi didn’t respond, Matthew huffed out an annoyed sound. “I stand by my statement then.”

“You don’t have to be a dick about it,” Sarina suddenly piped up, angling her body around Addi’s stool to look at Matthew through narrowed eyes.

“I don’t, no. It’s a choice,” he said, all smug, but still clearly flirting.

Sarina enjoyed it. Bella did not. She removed herself from the situation and started working on making some new drinks. At least that was what I assumed she was doing. I leaned toward my brother and spun him around so both of our backs were to the bar, and I angled us away from Addi and her sister.

“If you want any chance in hell of ever being with Bella, I’m telling you not to leave this bar with Sarina today. And stop flirting with her for two seconds if you can help it.”

He gave me a confused look. “Why? What does one have to do with the other?”

“Seriously? You can’t put that together on your own?” I asked, my tone insinuating that he was a total dumbass.

I watched him shoot a look toward Bella, and even though he clearly did not get what I was trying to tell him, he nodded anyway.

“Oh, hey. One more thing,” I said before I could forget to bring it up.

“What?” he said, his tone irritated.

“Do not tell Addison about the house,” I warned.

He instantly frowned. “Why would I tell her about the house?”

“Because you think you’re a matchmaker or something, and I don’t need your help when it comes to her.”

He let out a laugh loud enough that people turned to see where it had come from. “If I hadn’t texted her, you’d still think that New York douchebag was her boyfriend. So, you’re welcome for that.”

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