Page 32 of Inevitable

“Hey, Andi.” He pulled out Claire’s chair and waited until she sat down. “I’m here to get my chores done before supper. I’ve got to take care of the car and then run over and get a new hose for the garden. Claire had said the one she has isn’t long enough.”

Resting her hand on her face, she wondered if this was some sort of alternative reality that she’d slipped into. As of yesterday, she was a single woman and now it seemed she wasn’t. “Maybe it’s something you should have discussed with me,” she said to Brady as he sat down next to her.

“Honey, I didn’t know it was a thing to be discussed. I thought it was just assumed.”

Claire looked at her friend and raised her hands. “Any of this make sense to you?”

“I haven’t had a boyfriend in like four or five years. As far as I’m concerned, he’s speaking a foreign language.”

Brady gave them both a disapproving look as he pulled his phone out. “I’ll give Kane a call and tell him to come over and take care of your car. Then we can all have supper together.”

“Maybe you want to pick out my china pattern, too,” Andi responded.

“Nah, that’s not my wheelhouse.” Brady pushed a button and smiled at the women as he waited for Kane to answer.

“He looks sane, doesn’t he?” Claire asked her friend as she stood and grabbed a plate out of the cupboard. Setting it down in front of Brady, she put her hand to his forehead. “No fever.” She pulled out a glass, filled it with iced tea, and then handed it to Brady.

“Sometimes people break with reality and it’s not immediately evident,” Andi responded before she shoved some chips in her mouth.

Kane must’ve answered, because Brady spoke quickly, giving him Claire’s address and then a set of instructions. The whole thing took less than three minutes and before the girls knew what was happening, their evenings had been planned. “Kane is on his way over. He’s going to get your car ready for the week and he said something about going by and picking up some chicken to throw on the barbecue.”

Claire shook her head and started talking to herself as she put some food on Brady’s plate. “This little thing we’ve got going isn’t going to last into next week if you keep being high-handed.” As she shook some chips onto the plate, she heard Andi laughing. “I don’t know why you find this so entertaining. Kane is worming his way into your life and before you know it, he’s going to have you so happy and satisfied that you’re not going to know which way is left and which way is right.”

Brady patted her hand and gave her a sympathetic smile. “Darlin’, we’ve hardly gotten started. I’d say by tomorrow, you may be confused about which way is up and which way is down.”

Crossing her arms, she raised an eyebrow. “I suggest you eat your lunch and get to the list you’ve made yourself. ’Cause talking isn’t getting you anywhere.”

“All right, dear.”

Andi lifted her glass and snorted. “Damn, he’s good.”

Claire pulled a pickle out of the jar and took a bite. “You have no idea.” When she saw a small smile start to lift Brady’s mouth, she frowned. “Don’t be so satisfied with yourself.”

He pointed his egg salad sandwich at her and grinned. “I’m not doing a thing except eating my lunch.”

Claire ignored him and looked at her friend. “Maybe we should get on Pinterest and see if we can find a good cocktail to make ’cause it seems that the men we’ve tangled ourselves up with are going to require it.”

Andi lifted her glass and clinked it against Claire’s. “Amen.”

Claire got up and went in search of her iPad. As she walked out of the room, she heard Brady ask Andi about her shift at the hospital. He was a good man and she had no idea why she was fussing at him for the kindness he was showing her. She’d been on her own, making her way, for well over ten years, and the fact that there was a man who wanted to do anything for her was a miracle. She would’ve been satisfied with all the pleasure he’d given her last night. But add taking care of her, and, well…she didn’t know what to do.

It was a strange new land and one she wasn’t totally comfortable in. She didn’t know the customs or the language, so she was afraid of making a mess of it. Which was the last thing she wanted to do. All that physical intimacy they’d had over the last twenty-four hours was leading to some emotional intimacy that she wasn’t sure she was ready for.

But ready or not, here he was. Sitting in her kitchen, making plans and settling himself in. The next step she made, the next move, was probably going to determine a lot of her future happiness. And that wasn’t anything she wanted to screw up.

She saw her iPad sitting on the table next to the couch and grabbed it. Before she walked back into the kitchen, she thought about spending time with Brady on that couch, and a big smile broke across her face. No doubt about it, the man made her happy and grabbing ahold of as much as she could seemed like a real good idea. She knew how fleeting it was and to ignore the big, beautiful man in her kitchen seemed like the most idiotic choice in the world. And she was definitely not an idiot.

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