Page 69 of Love Off-Limits
We walked up the path toward the farmhouse, the first stars appearing in the dusky sky overhead.
“It’s a nice night,” Lennox said. “I always forget how pretty it is here until I come home.”
“You really think you could manage living away from the big city?”
He looked my way, his expression more serious than I’d seen it all night. “For my own restaurant? Absolutely.”
“But your social life,” I said, my tone mocking.
He nudged me with his shoulder. “Some sacrifices are worth it. How’s it going on that front?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. I still haven’t talked to Dad about it. He’s been doing better lately. A lot better. But I feel like there’s something Perry isn’t telling me.”
A shadow approached from the direction of the farmhouse, and we stopped, waiting while the figure approached. “Is that Brody?” I asked, squinting into the fading light.
“Brody,” Lennox said, his voice low and grumbly like he was announcing the competitors in a cage fight.
“Lennox,” Brody grumbled back.
I rolled my eyes. They’d been doing the same thing since they were twelve and eight years old.
Brody draped his arms over both our shoulders. “What are we talking about?”
“The restaurant that will never be,” I said sulkily.
“Hmm, not exciting enough. Instead, let’s talk about the guy that Olivia has been staring at all night,” Brody said.
“I approve the subject change,” Lennox said. “What gives, Liv? Why are we all pretending you guys aren’t a thing?”
“I’m not pretending anything.”
“So you are a thing? Mom says she totally saw you guys all snuggled up in the kitchen,” Brody said.
“You guys are seriously the worst whisper network ever. Talk about me all you want, but stoptellingme you’re talking about me. Y’all aren’t supposed to care this much about my business.”
“To be fair, even if we didn’t care, we would still know. Mom tells us everything.”
“How is it that I don’t know everything about you guys? Why is Mom not constantly dishing dirt about you?”
“Because we don’t live here,” they responded in unison. They smiled and fist-bumped, obviously proud of their simultaneous answer.
“You live in Silver Creek,” Lennox said.
“And you work on the farm,” Brody added.
“And the guy in question also works on the farm. Mom is literally watching your every move.”
“I...really need to move away.”
Brody looped his arm through mine and tugged me down the hill toward the pavilion, Lennox following behind. “Or just learn how to be a little sneakier. Step one. Stop staring at the tall, handsome guy with literal heart eyes popping out of your head.”
I shook my head, finally caving to my brothers’ teasing. “I can’t help it. Ireallylike him.”
“Then why not just own it?” Lennox said from behind us. “Tell the family. Make it official. Then there’s no need to sneak.”
“We aren’t sneaking. But I’m focused on the farm this summer. I don’t want to give Perry or Dad any reason to think I’m only working with half my brain.”
“Dad won’t think that. Not unless you meet Tyler in the goat barn like you did...what was his name again? David? Dillon?” Lennox joked.
