Page 103 of More Than Words
My stomach growled at the mouthwatering aroma of garlic bread and roasted tomato sauce, the second Lauren and Brody walked in with arms full of takeaway containers.
I’d been so busy Christmasfying the brewery, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.
“This looks amazing,” I said as I joined everyone else at the counter.
Ethan slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me in for a quick kiss.
“Youlook amazing.”He tugged on the garland I had wrapped around my neck like a scarf.“I like you in tinsel.”
Preston groaned and Grayson laughed when I blushed.I did a quick scan for Quinn, lest she see us beinggross.But she was still digging through a box, pulling out sparkly ornaments.
“This is amazing,” Reid said with a moan as he took a bite of pizza.“Did Willa change the recipe?I mean, it’s always been good, but this is…”
“Heavenly,” Preston finished for him with a mouthful of spaghetti.
Grayson raised an eyebrow at his word choice, but Preston shrugged and said, “Seriously.It’s damn good.”
“I’m not going to take your word for it.”Grayson filled a plate and tucked in, agreeing with his brother’s assessment almost at once.“Damn.You’re not wrong.This is next level.”
“Right?”Lauren said.“It must be Harper’s tweaks.That woman is not playing around.I ate there the other day, and I swear, all of a sudden, that diner is like a Michelin star—what?”
Everyone had grown still and was staring at Lauren.
“What?”she asked again, just as oblivious as I was as to what she’d said wrong.“You all must know Harper, right?She’s Willa’s?—”
“We know who she is.”Ethan cut her off gently and shot Grayson a quick look before turning his attention back to Lauren.“We went to school with her.”
I looked around the group.I sometimes forgot that Lauren didn’t grow up in Trickle Creek.
“Then why are you?—”
“Harper’s back?”
I whipped around to see Grayson, who looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
He set his hardly touched plate on the counter and pushed it away.“Did you know?”He directed the question to Brody.
The eldest Lyons brother shrugged in an effort to look casual.“I just found out when I picked up the food.She said to say hi.”
Grayson was quiet for a moment before turning to me.His face was impossible to read.“Do you have lights for that tree?”
I nodded.“I sure do.I’ll show you.”
After I dug out a few tangled strands of lights and gave them to Grayson, who’d become much quieter than I’d ever seen him, I returned to my uneaten dinner and the rest of the group.
“Does anyone want to tell me what that was all about?”
Ethan handed me a piece of garlic bread.“They were a thing in high school.”
“Not just athing,” Reid said with a shake of his head.“She was the great love of his life.At least, that’s how Gray sees it.”
“So…” I glanced behind me, where Reid’s twin was busy stringing the lights with Quinn’s help.“Obviously, it didn’t end well?”
“That’s the thing.”Preston shrugged.“It’s not like it ended dramatically or anything.I mean, Grayson’s not really the drama type.”
There were a few chuckles.Grayson was probably the steadiest and most drama-free of all the brothers.
I pulled up a stool and picked up my fork.The pastareallywas good.
