Page 29 of More Than Words
“It’s not that simple.”
“Sure it is.You like her.Ask her out.”
It was my turn to laugh.“Says you, the man who never seems to go after the woman he’s so obviously interested in.”No one really understood what was going on with Brody and Lauren, but it didn’t take a relationship expert to see that they were into each other.
“We’re not talking about me.”
“Convenient,” I muttered under my breath.“Look,” I said after a moment.“I can’t just ask her out.We’ve only barely stopped bickering every time we talk.The bookstore is right next door, and that’s not changing.I can’t afford for us to be enemies.”
“So don’t screw it up.”
“Right,” I said, more frustrated with myself than him.“But if I do, I don’t just lose a potential date.I lose a neighbor and a friend.And…”
Brody was quiet for a beat.“And Quinn?”
I nodded.“Yeah.There’s that.She likes Delaney.A lot.They have this…thing.If I tried something and it didn’t end well…I couldn’t do that to Quinn.”
Brody took a drink of his water, then set the bottle down and looked at me.“You’re a great dad, Ethan.Everyone knows that.But being a good dad doesn’t mean that you don’t get to do things for yourself, too.”
I didn’t say anything.
“I’m not telling you to be reckless,” he continued.“But if there is something between the two of you, don’t run from it just because it’s complicated.”
He wasn’t wrong.Still.
“She’ll be at the opening?”Brody asked again.
“Yeah.”I knew she wouldn’t miss it.
“Maybe it’s time to take the chance, brother,” Brody said, his voice low.“Quinn’s tougher than you think.After all, she survived you and her mother not working out.”
Dammit.He had a point.
“You’ve built something real here, Ethan,” Brody continued, slapping me on the shoulder.“You’re giving that girl the stability and the future she deserves.You should be proud of that.And maybe it’s time for you to stop assuming that everything good has to come with a risk attached.”
I didn’t respond, but simply let my brother’s words settle in.
Long after Brody took his exit, his words were still swirling around in my head.For the first time all day, my to-do list was forgotten.
All I could think of was Delaney.
And what it would be like on opening day to look up and see her watching me from across the room with that gorgeous smile on her face.
What would it be like to have that smile aimed at me?
Not as a neighbor.Not as a friend.
But something more.
ChapterNine
Delaney
The grand opening of Peaks & Brews was in full swing by the time I closed up the shop and made my way next door.The turnout to help Ethan celebrate was amazing, and it almost made me laugh to think about how against it, and him, I’d been only six weeks ago.
I still had a few concerns about how his business would affect my customers and potential customers, but now that I’d gotten to know him better and seen what a genuinely good man he was, most of the concerns had been put to bed and the smile on my face was real when I pulled open the front door and stepped inside.
The brewery was packed with people.So many bodies in a small space not only created heat, but noise, too.
