Page 74 of Brides and Brothers
“The woman is prettier than the ring, but from now on, the ring is all any man is allowed to look at,” Flynn bragged.
Slowly everyone paired off. Sage and Flynn left to make phone calls to the other brothers and Sage’s family. Camille held back while Benson and Daisha turned to each other. While bent over their steaming cups of hot chocolate, Benson challenged Daisha to some one-on-one basketball. The loser had to eat the rest of the package of Oreos.
Camille was left alone with Easton and Emma, who were standing a few feet apart and looking awkward. Easton pulled out his phone and started scrolling. Emma glanced in the direction of the front door. Camille had two choices: let them work things out naturally and risk it never working out at all or level up her matchmaking skills. Maybe it was the proposal she’d just witnessed, but Camille felt like taking chances.
Thinking quickly, she cleared her throat. “You two want to join me on a ride to town? I really don’t want to drive in alone.”
“Where are you headed?” Easton asked.
She shrugged. “I’ve hardly been out of the house all week, and I’m not up for being by myself... again.” After playing on their sympathies, she followed up with, “Are either of you hungry?”
Easton slipped his phone into his pocket and turned to Emma. “I’m game.”
“Yeah, sure,” Emma answered.
The three of them made their way to Camille’s car, where Easton insisted Emma sit in the front passenger seat. That setup wouldn’t allow for the couple to have any private conversation. Any decent matchmaker would have solved that problem by the time they made it to car. Camille, on the other hand, was a novice.
“I could drive us to get a treat or maybe a sub sandwich,” she said as they all settled into their seats. “Emma? What’re you craving?”
“I’m good, but I don’t mind hanging out while you two eat.”
Scratch that. Food wasn’t the answer. “Actually, I’m not that hungry either,” Camille said. “Any other ideas of where we should go?”
Silence dispersed through the car until Emma said, “Why don’t we head to the top floor of the student center. It should be quiet up there on a Friday night. If we get bored, we can walk around and check out the paintings. They have some pretty remarkable art there.”
Camille glanced over her shoulder to see Easton nod in agreement. They were soon on the road, the freshly fallen snow lining both sides of the street while only a dusting on the black asphalt was highlighted by her headlights. Camille gripped her steering wheel tighter, more worried her interference would make things worse for Easton and Emma than that the road conditions were hazardous. A few minutes into the drive and so far no one was talking.
As if Easton had read Camille’s mind, he leaned forward in his seat. “How are your classes going, Emma?”
Just like that the conversation started and flowed the rest of the way to the student center. After Camille parked, Easton darted out of the car to open the door for Emma. Camille hunched down so she could see Easton’s awkward smile through the open passenger door. When Emma reached to unlatch her seatbelt, Camille caught her answering grin.
The three of them stepped onto the cement path leading to the main doors of the building. When they detoured around a patch of ice, Easton caught Emma’s hand. Camille only noticed because Emma gave a squeak of surprise.
“Easton?”
Camille squinted at Emma next to her. Was she a ventriloquist? Her mouth hadn’t moved.
“Easton!”
They all turned to look behind them.
“Wendy?” The pitch of Easton’s voice was higher than normal.
Camille grimaced. If only Emma really did have ventriloquist powers. What were the odds of Wendy—the girl Easton had been dating—being behind them at the exact moment he was holding Emma’s hand for the first time? If Camille had thought nearly ruining Flynn’s engagement was bad, they were really in trouble now.
Easton should’ve dropped Emma’s hand, but instead he clung to it like a lifeline and even stepped closer to her. “What are you doing here?”
Wendy folded her arms across her chest. “I just finished taking a test. I parked over here.” She glanced down at Easton’s and Emma’s hands, then back to Easton’s face. “Do you want to introduce me to your friend?”
The pink tinge on Easton’s cheeks was likely as due to his flustered state as the chilly evening. “This is Emma. Emma, this is Wendy.”
Emma smiled and said hello—she was so cute and innocent. And she was so going to hate Easton when this was over, thanks to Camille and her wretched timing. She’d justhadto go into town. Why hadn’t she suggested a movie at home?
“Nice to meet you, Emma,” Wendy said, her voice icier than the mountain air. “I hope you don’t go for guys who date two women at once. I didn’t think I did, but apparently, I was wrong.” Her smile was smug. “Well, I’ll let you guys get back to whatever it is you’re doing.” Her fiery gaze connected with Easton’s. “Don’t bother calling me ever again.”
Wendy’s fur-lined boots crunched an angry staccato through the snow as she stalked off toward the parking lot.
“I’m so sorry,” Emma said. “I never should have come tonight. I’d heard you were dating someone, but when you kissed me, I thought you must’ve ended things.”
