Page 4 of Playing it Country

“Your wife?”

“Not yet.” His smile is so wide and so loving that my heart squeezes in my chest. Man, these men and their women are so damn lucky. “I need to find a photographer for somethin’ I’m working on.”

“Oh, like a surprise engagement?” His cheeks heat and he shoves his hands in his pockets. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to her.”

“Oh my gosh, of course not. I was just asking because it’s one of the things I do. It’s freelancing normally, but I’ve done some weddings, newborn, and boudoir shoots.” I lift one shoulder because I really haven’t been in one spot long enough to ever set up an actual business—not that I’d know the first thing about it.

“Really?” Otto’s smile is back on his face, and I have the strangest sense that I just did something really good. It sounds ridiculous but I can’t shake the feeling.

“Yeah, I don’t really have a portfolio or anything, but I guess I could bring my laptop to the Tap and Table when I’m working next and you could swing by?”

“That would be perfect.” He rubs his hands together and it brings out that boyish charm in full force. “Wow, I can’t tell you how much this helps. Do you know how hard it is to find a photographer at the last minute?”

“I do.” I chuckle and he grins as Ella walks over to us and hands him a white pastry box with the Poppy Seed logo stamped on it.

“You’re a doll.” Ella blushes and hurries back to the counter, and Otto steps toward Rhea and drops a kiss on her head. “So are you.”

“Mm-hmm, I know.”

“Sassy, but I love you,” he says to her and then turns back to me. “Hannah, seriously, it was great to meet you. I’ll see you when you’re workin’ or at Mama’s, whichever comes first.”

“Sounds good.”

“All right, ladies, you have a fantastic day.” We chuckle and watch him leave the bakery.

“Seriously, your brothers are really hot. Is there something in the water down here?”

She wrinkles her nose. “They don’t need any boost to their egos. Also, Otto is a twin—I don’t know if I mentioned that—and…” She keeps talking but my brain keeps circling back to the wordtwin,and suddenly everything comes into focus as the bell chimes over the door.

I know without even turning my head why they all looked familiar. “Water Boy,” I whisper.

“What?” Rhea asks but then looks over my shoulder. “Hey Case, have you met Hannah?”

2

CASE

Hannah.

The smile already on my face at seeing my sister is the only thing savin’ me as I practically stumble their way.

“Hot Girl,” I whisper because in my head,HannahandHot Girlare synonymous. Even still my brain isn’t firing on all cylinders right now.

“Seriously? You call himWater Boy?” Rhea asks on a laugh and Hannah licks her lips, mischief dancing in her eyes when she glances at me and then back to my sister.

“Technically I called himStudwhen we met but Water Boy does have a nice ring to it too.” Rhea waits expectantly for me to elaborate—so I do, “Some girl thought he wasn’t properly hydrated at the Tap and Table the other day.”

My cheeks heat as Rhea gives me her best mom glare. “Which one?”

“Mila.” My sister gives me an I-told-you-so look. “I know and I didn’t listen but I stopped seein’ herweeksago and she just keeps showin’ up. Well she did until…”Until she saw me kissing Hannah.

But I don’t say that. Instead, I rub the back of my neck because this is not how I imagined my morning going. I’m nothing if not resourceful, so I split the flowers in my hand and give half to Rhea and half to Hannah.

“Beautiful flowers for my favorite sister—”

“I’m your only sister,” she teases.

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