Page 59 of Hope After Loss

“No.”

“Damn,” I quip.

“It wasn’t about sex. I wanted to prove to her how much I like her.”

“And how, pray tell, did a broke, unemployed college graduate afford such a grand gesture?” Langford asks.

“I maxed out my Mastercard.”

“And exactly how long do you plan to continue throwing money you don’t have at this expensive, sexless relationship?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Not much longer. I’m out of options until the season starts and my big brother puts me to work on the slopes. At this rate, I’ll be selling semen and a kidney to afford to take her to dinner.”

“I’ll float you some cash. No poor, unsuspecting woman deserves to end up with your spawn, unaware,” Langford offers.

“Thanks.”

“But you need to be honest with this chick. If she likes you, she won’t care if you’re taking her for steak and champagne or dinner at a drive-through,” Graham advises.

“Really?”

“Trust me. The last thing you want to get trapped into is trying to keep up with her parents in spoiling her. I’ve been there. It’s fucking exhausting, and she’ll just end up resenting you. If you’re not enough to make her happy, then you need to move on,” Corbin suggests.

“That, or you could use your damn brain,” I mutter.

“Huh?”

“Your brother is Garrett Tuttle. He has a mansion outside of Nashville,” I say.

He just stares blankly at me.

“I’m out. You can lead a dumbass to water, but you can’t make him drink,” I say.

The funny thing is, the boy should be full of confidence. He’s better-looking than the lot of us. Like Mom and Pop decided to show off since he was going to be the last Tuttle boy.

“You come from good stock. You have the Tuttle dimples, and you are going places. You might not be there yet, but you’re working toward it, and a woman has to be able to see past where you are to where you’re headed, and a good woman will want to help you get there. So, be patient. You’ll know her when you see her,” Langford states.

“Says the man who literally just married the woman he’d hated for most of his life. Don’t take advice from him,” I say.

“Pop’s the one who said you’d know her, and I didn’t say she wouldn’t come with baggage. Every woman does. Isley was dealing with caring for her dad.”

“Taeli was dealing with her husband’s betrayal,” Graham agrees.

“Maxi was damaged by her upbringing and the loss of her mother,” Corbin adds.

And Anna is still grieving.

Where the hell did that thought come from?

“And Ansley had to forgive me for the past.So, just because you’ll know her when you see her, that doesn’t mean capturing her heart will be easy. It just means that if you do whatever it takes, it will be worth it,” Garrett says as he sets a platter of meat on the table.

Anna

“What did you do?” I ask as I take in the colorful display in the corner of the office near my desk.

“It’s a ball pit,” Weston exclaims.

“I can see that, but why is there a ball pit in our office?” I ask.