Page 27 of Mine This Time

Chapter Twenty-Four

Mari

Three weeks later

“Oh my God! You do not have a monopoly on making bad decisions when it comes to men,” Harlow said with a hard roll of her eyes.

I looked across the table at my sister-in-law and let out a soft sigh.

Harlow was awesome. I adored her. Yet, it was easy to feel intimidated by her.

She was beautiful with her glossy dark hair and vibrant brown eyes.

Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that she was a hotshot firefighter.

She was a total badass. And my brother was beyond in love with her.

“Okay, maybe I don’t have a monopoly on it, but lately it feels like it. Max was completely right about Brett.”

Harlow wrinkled her nose before pausing to sit for coffee. “Somewhat. He could just as easily have been wrong. Brothers seem to have a nasty habit of announcing their opinions on sibling relationships. I’ve told him more than once that it doesn’t help at all when he butts in like that.”

“How’s it going, girls?” a voice interrupted.

Glancing sideways, I couldn’t help my automatic smile when I saw Janet James standing there.

Her silvery dark hair was twisted into a braid, and her round face was plumped up with a smile.

With Harlow and Max dividing their time between Willow Brook, Alaska and San Francisco, I didn’t get up to Alaska as much as I would like.

I typically visited them when they were in San Francisco.

The few times I’d been to Willow Brook, we always came to Firehouse Café.

Janet was the owner and somehow made me feel as if she’d known me forever.

“If you want to top off my coffee, I’ll take some,” I said. lifting my mug and nudging my chin toward the coffee pot she held in her hand.

Janet chuckled. “That’s why I carry the coffee pot around. It’s amazing it hasn’t attached itself to my hand. You too?” she asked when she glanced at Harlow.

“Always,” Harlow replied as she flashed a quick smile. “Just put this on our tab.”

Janet topped off both of our coffees. “Of course. Max just paid it off the other day.”

Harlow snorted. “Of course he did. He can’t help himself. I’m here more than he is, but he insists on always paying for everything. I tried to surprise him and beat him to it, but I’m not the most organized about remembering things like that.”

Janet squeezed her shoulder before she turned away. “Let him take care of you, hon.”

“I don’t care so much about Brett,” Harlow started while I added a little cream to my coffee, looping right back to where we’d been in conversation. “Tell me what the hell is going on with you and Nash.”

I felt heat crest on my cheeks and bit back a sigh. Harlow knew me pretty well. Hedging, I replied, “What do you mean?” I silently prayed she hadn’t shared her suspicions with Max.

“I mean, every time Max says his name, you look pretty darn interested. And, you’re blushing now,” she said with a pointed look.

I gulped my coffee and narrowed my eyes. “All right, if I talk to you about this, you cannot tell Max. I don’t need to hear about it from him.”

“Cross my heart.” For good measure, Harlow made a cross with her index finger in front of her heart and nodded solemnly.

“Well, I guess we had a fling.”

“A fling with Nash Reynolds couldn’t be a bad thing. He’s totally hot. I mean, Nash is not my type, but just sayin’. I have eyes. I think anyone who sees Nash would think he’s pretty hot.”

I rolled my eyes, but then the whole story tumbled past my lips in a rush.

I ended with, “…and I don’t know what to do.

I think I was feeling like such an idiot after everything Brett did.

It felt amazing to have someone want me.

Still, I needed some space, and I didn’t quite know what Nash felt for me.

Plus, I figured I didn’t have to worry about anything here.

No one can exactly show up without getting noticed pretty quick in Willow Brook. ”

“Have you talked to Nash since you got here?” Harlow asked.

Harlow was clearly undeterred by my subtle attempt to change the topic back to Brett and the fact that he had a loan shark tailing me in New Orleans.

When I narrowed my eyes at her, she grinned with a sly gleam in her eyes.

“I didn’t miss your attempt at a detour.

We don’t need to discuss all that. It’s been three weeks, Brett’s been arrested and charged, and Max and Nash coordinated with the police to deal with that loan shark.

You’re in the clear and you’re totally safe.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good story, but not a new story for me.

I’m glad you’re safe, and I’m glad you’re here.

However, what I really want to know is what you plan to do about Nash. ”

“I don’t know,” I said, lifting a hand and letting it fall. “And no, to answer your question, I haven’t talked to Nash since I’ve been here. Actually, that’s not true. I texted him when I landed.”

“Hand me your phone.” Harlow reached between us and snatched up my phone before I could respond. “What’s your password?”

“I’m not telling you my password,” I protested, although I didn’t really care if Harlow knew it. I just didn’t know what she was after.

“Fine, don’t tell me. Just enter it for me.”

I gave her a glare, before snatching my phone back and quickly tapping it in for her. “What the hell are you doing anyway?” I asked as I handed the phone back over.

Harlow gave me a considering look before she tapped open my messages. “Checking to see how many times Nash has texted you.”

She was quiet for several moments, and then her eyes swung to mine again. “He’s texted you every single day, and you’re not replying.”

I blew a puff of air from my bottom lip upward, forcefully blowing a loose lock of hair out of my eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s obvious you miss him,” Harlow said when she handed the phone back to me. “Why aren’t you doing something about it?”

Turning my phone face down on the table, I opened my mouth to protest, but she shook her head quickly. “Don’t argue with me on that. Every time his name comes up, you whip around.”

“Does Max know what you think about this?” I hedged.

“You just told me what was going on!” When I rolled my eyes, Harlow added, “I had my suspicions, and I mentioned to Max that I thought you might like Nash. But that’s it. I swear. Look, take it from someone else who screwed up with men plenty, you can get past that.”

I shrugged, a smile slowly stretching across my face as I regarded her. “Of course, you married my brother. Max is awesome except when he’s an overbearing older brother.”

Harlow snorted a laugh before pausing to take a sip of her coffee.

“He is. For what it’s worth, I told him no sister wants to be lectured on dating.

I think you should reply to Nash and get your ass back down to New Orleans to see him.

You have unfinished business.” Her tone was stern and almost a dare.

“Are you serious? You’re acting like this is a big thing. I seriously doubt Nash has time for an actual relationship.”

Harlow eyed me and shook her head slowly. “You’re scared. Look, no matter what you think about the timing, the only way to find out if this might be worth it is to try. If you don’t try, you’ll never know.”

“The timing is terrible . I just broke up with Brett, and?—”

Harlow cut in quickly. “You told me yourself before you even went on the trip with Brett that for all intents and purposes, you two were broken up. You’d hardly seen him for months. Plus, love isn’t always about timing.”

“What about love?” my brother’s voice carried to us.

I cast a firm glare at Harlow. “You’d better stay quiet about this.”

Max stopped beside our table, leaning over to press a lingering kiss on Harlow’s cheek.

As he straightened, his blue eyes flicked from Harlow to me and back again.

Sometimes I hated how perceptive my brother was, so I elected to put this one on Harlow.

“I was just pointing out how fast you fell for her, oh mighty brother.”

Max hooked his hand over an empty chair from the table beside us to sit down quickly. “Give me all the hell you want. Harlow is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

When his smile unfurled slowly, my heart clenched. “She is. Even though I was teasing, I’ll never stop being happy for you.”

“So, we’re flying back to San Francisco in two days. Are you going with us?” Max asked.

I shrugged. “Probably. I’ve got to finish up that story I started in New Orleans. I have all the photographs, but I need to pull everything together. I might as well find a new place soon.”

A sense of disappointment settled over me.

It wasn’t awful, but it was dull and tinged with regret.

There was nothing to keep me in San Francisco now, except for my brother and Harlow.

I wished I had a place to be, and a reason that felt purposeful and perhaps even passionate.

Just like my career, my living situation and location felt like something I’d simply stumbled into.

I’d gone to college there and ended up with a job, so I stayed.

San Francisco was an awesome city, and my brother was there almost every other month. Yet, there was nothing holding me there. I had friends, but I traveled enough for work that I didn’t have a strong sense of belonging there.

“You know you can stay at our place as long as you need,” Harlow chimed in. “We have plenty of room. Besides half the time, it’s all yours.”

Harlow was kind and generous, as she always was, but I didn’t want to be a charity case. “I know, and I do appreciate it. I might take you up on that for the short term, but I need a plan.”

“I’ll cover your ticket,” Max offered.

When I looked into his eyes, I knew he was just trying to be helpful however he could.

I also knew the money was a drop in the bucket for him, but I hated the situation I was in.

Between Nash and Max, they’d largely dealt with the mess Brett created.

Although my credit cards were back in order and so on, that didn’t mean I magically had money.

“I know you will, and I appreciate it. I’ll go to San Francisco and figure it out from there.”