Page 2 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)
I burst out laughing. “Apparently, your subconscious wants you to end this year with a bang by having you go after all the forbidden people in your life. First, it’s your brother’s best friend, then it’s your best friend’s brother.
.. Who’s it gonna be next? Are you gonna go after Josh? Your best friend’s ex?”
“Never!” She crinkled her nose. “Ew. No.”
“I mean, you and Theo would be pretty cute together.” I waggled my eyebrows, teasing her. “And just think...we could be sisters.”
“He’s way too old for me.” Nora rolled her eyes dramatically. “Plus, I know you think your niece is the cutest, but I’m nowhere near ready to be trusted with raising a child anytime soon.”
“So it’s only because he’s almost thirty and has a daughter?” I grinned, raising an eyebrow. “Because if you think my brother is hot...I can go up to him right now and ask if the attraction is mutual.”
“Oh no you won’t!” Nora’s eyes widened as she grabbed my arm, yanking me back. “You will not walk over there and tell your sexy corporate lawyer brother that I think he’s hot.”
“Oh, so you think my brother’s sexy ?” I grinned even wider.
Her eyes narrowed, but I could see the pink creeping up her neck. “I’m not blind. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to make a fool of myself tonight. Plus...isn’t he still grieving?”
I sighed, my expression softening as I thought about Theo.
“He’ll probably always miss Alisha,” I said quietly, referring to my brother’s late wife who had died in a car accident a year and a half ago.
“But he’s gone on a few dates lately, so I think he’s ready.
Come on, let’s go talk to him. We’ve always said we should have been sisters. ”
“No.” Nora chuckled, shaking her head. “I get why you’d want this but…roommates, teammates, and best friends will have to be it for us.”
“Fine.” I pouted playfully. “I guess I’ll try to be okay with that.” I was about to say something else when my gaze shifted back to the bar where Theo was now talking to one of the bartenders—and my breath caught.
Because...wow. The bartender was mega sexy. Dark hair, huge biceps that looked like they’d been carved from stone, and when he smiled at something Theo must have said, his whole face lit up, creating this instant magnetic pull.
“Holy crap,” Nora muttered, leaning in closer to get a better look. “Who’s that?”
“I…” I blinked, feeling my pulse speed up. “I have no idea. But wow.”
“Well, it looks like he and your brother are friends.” Nora grinned, raising a reddish-brown eyebrow. “Maybe we should forget about your plan to spare Josh’s feelings tonight and ask your brother for an introduction?”
I glanced over at Josh, who was now sitting in the booth with his back to the bar, and for a moment, I considered Nora’s suggestion. Maybe it was okay to say hi to my brother.
But just as we were standing from the booth, Nora winced and placed a hand on her lower stomach. “Can we hit the bathroom first? Because I really need to pee.”
“You and your tiny bladder.” I laughed, shaking my head.
We headed to the bathroom, but as we were making our way back toward the bar, Josh was standing there, already getting another drink. When he saw us, he waved us over to him.
“You two are still planning to be our DDs tonight, right?” he asked when we reached him, putting a muscular arm around my shoulders.
“Yes.” I nodded, trying not to feel that familiar warmth and safety that always came when he had his arm around me. “We’re just getting waters now.”
“Good. ‘Cause I’m about to get wast-ed ,” he said excitedly.
And even though he seemed happy, a flicker of concern flashed through me. Josh wasn’t the best at knowing his limits, and he sometimes got into trouble because of it.
But he’s not your responsibility anymore… I reminded myself.
Plus, he really did seem happier tonight than he’d been last spring, so hopefully, things were better now and would stay that way.
The bartender finished preparing Josh’s drinks—one shot of clear liquor, probably vodka, and a beer—and set them down on the bar.
“Looks like my drinks are done,” Josh said, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead before grabbing them.
Then turning back to Nora and me with a grin, he said, “Enjoy your waters, girls.”
“What was that?” Nora asked, looking perplexed. “Do you think he’s already drunk enough that he forgot you’re broken up?”
“I have no idea,” I said, feeling as confused as she looked. “But at least we’re getting along?”
I watched Josh head back to his buddies, relieved that he seemed to be in a good mood at least. Then Nora looped her arm through mine, pulling me farther down the bar to where we’d seen Theo sitting earlier.
Just as we approached, two seats next to Theo became available.
“Hey, bro,” I said, sliding onto the barstool next to him. “Fancy running into you here. ”
“Oh hey, Lucy.” Theo looked up from his glass of scotch, clearly surprised to see us. “What are you doing here?”
“Came with Nora and the hockey team to celebrate their win.” I shrugged. “We saw you from our table and thought we’d say hi.”
And yeah…hoping to flirt a little with the bartender, too. But my brother didn’t need to know about that other motive.
“Well, what a great surprise. Never thought I’d see the day when my baby sister would be grown up enough that I’d run into her at a club.
” Theo was eight years older than me, so we hadn’t hung out much growing up.
But after Alisha died, I’d moved in with him to help with Charlotte during my summer breaks from college and we’d grown a lot closer because of that.
“And it’s good to see you as always, Nora.” Theo leaned forward to smile at my friend. “I trust you’re keeping my sister out of trouble.”
“Of course,” Nora said, and I noticed the faintest flush creeping up her neck when she met my brother’s gaze.
Was she blushing?
When our eyes met, I could’ve sworn I saw her shoot me a warning look, as if telling me to keep our earlier conversation about how attractive she thought my brother was just between us.
I turned back to Theo and asked, “What are you doing here all alone on a Sunday night anyway?”
“I met a girl for drinks earlier.” Theo took a sip of his drink, leaning back in his seat.
“Walked her to her car, then decided to come back and chat with my friend Owen.” He gave a subtle nod toward the bartender Nora and I had been eyeing earlier.
“Charlotte’s at Mom and Dad’s tonight, and I just didn’t feel like heading home yet. ”
“ Ooohh , you had a date?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “How was it? ”
“It was all right.” Theo shrugged. “Someone I met on a dating app, but I don’t think there’ll be a second date.”
“Ah, dang,” I said, frowning.
“It’s okay,” he said, turning his wrist to adjust his Rolex. “Owen and I were actually just talking about how it’s all a numbers game. As long as we keep at it, it’s gotta work out sometime.”
“Oh, so you’re on the dating apps, too?” Nora turned toward the bartender, who had just walked over from the other end of the bar, clearly picking up on the fact that Owen was the friend Theo had been talking about.
“Yeah.” Owen gave a half-smile, leaning slightly against the bar. “I caved about a month ago and signed up.”
“But you’re still single?” Nora raised an eyebrow, and I could feel my cheeks heat up when Owen’s gaze shifted between me and Nora.
His eyes lingered on mine for a heart-pounding second, seeming to inspect my face, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he could somehow sense why we might be interested in his relationship status.
Hopefully, he didn’t think we were trying to hit on him… even if that was exactly why we’d come over.
“Yeah, I’m single,” Owen said with a shrug, a playful glint in his eyes.
It looked like he was about to say something more, but then Theo patted me on the back and said, “Lucy here has no idea how bad online dating is these days.”
“Never had to sign up, huh?” Owen asked.
“Nope,” Theo answered for me. “She met her long-term boyfriend at their freshman orientation and that was that.”
And with those few words, my heart dropped because Theo made it sound like Josh and I were still together.
Which we definitely weren’t.
I cleared my throat to clear things up. But before I could say anything, Owen said, “I’m guessing the long-term boyfriend is the guy I just saw you with? The one I gave drinks to down the bar?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, tension creeping up my neck as I shifted in my seat.
But before I could explain that Josh and I were just friends, Owen glanced at us again. “So, are you two just here to chat with my fancy lawyer friend, or would you like me to get you something to drink?”
“Can I get a water?” I asked, trying to keep my tone casual though my words came out too quickly.
“Me too,” Nora added.
“Sure thing.” Owen nodded and turned to grab our drinks. His movements were smooth and confident.
And as he filled our glasses, I couldn’t help but watch the way his muscles flexed with every motion, his biceps subtly stretching the fabric of his black T-shirt.
He was different from the guys at school—a few years older, obviously.
But I also sensed a confident maturity that was so attractive after dating a dude-bro for so many years.
When he returned with our waters, a guy in a business suit approached the bar, and instead of lingering to chat like I’d hoped, Owen quickly shifted his focus to the new customer.
“You and Nora still heading to Ky’s party on Friday?” Theo asked, bringing me back into our conversation.
“Yeah,” I replied, trying to focus on my brother, though my thoughts wanted to keep slipping back to his friend. “What about you? Were you able to get a babysitter for Charlotte?”
“Alisha’s parents are keeping her overnight. So I should be able to make it,” Theo said with a smile. “I don’t know what I’d do without all the family around to help.”
“I know,” I said. “We’re the best. ”