Chapter Five
Merely spending twenty minutes with Autumn made Joel’s mind spin. He had to work hard to push the not-so-innocent thoughts about her out of his head. After all, she didn’t need to go running and screaming from one bad relationship into another that wouldn’t last more than a minute or two.
God, even the way she took a sip of her milkshake got him going. The way her lips wrapped around—
Oscar groaned and rolled over on the back patio.
“You’re right, boy. I’m acting insane. Completely, bona-fide insane.” He walked over to the grill, checked the temperature, and turned up the gas.
Some of his brothers were coming over for a barbecue tonight, and he looked forward to the distraction because lately, all he could think about was Autumn, and there was more to the world than a sexy neighbor with wildly extravagant dreams of running a B&B.
He had a wonderful family, a business he enjoyed running with them, plenty of volunteer opportunities that he took advantage of, and lots of friends. He’d almost fooled himself into believing he was a catch, except for the simple fact that he wasn’t the hugest fan of long-term relationships.
“Hey, man. Good thing I know where your spare key is.” Kyle walked onto the patio, holding a plate of cookies. “I was ringing the doorbell for like five minutes.”
“Aww. You brought me sweets.” Joel grinned and sauntered over to tackle his brother and snatch the plate away from him. “So sweet of you to bake.”
“Aren’t you the funny one all of a sudden?” His brother rolled his eyes and hugged Joel while simultaneously moving the plate of cookies to the side.
“Brooke didn’t want me coming over empty-handed. She’s on a day trip with Grandma Martha and Abigail today.”
Hearing his brother talk about Brooke and his daughter put a little kink in his thinking when it came to relationships. Now that was a union meant to last for all eternity. The problem was that Joel wasn’t certain he’d ever find that kind of devotion. Joel wasn’t a halfway-in guy. He was either all in or all out, and if it looked like there was a somewhere in between, he quickly got out before it was too late.
Joel peeled back the plastic wrap and sniffed. “Chocolate chip peanut butter? You’re one lucky son of a bitch.”
Kyle smiled and nodded in agreement. “I know. You only got a plateful, while I have a jar full of them at home with three times as many.”
“Not one to ever hold back to try to make me jealous.” Joel walked over to the grill, and Kyle took a seat on a lounger by the fire pit.
“Do you realize how much I have to work out now with her around?” He rubbed his nonexistent belly and Joel chuckled.
“You know you love every second of it.”
“True. So, what’s up with the moving truck across the street?” Kyle asked as two more North brothers wandered into the backyard from the side gate.
Drew was the youngest of the brothers, and he held onto his case of beer as if it were his lifeline. Samuel was right behind him holding a grocery bag with chips sticking out the top. The only brother missing was Austin. He was the oldest and was driving back from Seattle, so he’d probably arrive late.
“That truck belongs to the niece of Freddy Tucker. She inherited the old B&B, but I’m not sure she thinks it’s such a gift anymore.”
“A niece of Tucker’s, huh?” Kyle flashed him a look, but his brother didn’t say anything else. He didn’t have to. They both knew what that meant. Things could get complicated if they were to ever get involved.
“Anyway, it’s a project.” Joel drew a breath. “As we both know.”
“Nothing a little elbow grease can’t fix.” Kyle grimaced as if he didn’t even believe the words coming out of his mouth. There were fixer-uppers and then there was that old B&B.
“Yeah. Exactly.” Joel smiled, thinking of Autumn’s determination.
“So is she older? Younger? Married?” Drew opened the bag of tortilla chips and poured some salsa into a bowl.
“She is not older, and she is not married.” Joel turned back to the grill.
“So she’s age-appropriate and available.” Kyle laughed and grabbed a chip from his brother.
“I’m not really sure what constitutes age-appropriate, but yeah. Sort of.” Joel cleared his throat and glanced at three pairs of blue eyes staring back at him. “What?”
“You’re totally blushing.” Samuel grinned and pointed at Joel.
“I don’t blush.” Joel glared at Sam before walking toward the French doors.
“You saw it, right?” Sam laughed, but Kyle and Drew didn’t say a word. They didn’t have to. He knew they were nodding their heads in silence.
Joel flipped on the kitchen light and drew a deep breath. He had to get ahold of himself.
Was she attractive?
Yes.
Available?
Most likely.
Good taste in men?
Not looking promising, which might mean he had a shot.
Kyle came into the kitchen and eyed his brother suspiciously.
“Well, that was a quick exit,” he said coyly.
“It wasn’t an exit. I thought I should grab the steaks since the grill’s hot.”
“Then why are you in here daydreaming?”
Joel threw a kitchen towel at his brother, but Kyle caught it.
“So what does she look like?”
“That doesn’t matter.” Joel grabbed the marinating steaks out of the fridge.
“Of course, it doesn’t matter in the scheme of life, but I’m curious to know what she looks like in case I bump into her or something.”
“She’s gorgeous.”
“Well, that really helps narrow it down. Thanks.” Kyle shook his head and grabbed a stack of napkins to take outside. “Does she know everything about her uncle?”
“I don’t think so. It seems like her family was estranged from him, so I doubt she has a clue. But I don’t want to make her moving in a big deal. I’m not moving anywhere for a long time—if ever—so it’s best for all involved for us to stay neighbors and nothing more. If I get involved with her and it goes to hell, one of us will want to move, and I don’t want to move. I like it here. She’ll probably like it there. It just doesn’t make sense. I’m not going to move from here because I couldn’t keep it in my pants.”
Here was a home that had been in the family for the last six decades. When the home was about to be torn down, it had been purchased and lovingly restored by the North family. When his mom planned on selling it, he snatched it up and never looked back. It was far enough away from the resort to give him space from the business and his brothers.
“Dude, I didn’t say anything about anything. I only asked what she looked like. Now, I’m hearing about how a relationship isn’t for the greater good, and people are putting their homes up for sale, and all hell is breaking loose.” Kyle’s lip curled slightly. “But it sounds like you’ve got a good handle on it, so that’s great.” He slapped his brother’s shoulder and Joel laughed.
“Yeah. It sounds like I’ve got a good grip on reality, doesn’t it?”
Kyle’s blue eyes sparkled with intrigue as Joel walked by him with the steaks. Kyle had never known his brother to have much interest in the opposite sex beyond a fling now and again. Joel had kind of taken advantage of the perks of owning a resort over the years, but Kyle had noticed those activities had slowed down as of late.
All the North brothers had fallen in that trap at one time or another. A couple of them might still be indulging a bit too much now and again, but that seemed to be the cycle of single men everywhere.
Joel opened the French doors with his free hand and walked onto the patio with his brother trailing behind.
“Besides, she’s got this complication at her house right now. She met him online, and he fell through the porch, but that was only after he couldn’t figure out how to open the door.” Joel placed the platter next to the grill and started plopping the steaks on the grate to the sound of sizzling.
“Sounds like a real keeper. You just might have a shot.” Drew stood up, holding his beer, and inspected the grill.
There was no denying the North brothers shared a strong family resemblance. Each of the men embodied certain characteristics like chiseled facial features, striking blue eyes and dark hair, and muscular bodies that came naturally from spending time outdoors all year. There was a reason women tended to fall for them quickly.
“Thanks for that.” Joel shut the lid on the grill and walked over to a bench and took a seat. “So have you thought anymore about the addition to the spa?”
Maybe if Joel could get his brothers focused on business, it would get him off the hook and put a stop to this entire discussion. He didn’t need voices traveling across the street. He’d already managed to become tongue-tied around her enough times.
“I think it makes sense,” Drew said, taking a seat at the table with his beer. “It’s one of our most lucrative attractions, especially in the spring and summer months.”
“We have more than enough property,” Sam added. He walked over to Oscar and gave him a few scratches. “So would you tell us if our brother has the hots for the neighbor?”
Oscar—the traitor that he was—stood at attention and lifted his jowl on one side.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Sam laughed, and Oscar relaxed immediately. His work was done. “Why don’t you invite her over for some dinner? We’ve got plenty of food.”
Joel froze at the notion. He didn’t need his brothers scaring her off or embarrassing him. He could do both of those things himself, thank you very much.
“Who should Joel invite over?” Austin said, coming around the side of the house. “Looks like I got here right on time.”
“No one. Your siblings are trying to cause trouble because they’re bored with their own lives.” Joel smiled and gave his older brother a big hug.
Austin had long since gotten over being a playboy, but his reputation still hung around. The only way he’d ever find someone to settle down with would be if she were from out of town—Mars, maybe.
“Oh, it must be serious then.” Austin glanced at his brothers and they broke into laughter.
“It’s the neighbor.” Sam pointed in the direction of Autumn’s B&B.
“You should invite her over.” Austin smiled just as Joel caught the grill smoking a little too much.
He dashed over and lifted the lid, seconds away from a disaster. He flipped the steaks over and shut the lid.
“She’s preoccupied right now.” Joel crossed his arms and stared at Austin. “She’s got a guest.”
“A guest?” His brows knitted together.
“Yeah.” Joel was determined not to give his brothers too much to run with or it would make his life extremely painful.
All he’d wanted tonight was a nice get-together with his brothers. How it had turned into a night of analyzing his love life, he had no idea. He grabbed the stack of plates on the table and brought them over to the grill, placing a steak on each and handing it to a brother.
“So what’s she look like?” Austin asked innocently.
“She’s gorgeous,” Kyle answered.
“You’ve met her?” Austin took his plate from Joel.
“No, but that’s what I got out of him.” Kyle pointed at Joel.
“Are you blushing?”
“Enough with that. I’ve got olive skin and I don’t blush.” Joel turned off the gas grill and walked back over to the table and took a seat. “Listen, she’s funny, sweet, smart, determined, and gorgeous. But none of that matters because we’re neighbors.”
“And he doesn’t want to have to move,” Kyle added, and Austin laughed, taking a seat across from Joel.
“I hear ya.” Austin shook his head. “Things can get really messy really quickly.”
“You guys are worse than Mom and Grandma.” Joel chuckled and grinned.
He knew he was lucky that all of his brothers were close. Not only did they all work together, but they were best friends, and he couldn’t imagine his life without them. After his parents split, all his brothers stood up to the plate and helped their mom—not that she needed much help. All the women in his family were extremely independent, and without a doubt, the brothers got their extreme work ethic and drive to do well because of the women in Joel’s family.
He’d like to say his father was a great role model, but he wasn’t. There was no twisting the facts or any amount of make-believe to create a father who was there for them. He wasn’t. Their father simply wasn’t a great family man.
“Does she have a contractor in mind?” Kyle asked.
“I think Autumn thinks she’ll be doing a lot of it on her own,” Joel explained.
“Oh. Well, Mason Rhodes is really well-known in the Seattle area, but he does occasionally work on the islands, and he’ll come to the mountains. He’s fair and honest. He’s the husband of one of Brooke’s friends,” Kyle added.
Joel had actually worked with Mason off and on, but he didn’t feel like reminding his brother of that.
“Or is that your angle?” Sam asked, taking a bite of steak.
“My angle?” Joel’s brows knitted together.
“Yeah. Is that how you’re going to be working your way in? Help her out here and there . . .” Sam wiggled his brows and never really finished his sentence.
“Please.”
“So how long has she been here?” Drew asked.
“A few days.”
“Why’s her moving truck still parked there?” he pressed.
“It’s complicated,” Joel grumbled.
“Does she need help getting things inside?” Sam suddenly looked concerned.
“Yes and no. She’s got guys on-call, but like I said, it’s complicated. She wants to wait for the guy to go home.”
“The guy?” Austin asked.
“Long story.” His concern was that if he interfered in Autumn’s life, it would only make things worse.
When he saw Ronald on his crutches waiting for Autumn, it didn’t sit well and he couldn’t even figure out why. Joel knew, without a doubt, that she deserved better and was being conned to take care of him, but he understood her point about not wanting to get sued. He looked like a creep who’d file a complaint over a sliver in the thumb, let alone falling through a porch no one wanted him on.
“Joel, are you back here?” Her voice rang through his backyard like the beautiful melody it was. All his brothers turned to stare at him as his face was frozen mid-bite. “I tried your doorbell, but you didn’t answer.”
He stood and nearly choked on his own tongue when she came bounding across the patio in the shortest shorts he’d ever seen. She had an oversized hoodie that was buttoned up to her neck, but none of that mattered with legs like that.
See? These were the thoughts that came drilling into his subconscious mind, and superficial stuff wasn’t what he was about.
He could feel his brothers watching him so he squared his shoulders.
She stopped mid-stride when she saw all the North brothers sitting around the table. They all stood, offering different greetings, and her cheeks reddened as she pulled on her hoodie with her free hand. Her other one was holding a basket.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you had company.” Her eyes narrowed, going from brother to brother, and she tilted her head.
“No big deal. It’s just my brothers.”
“The ones you offered up to help me move?” she asked, smiling.
“Those are the ones.” He braced himself for some wisecrack from one of them, but none came.
Maybe they were as taken aback as he had been. It was like the moment she arrived, the entire mood just got lighter, so yeah, she was gorgeous, but there was something so much more about her.
She threw another smile in his direction, and this time, she looked bashful.
“I . . . umm. I brought over this bottle of wine to thank you for rescuing Ronald and for driving me for the food today. Plus, it gave me a reason to get out of the house.” She removed the bottle of wine from her basket, and all the brothers began mumbling about getting some stuff from inside the house. She laughed and shook her head. “You guys don’t have to go inside.”
“We need salt. He didn’t season the steak very well.” Drew nearly stumbled over his words as he moved from the table.
“And it’s really important that we get it right with the restaurant and all,” Sam chimed in.
“Restaurant?” she asked, handing the bottle to Joel.
“Yeah. Up at the resort,” Sam continued.
“Oh, is that why you said the Kobe beef burger there is the best?” she asked, her eyes connecting with his. It was like all his brothers and Oscar melted away when he looked into her eyes. “One of you is the chef or something?”
“Joel didn’t tell you?” Austin followed the rest of the brothers toward the French doors. “Our family owns the Silver Ridge Ski Resort.”
She smiled. “No. Can’t say that he mentioned it.”