Page 12 of A Magnolia Move-In
Not wanting to move just yet, I settled back in my chair. Jackson ate in silence, which was typical of my brother. He wasn’t one to carry a conversation if he didn’t need to.
Boredom got the better of me, so I leaned my elbows on the tabletop. “So, you are liking it here in Magnolia?” I asked.
Jackson had just scooped up some spaghetti, and the ends were hanging out of his mouth. He glanced up at me as he slurped them in. “It’s nice,” he said as he grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth.
“Wow.”
He frowned. “What?”
“It must be special for you to give it a raving review like this,” I said.
He scoffed and took a sip of his beer. “You’re ridiculous.”
It was true though. I rarely saw my brother get excitedabout anything. He was a New York Times best-selling author and an international icon. But nothing seemed to get him riled up…until he met Fiona. Suddenly, things changed. I was happy for him, but there were times when his happiness felt like a dagger to the sad and pathetic state of my life.
Especially now.
“So, what’s the plan with you two?” I knew that Jackson hated talking about himself, but in all honesty, if I was focused on him, I wasn’t focused on myself. I was desperate to avoid deciding what to do, so I was going to help Jackson navigate his love life.
At least one of us was going to have our happily ever after.
“Naomi.” His voice was low and deep. I recognized his attempt at intimidation.
“What?” I scoffed. I wasn’t impacted by his voice. If anything, it only made me want to press him more. “You’re telling me that you haven’t thought about this?”
His pause said what his words wouldn’t. Hehadthought about it. And from the spark that flickered in his gaze—he’d thought about it a lot.
Three solid knocks on the door caused him to jump up from his spot. I glowered at him as he hurried over to the door, calling, “Someone’s here,” over his shoulder. He was obviously thankful for the distraction.
“You’re deflecting,” I called after his retreating frame. I huffed as I reached out and fiddled with the utensils I’d set on my plate. He’d left me to sit here with my own thoughts. That was a dangerous place for me to be.
“Yeah, she’s here,” Jackson’s words drew my attention over to the door.
Who would care that I was here? My brother wasn’t chatty, and besides Fiona, I doubted he’d chummed up with anyone else.
Colten Morgan filled the door frame. Right. My brother’s best friend. When Colten’s gaze fell on me, a smile crept across his lips. He was wearing a dark red t-shirt with jeans and a black ball cap. If I allowed myself to think about it, there was a part of me that was attracted to Colten…until I remembered that he was my brother’s best friend, and those feelings left.
“Well, if it isn’t Nerdy Nomie,” Colten said as he stepped into the house and Jackson shut the door behind him.
I narrowed my eyes at his use of my old nickname. Only a few people could use that, and at my age, pretty much no one called me that anymore.
Not even my brother, who’d come up with the name in the first place.
“Hey, Crying Coltie,” I responded.
He chuckled as he crossed the room and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. For a moment, my heart picked up speed—and it wasn’t because he was squeezing me so tight that he was cutting off my circulation.
This was something else.
He smelled like the salty ocean had a baby with the forest after a summer rain. It was intoxicating. Mix that with the warmth of his body as he hugged me—and myinsides were flipping…until I felt like I was going to vomit.
I pushed him away and unlocked my chair as fast as I could. I tried to take off across the room, but my extended leg caught on the table, and I couldn’t wheel back fast enough.
My stomach was heaving. I could see the startled looks of Colten and Jackson as they stared at me.
“Garbage!” I managed out as I cupped my hand over my mouth.
Thankfully, Jackson understood and produced a black bowl, which I grabbed from him and proceeded to hurl my dinner into.
