Chapter 3
Three
Matt stood in front of the fridge and considered his dinner options.
Although he had plenty of food on hand, nothing appealed to him.
While he could go pick something up, he didn’t know when Liv would return, and he didn’t want to keep her waiting for him.
Unfortunately, while Matt had given her his phone number in case she needed it, he hadn’t asked for hers, so calling or texting her to get an ETA was out of the question.
Grabbing a blueberry yogurt smoothie, he twisted off the lid. Before he could get the bottle to his mouth, though, his cell phone rang. When he saw the name “Theo” on the screen, he took a sip of his drink before answering because his brother could wait a minute.
“Hey, Theo. How’s it going?”
Matt crossed the kitchen to the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows.
The weather app on his phone predicted the area would get one hell of a storm tonight.
Already, a soft drizzle hit the windows, but the dark clouds filling the sky suggested that the rain would intensify soon.
There was nothing quite like the ocean during a storm.
“I can’t complain,” Theo answered.
His brother’s answer didn’t surprise him.
No matter how grumpy or stressed Theo got, he rarely complained to anyone except his twin.
Instead, he avoided people until he took care of whatever the problem was.
Honestly, Matt didn’t know how Theo managed to go through life like that.
As far as he was concerned, sometimes it simply helped to find someone willing to listen while you got things off your chest.
“What about you? Mom told me you’re hiding up in Maine.”
No doubt their mom had used those exact words. While she enjoyed being near the water, she didn’t like to be more than an hour’s drive from a major city. His brothers were much the same way. Matt enjoyed visiting a city like Los Angeles from time to time, but not regularly.
“I wouldn’t say hiding, but yeah, I’m in Maine. I got here last week.”
As if an angry god controlled the weather, the sky opened. Heavy rain pelted the windows, making it almost impossible to see, and Matt was glad he wasn’t driving. A car’s windshield wipers would be of little use in a storm like this.
“How long are you going to be there?” Theo asked.
“I’m not sure. But at least until July. Why?”
“Brianna and I are heading to Maine in July. If you’re going to be around, I thought we’d visit while we’re in the area.”
Theo rarely vacationed on the East Coast, and when he did, he spent his time in places like Miami or New York City. Matt couldn’t recall his brother ever going to Maine.
“Brianna? What happened to Iris?”
Matt didn’t keep tabs on his brothers’ love lives, and Theo didn’t share with him the names of everyone he dated. However, the last time he’d spent time with his brother, Theo and Iris had been attached at the hip. It’d been almost sickening to watch, actually.
“Iris received a promotion at work that she couldn’t turn down. She moved to Seattle seven months ago.” The annoyance in Theo’s voice suggested there was more to the story. “We tried the long-distance thing, but it didn’t work. We haven’t spoken in about five months.”
Had it really been more than six months since he saw his brother? It didn’t seem possible. And if it had been that long since he saw Theo, it had been even longer since he saw Aiden. He’d have to do something about that soon.
“Brianna and I’ve been together for about three months. We met at a fundraiser.”
Lightning flashed across the sky, and a loud crack soon followed, suggesting it had struck something. Matt’s bet was on a tree.
“Why are you two coming this way?” If Brianna was anything like the women Theo usually dated, Maine wouldn’t be on her list of places to visit.
“One of Brianna’s sorority sisters is getting married.”
His brother’s trip to the East Coast made a lot more sense now. “I’ll let you know if I’m still here. Do you know where the wedding is?” Maine wasn’t the largest state in the US, but depending on where the wedding was, it could be a bit of a drive to Orchard Harbor.
The doorbell rang just as Matt finished asking the question.
“Brianna told me, but I don’t remember. I’ll ask her when I see her later today.”
“Theo, can I call you back later? Liv’s here.” Matt was only expecting one person tonight, so it had to be her at the door.
“Yeah, sure, but before you go, is Liv the woman you were photographed with in Virginia?”
Matt exited the kitchen and walked down the hallway. “No. That was Evie. She’s Adam’s girlfriend, not mine.”
“I didn’t think you were involved with her. She’s not your type.”
He didn’t think he had a type.
“I told Brianna I couldn’t see you dating anyone with a child.”
Whether a woman had a child or not wouldn’t matter to him. If Theo thought it would, Matt wouldn’t waste his time correcting him, especially since it was a moot point. He wasn’t involved with Evie or anyone else, for that matter. He hadn’t been in a relationship in months.
“Evie isn’t Reagan’s mom. Call Adam. He’ll explain everything.” Even if he had the time, it wasn’t his place to share the recent developments in their cousin’s life.
“Will do. Talk to you later.”
Matt shoved his phone back into his pocket and opened the door just as another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
“Come on in.” The overhang protected Liv from the full onslaught of the rain, but she was still getting wet.
“Sorry. I would’ve been here sooner, but the visibility is terrible tonight. I pulled over twice because I couldn’t see anything.” She handed him the car keys and the plastic bags she’d carried in with her. “After the party, I stopped at the restaurant and got you some dinner.”
Judging by the size of the bags, she had gotten enough dinner for two or three people. “You didn’t have to do that.”
But I’m glad you did.
Now he didn’t have to worry about either cooking or picking up takeout.
Liv shrugged as she pushed strands of damp hair off her forehead. “I felt bad that you didn’t have a chance to eat earlier. Consider it payment for letting me use your car today.”
“I appreciate it. It looks like you brought enough to last me tonight and tomorrow.”
“I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I got an assortment of entrees.”
He doubted she’d been able to eat while working, and he wouldn’t mind some company. “Have you eaten yet?”
“It’s on my to-do list when I get home.”
“Why don’t you share this with me, and maybe by the time we’re done, the visibility will be better.”
Liv raked her teeth across her bottom lip before she answered. “It’s probably a good idea if you wait to drive me home.”
Matt took that as a yes and locked the door. “The kitchen is this way.”
“Do you want me to take my shoes off?”
Some people insisted you remove your shoes before stepping past the front door. He wasn’t one of them. Life was too short to worry about such trivial things. “Whatever makes you comfortable.”
After removing her sneakers, Liv left them and her purse by the door, then followed him down the hall to the kitchen.
“This afternoon, you mentioned you’re catering an event tomorrow. You’re welcome to use my car again if you need it. I would’ve called to tell you and saved you the drive here, but I didn’t have your number.”
“If you don’t mind, that would be amazing.”
He could tell by her tone that if he turned around, he’d find a surprised expression on her face.
“Use it for as long as you need to.” Matt placed the bags on the table and gestured toward a chair. “Make yourself at home.”
“It should be just tomorrow. I’ll pick our other van up on Monday.”
Grabbing two plates from the cabinet, he glanced in her direction. “What would you like to drink?”
“Whatever you’re having is fine,” she said as she opened a take-out container.
Lightning once again lit up the night sky. A loud boom soon followed it.
“Looks like Keith McCain was right for a change.”
Liv said the name as if he should know who she referred to.
“The meteorologist on channel 10,” she added, as if reading his thoughts. “This morning, he predicted we’d get a storm tonight.”
He couldn’t remember the last time he watched either the local or national news.
Liv opened the next container. “I’m not complaining. I love a good storm like this. But I don’t enjoy driving when it’s this bad.”
“Me too.” Many people complained when it rained or snowed. Not him. He didn’t know many people who shared his views, though. “How do you feel about snowstorms?”
“As long as I don’t have to go anywhere, I love them too. Especially if I have some hot chocolate on hand.”
Matt added the plates and utensils to the table, then went back for the iced teas he’d poured. “Everything looks amazing.” It was going to be difficult to decide what to eat first. “What do you suggest I start with?”
“If I were you, I’d go for the lobster mac and cheese. But if you’re in the mood for beef, I suggest the meatloaf Wellington. It was one of today’s specials.”
Nothing in the containers on the table resembled meatloaf to him. “The lobster mac and cheese is a must tonight. Which one is the meatloaf?”
Liv pushed a container closer to him. “This one. I know it doesn’t look like meatloaf.
Dad wraps it in puff pastry and serves it with a mushroom demi-glace.
” She pointed to another container. “This is chili-glazed salmon. It was very popular in the fall as a special, so Dad decided to permanently add it to the menu.”
He never would’ve thought to combine chili seasoning with salmon, but then again, his skills in the kitchen were limited. It might be the best thing he’d ever tasted.
“This is chicken piccata. If we didn’t have the lobster mac and cheese, I’d probably have that tonight.”
Matt cut the meatloaf into sections and added some to his plate before doing the same with the salmon. He didn’t dislike chicken piccata, but tonight the other dishes sounded more appealing. “So, how did the retirement party go tonight?”