Chapter 13
Thirteen
Liv sat watching Matt and Theo as they played pool, and although her body was in the same room, her mind remained elsewhere.
She’d spent enough time with Theo’s girlfriend to know they had nothing in common.
That didn’t bother her. Even if her and Matt’s relationship lasted for the next fifty years and Theo and Brianna stayed together, how much time would she really have to spend with the other woman?
And even if they ended up seeing each other once a month, Liv could get along with anyone when she had to.
She was worried about Matt’s parents, though.
Theo had mentioned he and Brianna had visited them recently, but he hadn’t given any indication of what their parents thought of Brianna.
While she realized he couldn’t do that with Brianna sitting next to him, he’d had plenty of time since she left to share such information.
Was Brianna the only type of woman they’d find acceptable, or were they more open-minded? Unlike Matt and Theo’s aunt and uncle, did their parents care more about their children’s happiness than about the connections a marriage to the right person might bring to the family?
Then again, they may dislike both Liv and Brianna equally. Perhaps they sought someone with a vastly different personality and background from either of them.
Unfortunately, there were only two ways to find out. She could ask Matt and assume he was being truthful, or she could wait until she met them and see how they treated her.
The wisest move would be to ask Matt. In her book, openness in a relationship was essential, and without it, the relationship would never last. However, it wasn’t a conversation she really wanted to have.
On the other hand, the waiting was going to drive her crazy.
She’d just have to decide which was worse, an uncomfortable conversation or waiting for a meeting that might never happen anyway if their relationship ended soon.
Great options I have.
Across the room, Matt’s phone buzzed, alerting him to someone at the door just as he was about to take his turn.
Leaning his pool cue against the table, he pulled out the device. “Food’s here. I’ll be right back.”
Liv stood before he moved from his spot. “I’ll get it. You guys are in the middle of a game.”
“Thanks. Everything is paid for, including the tip,” Matt said as he picked his cue stick up again.
Although she didn’t know the delivery driver’s name, she recognized her from around town.
“I have four large pizzas, an order of onion rings, and an order of stuffed jalapeno peppers,” the twentysomething-year-old brunette said.
How many people does Matt think he’s feeding?
“Thank you.”
Rather than turn and leave, the woman took a step closer and glanced over Liv’s shoulder into the house. “Hey, is this really Matt Sherbrooke’s place?”
She didn’t know what name he’d given when he placed the order. Should she lie and hope the woman believed her? Usually, she preferred not to lie, but maybe in this case it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
“The owner of the home is named Matt Sherbrooke, but he’s not the one you’re thinking of. I wish he were. I’d love to meet him. Eclipse is my favorite band.”
The younger woman took another step closer, and Liv wondered if she planned to walk right in and search the house.
“I don’t believe you. My friend Myra said she saw him in Hometown Brews last week.”
With her hands full, she couldn’t close and lock the door, so using her foot, she started to close it instead. “You can believe whatever you want, but you’re wrong. Have a nice night.”
Well, she’d tried. Matt should’ve let her go and pick up their order tonight. If people started camping out in the street, it was his own fault.
“You’ve been practicing.” Theo’s voice reached her in the hallway. “I guess there isn’t much else to do around here.”
Well, that told her what he thought about the town.
“How much longer are you going to be here?” Theo’s question brought her to a standstill. “You’ve already been here for what, a month? You must be getting bored.”
“I’m not leaving.”
The sound of a ball striking another followed Matt’s answer.
“You’re not heading back to Florida?”
She could imagine Theo’s expression just by the sound of his voice, and if she didn’t care so much about Matt’s answer, she’d laugh at the mental image.
“No. From now on, this is going to be home.”
Excitement rushed through her. Matt had told her he was happiest when he was here and that he planned to stick around, but hearing him tell his brother made it seem more real.
“You can’t be serious. You’ll go crazy here, especially in the winter. Is there even a place nearby to go skiing? What are you going to do, take up knitting and play bingo at the senior center?”
Even in the winter, there was more to do around town than knit and play bingo, but if she marched in and told him that, Matt and Theo would both know she’d been in the hallway listening.
“Yep, as well as needlepoint.”
“I’m serious, Matt.”
Theo clearly doubted his brother’s words. He knew Matt much better than she did. Should she assume Theo was right? That, despite Matt’s assurance, he would get bored and change his mind about staying in town past the summer.
“So am I. You might go crazy here, but I feel more at home here than anywhere else. And Liv’s here.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his comment.
“You’re going to relocate because a woman you’ve been seeing for a few weeks lives here? I mean, I like Liv. She seems very nice, but do you know how insane that is?”
Well, at least he likes me.
“You’re entitled to your opinion, but that’s what I’m doing. And I plan to ask Liv to move in with me.”
Somehow, she managed not to drop the food on the floor.
“There must be something in the water around here. You’ve never asked a woman to move in with you. At least, I don’t remember anyone ever living with you.”
She’d overheard far more of their conversation than she should’ve, and the right thing to do would be to let them know she was about to walk into the room so they could change the subject.
Unfortunately, Liv’s curiosity prevented her from doing the right thing.
Later, she’d probably feel guilty about eavesdropping, but not now.
Once again, the sound of a pool ball striking another came from the room, followed by Matt’s voice.
“I never have.”
Questions swirled in Liv’s mind, and her heart rate spiked as the silly organ pounded in her chest. Not only did Matt intend to ask her to move in with him, but it was something he’d never done in past relationships. And while he might want her to move in with him, was that what she wanted?
Sure, they enjoyed spending time together, and she cared about him, but living together was something else entirely.
Oh, who was she kidding? Each day that passed, she lost another piece of her heart to him. Still, that didn’t mean they should move in together.
But if he did want that, did it mean he loved her? He’d never said the words. Then again, neither had she.
Now isn’t the time to think about it.
If she didn’t return soon, he’d come looking for her. After all, it didn’t take that long to answer the door and accept a delivery order.
He hasn’t asked yet, so worry about it later.
Liv took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before walking into the room. “How many people did you think you were feeding tonight?”
“Theo and I couldn’t agree on what to get.”
“I need to go back and get some plates and napkins.”
After setting his pool cue down, Matt crossed the room and relieved her of the pizza boxes. “No need. I put some paper plates and stuff under the bar so we’d have them whenever we need them.”
The word caught her attention. Was he referring to her and him, or was it more of a general we—as in whoever happened to be visiting at the time?
Pushing the question from her thoughts, she headed to the bar. “So, who’s winning?”
Rather than wait for a plate, Matt opened the top pizza box and pulled out a slice topped with every meat imaginable. “At the moment, Theo is.”
Less than ten minutes later, Theo sent the black eight ball into a corner pocket.
“You need to practice more.” He leaned his pool cue against the wall and walked over to the table where they’d placed the food. “Are you up for another game?”
“Nah, I want to finish eating first, but Liv might be interested.”
Although equally as handsome as Matt, her heart rate didn’t spike when Theo turned his full attention her way.
“What do you say? Are you up for a game?”
As he passed by her to return his pool cue to the rack, Matt winked at her. She didn’t need any additional hints.
“I might be a little rusty.”
“Don’t worry about it. You can’t play any worse than my brother.”
“Trust me, our skill levels are not even close.” Somehow, Matt managed not only to keep a straight face, but he also kept any trace of humor from his voice.
“Wow.” Genuine surprise appeared on Theo’s face. “You’re going to let him get away with saying that?”
Biting down on the inside of her cheek, Liv shrugged. “He’s not lying.”
“It wouldn’t matter. If I said something similar about Brianna, she’d still skin me alive.”
Theo’s comment didn’t surprise her. Brianna seemed like the type who disliked being criticized. Of course, in this instance, Matt was doing the exact opposite despite the way he made it seem.
Selecting her personal pool cue from the rack, where she’d been keeping it, she joined Theo near the table. “Do you want to break?”
“Doesn’t matter to me,” he answered around a mouthful of food.
“Why don’t you do it, then. It’s my weakest area.”
Behind her, Matt coughed, and she glanced over her shoulder in time to catch his grin.
Theo shook his head as he watched the eight ball glide across the table and into a side pocket. “I can’t believe you made that shot.”
Matt had spent enough time with Liv to know she made even the most difficult shots look easy.