Page 13 of Too Delicious
“Ms. Brenda, what is a five-letter word for vigilant?” asks the security guard.
“We’ll never know, will we?” Brenda says with a sigh.
“Let me start over,” I say. “We’re the MacKenzie brothers representing Gold Hill Investments.”
The crinkle in her nose is so like Harmony’s that my chest aches. Where is she? Where’s my girl? And why doesn’t she respond to my texts?
“And,” she says blandly.
“We met Harmony and Summer yesterday, and they signed a contract with us last night.”
Her face softens. “Oh, that’s wonderful! You should have led with that.”
Carter seems ready to vomit, he’s so anxious.
As I’m not already in a relationship with one of her daughters, I don’t have as much at stake as Carter. Which is why, what I do next is the only thing a twin brother in my position is bound to do.
“Come meet my brother. He and Summer really hit it off. He’s entirely responsible for the whole agreement even happening.”
“I’m going to murder you,” mouths my introvert brother as I lead Brenda across the lobby to meet the man who just did several unspeakable sexual things to her youngest daughter last night.
“I’m faster than you,” I mouth back.
Carter better thank me later because Brenda doesn’t ask a lot of questions. As we wait for Harmony and Summer, she regales us with tale after tale of Harmony and Summer’s various enterprises, from their summer lemonade stands charging five dollars a glass, to their bright idea in middle school of making homemade cookies to compete with the Girl Scouts.
“I notice the two of you aren’t wearing wedding rings,” she notes.
“Much like no one’s good enough for your daughters, our aunt Gabby never approved of anyone the two of us brought home,” I say.
“Smooth,” Carter mutters.
Brenda glances from Carter to me. “Your aunt…is Gabriella MacKenzie.”
“The very one.”
“Once again, you should have led with that. Perhaps you should take a class on how to market yourself better, young man.”
Carter snorts. She’s right, though. My degree is not doing me any favors at the moment.
“So tell me about her! I want to know everything,” Brenda pushes.
This takes some pressure off Carter and myself. Aunt Gabby is the easiest subject for us to talk about, and soon enough, we have Brenda on the edge of her seat.
Things are going perfectly, and then Harmony and Summer arrive. Carter almost got away from Brenda scot-free. Almost.
He did it to himself, honestly.
After the conversation in which the four of us realize we’re all on the same page, Carter gives himself away.
“We don’t want to do it in Gold Hill. We want to build our shop here, in Fate,” Summer tells us. Harmony nods.
Carter just can’t keep his hands off Summer. “Sweetheart, that’s exactly why we came here.”
And then he kisses her. I glance at Brenda, whose eyes widen.
I catch Harmony’s eye, and her cheeks bloom a deep pink.
“Oh my,” says Brenda. “You naughty boy! You never mentioned you were dating my daughter. But I approve!”