Page 45 of Wilds of the Heart

Brad smiled, shaking his head. “I wish you saw what I saw in you, Em.”

“Well, there’s nothing between Rick and me.” I swallowed down the words on the tip of my tongue about Lucas.”

“And Lucas?”

Darn it.

“I don’t know. He’s cute and kind. Who knows?”

“I’m not sure I like him for one of my sisters.” Brad shook his head. “It’s smart to be cautious.”

Amelia walked over and set a plate on the glass counter. “Cautious about what?”

“Lucas,” Brad filled her in. “I told her I don’t trust him.”

Amelia scrunched her face. “Why not? He’s a sweetheart.”

Brad laughed and shook his head. “A sweetheart? Where’d you come up with that? That guy’s socials are blowing up with DMs. Mark. My. Words.”

The thought made my stomach roil with tension. “How do you know that?”

“Have you ever scrolled through his profiles?” Brad smirked, stretching toward the ceiling.

I laughed and shook my head. “No, have you?”

Brad reached for his phone out of his back pocket. “No, but I can tell just by looking at the guy that he’s popular with the ladies.”

Amelia cocked her head to the side. “You are so weird.”

“I call it as I see it.” Brad smiled.

“Maybe you and Lucas are just two peas in a pod,” I said, trying to act like I wasn’t all that interested. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. We’re just friends.”

“Just friends?” Amelia stared at me.

Had Lucas told his cousin that we’d kissed?

“Yeah. Just friends. Why?”

“You guys are just cute together.” Amelia patted my back.

Brad rolled his eyes. “They’re not cute together. That guy is not getting a piece of my sister.”

“Excuse me?” I asked. “Since when do you have a say in whom I’m interested in?”

“See? I knew you were interested in him.” Brad laughed and shook his head. “I just wanted to see if I could get a rise out of you. Besides, it’s clear as day that you like Lucas. It’s only a matter of time, even if I don’t like the guy.”

“That’s not true, but you don’t even know him,” I pointed out.

“I don’t have to know him.” He pushed the phone in front of me. “Look at all the likes on his photos. They’re all females.”

“That doesn’t prove anything,” I said, dismissing my brother’s accusations, but I couldn’t help but eye a few of the posts. “That doesn’t mean he’s busy messaging them, and besides, we aren’t together, so it doesn’t matter if he was busy messaging them.”

Dottie wandered over and snorted as if she disagreed with my brother too.

I noticed his latest showed he was on the island. Maybe I should scan his posts more often.

And then my eye caught a recent like by someone named Clara Honler.