“Leigh and Layla,” she supplied.
“Leigh and Layla.” I grinned. “Well, those names will be easy to remember.”
Maia had been right about Cole’s older sister, Jo. She was one of the most beautiful women I’d met in real life, and I’d lived in London and met lots of gorgeous women. From what I could tell, her beauty ran deep. As soon as she saw Maia again, she drew her in for a hug and started asking her about school immediately, seeming genuinely interested in anything she had to say.
I was introduced to her husband, Cam, first. While Shannon and Cole were a few years younger than me, Cam was apparently nearly forty. The guy did not look it at all. Unlike Cole, who roughed up his classically handsome looks with scruff and tattoos, Cam was truly rugged. His tattoos and scruff just made him more so.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Shannon and Cole,” Cam said, shaking my hand. “You take being a good neighbor to the next level.”
“You would know all about that,” Jo teased him as she pressed into his side. She smiled at me, and for a moment I was a little dazzled by her. “I’m Jo, Cole’s sister.”
I shook her hand as I looked up at her. She was tall and even taller in her four-inch heels. “It’s really nice to meet you both.”
I didn’t know what else to say. I felt a little intimidated by the gorgeous couple.
Luckily, Cole saved me by coming over to shake my hand. “Nice to see you again, Grace.”
I blushed.
He turned to Maia, who was at my side. “Maia.” He winked at her.
She blushed.
Logan groaned and glowered at his sister. “We need to get you a new fiancé.”
Shannon grinned, looking more than a tad smug. “He can’t help that he’s gorgeous.”
I think Maia and I blushed even harder.
“Oh God. Don’t be filling his head with that nonsense.” Cam gave Cole a teasing shove toward the table. “It’s big enough.”
“I’ll have you know I have just the right amount of ego,” Cole shot back before pulling out Shannon’s chair for her. I noted Cam did the same for Jo and Logan did the same for Maia.
It was such a gentlemanly thing to do. And here I thought chivalry was dead.
Before I could pull out my own chair, Logan slid around Maia’s and did it for me. I smiled at his kindness and settled in across from Jo.
“Where’s Belle?” Maia said immediately, looking disappointed.
I had to rack my brain, but I was sure Belle was Jo and Cam’s daughter.
“Oh, our friends Hannah and Marco are babysitting Belle. They have two boys and a daughter, Sophia, who is close to Belle’s age. They’re like cousins. They’re really close,” Jo explained.
“Hannah is Cole’s best friend,” Logan added for Maia’s benefit. “She’s a high school English teacher.”
Maia’s eyes widened. “At my school?”
Logan shook his head. “She doesn’t work there.”
“Thank God,” Maia murmured, and then blushed when everyone laughed. “Sorry. I just really don’t want to know one of my teachers outside of school.”
“Hannah can always help you though,” Cole said. “She’s happy to tutor after school.”
“Thanks, but Grace helps me with my English homework.” Maia grinned up at me, and now I had everyone’s attention.
“Oh? What do you do, Grace?” Cam said.
“I’m a freelance book editor. Mostly self-published fiction but some academic papers as well.”
“Really?” Jo leaned forward, looking extremely interested. “Our friend is a writer, and she’s thinking about self-publishing this series her publisher doesn’t want. She’s been looking for an editor.”
Yay for me! Dinner had suddenly turned into a potential client. “Oh, well, I’ll give you my number to give to her, and my Web site. What’s her name?”
“Jocelyn. She writes under ‘J. B. Carmichael.’”
My jaw dropped.
Jo snorted.
Her snort was quickly followed by muffled laughter around the table.
Clearly my face was a picture.
Considering J. B. Carmichael was a number-one Sunday Times bestseller, however, I think I was entitled to my surprise.
“You’re friends with J. B. Carmichael?” I said.
“This feels like déjà vu.” Cole grinned cheekily at Shannon, and she threw her napkin at him for some bizarre reason.
Jo ignored them. “Yes.” She smiled. “Can I still give her your number?”
“Wait.” I glanced down the table at Logan. “Is J. B. Carmichael our landlord, Braden – your boss’s – wife?”
“Yeah.”
“And you just didn’t think it was important to mention that his wife was a bestselling author?”
Logan’s eyes glimmered with amusement. “Not really.”
“Have you not seen her flat?” Maia jumped in for me. “It’s, like, overflowing with books. Including J. B. Carmichael’s books. You could have told her.”
Cole found this even more hilarious.
“Can we maybe stop calling her ‘J. B. Carmichael’?” Cam asked the whole table. “It’s weird.”