“I’m surprised they’ve managed to resist each other this long.”
Cat nodded and drizzled a low-calorie dressing over her salad. “Me, too. I’m not sure why they’re trying so hard, actually. Did you tell anybody I’ve figured out their little scheme?”
“No. I can’t be sure none of them will tell Sean. Or that Lisa won’t tell Emma. I haven’t even told Leo, so it’s just between us.”
“It’s going to be fun watching my granddaughter pretend Mitch isn’t a total stranger to her.”
“Having him here this weekend will help push Sean over the edge.”
“You think so?”
Mary smiled. “Mitch is quite the ladies’ man. There’s also a betting pool they think I don’t know anything about and they don’t want Sean to win. Once Mitch starts flirting with Emma, we’ll find out in a hurry how Sean really feels about her.”
“I hope you’re right. They definitely need a nudge.”
“Trust me. I know my boys.”
Chapter Eleven
Saturday rolled around and Emma knew she was in trouble when a slightly taller and older version of Sean spotted her across the Kowalskis’ big backyard.
He grinned and started toward her. “Emma!”
When he picked her up off her feet—which was no easy feat considering how tall she was—and spun her around, she clutched his shoulders. “Mitch…hi.”
Thank goodness only one of his brothers could come. Not only because there were fewer people to keep track of, but because there was a much better chance this actually was Mitch.
“Laying it on a little thick?” she heard Sean mutter.
“Can’t help it,” Mitch said, setting her back on her feet. “My future sister-in-law’s quite the looker, you lucky bastard.”
Sean made a snorting sound, but she couldn’t tell if it was directed at the fact he’d called her his future sister-in-law, that she was a looker, or that he was a lucky bastard, so she ignored him.
She’d noticed right off Mitch was a little taller and older than Sean, but his eyes were a little darker shade of blue and his hair was longer and scruffier. And he was leaner, too, though still pretty well built.
She jumped when Sean slid his arm around her waist and put his face close to hers. “Stop ogling my brother.”
“He’s taller than you.”
“Older, too.”
“Maybe, but what’s a few years?” When he made a growling sound, she laughed and elbowed him in the side. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
“Of Mitch? Please.”
“I could totally take you, little brother,” Mitch said. “Now, introduce me to your future grandmother-in-law so I can go back to my beer.”
Emma mingled and laughed and ate too much and laughed some more as the day went on. Everybody was relaxed and nobody seemed particularly interested in watching her and Sean—or in pushing his buttons with wedding talk—so she relaxed, too.
She was licking a Fudgsicle stick clean when her grandmother dragged a chair close to hers and sat down. “Hi, Gram. Having fun?”
“I’m having a blast. Sean has a very nice family. And they really like you.”
“I like them, too,” she said, and it wasn’t a lie. It was hard not to like them, even when they were giving her and Sean a hard time.
“I’ve been thinking about it and I’m going to give you the house as a wedding present.”
All the food and the cookies and the chips and the ice cream she’d eaten turned over in Emma’s stomach. “No, Gram.”
“Yes. It’s pretty clear you’ve made it your home and I want you to have it. Your grandfather wanted you to have it, too. We’d talked about it before he passed away.”
“I want it, too, Gram, but I want to buy it. It’s worth too much for you to just give it to me.”
Gram scoffed at her words. “That monster’s been paid off forever. There’s no sense in putting another mortgage on it now. I’ve got enough money to keep me happy and you’ve got a business to keep going.”
Emma struggled not to cry. She wanted the house. And she’d been willing to buy it under iffy circumstances. But she couldn’t let Gram give it to her as a wedding present when there wasn’t going to be a wedding.
She took a deep breath. “Gram, I—”
Bobby ran up on the deck and skidded to a stop in front of them. “It’s time for the Kowalski Fourth of July Football Game of Doom!”
Cat laughed and pushed herself out of her seat. “We’ll talk about this some other time, Emma. Go have fun.”
“I’m not sure I want to play football. Especially if there’s doom involved,” she said, but Bobby grabbed her hand and dragged her off the deck.
They were divvied up into teams roughly by size, each with an assortment of men, women and children. Emma was on Sean’s team, which was good. She’d just hide behind him because the only thing she knew about football was that it involved a lot of hitting.