Annie smiles and gives me a quick glance. "We have thousands of trees and are one of the major suppliers for maple syrup. I hope you like it, because we eat it year round."
She's focused on the road, and it occurs to me that there isn't enough room for more than one car. What happens if we encounter another? "Really? That's a lot of pancakes." Too bad I'm a bacon and eggs girl.
"Oh, we use it for much more than pancakes. I put it in beans, barbecue sauce, muffins, on squash, over ice cream, and we're even making vodka with it now."
My stomach grumbles, and Annie chuckles. "Don't worry, I'll feed you soon. Brady will be done with work by six, and you're invited to eat with us."
Wait, us as in Brady and Annie? Crap on a cracker, I'm lusting after her man? But why the sly smile when she saw my reaction to the scent of his jacket? Hell, I'm getting to the bottom of this.
I ask, "Is Brady your husband?"
Annie pats my leg with pink-nail-polished fingers. "Oh, no. He's my brother, and you'd better say yes to dinner or he'll be very disappointed."
Relief floods my body. "Oh, good." Crap, did I just say that out loud? I suppose I can ask probing questions now.
"What did you mean this might be our new home?" The dank smell of spring earth is coming through a vent.
"Oh, boy. I knew I shouldn't have said that." Annie sighs. "There's so much to be explained, and Brady wants to do it, but I can tell you we want you to live here and become part of our family business."
Sierra asks, "So you sent us the sign? Wouldn't it have been simpler to just advertise job openings?"
Annie shakes her head, and her hair sways, reminding me of my dream guy's shaggy appearance. I have no doubt he's Brady. "Again, I'm going to have to let Brady explain, but no. We need a specific kind of person, and the sign ensured only the right ones would come."
Sierra says, "So mysterious. I'm anxious to meet this Brady."
Annie says, "I don't think Brady is who you want to meet. Your ma--damn it." Her eyes flash to the rearview mirror to look at Sierra. "I'm sorry. What I meant is Keith is joining us for dinner too, and I think you might find him more attractive than Brady."
Sierra leans forward to be between the bucket seats. "Tell me more."
Annie snorts. "Let's just say I'm going to feel like the fifth wheel tonight."
I turn to look at Sierra, and she grins. That girl thinks about sex more than most men, and I wish I was as comfortable as she is with the prospect of hooking up with our dream guys. Unfortunately, experience is making me nervous, and the jitters in my stomach right now are more from fear of rejection than lust. I shake off the thought, because we wouldn’t have made it here if we weren’t destined to be with these men.
The end of the road appears bright, and I notice the forest clears up ahead. Annie says, "You're about to see my favorite place." We stop at a parking area by a lake. A sloped section leads into the water, and sand is spread out on it, making a small beach. Pine trees stand tall around the perimeter, and I’m fascinated by branches that are broken dead nubs until near the top. "This is our lake. Isn't it wonderful?"
Sierra says, "You have a lake. Yeah, this is wonderful. Can you skate on it?"
I look out and see what looks like a big piece of ice floating in the middle of the water, which tells me it's begun to thaw.
"Sure. When I was a kid we skated almost every day. All of us were great hockey players, and I was even on the high school team." She lets out a big sigh.
I say, "You sound sad. Don't you skate anymore?"
Annie shakes her head. "No, we all grew up, and without children around, the lake is quiet."
Sierra asks, "Don't your employees have kids that would like to play out here? I'll bet a company skating party would be fun."
Annie smiles, but it looks fake. "It would be fun, but nobody has kids."
Strange. I would guess they have a lot of employees to run this place, and nobody has a family? "What a waste. If we stay, maybe someone will teach me how to skate next winter."
Annie says, "That's right, you’re a California girl. Can you surf?"
I nod, "I sure can. But it's not really my sport these days. I leave that to the skinny girls." I pull the warm coat tighter around me.
Annie frowns, and I'm sure Sierra is frowning too when she says, "Carly, don't."
She hates it when I get down on myself, but the fact is I'm just not comfortable on the beach and haven't been since I started to put on weight in my teen years. I wish I could be like Sierra and work with what I have instead of wishing my life away. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me, Annie." Warm heat is blowing gently from the vent, and I hold my chilled hands up to it.
"It's okay, but you won't find me feeling sorry for you. I don't put much stock in women that don't enjoy food." She grins. "And neither does my brother."