“Well, you know, it’ll probably be a while before Mia’s in the wedding zone. At least as far as I know. So Mom has had to wait for one of us to decide to settle down.”
“Aubry’s having fun with both of the moms helping her with wedding stuff. She’s busy as hell with her residency. She can use all the help she can get.”
“I’m sure she can.”
Tucker turned to him. “What about you? Any weddings on the horizon?”
Barrett laughed. “No.”
“Come on, man. Time to jump in, find a woman and commit.”
Was it? He hadn’t yet found a woman he was interested in committing to.
But just then Harmony walked outside.
“Hey. Have you seen Drake?”
Barrett shook his head.
“He’s out at the barn with Grant and my dad,” Tucker said. “Dad bought some classic car that he’s showing off to them.”
“Okay. Thanks, Tucker.”
“Is there something you need, Harmony?” Barrett asked.
She gave him a sweet smile. “No. I’m good. But thanks, Barrett.”
“Okay.”
Harmony disappeared inside.
“Oh . . . I see,” Tucker said, his lips lifting.
Barrett frowned. “You see nothing. Especially with those glasses you wear.”
“I see just fine. And speaking of just fine . . . Harmony definitely is.”
Barrett looked around, but no one was in sight. He cradled his beer in both hands and stared straight ahead. “Nothing to see, Tucker.”
“I’m not blind, man. I’m also good with keeping secrets. Is it a secret?”
Damn his twin brother for ferreting out what was going on between him and Harmony with one look. “I don’t want Drake to know. Not right now. It’s complicated. He and I are best friends and Drake’s protective of Harmony. Like . . . way overprotective. I don’t know how to explain it well. I just feel it could put a wedge in our friendship.”
“I get it. You need to figure out if what you and Harmony have is real before you get into it with her brother.”
Tucker was the first one who truly understood. “Yeah.”
“I won’t say anything. Didn’t see anything. Don’t know anything.”
He grinned. “Thanks.”
Tucker stood. “Come on, let’s go ogle Dad’s new hot rod and pretend it isn’t some midlife crisis he’s having.”
Barrett laughed. “Sure.”
Twenty-Eight
Harmony quickly discovered that dinner at the Cassidys’ was a lot like dinner at Mama’s house. Noisy, crowded, everyone talking over each other, and absolutely awesome.
She’d made fast friends with Mia, Aubry and Katrina, so the three of them sat together and talked about everything from business to medicine to fashion and design while they ate. She almost forgot about Barrett, who sat at the other end of the table with his brothers and Drake.
Almost. But not quite, since she couldn’t help but occasionally drag her attention away from the girl talk and catch a glimpse of the hot man at the other end of the table. Every now and then he’d look up at the same time, their gazes would collide and there’d be a quick smile between them. Careful not to call attention to each other, she’d look away.
But those butterflies in her stomach? Still there.
Her mother, on the other hand, was sitting next to Easton’s brother, Elijah. Not that she could blame Mama. Elijah was a fine-looking man, a few years older than her mother, ruggedly built and, according to her mother, divorced for many years now. He lived on the ranch and from the way he looked at her mother, who was also a very attractive woman, the two of them shared some serious chemistry. Elijah sure was being solicitous to Mama right now.
It made her wonder what went down between the two of them the last time Mama visited the ranch.
She made a mental note to ask Drake about that.
“Lydia, tell me about the blues club,” her mother asked.
“It’s actually one that closed about a year ago. Easton and I loved driving up there and listening to all the bands. We hated that it closed, so we found a few other investors, and we’re reopening it.”
Easton laid his fork down and took a sip of tea. “Yeah, we liked that old place. It had been in business a lot of years. Many famous folks played there along with some young acts getting their start. Hated seeing it shut down.”
Lydia nodded. “So, we’re hoping to breathe some new life into it.”
“I’m so excited,” Harmony’s mother said. “Blues is my favorite music.”
“Mine, too,” Elijah said, giving Harmony’s mother a smile.
Harmony looked down the table at Drake, who just shook his head and smiled.
Well. This weekend should be interesting.
After dinner, which had consisted of barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, green beans, potato salad, fresh bread and sweet carrots, everyone piled into the kitchen. Leftovers were put away and dishes were done in record time. That was always the advantage of having a big crowd, especially when all hands were there to pitch in and help.
After, everyone dispersed. The women congregated in the living room, so Harmony followed along.