I wince at her phrasing. “Oh, I know how attracted I am to you. You being attracted to me is what’s newsworthy here.”
She takes a step back and tosses up her hands. “Why would I have been so mad about you kissing and ghosting me if I didn’t have at least a tiny bit of attraction to you, Levi?” She lets out a tiny frustrated growl. “It doesn’t matter. You aren’t convincing me to sleep with you, so go get your room back from Sophie.”
I cross the room to stand in front of her and lean in close enough to get another whiff of her delicious scent. “Maybe I just want an excuse to spend more time with you.”
She sucks in a sharp breath. “Levi—”
“And there’s no getting you out of my system, Gentry. One time will never be enough.”
I walk away before she can say anything else.
Chapter Nine
Gentry
The drive to the inn takes us farther from town to a new-construction brick building that looks more like a modern high school than an inn. It sits on the edge of a lake with mountain views on all sides. Large, but not enormous, it makes more sense that a Daphne’s big family could fill it.
By the time Brodie parks next to a side entrance, I still haven’t decided how I feel about what Levi said to me. If he’s interested at all, it has to be because I’m the most available woman here. Right?
Right?
I have no idea. Not even a tiny zygote of an idea.
Brodie hops out, hanging up the call he was on all the way here, and walks toward the building without a word to any of us.
“I guess he expects us to follow him?” I ask.
“I guess we’ll find out.” Levi hops out and strides after Brodie, his movements stiff and annoyed. There’s a tenseness between the two of them I’ve never seen before. There’s definitely something odd going on with them.
Sophie, Emily, and I go inside together. We step into what looks like a ballroom, with shiny hardwood floors and chandeliers sparkling in the rays of bright sunlight streaming through the front windows.
Brodie grabs my hand and pulls me forward. I find myself facing a tall woman with auburn hair hanging in loose waves around her fine-boned face. She’s wearing a colorful batik print maxi dress with a pilled navy cardigan. Her face is free ofmakeup, and she’s gorgeous. Her eyes are bright and her smile is warm, and I fully expect Brodie to introduce me to a harried member of the staff.
“Daphne, this is my sister, Gentry. And that’s Sophie, and that’s Emily. They’re here to help you with whatever you need.”
Daphne leans forward and hugs me hard before I can fully process that this is the woman my brother’s marrying.
She is not at all what I expected from my materialistic, charismatic, and brand-conscious brother.
Daphne hugs me for a long time and, when I look at my brother over her shoulder, he’s wearing an expression I’ve never seen before. It’s full of so much warmth and love that it’s clear he is head over heels in love.
“It’s so great to finally meet you,” Daphne says, pulling out of the hug. “And don’t listen to Brodie. I’m not going to make you work.”
“Yes, you are,” Brodie says gently, his concern for Daphne clear. “You can’t do everything yourself. If you’d just let the wedding planner take care of it—”
Daphne kisses my brother and hugs him. “I’ve missed you, too, baby. But I’m not spending anymore money on this wedding. It’s already obscene.” She looks at me and shakes her head. “I told him I don’t need a big wedding, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“You deserve a big wedding,” Brodie says, shifting until he’s facing us with one arm still around Daphne’s waist. “Now, tell my sisters what to do to help. I’m taking Levi for a quick round of golf before it gets dark.”
“Good,” Daphne says. “Have fun.”
He kisses Daphne and heads for the exit.
“It was nice to meet you,” Levi says to Daphne before following Brodie.
“You too,” Daphne calls after him.
Then she turns to my sisters. “I’m so glad you could both make it to my wedding,” she says. “It’s probably not what you want to be doing this week, right?”
