Always(Time for Love Book 4)(11)

She’d toyed with the idea of straight up asking him out on a date. After all, wasn’t her New Year’s resolution to make the first move? But every time she’d played different scenarios in her head on how to approach him, an image of Ash walking away always inserted itself—just like he had at Amanda and Connor’s when he’d left early... to be with Sophie.

“That looks ready, doesn’t it?” Tracy said over her shoulder.

Brenna jumped, her face heating up. She was mindlessly stirring the pot, not paying attention to her cooking. “Yeah. I’ll serve it up now.” She switched off the stove and got a serving dish from a cupboard.

“It’s such a pity Bec and Sarah couldn’t join us tonight with their men,” Tracy said. “The one thing that marred my overseas trip was the fact that I missed Bec’s wedding. If only I hadn’t booked and paid for my trip before Bec announced the wedding date...”

“Bec understands, Mum,” Amanda said. “And I have plenty of photos on my iPad that you can have a look at tonight. Their official wedding shots won’t be available for a while.”

“Oh, I’m looking forward to seeing them,” Tracy replied. “Can we start looking through them during dinner? Those photos which made it to the magazines were beautiful. I know they were paparazzi shots, but I’m so proud to see you guys in one of them. Unfortunately Ash wasn’t in it.”

“I know,” Ash said with feigned disappointment. “I missed my five minutes of fame by not sticking close to the famous and powerful Carmichael brothers while the paparazzi were clicking away.”

“Let me get my iPad,” Tracy said. “My pictures from my trip are all in there too.”

The rest of them set the table while they waited for Tracy.

“You know, Ash, you’ll get another chance at fame when Sarah and Jeff get married,” Amanda said. “Those guys are following Bec and Zach’s lead of not worrying about whoever’s taking pictures during their wedding. They’d rather have their wedding photos make it to the front page of the gossip rags than have some outrageous story about them appear instead.”

“Did you read the one where they suggested that Gemma is Greg’s new flame?” Brenna asked.

“Really?” Ash said. “Which magazine? I haven’t seen that.”

Gemma chuckled. “It was only because Greg was my partner groomsman, so they got a shot of us walking together. You know how they speculate that every woman seen hanging on Greg’s arm is someone he’s supposedly sleeping with? At least I was all dolled up in a pretty bridesmaid’s dress when I had one of my pictures make it into a magazine.”

“Do you want paparazzi at our wedding too, babe?” Connor teased Amanda.

“As if they’d be interested in us,” Amanda said. “We’re not that famous, honey.”

“Don’t forget that Zach, Jeff and Greg will be my groomsmen, along with Ash and my brother. The cameras will be going off for sure.”

“Oh, there you go, Ash!” Brenna said. “You’ll be assured of some paparazzi love then.”

“Yeah,” Ash said dryly. “I’m sure all the write-up will be about this good-looking man standing next to the Carmichaels and the groom.”

“And they’d probably write that you’re sleeping with your partner bridesmaid,” Gemma quipped.

Brenna almost dropped the dish she was carrying to the dining table at Gemma’s comment. Brenna was going to be Ash’s partner bridesmaid at Amanda and Connor’s wedding. She glanced at her super-cheeky friend, who simply smiled at her innocently.

“We’re nobodies. No one would want to write fake stories about us,” Ash said.

“Well, I think if someone’s going to write something about you and me, Ash, I’d prefer the ‘we’re sleeping together’ version,” Brenna said breezily, her heart hammering at her audacity.

“You would?” Ash asked, looking shocked.

She smiled. “That would make for interesting reading, don’t you think?”

Ash frowned. “Not if it’s read by the people we’re really sleeping with.”

Her smile disappeared. “True,” she replied.

“Wouldn’t you care if Lance read it?” Ash asked.

“It would be none of my business how he reacts to something like that. We’ve broken up.”

“What? When?”

“Last week.”

Brenna turned her back to fiddle with the cutlery, her chest tightening. From Ash’s comment, it would appear he cared a lot about Sophie to worry about what she might think. Wow. That hurt.

*****

Brenna spent dinner trying to look unconcerned and happy. But jealousy had overshadowed her earlier excitement about working at Ash’s clinic.

She’d made certain plans for tonight concerning Ash. She’d been so looking forward to implementing them. But now she wasn’t sure if she should go through with them without knowing how things really were between him and Sophie.

She was bursting to know the truth, but she wasn’t sure how to ask him. Besides, Ash would most likely not say anything in front of Tracy. She knew Ash didn’t like his mother knowing about the women he dated because Tracy always got too hopeful. Ash didn’t want the pressure.