Always(Time for Love Book 4)(12)

“Mum, why don’t you and the guys chat in the living room?” Amanda said to Tracy. “The three of us will clean up here. We’ll bring dessert and drinks out there when we’re done.”

When Brenna was alone with Amanda and Gemma, Amanda put a hand on her arm.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said with a bright smile.

“You were too quiet over dinner,” Amanda said. “I’m worried about you.”

“Why?”

Amanda let out a huge sigh. “Because now that you’re open to a relationship with Ash, he seems to be...”

“Getting more interested in Sophie?” Brenna asked softly. “Yes, it seems that way, doesn’t it?”

Gemma glanced at her with an equally concerned look as she quietly wiped the bench top clean.

“Hey, you girls shouldn’t worry about me,” Brenna said, forcing levity in her tone. “I’ll be okay. It’s only a crush anyway. I’ll live.”

Hell, ‘crush’ was an understatement, but she didn’t want her best friends to worry. The way she’d been feeling lately, it couldn’t be a mere crush. She had no idea how it was possible that her feelings for Ash had suddenly exploded. And she didn’t know how to stem the flow.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Amanda asked, peering at her dubiously. “And do you still want to work at his clinic? You can still change your mind, you know.”

Brenna stacked the dishwasher, giving herself some time to think about Amanda’s questions. “Yes, I still want to work at his clinic,” she said after a long moment. “I don’t want him to stress out. He’s worked too hard to get the clinic in tip-top shape, and we all know he’d be worrying about receptionist problems constantly. Besides, I’ve already said I’d do it.”

“Oh, Bren,” Amanda murmured while Gemma exhaled loudly.

Brenna smiled at them. “Plus, I still plan to figure out how he feels about Sophie—and me. I won’t be able to let go of this until I know the truth. And if it turns out that he’s over me and it’s Sophie he now wants...” She bit her lip, preferring not to go there if that was what she would discover. But it was too late to shut everything off. She simply had to know.

*****

“Who’s this man, Bren?” Tracy asked, pointing at someone on Amanda’s iPad while they had some sticky date pudding in the living room.

Brenna leaned over to look. “Oh, that’s Lance, the guy who accompanied me to the wedding.”

Tracy raised her eyebrows. “Accompanied you?”

“Well, I was going out with him at the time. We’ve broken up now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Auntie,” she said hastily. “The relationship wasn’t going anywhere anyway.”

“But you took him to the wedding?”

“Yeah,” Brenna said, making a face. “I thought it was a good idea at the time.”

“And you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” She did feel guilty about hurting Lance. She’d never seen him more emotional than when he was begging her to reconsider. When he’d asked if her decision involved a third party, she’d been honest and said yes. She didn’t want him to hope for a reconciliation.

“You gave me the impression you two were heading towards serious territory, Bren,” Ash said, making her heart jump. “I must say I’m very surprised that you guys have split up.”

She looked him straight in the eye. “You might not have dunked me in the water at Bondi, Ash. But you sure woke me up.”

“Woke you up to what?”

“That Lance is not the man for me.”

Ash’s stare made her heart do flip-flops. “Well, that’s good then,” he said.

Tracy patted Brenna’s lap, forcing her to look away from Ash. “Well, darling, I’m sure you’ll find Mr. Right eventually. It’s only a matter of time. But you have to keep your eyes open.”

Brenna chuckled. “Amanda said something similar to me not long ago.”

Amanda nodded. “Yeah, I remember saying it to you. Mum used to tell it to me a lot. Darling, don’t worry,” Amanda said, impersonating her mother. “Your Mr. Right is out there. But you must keep your eyes open. Really open.”

“Well, I was right, wasn’t I?” Tracy asked, sending Connor a fond smile.

“Yes, you were, Mum,” Amanda said, leaning closer to Connor, who put his arm around Amanda’s shoulders and kissed her hair.

“So Ash,” Tracy said, turning her attention to her son. “When are we going to meet Sophie?”

Brenna’s heart stopped. What? Ash had told Tracy about Sophie? Why?

“I’m not sure, Mum,” Ash murmured.

“You know, Ashton, just because you introduce a girl to me doesn’t mean I think you’re going to marry her,” Tracy said. “All I want is to meet the woman you’re dating, that’s all. I’ve never met any one of them before.”

Ash snorted. “Are you saying you’re not gonna be all over her and start imagining my wedding in your head?”

“I promise I won’t be over the top when I meet her. So would you invite her to our next dinner?”