Any Way You Want It (Brand Clan #2)(54)

Bernadette affectionately patted Zandra’s arm. “And we have this young lady right here to thank.”

Eleanor beamed. “We sure do.”

Zandra’s face heated. “But I, um, haven’t done anything.”

The two women shared a knowing chuckle. “Sure you haven’t.”

Zandra blushed harder, suddenly wishing she’d gone inside with Robyn and Lena when she had the chance.

Bernadette continued warmly, “Ever since we came back from St. Lucia, Remy’s been like a new man. I’m not going to pry,” she glided on when Zandra opened her mouth. “You and Remy are grown, so it’s none of my business what goes on behind your closed doors. But whatever happened must have been good, because he hasn’t stopped smiling since.”

Just when Zandra thought her face couldn’t get any hotter, Eleanor waggled a warning finger at her. “Just make sure I get my wedding before you start popping out pretty babies.”

Zandra groaned and covered her face with her hands as the two women dissolved into laughter.

“No one’s popping out any babies, Grandma,” she mumbled.

“I don’t know,” Eleanor intoned slyly. “Roderick told me you two looked mighty cozy at the festival. Like bona fide lovebirds.”

Zandra uncovered her face to glower across the yard at Roderick, who was grinning and pointing at Remy as they lined up opposite each other at the line of scrimmage.

Bernadette laughed, squeezing her hand. “Don’t be mad at Roderick. He’s just glad to see his twin acting like his old self again.”

Eleanor nodded. “We all are.”

Zandra couldn’t help smiling as she watched the two brothers taunting and roughly shoving at each other, sweat glistening on their faces and muscled biceps.

“We all remember how Remy was after he got discharged,” Bernadette reflected with a mother’s quiet pain. “Came home like a wounded bear. Hurt my heart to see him like that.”

Eleanor sighed. “Me, too. He was so lost and depressed. And he wouldn’t talk to anyone, barely even Roderick.”

“He shut me out, too,” Zandra murmured, still feeling the sting of Remy’s rejection three years later. She’d wanted to be there for him the way he’d been there for her after her mother’s death. But he’d rarely returned her phone calls or emails, and if she ventured to his apartment to see how he was doing, he’d come to the door wearing a fearsome scowl and several days’ worth of dark stubble on his jaw. He was brusque with her. A cold, distant stranger she hadn’t recognized. Unable to get through to him, and afraid to push him too far, she’d eventually backed off to give him space to work through his demons, because that was something she knew all about.

“He was devastated,” Bernadette said gently, as if to console Zandra. “You remember how much he’d always wanted to be a SEAL.”

“I remember.” Zandra smiled quietly at the memory of walking home from school one day with Remy and Roderick.

“I’m gonna be a Navy SEAL when I grow up,” Remy boasted.

She wrinkled her nose, puzzled. “What’s a seal?”

“The baddest soldiers in the world!”

Eleanor remarked softly, “Starting his own company definitely helped pull him through.”

“It did,” Zandra agreed.

When Remy landed his first client, he’d showed up at her office bearing two dozen pink roses—her favorite color—and the sweetest smile she’d ever seen. He’d humbly apologized for his boorish behavior and told her that he missed her friendship.

She’d melted, of course. But he’d always known how to melt her.

Bernadette smiled at Zandra, as if she’d intercepted her thoughts. “Not even running his own company has made him as happy as we’ve seen him these past few weeks.”

“Umm-hmm,” Eleanor agreed. “That’s true.”

Zandra didn’t want to get their hopes up any higher than they already were. So she smiled and offered diplomatically, “Remy and I are enjoying a new...chapter of our friendship. Operative word being friendship.”

As if he’d picked up on her comment, Remy suddenly glanced toward the patio.

When their eyes met, the possessive heat of his gaze sent shivers racing down her spine.

After a breathless moment, he winked at her before jogging off to huddle with his teammates.

Zandra pretended not to notice the knowing, conspiratorial smiles that passed between Bernadette and Grandma Eleanor.





Chapter Fifteen

“You’re not going to believe what I just did.”

“Uh-oh,” Zandra intoned, cell phone pressed to her ear as she sat on the table in one of her gynecologist’s examination rooms. She was waiting for Dr. Gill, who had just begun Zandra’s exam when she was paged and had to step out to take the call. Shortly afterward, Zandra’s cell had rung.

“What did you do, Skylar?”

Her friend sighed. “Well, I stopped by your office this afternoon to take you out to lunch, but I forgot that you had a gyno appointment today. So just as I was about to leave, the door opened and in walked this god. Piercing blue eyes, black hair, granite jaw. Stop-your-heart, drop-your-panties gorgeous.”

Zandra’s eyes narrowed. “Was he a client?”