Waiting On You (Blue Heron #3)(69)

“You poor thing,” she said, melting a little as Bryce stepped closer to show her his boo-boo.

“You’re looking for help, Lorelei?” Lucas asked.

“Yes! Do you know anyone?”

“Bryce might be interested, right, buddy?”

“Sure,” Bryce said amiably.

“Really?” Lorelei said, blushing. “Wow. That’d be...that’d be great.”

“So long as I don’t have to get up too early,” Bryce said with a wink.

“Bryce,” Lucas warned.

Lorelei wrung her hands. “Actually, you’d have to be here at four.”

“That’s not too bad,” Bryce said.

“Really?” Her face lit up again.

“No, not at all. I’d get a dinner break, right?”

“Four in the morning, Bryce.” Lucas sighed.

Bryce looked incredulous. “You actually wake up at four?”

“No,” she said. “I wake up at three-thirty.”

“Man! Hey, you going to Paulie’s this weekend? We could hang out, maybe.” Code for hook up, of course.

And that was another thing.

Colleen’s little matchmaking plan.

The Petrosinskys were hosting a cookout, and half the town—almost literally—had been invited.

The bell over the door rang, and speak of the devil—the gorgeous, gray-eyed devil—in she came, along with Faith.

“Hi, Lorelei!” Faith said with the same joy expressed by those reuniting after decades of war. “Got any chocolate croissants today?”

“I sure do,” Lorelei said. “Hi, Colleen!”

“Hello, good people of Manningsport,” she said. “And, Lucas, always such a delight to see you. Got a sweet tooth?”

“For some things, I do,” he murmured.

“Oh, my God, are you flirting with me? Give me a second to take off my panties, and I’m yours. Lorelei, I’ll have one of those black-and-white cookies, okay?” But she was blushing, and didn’t look him in the eye.

Faith was already halfway through her pastry. Rumor had it she was eating for two, and Lucas smiled at her. Good old Faith. “What are you boys doing today?” she asked.

“Just hanging out,” Bryce said.

“Bryce is looking for work,” Lucas said. “Got anything at the vineyard, Faith?”

“Actually, Bryce has already tried working for Blue Heron,” she said. “It didn’t quite work out.”

“Afraid not,” he said amiably. “I was in the tasting room. I got a little drunk, I guess. Honor fired me after my first day. She’s kinda scary, isn’t she?”

“You passed out behind the bar, Bryce,” Faith said, a hint of admonition in her voice.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He shrugged happily. “You guys make great wine.”

“What kind of work are you looking for?” Colleen asked.

“Something creative and where I can make my own hours and help people,” Bryce said, and Lucas rolled his eyes.

“I can get you a job,” Colleen said.

“Really?” Bryce shot Lucas a nervous look.

“Sure.”

Lucas waited. Colleen raised her eyebrows, looking at him and not Bryce.

Ah. He got it.

“Bryce, go get a cookie,” he said. When Bryce was out of hearing range, he turned back to Colleen. “What will it cost me?” he asked.

“You agree not to meddle with him and Paulie.”

“Are we going to have this argument again?”

“No.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. Waited.

She raised an eyebrow.

“Fine. It’s a deal,” he said. At least he could tell Joe his son had a job, and that was something.

“Okay, Bryce,” Colleen said. “Come with me. Faith, back in ten minutes, hon.”

She took Bryce by the arm and towed him out of the shop. Lucas followed. A couple was approaching the bakery, a little baby strapped to the woman’s chest in a complicated harness.

“Colleen!” the woman cried. “How are you?”

“Oh, hi, guys! Look at her! She’s so beautiful!” Colleen peered at the baby. Lucas did, too. Cute little bugger, a tuft of black hair on the tiny head, perfect little ears. Colleen let go of Bryce, and he wandered a bit down the street, eating his cookie.

Colleen turned to Lucas. “Lucas, meet Jordan and Tate Lawrence, and their beautiful little girl, Colleen.”

“We named her after Colleen,” the guy explained, grinning. “Since she fixed us up.”

“There’d be no little Colleen without this Colleen,” the woman added. As if on cue, she reached for her husband’s hand.

“You two are so cute together!” Colleen gushed with a significant look at Lucas. “Have a great day!”

She waited until the little family went inside. “Another couple I can claim. I should be a professional. Want me to find someone for you, Lucas, dear?”

“Pass.”

“You know how many babies there are in Manningsport named Colleen?” she asked smugly. “Seven. Seven, Lucas. That’s one one-hundredth of the population, named after me with joy and gratitude because I fixed up Mommy and Daddy, and that even includes two boys.”