Break Away (The Moore Brothers Book 4) (19 page)

L
ilah sat
on the deck at her parents’ house with Juliet, Willow, and Ellie, watching the men play a terribly competitive game of volleyball out on the beach.

Diane and Maggie came out of the house, each carrying a tray of drinks they set on the little tables between the chairs. “One of them is going to get hurt,” Diane said, as everyone helped themselves to a glass. “And I bet it’s gonna be Frank. That man still hasn’t learned to back down from a challenge.”

“Must be genetic,” said Juliet, while Willow and Ellie nodded their agreement.

Lilah shrugged. “I don’t know. Cole’s just as bad. That man will work himself into an early grave if I let him.”

Maggie rested her glass of water down on the armrest of her chair. “Ain’t that the truth?”

“How’s it working out, now that he’s an official supplier for Harry’s restaurant?” Willow asked.

“Oh my gosh. So good.” Lilah took a long drink and found her gaze traveling back to her fiancé. “He’s not worried at all about making a profit now. Which is good. But now all he can talk about is getting out on the water first and staying out there the longest because he knows he’s got a buyer for all he can catch. Well, two buyers. And he’s working on a third.”

“That’s amazing!” Ellie ran a hand through Ben’s hair only for the wind to stand it on end again. “And what about you? Any luck on deciding what to do with school?”

“Yep. Interior design. Don’t know why it took me so long to figure out I’d be good at it. I mean, it’s not like I staged all of Ian’s rental properties, or totally redid Good Beginnings for you when it got broken into last year.”

Ellie smiled. “And you did a damn fine job, too. Didn’t you originally decorate James’s house for him? I remember being very impressed.”

“And Ian gave me some of the things you picked out for his homes back when I first moved here,” said Juliet. “They were gorgeous. You’ve got good taste.”

Lilah sat back and watched the women chat away. It wasn’t too long ago that they would have ignored her, left her out of the conversation, or looked shocked at her replies when she joined in anyway. She had always assumed they were sensitive or lesser somehow. It embarrassed her to think about now. Especially now that she knew she was the one who had been lacking.

From the beach came the smack of a hand hitting the ball followed by a heavy thump and a loud grunt. The men erupted in laughter and cheers. Lilah turned to find Cole bringing himself up to a sitting position, brushing sand out his hair. He caught her looking and winked as Ian congratulated him on one hell of a good save. “No wonder my sister loves you so much,” she heard Ian say. “You’re just like one of us.”

Lilah’s throat caught as her brother’s helped Cole stand and her dad thumped him on the back. She turned her attention back to the conversation the women were having on the porch. The wind rustled in her hair, blowing in off the ocean carrying the scent of the sea along with it. This. Right here. This was what life was all about. Family. Friends. And love. So much love.

* * *

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B
lown Away
(Ian and Juliet
)

Carried Away
(James and Ellie)

Swept Away
(Harry and Willow)

Break Away (Lilah and Cole)