Candy Crush (25 page)

On the way back to the office, Emmett asked,
“So what does everybody do for fun around here?”

“Oh, it’s not so very different from Texas.
I get the impression that the entire town shuts down for the high
school football games on Friday nights. They are currently
undefeated.”

“Sweet. Does Brandon have an extra
flask?”

When they reached the front door to the
DDA/Chamber office, the first thing Gabriella noticed was Brandon’s
office door was open. The second thing she noticed was his mother
and niece, standing in the lobby, chatting with him. She pushed
open the outer door. Brandon’s eyes lit up when he saw her and
Laney squealed and threw herself into Gabriella’s arms.

Emmett chuckled and Laney extracted herself
so she could tilt her head back and peer at him. “Who are you?” she
asked, her blue eyes wide.

“I’m Emmett. Who are you?”

“I’m Laney.”

“Nice to meet you, Laney. Do you work around
here?”

“I don’t work, silly. That’s for adults.”
She dissolved into giggles. When she had herself under control, she
looked at Gabriella and said, “Is Emmett your boyfriend?”

Gabriella chuckled. “No, your Uncle Brandon
is, remember? Emmett is my brother. Like your mom and Uncle
Brandon.”

Laney contemplated this for a minute and
said, “So do I call him Uncle Emmett?”

Emmett grinned at her. “You can just call me
Emmett. I’m not quite ready to be an uncle yet.” He threw a pointed
look at Brandon. Brandon simply raised one eyebrow.

Rosalie rounded on Emmett. “You’re
Gabriella’s brother? How very nice to meet you. I’m Rosalie
Sarantos, Brandon’s mother. We’re having the family over for dinner
on Saturday, so of course you’ll come?” She worded it as a
statement and phrased it as a question. Gabriella had the distinct
impression Emmett would not be allowed to say no.

Emmett grinned. “Will Laney be there?”

Rosalie looked confused. “Of course.”

“Then I’ll be there.” He winked and Laney
dissolved into giggles again.

Rosalie turned to Brandon. “Can you take her
for a couple hours?”

Brandon furrowed his brow. “I was planning
to go to the gym after work.”

Emmett jumped into the conversation. “I
could really use a work out. Any chance you can take guests?”

Brandon shrugged. “Sure.”

“What about Laney?” Rosalie asked.

“I can take her,” Gabriella heard herself
offer.

“Yeah,” Laney chimed in.

“You’re a lifesaver, Gabriella. I appreciate
it. I should be back in no more than two hours.” She hugged Laney,
told her to be good and rushed out the door.

Gabriella glanced at Brandon. “Does she
always pawn Laney off onto you?”

He shrugged again. “Not always. Anthony and
Nicole usually have their hands full with either work or Anthony
Junior, and Patrick’s not exactly Mr. Maternal. Plus, Stephanie’s
always around, and Laney doesn’t like her much. But I have a bunch
of aunts and uncles and cousins who are always willing to take her
too.” He frowned, as if it just occurred to him that his mother
might be taking advantage of him.

Gabriella suspected Rosalie’s intentions had
more to do with her relationship with Brandon than his availability
to babysit at the drop of a hat.

“What about her parents?” Emmett
interrupted.

“I don’t have a dad,” Laney supplied.
Brandon grimaced.

“She’s my sister’s kid. A screw up right out
of high school. The father’s not in the picture. My sister’s away
at college, working on getting her life back on track. She comes
home on the weekends.”

Emmett nodded his understanding. “Well,
kiddo, why don’t we go back to your Uncle Brandon’s house so I can
get my workout clothes? Then we’ll come back and you can hang out
with Auntie Gabby while we go to the gym.”

“Cool. Will Butter be there?”

“You know Butter, do you? Do you know how
she got that name?” He held the door open, explaining the story to
Laney as she preceded him outside. Brandon watched them walk down
the street, hand in hand.

“Should I be worried about her?” he asked
Gabriella.

“Not in the least. He’s great with kids. My
cousins’ kids all love him.”

“How come he gets to call you Gabby?”

Gabriella laughed. “Because he’s my brother
and I can’t keep him from calling me Gabby. With you, I just
threaten to withhold sex.”

“Fair enough. Gabriella.” He grinned.

***

While they were at the gym, Brandon and
Emmett engaged in an unspoken competition. They pushed each other
to lift heavier and heavier weights. They raced around the indoor
running track. They sat side by side on various pieces of
equipment, piling on the weights in an effort to impress the other
guy. They were getting ready to walk into a racquetball court when
a woman walked by, distracting Brandon.

She had long chestnut colored hair with
liberal blond highlights. It was pulled back into a ponytail that
sat high on her head and swayed side to side as she walked. Her
eyes were Caribbean blue and she was five foot ten, with about five
feet of leg. She wore a sports bra and a pair of spandex pants that
came to mid-calf, and there wasn’t an ounce of fat anywhere on her
body. Brandon stopped short as she walked by and Emmett smacked him
in the head with his racquetball racket.

“What about my sister?” Emmett demanded.

Brandon waved him off. “I know her,” he said
distractedly.

He turned and walked the other way. He
called out, “Natalie,” and the girl turned around and gave him a
puzzled smile. It took a moment and then her smile grew until it
was ear to ear.

“Brandon Sarantos? How are you?” She gave
him a warm hug.

“I’m great. What are you doing back in town?
I thought you moved to California or something?”

“I did. I was an aerobics instructor. My
grandpa passed away a few months ago and left me a little money. I
decided to invest it in a gym franchise. I’m now part owner of this
place.” She waved her arm to indicate the gym in which they
stood.

“Wow, that’s great.” He glanced at her left
hand and didn’t see a ring. “Have you talked to Patrick yet?”

A fleeting, sad look passed across her face.
“No. I’ve only been back for a couple of weeks. I’m staying with my
parents, looking to buy a house. I’ve been so busy getting myself
familiar with this place and looking for a place to live, I haven’t
even been to the Pizza Parlor yet. I hear he’s dating someone
pretty seriously.”

“My mother hates her.”

That brought a smile to Natalie’s lips.
“Your mother always was opinionated about who you guys dated.”

“She loved
you
. In fact, she
mentioned you just the other day.”

Natalie’s smile held a tinge of sadness.
“Please give your mother my best. And if Patrick asks… Let him know
I’m back in town, okay?”

“You look great, Natalie.”

“Thanks, Brandon. You do too. See you
around.” She turned and continued down the hall.

“Who was that?” Emmett asked from behind
him.

Brandon had a thoughtful look on his face.
“The love of my brother’s life.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

It was a crisp, sunny Friday morning. The
alarm clock beeped and Brandon reached over and slapped a hand on
the snooze button, then curled himself into Gabriella’s warmth. She
didn’t stir until the alarm went off the second time, and then she
dragged herself out of bed and padded down the hall to the shower.
Brandon said, “I’ll get coffee and meet you in there.”

He climbed out of bed and padded down to the
kitchen. By the time they emerged from the shower, they both looked
like well-satisfied prunes and they were running late for work.

Again.

Emmett showed up at the office around noon
and wanted to know the plan for that evening. “We’ll go home, put
on warmer clothes and then meet at the Pizza Parlor for a couple of
beers before heading to the game.”

“Got it,” Emmett said, and then he left.

He was at the house waiting when Gabriella
and Brandon arrived after work. He wore jeans, a white t-shirt and
a red and white plaid flannel shirt.

“Ready when you are,” Emmett commented as he
walked into the living room and made himself at home.

Brandon snagged a beer from the refrigerator
and followed Gabriella upstairs to change clothes. He quickly
striped Gabriella of her work clothes and then tumbled onto the
bed, taking her with him.

“Is this all you think about?” Gabriella
asked as his hands skimmed her behind and his lips tickled her
throat.

“Well, when you aren’t standing nearly naked
in front of me, I can usually focus on other things. But it’s
always there, in the back of my mind.” He licked her earlobe. “It’s
your fault. If you weren’t so damn irresistible, I wouldn’t have
this problem.”

Gabriella savored the sensations for a few
more moments and then she pushed him away and climbed off the bed
to get dressed.

When they walked into the Pizza Parlor
twenty minutes later, Gabriella decided that every Sarantos in town
must be in attendance. The place was packed, and most patrons had
those telltale blue eyes, the dark hair and olive complexion. She
felt like she was at a Sarantos family reunion.

“It’s kind of understood that this is a
Sarantos tailgate party on football Fridays,” Brandon whispered in
her ear.

Nicole materialized in front of them. She
gave Gabriella and Brandon hugs. “Hi guys,” she said with a perky
smile. Her eyes were over-bright and Gabriella suspected she’d
already had several drinks.

“Hi Nicole,” Gabriella answered. “Where’s
Anthony Junior?”

“He’s with my mom. Lucky for me, she’s one
of the five people in this town who doesn’t care about going to the
football games.” Her eyes focused on Emmett. “Oh, is this the
brother I’ve been hearing about all over town? The rumors don’t
lie.”

She gave him a head to toe admiring look.
Emmett cocked an eyebrow at Gabriella.

“Small town,” Gabriella explained. “They’re
probably taking bets on who you’ll go out with first.”

Emmett chuckled. Anthony appeared at
Nicole’s side and slung his arm around her shoulder. “It won’t be
with my wife,” he said with just the tiniest bit of menace in his
voice.

Nicole slipped an arm around his waist and
whispered something in his ear that caused him to grin like the cat
that had plans to catch the mouse… later.

“Hey, Nicole, guess who I ran into
yesterday?” Brandon asked, pulling her attention away from flirting
with her husband.

“Who?”

“Natalie.”

“Natalie Reager?”

Brandon nodded.

“Really? She’s in town visiting?”

“Moved back,” he amended. “She’s part owner
of the gym now.”

“
Really
?” Nicole’s eyes shifted to
the side, to where Patrick was sitting in a booth, with Stephanie
cooing in his ear.

Knowing she and Natalie had once been quite
close, Brandon suggested, “You should call her, see if she’s coming
to the game tonight.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Nicole said, as
she pulled her phone out of her purse and headed outside where it
wasn’t quite so loud.

Brandon grabbed Gabriella’s hand and pulled
her through the crowd towards the bar, while Emmett trailed along
behind. When they reached the bar, Brandon ordered two beers and a
glass of wine. “What was that about?” Gabriella asked him.

“Nicole and Natalie used to be pretty tight.
Natalie is Patrick’s long-lost soul mate.”

Gabriella glanced at Patrick. He looked
bored, while Stephanie appeared to be trying her damndest to flirt
with him. “Are you sure you want to get involved?” she asked
worriedly.

“I’m not getting involved. I’m just making
sure Patrick knows Natalie is in town. It’s his choice what he does
with that information.”

Emmett stood with his back to the bar and
surveyed the crowd. “You’ll have to tell me who’s single and who’s
not, so I don’t inadvertently piss someone off,” he said to
Brandon.

Brandon handed him a beer and turned to
stand next to him. He pulled Gabriella in front of him and wrapped
one arm around her waist. Laney appeared in front of them. “Hey
Laney,” Emmett said. “How’s it going?”

“Good,” she responded as she hugged his
legs. Emmett chuckled. Laney turned and hugged Gabriella and then
Brandon in turn. “Hi Auntie Gabby and Uncle Brandon.”

“Auntie Gabby?” Brandon asked, cocking an
eyebrow at Gabriella. She shrugged.

“Blame my brother.”

“You’re probably stuck with it now.”

Courtney showed up at their elbow. “Hey
Court,” Brandon said, turning to give her a one-armed hug.

“Hey Brandon, Gabriella. Laney, come on, you
need to sit down and eat something.”

Laney leaned against Emmett’s legs, in a
near-perfect imitation of Gabriella and Brandon. Courtney glanced
up at Emmett and said, “I’m sorry. She doesn’t usually take to
strangers like this. Come on, Laney.” Laney reluctantly waved at
Emmett and grabbed her mother’s hand. They disappeared into the
crowd.

“Oh shit,” Brandon muttered. Gabriella
glanced up to see why he was cursing and caught sight of her
brother, who was slack-jawed and staring at Courtney’s retreating
back.

“Oh my,” Gabriella said, and then she
smiled.

“Don’t even think about it,” Brandon
muttered to Emmett.

Emmett snapped out of his daze and looked at
Brandon. “Is that your sister?”

“Yes. Leave her alone.”

“Not on your life.” He pushed away from the
bar and followed Courtney.

Brandon started to follow. Gabriella snagged
his arm and gave it a squeeze. “Leave him be. He won’t hurt
her.”

Brandon scowled at her. “Right. My sister
generally makes really stupid decisions when it comes to men. And
even if your brother is a nice guy, he lives in New Orleans. Not to
mention the fact that Courtney is still in school. This is a bad
idea.”