Suddenly Last Summer (O'Neil Brothers 3)

“Grams isn’t here. And I’ll use whatever language I choose to use, just as I’ll live where I want to live and do the job I want to do.”

“And kiss the girl you want to kiss.”

“Yes.” Sean narrowed his eyes, wondering just how much his eagle-eyed grandfather had seen the night of the party. “That, too.”

“Just make sure you’re not so busy kissing every pretty girl you meet, you lose the one you’d like to kiss for the rest of your life.”

Suddenly all he could think of was the generous curve of Élise’s mouth, that dimple, and he gritted his teeth.

“My focus is my job.”

“A job doesn’t keep you warm at night. I loved my job, too, but the moment I met your grandmother, I knew. So did she. Maybe you have to get to a certain age to know what’s important in life. Health and people you love around you. That’s it.”

Sean leaned his head back against the seat. “Are you about done with the lecture?”

“Not lecturing. Just passing on my wisdom. It’s been easier on your brothers, you being home more the last few weeks. It’s because of you the Boathouse is opening. If you were closer, you could do more of that. And you could use some of that expertise people pay good money for to help Brenna develop a pre-conditioning program before the ski season. Now get out of here. The Carpenters aren’t my favorite people and I don’t want to be parked on their land.”

Afraid that if he answered he’d say something he regretted, Sean was about to pull back onto the road when he saw a flash of long red hair far in the distance. Someone was walking in the Carpenters’ apple orchards.

He squinted, trying to get a clearer look but whoever it was vanished out of sight.

Feeling uneasy, Sean turned his head to see if his grandfather had noticed anything but Walter was concentrating on the road.

“This car is too low down.”

Sean glanced back at the farm but there was no one in sight.

Telling himself that there were plenty of women with long red hair, he pulled back onto the road and flattened his foot to the floor, deciding that the sooner he dropped his grandfather back, the better.

“I’ll be back to take you to your next hospital appointment, not before.”

Churned up inside, he dropped off his grandfather, reassured his grandmother that Walter was making miraculous progress and went to find his brothers.

He found Tyler outside the Outdoor Center, sprawled in the dirt, fixing a mountain bike.

His brother took one look at his face and sat up. “You look happy. Gramps is obviously back on form. Don’t tell me, he wants you to move back home and run a private clinic right here at Snow Crystal.”

“Something like that.”

Tyler wiped his forearm over his forehead. “Haven’t seen you since the party. I noticed you disappeared early.”

“I was tired.”

“Yeah, right. So tired

you had to lie down in a nice big bed. I’ve been that tired a few times in my life.”

Irritated by the conversation with his grandfather, Sean sent his brother a look. “Why is everyone suddenly so interested in my love life? What about you? Did you dance with Brenna at the party?”

“No, but I noticed you did.” Tyler’s expression darkened. “So what was that about? One woman isn’t enough for you?”

“For your information I can’t imagine kissing one woman for the rest of my life.”

“You kissed her?” Tyler jumped to his feet and the bike crashed to the ground. “You kissed Brenna?”

Sean, who had been thinking about Élise, was startled to find himself pinned against the fence. “Hey, this is my favorite suit. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“You have to ask me that? You kissed Brenna!”