Bad Boys Do (Donovan Brothers Brewery 2)

“Jamie.” He felt her shake her head, her hair sliding against his chin. “I’m serious. Please don’t say yes just to make me shut up. I love you.”

His throat thickened, so he let her go, closing his eyes against a sudden dampness as he turned away. He’d decided he wanted to try again, and here was Tessa asking for something difficult and it was so much harder than he’d imagined. Shit.

“I just want you to talk to me.”

He grabbed the shovel, just to have something to do. But after he finished tamping down the soil, Jamie decided the drip line could wait. “Do you want a Coke or some water or something?”

“Sure.” Tessa followed him to the house. They sat down at his kitchen table with two glasses of ice water and a bubble of uncomfortable silence lodged between them.

“So, what have you been up to?” she asked carefully.

Try, he ordered himself. “I…I’ve been seeing that woman.”

“Which woman?”

“The woman who came to see me. Olivia.”

“Really?” She leaned forward. “Is it serious?”

“I don’t know yet. Maybe. Yes.” When Tessa laughed, he felt the bubble of awkwardness burst and there was clear, bright space between them.

“Your ambiguity makes me think it might be serious, after all. Jamie Donovan stuttering over a girl?”

“I didn’t stutter.”

“No, but you practically said, ‘Aw, shucks,’ when I asked about her. Are those stars in your eyes?”

“No.”

“Maybe you’re

just overwhelmed with the novelty of dating a genuine grown-up.”

His first instinct was to take offense, but instead he smiled. Damned if his little sister wasn’t right again.

“So, what else are you up to?” she asked. “Or are you spending all your time with this Olivia?”

He’d thought he had been, actually, but here he was alone on his day off. Then again, it was probably a blessing. If Tessa had walked in on him and Olivia in the hot tub… Heck, there was no telling what she might’ve posted on Twitter.

Jamie cleared his throat. “Not all my time, no. Just some of it. The rest of it, I…” Her smile was all warm encouragement, but he wasn’t ready to reveal his plans yet. They were too new. Too raw. Still, he could share something.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about Donovan Brothers. About becoming more active. More plugged-in.”

“You should,” Tessa said brightly. “Absolutely.”

“I know you think I should, but Eric doesn’t. It’s going to be a fight.”

“So fight him.”

“Don’t worry. I plan to.”

Tessa’s eyes widened when she belatedly realized what she was encouraging. “Well, don’t fight. Just talk to him like you’re talking to me. He has no idea you’ve changed, Jamie. Neither did I, because you’ve kept it from us. As far as I knew, you spent all your free time throwing hot tub parties.”

“How do you know I don’t?”

“Because this place isn’t a college party house, Jamie. It’s a home. I bet you’ve even got real food in the fridge.”

Jamie flushed, thinking of the steaks and vegetables he’d bought at the grocery store that morning. He’d anticipated Olivia staying over, and on the off chance she might become hungry while naked in his bed, he wanted to be able to feed her without bothering with dressing and going out. He wasn’t sure if that put him in the party house camp or the real home camp, but he kept his mouth shut.