Heartthrob (The Bennett Brothers 3)

His lips curl up in a way that tells me he likes my show of emotions. “Love you, Claire.”

“Stop!” I croak, shoving my face in his shoulder.

“Oh, shit, Claire’s cracking.” Bizzy sounds horrified.

“No, I’m not! Mathis smells good.” I make a loud sniffing noise to pretend to inhale his scent. The tears dry up, and the lump in my throat disappears.

Loud laughter rings out behind me, and Mathis’s chest vibrates against my cheek. I pinch his side and giggle myself when he hisses.

“Anyone want a drink?” Grace chirps, taking the attention off me.

“Beer for me,” Mathis answers over my head. “Champagne for Claire.”

“Best day ever,” I repeat his sentiment lowly but know he heard me when his hand slides around my waist and squeezes.

All is right in my world. I’m not sure I’ve ever been happier. Morale at work has returned to cheerful, which means Evie isn’t going to worry herself into a stroke. And, at eight a.m. this morning, Dr. Delicious was officially named Man of the Month on an Instagram poll.

When I called him at the hospital to share this news, he was not impressed, muttering he was never going to live this down. At that moment, I decided to go for another round, uploading a different picture of him to the new month’s poll. I even added a new hashtag #heartthrob. He has no clue, but it’s only a matter of time before one of the nurses lets it slip.

The outdoor patio of the restaurant is crowded, but I easily spot my mom and go through the gate to meet her. She gives me an overly affectionate hug, which should be my first clue.

“Why such a large table?” I eye the three other place settings.

This should have been my second clue.

“That’s a gorgeous dress, honey. It looks good with your skin tone.” She ignores me.

“Thanks. You look nice as well.”

“Mom, are we at the wrong table? This place is bustling today. They probably need to move us.”

“I’m expecting guests.” She places her napkin in her lap, and I catch the gleam in her eye.

Third clue.

“Who?”

“You’ll see.” There’s a ringing in her voice that I ignore.

“What’s going on?”

She glances over my shoulder, and her face lights up, her smile bright. “Here they are.”

I twist in my seat to find Bizzy, her mom, Rory, and Maria Bennett prancing our way.

“What’s going on?” I ask again.

“Surprise!” Bizzy scoots in the seat across from me, and Maria settles to my right.

All of them are beaming, which finally arouses my curiosity. The waitress appears, taking our drink order, and when she walks away, the conversation begins.

“Bizzy, your dress is gorgeous. Amethyst is your color.”

“Thank you, Kelly, I love that sapphire blouse. It brings out the color of your and Claire’s eyes.”

“Rory and Maria, those sundresses are also beautiful. Emerald and Aqua are such lovely spring and summer shades.”

“And isn’t this place wonderful? They have private parties that make headlines,” Maria chimes in.