“What’s with you and Mom, both trying to give me relationship advice?”
“I think it’s because I’m so happy with Erin. Now I want the same thing for you.”
“And you think the answer is Ash?”
He lifted his shoulders. “Only if Ash has the gumption to knock some sense into you when you need it. Erin has no qualms doing that for me.”
Adam chuckled. “You’re right about Erin. She’s a spitfire, for sure. I’m really happy for you, Daniel.”
“Ash seems a bit too fearful to handle you, in my opinion, but she might be a good match for Tristan or Elias.”
“She’s going to be twenty-six on Saturday—I saw it on her building permit application. I can’t see her being with either of the boys. They’re way too young for her.” The truth was he could picture her with them, and he didn’t like it.
“The boys, as you call them, are twenty-six and twenty-eight years old.”
“I don’t care how old they are... I don’t think they’re serious enough for Ash. They’d end up hurting her, for sure.”
“Isn’t that what you’ve done? Scared her out of her wits?” Daniel chuckled. “You really need to go easy on her tomorrow. Don’t turn her off to the entire family.”
“I haven’t done anything to Ash. I’m trying to help her.” Adam flung his hands in the air in frustration.
“Just dial back that dark, overwhelming personality you wear around all the time. Lighten up.” Daniel slapped him on the shoulder and slipped out the door.
Lighten up? How was he supposed to do that?
Chapter Seven
“HE’LL BE HERE ANY MINUTE.” Ash looked out her bedroom window, eyeing the street below. “I had to call off the outside painters, since I haven’t gotten my colors approved yet.”
“You don’t think he’ll like the colors you picked out?” asked Maggie on the cell phone. “Those colors you sent links for looked great to me.”
“Thanks, Maggie. But no, I think he won’t like anything but white. He hates change of any kind.”
“But he’s your cousin, right? Why don’t you just level with him about who you are? Then you could call in a family favor.”
“No way! I’m pretty sure the family disowned my mother, and I don’t blame them. They probably won’t be too happy to discover her daughter has snatched away the family home. My only chance is to win them over before I let them know who my mother is.”
“Come on, Ash. You’re an amazing person. Who wouldn’t like you?”
Ash rolled her eyes, even though Maggie couldn’t see the gesture. “Adam, for one. I make him mad almost every time I open my mouth.”
“If he hates you so much, why did he call you three times last week?”
“To buy my antique furniture.” Ash put Maggie on speaker phone so she could brush her teeth. “I promise, that’s all it was. He’s got a furniture restoration and antique shop. It’s called Good As Old. Isn’t that a cute name?”
“I thought he was the mayor of Romance.”
“He is, but it turns out that’s not a paying job in a town this size. So he has this antique store, and he’s also a rancher.”
“What about your date today?”
“It’s not a date—it’s a meeting to discuss paint colors, after which, I’ll probably have to keep the outside white,” Ash garbled with a mouthful of toothpaste.
“If it’s just a meeting, why did he tell you to wear jeans and walking shoes and bring a jacket?”
“I don’t know... that’s what I’m worried about. I don’t want him to hate me, but I don’t want him to like me—not like that. It would be even more disastrous. He’s my cousin for Pete’s sake!”
“Yeah, that’s too bad, because he sounds hot.”