Obsession Falls(30)

“I said I didn’t want to know.”

“We’ve divided it into age brackets,” Louise said, ignoring me. “And points are given for things like job stability, hygiene, style, and personality.”

“That’s kind of messed up. You know that, right?”

She waved off my comment. “It’s all in good fun. And our wagers are never for money.”

“You’re betting on this stuff?” I turned to my mom. “Do you know about this?”

Mom shrugged. “Aunt Louise and her friends generally leave me out of it.”

“You still have too many bachelor sons to be properly unbiased,” Louise said, as if this were all perfectly reasonable. “So, tell me about the new girl in town. I saw her coming out of Happy Paws the other day, but I haven’t had the chance to meet her yet.”

“Her name’s Audrey,” I said. “She has a dog.”

Aunt Louise watched me with raised eyebrows. “And?”

“What?”

“Come on, Josiah, don’t be stubborn.”

What did she want me to say? She’s frustratingly sexy? I’m annoyed with myself for thinking about her all the time?

I stood and took my plate to the kitchen. “I barely know her.”

“This is the problem with men. Especially Haven men. Not the best communicators.”

Mom set her tea kettle on the stove with a laugh. “Isn’t that the truth.”

“Hey,” Dad said.

“We both know you speak half-English, half-caveman.” Mom moved closer and gave him a quick kiss. “Fortunately, I speak both.”

He grunted.

Mom shook her head with a soft laugh.

I took advantage of the momentary break in the conversation to head for the front door. Dad seemed fine and Mom and Aunt Louise had plenty of town gossip to keep them busy.

“Bye, honey,” Mom called.

I paused at the door and held my hand up. “Bye.”

Bachelor hierarchy? I shook my head as I walked out to my truck. It figured there would be a bachelor hierarchy in Tilikum.

And I was not going to ask how I compared to any of my brothers. I didn’t even want to know.

Okay, I kind of wanted to know how I rated next to Zachary. But only out of curiosity, not because I was hoping to be the first to graduate off the bachelor list.

I headed home, telling myself once again that just because I was alone, it didn’t mean I was lonely.

And I almost believed my own lie.





CHAPTER 13





Audrey





Looking at job postings had become so second-nature, I clicked to my saved search while I drank my coffee every Saturday morning without even thinking about it. Yes, I had a job—thank goodness—but working for a small-town newspaper that might be on the verge of closing wasn’t exactly ideal.

Although it was growing on me.

Still, I’d come here intending to take some time to get back on my feet, and that’s what I was doing. I needed to keep looking ahead to the next step.

And I wondered if I’d just found it.

The ad was for a marketing communications manager for a brewery and restaurant chain. That would be kind of cool. They wanted a background in either PR, marketing, or journalism. Heck, I had all three. And it was in Seattle, which was fine. It wasn’t Pinecrest, and when it came to location, that was my main requirement.

I sipped my coffee as I filled out the online application and sent a copy of my resume. I didn’t expect much. I’d applied to about a zillion jobs when I’d been unemployed. But you never knew. This could have been the opportunity I’d been waiting for.

My phone rang—my mom—so I picked it up and answered.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Did I catch you at a good time?”

“Yeah, just finishing my coffee. What’s up?”

“I’m just calling to check in and see how you’re doing.”

“That’s nice of you. I’m doing fine.”

“How’s work? Are you getting settled in at your job?”

There was a hint of what might have been anxiety in her voice, like she was concerned about my answer. “Yeah, I am.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Why is that a relief?” I got up and grabbed a dog treat for Max from a jar on the kitchen counter and tossed it into the living room for him.

“You just spent a good stretch of time unemployed. I’d hate for you to find this job doesn’t suit you, especially since you went to all the trouble to move.”

“That’s true. I guess I can’t say it’s my ideal job, but it’s going okay so far.”

“Plus I’m not sure how I’d explain it if you were to leave right away.”

“Explain to whom?”

“Oh, you know, the ladies here in Pinecrest. They’re always interested to hear how you’re doing.”

I leaned against the counter, suddenly filled with suspicion. “What did you tell them about me?”

“There were just some less than flattering rumors going around. Obviously I couldn’t let people talk about us that way.”

“What way? What were the rumors?”