He checked the time again. Exactly five minutes had passed.
He could go for a run, but he’d already showered. He could drop by the restaurant, but he’d promised his staff he wouldn’t make an appearance. They hadn’t believed him for a second and the good-natured teasing he’d endured had him unwilling to go back on his word.
With a rough hand through his sand-colored hair, he headed outside and inhaled the ocean air, but restlessness waited for him there, too.
Expectation hung suspended in the air around him.
The oppressive heaviness of a gathering storm raised the hairs on the back of his neck, though the sun shone from a clear sky.
He had the sense of something big on the horizon, though he couldn’t understand what it would be.
A feeling of impending surrounded him. A certainty…though of what, he had no clue.
Chalking it up as another sign of his inability to sit still, Harry called Ian to see if they needed any help.
“Hey ho, little bro!”
Harry chuckled. “You sound like you’re in a good mood.”
“I am. Perpetually. You should try it sometime.”
“I’m always in a good mood.” How could he not be when he grew up in the perfect family, lived in a brand new house on the beach, and loved the business he’d built from the ground up?
Ian scoffed. “There’s a difference between fine and happy.”
The statement caught Harry off-guard. Off all his brothers, he was the one whose life had fallen into place the easiest. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. Guess I’m feeling a little existential lately.”
“You say existential, I say sappy. I mean, just look at the way you treat that dog. No self-respecting man should love an animal that weighs under forty pounds.”
“Chopper has the attitude of a full-sized wolf.” Ian chuckled as he used the nickname he’d given Lulu. “That counts.”
Chilled by the fall breeze coming off the water, Harry wandered back into the house, then stood there with his hand on his hip. “Thought I’d call and see if you guys needed any help getting ready.”
“Afraid you’ll have to eat less-than-perfect food?”
“Not at all. Juliet knows her way around the kitchen. It is her in the kitchen, right Ian?” His brother was a disaster when it came to cooking. The man could fly a fighter jet without blinking an eye, but keeping a steak from burning was asking too much.
“I’m not even in the house, my friend.” Ian laughed and another wave of expectation washed over Harry. “But,” his brother continued, “Julz is working through a bottle of wine with her maid of honor. I hate to break it to you, but your dinner might be in the hands of a tipsy and distracted cook.”
“You say that like I care. Just because I know my way around a kitchen doesn’t make me a food snob.”
“I say that like I care.” Ian chuckled. “I adore my fiancé, but that woman can’t hold her wine. I’m begging you, little brother. Rescue dinner. My taste buds are already thanking you, and, after you see who’s keeping Juliet company, you’ll be returning the gratitude.”
Harry snorted. “And there it is. Ulterior motive.”
“Think of Willow less as an ulterior motive, and more of a bonus. My main priority is dinner. Always.”
After some good-natured ribbing, they said their goodbyes and Harry shook his head at the mention of Juliet’s maid of honor. Ever since both his older brothers found love, they’d been pointing out eligible bachelorettes for him like he was next in line. Their sister Lilah had gone so far as to bring him a list of women, with their pros and cons jotted in columns marching down the page. What they didn’t realize was that Harry was completely content in his life.
Running his restaurant kept him busy and perfecting his abilities as a chef kept him fulfilled. What more did a man need?
“Something to talk to would be nice,” he muttered as he swiped his keys off the counter and headed outside.
Maybe I will get a dog, he thought, even though he knew that was ridiculous. Pets needed time and attention…commodities he really didn’t have in spades.
As he slipped into his car, Harry realized he had a gigantic grin smeared across his face. Excitement had his fingers tapping and his head bobbing, but he still couldn’t understand what had him so keyed up. Family dinners were nice, but as the quietest of four siblings, he typically found himself fading into the background. Which was fine with him, especially considering he never craved the spotlight.
Even still, he found himself checking the time again, extra eager to be on his way.
Get a hold of yourself, Moore.
He brought the engine to life with a self-deprecating laugh.
If heading over to rescue his slightly tipsy, soon-to-be-sister-in-law had him that wound up, maybe his life wasn’t as full as he thought it was.
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The Hutton Family Series
Beyond Words
Beyond Love
Beyond Now
Beyond Us
Beyond Dreams
The Moore Family Series
Finding Bliss
Faking Bliss
Instant Bliss
Enemies-to-Bliss
Brookside Romance
Wounded
Inevitably You
This Is Why
Along Comes Trouble
Come Home To Me
Wilde Boys Series with Will Wright
Taking What Is Mine
Claiming What Is Mine
Protecting What Is Mine
Defending What Is Mine
The London Sisters Series
Love Is Crazy (Dakota & Dominic)
Love Is Beautiful (Chelsea & Max)
Love Is Everything (Maya & Hudson)
Immortal Memories
Immortal Memories Part 1
Immortal Memories Part 2
As Wren Williams
Bad, Bad Prince
Woodsman
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