Connie groaned. “That is so humiliating. I could have sworn nobody in the family saw us.”
“They didn’t,” Jess said. “My chef Gail and her husband had a rare night out. She wanted to try a new restaurant. She’d heard the place has a great chef, and you know how competitive she is.”
“I never saw her,” Connie said, chagrined by the realization that she’d had eyes for no one in the room except Thomas.
“I don’t think you were paying much attention to your surroundings,” Jess teased. “Of course, I already had an inkling about what was going on from my brothers and my own observations. This just confirmed it.”
“I might have to kill them,” Connie said with a groan. “I knew they’d figured out how I felt, but I didn’t think they’d blab.”
“They’re O’Briens,” Jess said. “None of us can keep a secret worth a damn. Surely you’ve seen that.” She leaned forward. “So, what are you going to do about it? Are you two actually dating finally? I think it would be great if you did, by the way. Uncle Thomas needs a strong, wonderful woman who shares his interests.”
“We had dinner,” Connie said, then added, in the interest of full disclosure, “And a couple of lunches, plus coffee a few times.”
Jess chuckled at the recitation.
“Oh, stop it,” Connie muttered. “It’s not like it’s turned into some big romance or anything.”
“What do you plan to do to change that?” Jess pressed.
“Me?” Connie asked, looking horrified. “Nothing.”
“You’re not going to wait around for him to do something, are you? Because I can practically hear the wheels in my uncle’s head grinding while he assesses how the whole family, especially your brother, would react if he seriously started dating you. I imagine he’s sensitive to the age issue, too. It’s up to you to show him that the feeling’s mutual.”
“I don’t know that it is,” Connie said. “I mean, I know I’m attracted to him, but for all I know he’s just being nice to me. He’s probably just grateful for the help I’ve given to him with all those events to raise money for the foundation. Dinner the other night was friendly, nothing more.”
She uttered the words without allowing her frustration to show. She’d actually braved humiliation by telling Thomas in advance that she wanted it to be a date, but once they’d met at the restaurant, he’d behaved like a total gentleman, nothing more than a casual friend. She could hardly criticize his manners, only his astounding self-control. The relationship was beginning to take on the same bizarre hands-off style that defined Susie and Mack’s and even Will and Jess’s. She found that worrisome, to say nothing of frustrating.
Jess rolled her eyes. “Friendly? You can’t be that naive. If he invited you to dinner, that’s huge. Every woman can tell the difference between gratitude and attraction. I know you practically lived like a nun while Jenny was at an impressionable age, but you haven’t been away from the dating scene that long.”
Connie frowned at her certainty. “Some women I know can’t seem to tell the difference between attraction and professional interest. Want to talk about that kiss between you and Will at Brady’s?”
“I do not,” Jess said, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.
“Then I guess there’s nothing more to say. Why’d you come over here, anyway?”
“I was looking for a distraction, to be honest. My next stop’s the bank. Maybe Laila will be more forthcoming about what’s going on in her life. She seems to be the only one of us who’s been actively dating since she signed up for Will’s online matchmaking.”
“I’ve gone out on a bunch of dates,” Connie protested.
“Have you seen any of the men twice?”
“No, but neither has Laila. What’s your point?”
“She’s still accepting dates. You’re not.”
“How on earth do you know that?” Connie asked indignantly. “Did Will tell you?”
Jess grinned. “Nope. It was a lucky guess, which you just confirmed.” She stood up, then kissed Connie’s cheek. “Talk to Thomas. Ask him out, if you’re really interested. I’m telling you, you’re going to have to take the lead with him, at least in the beginning.”
She was gone before Connie could respond. Jess was probably right, Connie thought. Maybe she did need to be the one to make the next overture, but doing so was way too far out of her comfort zone. Besides, it was only a couple of weeks before they’d be thrown together at a last-minute fundraiser they’d arranged to hold at a nearby fall festival. With luck, the decision might be taken out of her hands. Otherwise she’d have a long, lonely winter to survive without even the chance encounters she’d come to count on.
En route to the bank, Jess dropped by Sally’s and picked up a couple of raspberry croissants along with two cups of coffee to take with her. Before she could leave, though, she turned too quickly and nearly walked straight into Will. He put a steadying hand on her arm, which she immediately shrugged off.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, frowning. “It’s not even close to noon.”
He smiled. “I usually pick up coffee to take to my office first thing in the morning,” he said. “What about you?” He gestured toward her take-out order. “Don’t you usually grab something at the inn in the morning?”
“I felt like a change of pace this morning. I’m on my way over to the bank to visit with Laila.”
“Then I won’t keep you,” he said. “Enjoy your day.”
The dismissal grated. Jess had half a mind to stay right where she was, but since she had no idea what she’d do next, she sighed and left, grumbling under her breath about men in general, and one man in particular.
When she bumped directly into someone just outside the café, she looked up to find
