“You got it, as long as I get to ask one or two of my own.”
Fair was fair. And it wasn’t like she had anything to hide. “Deal.”
“What do you want to know?” Jen asked.
It was more like what didn’t she want to know, but they only had so much time. “I know about the care packages and the letters, but what was it like when you finally saw Brett face-to-face?”
“I expected questions about Keith, but okay. I’d say it was nerve-racking. Actually, I almost canceled on him several times,” she answered, putting the bowl down next to the stove. “And the afternoon we met, I even thought about leaving the cafe before he arrived.”
“What stopped you?”
Even as a kid, meeting new people had never fazed her—a definite plus in her line of work. But maybe if she’d been in Jen’s situation, it would’ve made her a little uneasy.
“I kept reminding myself that after almost two years of exchanging letters and text messages, I practically knew him already. And that worse case, we had coffee together and then never saw each other again.”
“Two years. Wow, I didn’t realize you’d been writing back and forth to each other for so long.”
“Keith didn’t either. I didn’t tell him until after Brett asked me to spend the day with him.”
That bit of information, he hadn’t shared with her. “You didn’t leave, so what happened once he got there?”
“Almost as soon as he sat down, it was like I was having coffee with any other friend.” Jen leaned against the counter and shrugged. “Well, more or less. Brett tends to get noticed by people, especially women. And there were plenty checking him out that night.”
She could see why. Maddie wasn’t single, but she had perfect eyesight, and Brett Sherbrooke was gorgeous. Based on the little Keith had shared about his friend, Brett was more than a handsome face with boatloads of cash. He was a nice guy too.
“I feel your pain. I’ve noticed women doing the same to Keith.”
“Yeah, but then my brother opens his big mouth, and they all decide he’s not worth it.”
Maddie added the last of the chicken to the dish. “Nah, I think it’s his ego that’s the problem.”
Jen nodded as her smile grew wider. “Good point. Sometimes I don’t know how his head fits through doorways. But Keith can be sweet and thoughtful when he wants to be. Loyal too.”
“It sounds like he has a lot in common with a dog.”
“Now that you mention it, he does. But Keith has slightly better table manners. Hopefully, better breath too.”
With the chicken ready to be carried in, she turned her attention to the pasta. “Okay, so I got in two questions. Now, it’s your turn,” Maddie said, carrying the pot to the sink so she could drain the water.
The rest of her list would have to wait. If they stayed in the kitchen much longer, Keith would wonder what was taking so long and come investigate. The guy could be nosey like that.
“Did you make the first move, or did my brother finally put his big-boy pants on?”
An image of Keith dressed like a young schoolboy in the early twentieth century popped up, and Maddie burst out laughing. “No, he put on his big-boy pants,” she answered once she could speak again.
“Took him long enough.”
Rather than removing them, their conversation added more questions to her list. “Later, you and I need to talk more.” Maddie gestured toward the chicken. “If you can bring that and the rolls in, I can handle everything else.”
“Sure thing, but before we go into the other room….” Jen paused and peeked around the doorway. “Well, you’ve known Keith for a while, so you probably already know this, but my brother has always been more of a casual dater. I only remember him having three girlfriends. One was in high school. Melinda went to school with us. Kristen was even on the swim team with her, so she doesn’t count. And he had two in college.”
It surprised Maddie he’d even had that many.
“And you’re the first girlfriend he’s ever wanted any of us to meet.”
* * *
Keith glanced toward the hallway.It was taking them a hell of a lot longer than necessary to get food transferred from the stove to a dish. Knowing Maddie, she’d asked Jen to share all his most embarrassing moments, and his sister was sharing all the ones she remembered.