Beard Science (Winston Brothers Book 3)

“So the unwanting soul

sees what's hidden,

and the ever-wanting soul

sees only what it wants.”

― Lao Tzu

I felt Claire squeeze my arm, but when I turned back to my friend I was met with the sight of her back, walking away. I scowled at her, at her wrong-headedness. I didn’t understand her.

Stubborn woman.

Clearly she was in love with my brother.

But there was nothing I could do about her. At least, not yet. Maybe later.

I nodded, considering—studying her—then took a chance and suggested gently, “If you want to pay me back, go ask Billy to sing with you.”

“Thank you for believing in me, Cletus. I’ll pay you back one of these days.”

Claire’s eyes moved over my features as though I were precious to her. I guess I was, in a way. I suspected we all were, even Billy.

As though reading my mind, her smile waned and her eyes fell from my face to my bow tie.

Jethro and Mr. McClure—Claire’s father-in-law—had taken extra measures to ensure the place was safe. It had two panic rooms, one on each floor, an alarm and surveillance system with three redundancies, and only three entry points. Every window could sustain anything from a hurricane to a bullet. They were shatterproof. All outside doors had double dead bolts and were steel, as were the door frames.

“You’ll always have the advantage of me, Jenn. Because I’m lost without you.”

And Jennifer was the key to my cage. She was the key to my future. We fit together. Her strengths counterpoised my weaknesses. If she gave me another chance, I would give her my faith. I would trust her completely. I would give her everything. I would tell her everything.

Everything.

“You want to know what you are to me? Fine. You’re my beginning, middle, and end.”

“Because that’s what would happen. I would fall in love with you and then you’d break my heart.”

“I can’t break your heart without breaking mine, and I’m terribly fond of my heart.”