Her Charming Heartbreaker by Sonia Parin Page A

cook for you guys.”
    “Please.”
     
    * * *
     
    “Eddie? Why are you
bent over? Are you sick?”
    Yes. No. She didn’t
know. Her mind had a parade of thoughts marching through, there was
some sort of trapeze act happening in her stomach, and she couldn’t
steady her breathing. “Go away, Mitch.”
    “You’re
hyperventilating.”
    She had her hand over
her heart, and anyone seeing her, anyone other than her witless
brother, would think she was practicing her breathing and preparing
for labor.
    “You’re huffing… and
puffing. Have you been running up the stairs?”
    She gave him a slanted
eye look that spoke of murder and mayhem. “I could be dying and
you’d still ask me a thousand questions. I could keel over from a
heart attack and you’d probably prod me with your foot first.”
    “Of course I would.
What sort of idiot do you take me for? You might bite.”
    She straightened and
glared at him.
    “Why are your cheeks
red? That’s not a good sign.”
    “You’re full of
insightful observations today.”
    “Yeah, and I’m having a
light bulb moment here and thinking you’ve had a run in with a
certain—”
    She lifted a warning
finger. “You boys need to stop hovering around me. Just because I
came back doesn’t mean I’m staying. One wrong move from any of you
and you can start looking over your shoulder because I’ll be there,
watching and waiting to trip you up and ruin your lives. And that’s
a promise.”
    “Wow, go easy on the
reprisal. You know we have your best interests at heart.”
    “How about I release
you from whatever brother-at-arms pledge you’ve made. I’m one
interference away from taking out a restraining order on the three
of you. And tell Markus to stop scowling at Theo. He’ll scare all
the customers away.” She stood toe to toe with her brother, her
finger wagging under his nose.
    “Careful with the
ultimatums, Red. I can still throw you over my knees and spank
you.”
    “Just you try it. I’ve
got new moves.”
    “Eddie.”
    She groaned. When Mitch
lowered his tone, he meant business.
    “Be careful with
Theo.”
    Mitch Faydon, Eden’s
very own bad boy, was warning her off Theo?
     
    * * *
     
    “How about a movie with
aliens and spaceships?” Ben asked.
    Go with the flow. Don’t
fight the current. Theo had apparently worked something out with
Claire. That left Eddie with two choices. She’d already decided
against running away so she’d simply have to adjust. Learn to live
with the idea of Theo being with someone else.
    He’d come to Eden for
Claire so she shouldn’t feel as if she’d missed out or been passed
over for someone else. Think of sand through the hourglass. This
too shall pass...
    “Earth to Eddie? Scary
movie with aliens and spaceships?”
    She tapped her chin.
“Those movies don’t scare me. And I can almost always tell when
they use fake aliens.”
    Ben rolled his eyes.
“You want a girl flick with kissing and crying and weddings—”
    “Young man, you should
study up on those films. The day will come when you will reap the
rewards of a well-informed mind.” She’d never really been into
girly films, but it was all she watched whenever she got together
with her friends. Maybe she should listen to her own advice. She
might learn a thing or two about catching a man and keeping him. “I
wouldn’t say no to
Mars Attacks
. That has to be the best
alien movie around.”
    “That’s not scary,” Ben
complained. “It’s a comedy.”
    “Bug eyed aliens with
huge heads that ooze green gunk when they explode isn’t scary?”
    “Tell me again why
Eddie gets to choose the film?” Theo asked.
    “Because she’s cooking
dinner and because she’s a girl. Don’t you know anything? Girls get
first pick,” Ben explained.
    “She hit the speed dial
on the phone and called the pizza place. And she brought dessert
from the pub. I hardly call that cooking.” Theo stood with his arms
crossed and his feet apart and glared at her, but Eddie