"Oh, yes I do. It's clear what you have planned tonight. Fuck, it's clear what you had planned for this afternoon before I got here and ruined things. I'm really sorry." Quinn looked at his brother with a sincere expression of apology.
"Quinn, I'm not so sure you ruined things. I'm thinking that things might have happened exactly as they were meant to happen." Ben smiled.
Quinn thunked down on the bed. "Oh, Jesus, you're not going to get all metaphysical on my ass, are you?" he moaned.
"Not exactly, but I want to remind you of some of the conversations we used to have, back when it was just the two of us on the same boat," Ben said seriously.
"That was years ago, Ben. We were young. It was just a dream. Just because it was something our great-grandparents did, and it worked for them, doesn't mean it could work in this day and age."
"But we always felt like it could work for us," Ben argued. "It was something we both felt was right for us. Why did it resonate so strongly for us whenever Dad would tell us those stories about his grandparents?"
"I can't explain it, Ben. But it was just a stupid dream. We should never have taken it seriously. We were stupid to even consider it," Quinn said dejectedly.
"What if it didn't have to be a dream, Quinn? What if it could actually work? What if we did find the right woman?" Ben continued in that same serious tone.
"Ben, she's from the lower forty-eight. There's no way she would understand what we'd want." Quinn watched in amazement as his younger brother's face broke into a wide grin.
"Well, that's where you're wrong. Her mom is married to two men. She's married to Leif and Conn Johansen." Ben had to keep himself from rubbing his hands together in glee as he watched Quinn digest that piece of information.
"You've got to be kidding me," he said in an almost reverent tone. "Her mom?"
"Yep," Ben nodded.
"Wait a minute, were you always thinking of the three of us? Together?"
"The thought had crossed my mind. But more than anything, I was just thinking about her and I together today and tonight, and how I could make this work longer. She's leaving on Friday, and I knew I was due to keep the boat out until Saturday." Ben shook his head in frustration. "I don't know what I was planning to do, but definitely something, because there wasn't a chance in hell I was going to let this end after just tonight."
"Fuck no, I wouldn't either, brother," Quinn agreed.
"But I'm not sure she would sleep with me so fast if she wasn't looking at this as a vacation fling. I'm going to be her second lover ever, and I think if I were living down in Seattle, this would take longer than four days."
"Her second lover?" Quinn breathed in an astounded voice. "How is that even possible?"
"Yeah, right?" Ben agreed. "She had a boyfriend for four years in college and it lasted until she was twenty-two. There's been nobody since. I don't understand it."
"So how can you think she would be ready for both of us?" Quinn demanded.
"Quinn, I saw how she looked at you. She tried to hide it. And she felt really bad. She didn't want to hurt my feelings, but she was eating you up, and she was confused as hell. I think if we just confronted this head on, but in a gentle and caring manner, she would be relieved."
"I think you're full of it. Why ruin a sure thing? You know the two of you are headed to bed, and if I read you right, you're either going to convince her to stay longer or you're going to follow her down to Seattle and drag her ass back, right?" Quinn asked.
Ben nodded. "I'm not letting her get away. I'm in love with her."
"So, again I ask, why ruin a sure thing?"
"Because she wants you," Ben said in a sure voice. "Because you and I had a dream once. I still have that dream, about loving the same woman, about marrying that woman and making a life with her, having children with her. I see a chance at giving her what she wants, while at the same time making my dream come true, and I think making my brother's dream come true. Why the fuck wouldn't I try for that?" Ben asked passionately.
Quinn stood up and put his hand on his brother's shoulder, and looked him dead in the eye. "Are you absolutely sure? Because if you say yes, I won't be able to stop, because I want this. I really want her. My God, Ben, she's the most remarkable woman I've ever met in my twenty-eight years on this Earth. If you say yes, there will be no stopping me."
"Yes." Ben drew his brother in for a relieved hug.
"So, let's go pick up our woman and bring her back here for dinner," Quinn said.
* * * *
"I'm so glad you called. Are you having a good time?" her mother asked.
"Mom, it's so beautiful," Kara enthused. She went on to explain about the forests and the tide pools and the people.
"How about your brothers, are they enjoying themselves?"
"They left to fish and camp with Sid and Tony on Friday," Kara explained.
"I thought you said that Nate only works Monday through Friday. What did you do this past weekend?" her mom asked. Kara told her about Ben Shotbrook, and how she had played hooky from working with Nate so she could spend more time with Ben.
"Oh my goodness, he sounds wonderful, Kara," her mother exclaimed, but Kara could hear the concern in her voice.
"I know, it's just a vacation fling," Kara admitted. "But it feels like so much more, Mom. I really care for this man. In such a short amount of time, I feel like he gets me on so many more levels than Burt ever did. Ben could fit in with our family, and he understands me as an artist … " Her voice trailed off.
"What else, Kara? Is something wrong?" her mom asked.
"Mom, are you alone?" Kara asked, referring to her dads.
"Both of your dads are in the living room watching a football game. I'm in the kitchen. What is it, baby girl?"
"Can I ask you something personal?"
"Baby, you can ask me anything," her mom assured her.
"I met Ben's older brother today." Kara stopped, praying that her mom could fill in the blanks.
"Honey, are you saying you like him better than you do Ben?" her mother asked her carefully.
"No!" Kara said vehemently. "Not at all. They're both so wonderful. They are so much alike, but they're so different, and they complement each other. They both are so interested in what I have to say, and they make me feel so wanted and so good." Kara stopped talking. Again she prayed that her mother would make sense of the situation.
"Kara, I'm not sure I ever told you how it was when I first started dating Leif but then met Conn. Did I, honey?"
"No Mom, you never have," Kara said in a relieved voice. She settled back on the bed and let her mom's voice wash over her.
* * * *
Ben had texted Kara that he'd pick her up in fifteen minutes, so she'd pulled on a long-sleeved shirt, jeans and sneakers. She'd left her hair up, since she'd worked so hard on the style, and it was the one thing that hadn't gotten messed up in the time she spent playing with Redford and Newman.
She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed that she wouldn't be seeing Quinn again. It had helped talking to her mother. She no longer felt so dishonorable in her feelings toward Ben. Knowing that her mom had gone through the same thing with her dads made her feel better. Now she was back to feeling giddy at the thought of spending the night with Ben. It had been forever since she had had sex, and she had never been so physically attracted to another man. Just kissing Ben was more pleasurable than sex had ever been with Burt.
When she pulled open the door to the lodge, she saw Ben's truck pulling up, and she gasped as she saw both Shotbrook brothers get out of the truck. They made their way to the foot of the porch and looked up at her. She didn't know how expressions could be smiling and predatory at the same time, but they both managed it. She definitely felt hunted, and that made her girl parts sit up and take notice. But it also made her damn Nordic skin blush, which they both noticed! There's nothing quite like having your own skin betray you with a public display of your most secret thoughts.
Both of them held out a hand for her as she made her way down. Each took a hand and the three of them kept their link all the way to the truck, without saying a word. Quinn opened the passenger-side door for her, and Ben helped her in, stealing a kiss, as usual. When she peeked over at Quinn, this time he didn't bother to hide his hunger.
"Does that sound good to you, Kara?" Ben asked.
"What?"
Ben smiled as if he knew what had caught her attention, as well as catching the reason she hadn't heard his question. "I asked if grilled salmon at our house sounded good for dinner, but your attention seemed to be elsewhere," he teased.