Bluegrass Undercover (Bluegrass Brothers)

out of it, Kenna pointed to the loveseat. Annie cringed at the sight of a bowl with green mush in it and the paintbrush in Kenna’s hand.
    “ It’s great that we get this chance to talk more. I know we’ve hung out some at the games every now and then, but this really gives us a chance to get to know each other. I mean, you’re dating Paige’s brother – that practically makes you family,” Dani said as she came at her with some gauzy type thing. Oh God, what were they going to do to her?
    Paige flopped down on the couch and picked up a piece of fudge from a pretty plate sitting o n the side table. “I’m glad we’re doing this too. I needed some time away from Cole and his wedding planning. I swear, if he and my mother come at me with another invitation design, I’m going to scream. I thought guys weren’t supposed to be involved in the wedding planning process.”
    Annie looked around as the girls all laughed.
    “And I thought they weren’t supposed to be involved in the pregnancy either, but I too had to escape Will. He’s following me around and practically clucking. We’ve been here thirty minutes, and he’s already texted me three times, making sure I’m okay. I just had to call Ahmed and bribe him with a little known law to get him out of testifying in a committee hearing if he’d lift Will’s cell phone from him tonight.”
    Kenna put the paintbrush into the goop and stirred it.Oh God, was she coming at her with that stuff? Annie jumped when she suddenly felt her hair being pulled away from her face.
    “Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just going to put this wrap on so you don’t get that stuff in your pretty hair,” Dani said, holding up a strip of the gauzy stuff.
    “Um, okay.” Annie tentatively sat down and let Dani wrap the gauze around her face. She sat in terror as Kenna came towards her, paintbrush in hand.
    “So, what about you?” Kenna asked as the first glob of green gunk was smeared on her face.
    “What about me?”
    “What does Cade do to bug you?” Kenna smeared some more gunk on her face and waited for her answer. What should she say?
    “Come on, dearie. Don’t be shy. We’ve all been there. Men are simple creatures, and sometimes it helps to talk to your friends about it so you don’t one day smash a freshly made apple pie in his face,” Miss Lily said as she sat in the floral embossed chair across from her.
    Annie looked around and saw everyone looking at her. Her mind suddenly went blank. She couldn’t think of anything. Wait, what did he do that ticked her off?
    “Well, he has a tendency to think he has to protect me from, well, from everything.” Annie saw heads nodding and felt some of the tension in her shoulders ease.
    “I once took out a man twice my size with a crepe pan. Men, so clueless sometimes.” Annie whipped her head around to look at Miss Violet, who was sitting so primly on another floral chair, the green gunk on her face having dried into a light lime color. She couldn’t be more than five feet tall and looked pretty much like Merriweather, the short, round fairy godmother in Sleeping Beauty .
    “Miss Violet!” Paige exclaimed.
    “Don’t look so shocked, Paige. You, after all, shot an assassin.”
    “Yes, but that doesn’t have the flair of taking him out with a crepe pan.” Paige leaned back against the couch and folded her arms over her chest. Annie would swear she was pouting.
    “Back to Annie. It’s a good sign he’s being protective. It means he cares,” Miss Violet said.
    “Definitely. So, is it true you’re getting married?” Dani asked as she grabbed some more fudge.
    “No! We haven’t discussed the future at all. I’m sure he doesn’t think it’s serious. You never know when I’ll be transferred again.” Did Miss Lily just roll her eyes?
    “Well, then you better hurry up and tell him you love him,” Kenna said as she swiped the goo across her forehead.
    “What?”
    “Oh don’t look so shocked. We all know it already. So, spill.” Miss Daisy gave her a stern look. Annie looked around the room and saw that everyone there, including Paige, all thought that they were in love.
    “It’s too soon. We’ve only known each other a couple of months.”
    “Oh nonsense. You don’t have a man practically living with you when you don’t love him,” Miss Lily told her.
    “He’s not living with me!”
    “That’s not what Father James says.” Miss Violet gave her sister a wink.
    “Yea, and