Here is a word of advice. When trying to get two people together, try not to screw it up. If you're trying to play matchmaker, at least make sure you have their best interest at heart. I don't doubt the brothers had good intentions, but they needed a lesson in matchmaking.

The group of us went to an apple orchard as a typical group outing. No biggie. But this was when things got a little screwy. The girls tried to make sure I ended up with Nash alone, as did the brothers, until someone threw a small wrench into their plan, namely some random girl.

"Is it all set?" Kat asked the brothers.

"Yep. Nash should be waiting for her, and he thinks he's waiting for us to show up," Nixon affirmed.

"Good, because we told her to meet us at the counter," Marcy said.

They stuck their heads around the corner and waited with bated breath.

I walked up to the counter to find Nash there. "Hey, did you see the girls?" I asked him.

"No, my idiot brothers were meeting me here."

"Oh, well, I hope they hurry."

We started talking, waiting for everyone to make their way over to us, when a girl said, "Oh, my God! Nash?"

"Hey, Sarah." He greeted her as she walked past me and hugged him.

"Wow, you look great! How was Europe?"

"It was good."

I stood there, looking around while they talked.

"Oh, Sarah. This is Maggie, and she's staying with us for a while," he said.

We shook hands.

"So, how do you two know each other?" I asked her.

"Nash and I had dated." She beamed.

"Oh."

"So, if you aren't busy, maybe we could have dinner and catch up?" She asked him.

Right there was my cue to slipped away and leave.

"What is that idiot doing?" Nathan asked.

"Talking to another girl," Nolan said.

They looked at him, annoyed.

"Thank you, captain obvious." Nixon rolled his eyes.

I walked through the orchard. I don't know why I felt hurt. It's not like anything was going on between Nash and me. I guess I was expecting, maybe, a little something to happen between us. I need to shake that thought from my head. He's a Gray brother, and Gray Brothers don't like girls like me.

As I walked through the orchard, Nash looked at Sarah. "Dinner sounds great. Is Mike going to be there?"

"Well, duh. Mike is my fiancé." She rolled her eyes.

"Cool, I can't wait to catch up with him."

"You should bring that girl with you."

"You mean Maggie?"

"Sure!"

"What do you say, Mags?" He looked around to see me gone. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know. Maggie was here a few minutes ago."

"I guess I should find her. Sarah, call me with the details." He walked away from her. He went looking for me and found me reaching for an apple, and he walked over and plucked it off the branch for me.

"Thanks." I took the apple and rubbed it on my shirt.

"Why did you leave?"

"I figure you wanted to catch up." I shrugged.

"God, I haven't seen Sarah in the past year. It was great to see her again."

"So, dinner, huh?" I stood there, trying to control my jealousy, but it was hard.

"Yeah, she wanted to catch up. Said I should bring you along."

"Oh, I don't know. I don't want to intrude."

"It's only dinner. Plus, you'd like her." He smiled.

Was he serious? He wants me to be the third wheel? Yeah, I don't think so.

"Maybe you should catch up with Sarah."

He gave me a look. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." I was trying to stay calm, but I could feel the jealousy build.

"No." He gave me an irritated look with his hands on his hips. That's all it took.

"Well, excuse me if I don't enjoy being the third wheel on your date."

"Date? What the hell? Maggie, you sound like a jealous girlfriend. The last time I checked, we're friends."

Nash was right. He would never see me more than friends.

"Were."

"What?"

"We were friends." I turned and walked away.

It was a mistake even to be friends with a Gray brother. They always take things the wrong way.

I walked until I found my friends.

"Hey, Mags," Kat said.

"Can we go?" I asked my friends, trying to stay calm in front of the brothers.

"Is something wrong?" Marcy asked.

"I want to leave without them." I pointed at the brothers. I didn't want to get stuck in a car with a Gray brother. The four of them looked at each other than at me, confused.

"Yeah, sure," Kat said without arguing. The four of us walked to Kat's car and left.

Nash walked up.

"Dude, what the hell?" Nixon asked.

"Got me. One minute Maggie and I were talking, and the next minute, she was acting like a jealous girlfriend," he said.

"Who was the girl you were talking to?" Noah asked him.

"What girl?"

"The one at the counter," Nathan said.

"That was Sarah."

"Your ex?" Nixon asked.

"Yeah, she saw me and said hi. She asked me to have dinner with her and Mike, her fiancé. Said I should bring Maggie. Then Maggie acted like a crazy nut."

"This explains so much." Nathan sighed.

"Huh?"

"Oh, God. You guys suck at this!" Nolan said.

They all looked at him.

"You like her, and she likes you. She's jealous, and you're an idiot."

"What are you talking about?" Nash asked Nolan.

He rolled his eyes. "You guys like each other. What part aren't you getting?"

"Nolan!" Nixon said.

"No, this whole matchmaking thing isn't working, so directness it is. Stop being a tool and ask Maggie out," Nolan told Nash.

"But she's Maggie."

"Yeah, so?" Nolan gave Nash a look.

"But she's Maggie."

"Yeah, we already established she's Maggie, and you're Nash. Can we move on?" Nathan asked.

"Well, she's three years younger than me."

"So what? Dad is seven years older than Ma," Noah said.

"She's only seventeen."

"Yeah, then she'll be eighteen," Nixon said.

He looked at the four of them as they looked at him. "And Maggie hates me."

"We can fix that," Noah said.

"How?"

"Well, I don't know, but we can."

"Nash, you're finding every reason you shouldn't be with her. How about finding a reason to be with her?" Nixon said.

He sighed and took a seat at the picnic table. "What if it fails?"

"What if it doesn't? You won't know until you try."

"I don't know."

Nash hesitated to attempt anything, but his brothers didn't. If it was one thing about the Gray brothers that anyone understood, they took risks.

I walked in and stormed past Pat and Nate. I wasn't in a mood to talk. Jealous girlfriend? Ha! I'll give him jealous girlfriend.

The boys came in a little later.

"So, will someone care to explain to me why Maggie is mad?" Pat asked them.

They looked at their dad, who responded, "You're on your own, boys." Nate raised his hands in defeat.

"I may or may not have called Maggie a jealous girlfriend," Nash said.

"Nash?" Pat gave him a look. You know that look. It's the one all kids get from their mothers who know you're lying and want the truth. If you don't tell the truth, you will need to pray that someone finds your body because she will kill you. Yeah, that was the look he got from Pat.

"Okay, fine. I called Maggie a jealous girlfriend."

"Why would you do that?" She gave him an incredulous look.

"Because numbnuts here was talking to his ex making dinner plans and asked Maggie to tag along," Nixon said.

They all gave him a look.

"What?"

"Nash, you didn't," Pat said

"Yes, I talked about dinner, but it also included Mike, Sarah's fiancé. Sarah mentioned I should bring Maggie, and Maggie didn't let me explain before she went off on her nut and threw a hissy fit."

"Well, did you tell her?"

"Yes...."

Pat gave him a look.

"No. I may have left out a few key details."

"A few key details? Dude, you made it sound like you had a date with another girl and asked her to tag along," Nathan said.

"Well, son, I hate to say it, but you're an idiot," Nate said, walking by. They all looked at him. "Would I be wrong?"

"Nope, you're not wrong, Daddy-O," Nolan said.

He gave Nolan an annoyed look. "Nolan, never call me that again."

"Yes, Dad."

"Well, now what do we do?" Nash asked them.

"Do you like her?" Pat asked him.

"Maybe." He shifted in his spot. "I mean, yeah."

"Then it's time to stop acting like a tool and show her that you like her. But it will take some finesse."

"Thanks?" He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Well, don't be a tool." She shrugged as she reminded him not to be an ass.

"Ma's awesome," Noah said, smiling.

That is when the Gray family conspired to get Nash and me together.