“I can have my realtor make some calls,” Jax offered. “She’s amazing.”
I’d started to tune them out when Jax’s statement made me snap back to attention. The only way it would’ve made sense for Jax’s realtor to get involved would be if Cai was looking in Boston. The last time I’d spoken to him, he’d still been at the CDC in Atlanta.
No one offered an explanation, and I didn’t ask. They’d fallen into their usual thing of where they’d talk about the things in their lives and ignore me. Usually, I didn’t give a shit, but something was going on. Besides, why the fuck was I here if they weren’t going to talk to me?
And that wasn’t the only weird thing. It used to be all about work with Jax. Slade would make jokes or talk about work. Cai occasionally said something, but it was usually work related as well. That had always been the way my brothers had related as adults. Work.
But now, there was some work talk, but more of it was about their…women. Syll. Addison. Cheyenne.
“What about you, Blake?” Jax asked, surprising me. “What’s going on with you?”
I shrugged. “Nothing.”
All three of them stared at me like they didn’t believe me, and I couldn’t really blame them. They’d seen me with Brea, and there was no way anyone could’ve mistaken us for being strangers. They wanted me to say something, to share about her the way they’d been doing about their own personal lives, but it wasn’t like that for me. She and I weren’t a couple. We’d fucked. That was all. And it was done.
“I still don’t get why we had to come here,” I grumbled.
“Because it’s away from the rest of the world,” Jax said.
“So’s my place.”
“Just give it a try,” Slade said. “Grandfather wanted us to work things out.”
Right. That was why we were here. Not because they really wanted to change, or because they cared about what I was doing in my life. They were here because Grandfather had wanted us to reconcile.
I shook my head. “I need some air.”
Twenty
Brea
I was glad that Lamb had sold a few things to some tourists, but the real relief came when I heard a crash, followed by one of Lamb’s unique curses.
“Fudge and caramel fiddlesticks!”
The first time I’d heard her say that, I’d burst out laughing, and it really hadn’t gotten any less entertaining, but at this moment, I chose to focus on the fact that I might have a legitimate excuse to leave.
“What happened?” I asked, hoping she couldn’t hear how eager I was.
“I bumped into one of the display cases, and it fell.” She sounded near tears. “I’m so sorry, Brea. Everything’s a mess, and it’s all my fault.”
“It’s okay,” I said automatically. “I want you to go ahead and close the shop for a bit. I’ll be there soon, and we’ll see what needs to be done.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said, an edge of panic creeping into her voice. “I can clean it up myself. I’ll figure out what’s missing and order replacements. You can take it out of my paycheck. Or I’ll pay for the supplies myself if you don’t mind me switching the card–”
“Lamb,” I interrupted. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it all out when I get there. Just flip the sign and lock the door.”
“I’m so sorry, Brea. I know how much you were relying on me to be able to do this.”
“It’ll be all right,” I insisted, keeping my voice nice and calm. “Just hold on. I’ll be right there.”
I told myself that I would send a brief text to my parents rather than speaking to them in person because I didn’t want to interrupt if they were in the middle of conducting a tour, but I couldn’t lie to myself that well. I couldn’t handle seeing Blake again. Not yet. After things were taken care of in town, I’d be settled enough to come back and act professionally.
That lie I believed.
I locked everything down and put out my “Be Back In–” sign. I didn’t bother pulling down the gate though. I doubted I needed to worry about Blake or his brothers stealing my dandelion roots.
As if thinking his name had conjured him, the moment I stepped out of the shop, I saw him. It was only out of the corner of my eye, and only for a few seconds before he disappeared through the doors that led to the back of the property. I didn’t think he’d seen me, but I told myself that it wouldn’t have mattered if he had. The accusation he’d hurled at me wasn’t something I could overlook simply because the sex was great.
And that’s all it’d been between us. Sex. We’d gotten along fine, and I’d read too much into it. What I’d thought had been a real connection had only been physical attraction. I should have known better. After all, he’d shown me his temper and tendency toward assumptions when we first met.
It didn’t matter anymore, I told myself as I headed for the front door. I could’ve handled that if he’d been an adult about it. Casual sex wasn’t really my thing, but the misunderstanding was on me. I refused to take responsibility for how he’d talked to me though. We were done. Sex. Talking. Dinner. Distraction. I wasn’t going there again.
The drive into Rawlins was what I needed to clear my head. Now that I’d made my decision, I would choose not to think about it anymore. I would focus on my business and my time with my parents before they left again.
Lamb was standing in the middle of the store, wringing her hands when I walked inside. I wondered if she’d been doing that since we’d gotten off the phone, but I didn’t ask. The distress on her face told me everything I needed to know about how awful she felt, and I didn’t need to add to that. One of us feeling like shit today was enough.
“I’m so sorry, Brea,” she started apologizing again.
I held up a hand. “Accidents happen. Let’s clean it up, and we’ll see what we need to do after that, okay?”
She nodded. “I didn’t touch anything here, but I did get out the broom and dustpan, and made up some soapy water.”
“Thank you.” I turned my attention to the mess next to her, grateful for a problem I could solve.
The display had been one of the many odds and ends I’d found left here by the previous owner, so I wasn’t out any money for it. Unfortunately, it was old enough that it had been made up of regular glass rather than safety glass, which meant Lamb and I were going to need to be careful when we cleaned up. It also meant that anything not in a tightly sealed container would have to be thrown out.
“We’re going to need gloves,” I said. “We’ll take this slow and careful. I’d rather keep the shop closed the rest of the day than risk someone getting hurt because we rushed and missed something.”
Once she realized that I was serious about not being mad at her, she relaxed and followed my instructions. After a few minutes of working in silence, she started to chatter, and I let her. Usually, I was engaged during a conversation, but now I was glad to have her going from one subject to the next, barely pausing to take a breath. I let her words fill my head, and they crowded out anything that wasn’t already focused on what we were doing.
It took us well into the evening to make sure that things were perfect, so I didn’t bother opening the store back up. The chances of getting another group of tourists was slim, and the only out-of-towners that I knew for certain were nearby were the Hunter brothers, and I sure as hell didn’t want them walking into my store.
Blake’s brothers might not have been the jerk that he was, but I didn’t want them asking about the two of us. Let him explain what was going on. I didn’t even care if he acted like I was the villain. I just wanted him out of my life. Him and anything that reminded me of him.
“Thank you again,” Lamb said as she gathered her coat and purse. “I thought for sure I was fired.”
“Just try to be more aware of your surroundings.” I gave her a tired smile.
She opened the door, then paused and looked back at me. “My nephew from Cheyenne came in this week for a visit. I think the two of you would h
it it off; if you want to meet him.”
I wasn’t really the sort of person who liked being set up on dates, but I could tell Lamb felt like she needed to do something nice for me to make up for what had happened. Besides, the best way to get one guy out of my head was to meet someone new. Even if things didn’t work out with her nephew, it’d be a pleasant distraction. One that I hoped would keep Blake out of my head for good.
“Sure,” I said. “That would be great. If you have his number, I’ll give him a call.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Lamb said with a wide smile. “I told Steve about you yesterday, and he said he’d love to take you to dinner.”
For a moment, I wondered what, exactly, she’d told Steve about me, but then I remembered that it didn’t matter. If we were meant to be, we’d click. If we weren’t, then we wouldn’t.
Something simple was exactly what I needed right now.
Twenty-One
Blake
I wasn’t sure if group therapy without a therapist was better than it would’ve been with a shrink involved, but I did know I could think of a million different things that would be better than sitting here and listening to my brothers talk about their feelings.
A root canal, for example. Being covered in honey and tied to an ant hill. Going to the opera.
It didn’t help that when I’d come back from my walk yesterday, they’d wanted to know if I’d been meeting with Brea. I’d given them a curt no, but they either hadn’t gotten the message or didn’t care about it, because they hadn’t stopped wanting to know who she was and if we were together. As if their new romantic status meant I had to find a woman too.
I’d finally just locked myself in my bedroom and ignored their attempts to get me to come back out. Not surprisingly, it hadn’t lasted long. Once they’d reached whatever they considered to be enough, they’d gone away and left me alone. It was what I’d wanted, but a part of me had been disappointed that they hadn’t tried harder.
This morning, things had gone from bad to worse.
Instead of sitting in our suite and talking, Jax had announced we were going to use one of the retreat’s ‘therapy rooms.’ We’d just finished up breakfast when Blair had appeared at the door, her expression far too chipper. I was tempted to tell her that we were only here because we didn’t like each other, and our dead grandfather was manipulating us into working through our shit. That would’ve wiped the smile off her face.
I wasn’t that much of an ass though, no matter what everyone thought of me.
“Right this way,” she said with a sweep of her arm.
As we followed her, I found myself looking for similarities between mother and daughter. They had the same coloring, but Blair’s eyes were a bit darker, and where Blair was curvy, Brea’s body was leaner, stronger. I could see Brea’s smile in Blair, but Brea was undeniably more grounded than her mother.
Why was I doing this to myself? Brea had played me. I’d taken her to my home – which I’d never done before – and she’d acted like she was there for me when she’d really been there for her parents. I didn’t want to see her or even think about her.
Blair was talking, and I forced myself to turn my attention back to her.
“…specially equipped to facilitate communication and understanding.” She pushed open the door and led the way inside. “We’ve removed all distractions and recommend that all electronics are put into one of our silent spaces for the duration of your time here.”
She wasn’t kidding about removing distractions. Pretty much the only things in the entire room were giant cushions and pillows. No chairs or couches or tables. No windows either. A single sign hung over a smallish square cut into the wall.
Silent Space. Set interior timer to unlock space.
“We have the room set at an ideal seventy degrees, with perfect humidity. We also offer complementary scents for you to choose from. Lavender, eucalyptus, rose, vanilla, and sandalwood. It takes only a few minutes for them to dissipate and fill the room with the right atmosphere for your needs.”
“No, thank you,” Jax said with a polite smile. “I think we’ll be fine with just the use of the room.”
“If you change your mind, simply press the call button next to the door.” She pointed at a small button that I hadn’t noticed before. “You can set the interior locks on a timer, so you won’t be disturbed, and we have an override in case of emergencies. All of the instructions are in the panel next to the button.”
She really thought we were going to lock ourselves in the room? I rolled my eyes. My first impressions of Blair and Kevin were proving to be spot-on. They should’ve been in some free love commune somewhere with mellow seasons and sunshine. Why had they chosen to build a retreat here? I loved it here, but I thrived on isolation. They looked like the sort of people who liked to go out just to meet new people. Wyoming didn’t really fit that image. Even as I thought about it, however, I knew the answer.
They’d come for Brea.
Dammit. I didn’t know what that meant. Had they bought the place because she lived in Rawlins, then after she and I first met, they’d asked her to seduce me to keep me from making waves? Or had they asked around about me when they’d first gotten here and realized they’d probably need something to distract me, then contacted Brea? Or had she thought of it herself after her parents told her about the grouchy man who lived next door?
It didn’t matter what had happened first or how things had unfolded. The point was that Brea had hidden who she was and if I couldn’t trust that, then I couldn’t trust her for anything else either.
I hadn’t realized that Blair had left until Jax said my name. All three of them were staring at me with these strange expressions on their faces. Like they were worried about me.
Fuck that.
“What?” I snapped.
“How about we sit down?” Slade said. “Might as well get comfortable before we start in on everything.”
I still had no idea what we were doing here. Yeah, I knew the basic idea that we were supposed to reconcile because we wouldn’t get our inheritance if we didn’t, but that didn’t tell me much. Like how the hell anyone expected us to have some breakthrough in a weird room when we’d barely spoken to each other since…well, ever.
I plopped down on a giant cushion that was stuck in the corner farthest from my brothers. It was comfortable, I admitted grudgingly, but it didn’t make me any happier to be here. I crossed my arms, scowled, and prepared myself to listen to whatever bullshit lecture I was about to get.
“I’ll start,” Jax said. He looked at each of us in turn, his gaze staying on me the longest. “Since Grandfather passed, I feel like my eyes have been opened. I’ve been so focused on being everything I thought Grandfather wanted that I forgot what it was like to be part of a family.”
I barely kept myself from rolling my eyes again. Jax hadn’t stopped being a part of a family when he’d gone to work for Grandfather. None of us had been a family since Grandma Olive died, and we hadn’t even been a whole one then. A fat lot of good it did any of us to whine about it though. I barely remembered our family, and I’d gotten past it and made something of myself. I didn’t need a family.
Jax kept talking. “When I met Syll, I finally got it. What it was like to want something more than the life I had. The company, the family name, none of it mattered as much as the people did.”
Syll. His fiancée. I still couldn’t quite believe it. I hadn’t thought any of us would ever get married, to tell the truth. Maybe Cai, if he looked up from his microscope long enough to propose, but not Jax. Who’d want to marry someone who’d never be around? Unless she was after his money, but I wasn’t about to suggest that. I didn’t have a death wish. If she was a con artist, that was on Jax. If she wasn’t, whatever. He’d get his happily ever after and ride off into the sunset, or whatever shit made up his fairytale ending.
My happy ending was next door. My place. My work. My life. I didn’t need anyone else acting
like they knew better about what I needed or wanted.
I was happy with my life the way it fucking was.
Twenty-Two
Brea
I was going on a date, and it was going to be a good one. Dinner at a nice restaurant. Maybe a goodnight kiss at my door. Absolutely, no sex. If we hit it off, we’d get there eventually, but I wasn’t going to fall head-first again. I was back to my happy medium. Wishfully romantic, but with enough realism to know that no guy was Prince Charming. I’d go into the date with an open mind, but I wasn’t about to start, ‘planning for the future,’ before I’d even met the guy. And I wasn’t going to do it after just one date either. I’d learned my lesson about being impulsive.
I’d almost worn my favorite dress, but as soon as I’d taken it from my closet, I’d remembered what it had been like, seeing Blake’s reaction to me in the dress. Then came the memories of what had happened at dinner, at my store…I didn’t want to be thinking about Blake when I was out with Lamb’s nephew. Aside from the fact that it’d be exceptionally rude, I was done with Blake. I didn’t want him taking up any more of my thoughts and time.
Which was why I now had, a new favorite dress, one that didn’t have any associations with Blake. It was a pretty dress, a mint green color, and I loved the way it flattered my figure. I’d put on the simple beaded necklace that Galina had given me the last time we’d seen each other, and a dab of lip gloss, not wanting to look overly dressed-up or too casual.
I would’ve normally arranged to meet him at the restaurant, but Lamb had spent nearly two hours yesterday going on and on about how great her nephew, Steve was, and how much we’d get along. I’d felt more than a little obligated to go the traditional route, which was why I was currently walking to the store’s entrance where my date was waiting.