by Elle Kennedy
Jake felt a burst of warmth as he stared at the food. Damn. Bree really shouldn’t have done all that, but it didn’t surprise him that she had. She was one of the sweetest, kindest women he’d ever met. Normally he brushed that off, choosing to focus on the red-hot passion they shared, but at the moment, he couldn’t fight the tug of joy and gratitude. Not to mention appreciation.
Next to him, his brother looked as though he’d rather have his legs waxed than sit at that table, but despite his palpable reluctance, Della had succeeded in teaching him his manners. With a polite nod, Austin glanced at Bree and said, “Lunch looks great.” Then, with his spine ramrod-straight, he walked over to the table.
Della instantly flopped back into her chair, her loose blue dress fluttering around her ankles. She’d tied her hair back in a bun, but several dirty-blonde strands fell onto her forehead and into her eyes. Eyes that were now lined with unease as she stared at her son.
“It’s good to see you, honey.”
Austin grunted.
Jake’s jaw tightened. He marched over to the counter and picked up two plates, cutlery and drinking glasses, then placed them on the table. “Bree and I will be in the living room,” he announced. “Enjoy lunch, you two.”
The scowl Austin gave him didn’t stop Jake from taking Bree’s arm and leading her to the doorway.
They left the duo in the kitchen to their own devices, but Jake didn’t get his hopes up as he and Bree stepped into Nate’s enormous, chalet-style living room. “This isn’t going to work,” he murmured, sinking onto one of the leather couches. “Did you see his face?”
Bree sighed. “Yeah, I did. But don’t go all Negative Nancy just yet. Let’s give them some time.”
She joined him on the couch, lifting her knees up and getting comfortable.
Jake watched her from the corner of his eye, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms. He wanted to hold her, maybe plant a kiss on her forehead and thank her for helping him set this up. Which was pretty damn disconcerting. He didn’t do the whole intimacy thing, holding and petting and whispering sweet nothings in a woman’s ear, but Bree had always triggered some nurturing instinct he didn’t know he possessed. That’s why he’d tried so hard back then to keep things strictly physical between them.
He could never be the kind of man Bree Lockhart deserved. Nobody in this town took him seriously, especially not her family, and he’d given up on trying to change people’s minds. If they wanted to compare him to his father, let them. If they wanted to think of him as a bad boy going nowhere fast, let them. He didn’t give a shit what the people in this town thought about him.
As muffled voices drifted from the hall, Jake tapped his foot absently, straining to hear what was being said.
“How do you think it’s going in there?” he demanded.
Bree shot him a gentle smile. “Well, they’re talking, so that’s something.”
He was too on edge to reply, but he didn’t have to, because the phone on the coffee table rang. Jake leaned forward to snatch it up, frowning when he saw the unknown number on the caller ID.
He answered with a brisk hello, and his shoulders stiffened when he heard the familiar voice. “Captain, it’s Colonel Grainger.”
“Colonel. Hey.” Jake cleared his throat. “What can I do for you?”
“Give me a definitive answer, for one.”
Feeling Bree’s eyes on him, Jake battled a pang of discomfort. He stood up, covered the mouthpiece, and said, “I’ll be right back.”
After he’d ducked into the hall, he uncovered the phone and said, “I haven’t made a decision yet, sir. I was under the impression I had until the end of the week.”
“Yes, but the sooner you give us a solid commitment, the better. You sounded unsure when we spoke last week, so I thought I’d ease any concerns you might have about the position. I don’t need to remind you that you’re our first choice, Bishop. With your record, you’re the perfect candidate for this job, and we’d really like to lock you down here.”
Lock you down. If ever there was a phrase designed to send Jake Bishop running in the other direction, it was that one.
Unease coiled around his spine. “I know, sir. And I assure you, I’m seriously considering the offer. There’s some family stuff happening in my life at the moment, but I will have an answer for you soon.”
The line went quiet for a beat. “I know you’re still working through everything that happened with Daniels, but—”
“This has nothing to do with Daniels,” he cut in, his voice sharper than he intended. He took a calming breath. “I’ll let you know as soon as I decide, Colonel.”
Another pause. “Very well. I’ll be in touch.”
He hung up and leaned against the wall, exhaling slowly. This job offer in Colorado Springs was hanging over his head like a black cloud. He knew he had to make a decision, but he needed more time, damn it. Jake hadn’t stayed put in one place his entire adult life, and the mere notion of settling down and accepting that combat instructor job had the back of his neck breaking out in a cold sweat.
He would have to accept the job. He knew that. His only other option was going to work with Owen, but construction wasn’t his thing. At least the job on the base meant he’d be putting his skills to good use.
“What was that about?” Bree stepped out of the living room, concern etched into her delicate features.
He opened his mouth, prepared to deflect the question, when angry footsteps sounded from the hall.
A second later, Austin brushed past them, his green eyes flashing with unrestrained fury.
“Austin—” Jake started.
“Not now.” His brother marched out the front door, slamming it so hard the walls rattled.
Jake was two steps from the door when he heard the muffled sobs. He spun around and sprinted toward the kitchen instead, but Bree intercepted him in the doorway. Their gazes drifted to the table, where Jake’s mom still sat, her head buried in her hands as she cried.
His heart promptly cracked in two. “Mom—”
Bree touched his arm. “Let me talk to her,” she said softly. “Alone.”
As much as he wanted to comfort his mother, he realized Bree’s suggestion was the better option. From the quiet sobs racking his mother’s body, she clearly needed a thorough heart-to-heart, something he’d never been very good at.
Fearing he’d say the wrong thing, Jake took a step back, his body sagging with defeat. He watched as Bree approached his mother with timid steps, watched as she knelt on the tiled floor and wrapped her arms around Della. An arrow of pain pierced his heart, followed by a rush of anger. Austin was a real fucking asshole.
Setting his jaw, Jake left the two women in the kitchen and raced to the porch, only to encounter the cloud of dust left behind by Austin’s pickup hightailing it outta there.
Cursing, he snatched his smokes from the pocket of his button-down, lit up, and inhaled deeply. Shit, he didn’t need this family drama, not when his entire future was hanging in the balance.
He spent the next hour chain-smoking on the porch, wondering what the hell was going on in that kitchen. But he trusted Bree. He knew without a doubt she wouldn’t do anything to upset his mother, and when the two women emerged onto the porch a while later, he realized he’d done the right thing by letting Bree take the reins.
Della’s face was red and splotchy, but she was no longer crying. If anything, she looked utterly resigned, but she offered Jake a genuine smile when she saw him. “Well, you tried,” she said quietly.
“You okay?” His voice came out gruff, his touch somewhat awkward as he reached for his mother and hugged her tightly.
“I’m fine.” Her sigh warmed the crook of his neck. “Your brother needs more time.”
He stiffened. Christ, he was so damn tired of hearing that.
Della stepped out of the embrace and turned to Bree. “You really don’t mind giving me a ride home?”
“Of course,” Bree said
warmly.
“I’ll take you,” Jake protested, already making a move to put out his hundredth smoke.
“It’s all right, honey.” His mom smoothed strands of hair from her forehead. “I’d like to spend some more time with Bree, if you don’t mind.”
Bree touched Della’s arm. “Why don’t you wait in the car? I’ll be there in a sec.”
Jake watched with unease as his mother descended the porch steps and headed for Bree’s Lexus. After she’d settled in the passenger seat, he tore his gaze away and focused on Bree. “What happened?”
“We talked.”
“And?”
Bree just shook her head.
Aggravation shot through him. “You’re not going to tell me?”
“It’s not my place,” she said simply.
Although her secrecy irritated the hell out of him, he had to respect her for it. And it warmed his fucking heart that she’d spent the last hour comforting his mother, a woman she hardly knew.
And whose fault is that?
Guilt sliced into his gut as he realized how true that was. Although he and Bree had dated for three months in high school, he hadn’t bothered introducing her to his family. Hadn’t invited her over for dinner, hadn’t even told his parents about her. Partly because he was ashamed of his father and didn’t want Bree anywhere near him, but that wasn’t the only reason for keeping her at a distance.
Truth was, he’d always known their relationship wouldn’t last, and he hadn’t wanted to explain to his family why Bree had stopped coming around.
Now, he found himself regretting it. Bree had really helped him out today, preparing lunch, trying to arrange a reconciliation between Della and Austin, listening to Della cry for the last hour. That went above and beyond what a casual lover ought to do.
“Can I take you out to dinner tonight?” he blurted out.
She blinked in surprise. “What?”
“Dinner,” he said roughly. “Carlotta’s again, if that’s what you’d prefer.”
Her blue eyes heated at the mention of Carlotta’s.
“In the main room this time,” he qualified. “Surrounded by other people.” When she didn’t respond, he shifted awkwardly. “Like a real dinner, Bree.”
“Why?”
The question had his chest clenching with pain. “I thought it’d be…nice.” He swallowed. “Or if you want, you can come by later and we’ll put on a movie or something.”
Her expression displayed pure and utter disbelief. “Why?” she said again.
Fuck, he was totally blowing this. And really, what was he doing anyway? When he’d seen Bree at that auction, he’d wanted nothing more than to sleep with her again. Not date her, for fuck’s sake.
So why did her visible reluctance cut him to the core?
“You’re right, dumb idea,” he mumbled. “My mom’s waiting, so you should probably go.”
She touched his arm before he could dart off, her fingers curling over his sleeve and sending a jolt of heat to his biceps. “Thanks for the offer,” she said gently, “but you know that’s not what this is about. We’re not dating, Jake. We’re just…”
“Fucking,” he finished in a flat tone. Realizing he sounded like a sulky loser, he cleared his throat and flashed her a grin. “I was looking for a way to thank you for being there for my mom, but you’re right, dating isn’t our thing. I’ll just show you some gratitude later. In bed.”
The relief that flooded her gaze stung. “I’ll come over tonight,” she said.
And then she bounded off toward her car.
She hadn’t kissed him goodbye.
Jake tried not to dwell on that as he stood there watching Bree and his mom drive away, but for some reason, her hurried departure made his chest feel tight again.
Get a grip, Bishop. You’re already screwing her. What do you need to date her for?
Clinging to that thought, Jake entered the house and closed the door, then headed to the kitchen to clean up the remains of that disastrous intervention.
“This is a bad idea,” Bree told her mother as they exited the grocery store. “You know that, right?”
As usual, Barbara Lockhart dismissed any criticism directed her way. “It will be lovely, sweetheart. Your father and the mayor had a very pleasant discussion during the charity event.”
“Dad hates the mayor,” Bree replied. She juggled the grocery bags to her other hand and clicked on the electronic remote to unlock her car. Her mother, of course, hadn’t offered to carry any of the bags, nor did she help Bree load them into the trunk of the Lexus.
“They’ve been getting along splendidly the past couple of years,” Barbara said. Her blue eyes darkened with displeasure. “Which you would know, if you came home more often.”
Bree ignored the barb. When it came to pleasing her parents, she was in a no-win situation. If she came home too frequently, they ragged her about not working hard enough to be successful. If she stayed away, they complained she worked too much.
“I still don’t see how a Lockhart-Price dinner can possibly go smoothly,” she answered as she closed the trunk and returned to the sidewalk.
She and her mother had spent the afternoon in town, making arrangements for the big dinner Bree was only now hearing about. Maybe she hadn’t been visiting frequently enough, if Tanner Lockhart and Brandon Price were suddenly bosom buddies. The two families despised each other, thanks to some ancient beef between the founding fathers. Bree had been raised to loathe the Prices, and she and Lexie had barely spoken to each other during high school. Nowadays, she didn’t have anything against Lexie or the Price family, but it still surprised her to hear that her parents had buried the hatchet with their rivals.
“Dinner will be lovely,” her mother repeated. She squinted, glancing up and down Main Street before giving a brisk nod. “I need to place an order for a centerpiece. I believe the mayor’s wife favors lilies.”
Bree sighed as she trailed her mother toward the cobblestone pedestrian crosswalk. She suddenly wished she’d gone back to Jake’s after dropping his mother off. That had been the original plan, at least before he’d thrown her for a loop by asking her out.
What was up with that? Dinner? Suggesting they watch a movie? The blowout with Della and Austin must have taken a real toll on him if he was actually suggesting they engage in couple activities. In the short time they’d spent together twelve years ago, Bree had come to know Jake Bishop very well. She’d discovered he was arrogant. A risk-taker. Hotheaded. That he bored easily. And during their entire involvement, he hadn’t once suggested they do anything other than fuck.
Lovesick idiot that she’d been, she’d mistaken sex for intimacy, but it wasn’t until he’d broken things off that she’d realized she and Jake had been nothing but strangers. Strangers who happened to spend a lot of time naked.
That hadn’t changed now that they’d rekindled their affair. Take this morning for instance—he’d completely shut down when she’d asked for a few measly details about his army career. His inability to talk about himself, to share even a sliver of his life with her, told her that Jake Bishop hadn’t changed in the slightest.
Good in bed? Check.
A fun time? Check.
Boyfriend material? No way.
“I’ll meet you in a few minutes,” Bree said when she and Barbara neared the florist’s. “I need to pop into the drugstore to buy some shampoo.”
With a nod, Barbara wandered off.
Bree headed in the opposite direction toward the drugstore. Halfway there, she stopped in her tracks, her gaze landing on the blue pickup truck parked across the street. Same truck that Austin Bishop had driven over to Jake’s in. She glanced from the truck to Bishop’s Corner, the pub Nate had taken over after Henry Bishop died. Jake had mentioned that Austin was running the bar in Nate’s absence, and she found herself hesitating as she stood there in the middle of the sidewalk.
None of your business. Go buy some shampoo.
Yeah, tha
t was probably the smart thing to do.
But…
Damn it, she couldn’t erase that heartbreaking conversation with Della Bishop from her mind. The woman’s teary confession had shocked Bree into speechlessness, and though she’d promised the older woman she wouldn’t breathe a word of it to Jake, Della hadn’t told her she couldn’t talk to Austin…
Without allowing herself to question her actions, she darted across the street and made a beeline for the pub. This was probably a bad idea, but she couldn’t let this go, not when she knew how badly Austin must be hurting right now. And just because she was determined to keep this thing between Jake light and casual didn’t mean she couldn’t look out for his baby brother.
The bar was pretty much deserted when she walked in. Two older men were holed up in one of the red vinyl booths spanning the far wall, but the stools lining the long bar counter were void of customers. Austin stood behind the counter, his elbows resting on the sleek wood, his gaze blank.
He blinked when she entered, eyes focusing, and his mouth instantly curled into a frown.
She offered a timid smile. “I come in peace.”
Although he looked less than thrilled to see her, his tone remained polite as he said, “What’s up, Bree?”
“I wanted to apologize for springing that lunch on you,” she said. She cast a discreet look at the men in the booth. “Can we talk in private for a moment?”
After a second, he nodded.
Bree followed him to the back room, which was full of wooden pallets stacked high with beer and liquor cases. Since the room functioned as a cooler, the temperature was chilly, and her breath left white puffs in the air.
Austin leaned against one of the pallets, his thick biceps flexing as he rested it on a case of Bud Light.
She studied him for a moment, noticing just how handsome he’d become. He’d been gangly as a kid, but now boasted a lean, muscular body, washboard abs rippling beneath his snug black T-shirt and long legs that looked as good as Jake’s in a pair of faded jeans. He was as handsome as his brothers, though his features leaned toward classically chiseled rather than the ruggedness of the older Bishops. The dark hair was the same chocolaty color as Jake’s, but Austin lacked the trademark Bishop gray eyes; his were the most interesting shade of green, an earthy moss with flecks of lime and whiskey around the pupils.
