by Darcy Burke
Crystal pulled back and opened the screen door. “Hey, Trent. This is Jamie. Jamie, this is Trent. He’s forty now, which means he’s officially an old fart.”
Trent gripped Jamie’s hand with a grin. “So you’re the guy turning my sister’s head.”
Jamie laughed. “Uh, sure. But I think it’s probably the other way around.”
Trent winked at him. “Smart guy. You want a beer?”
“Sure.” He touched Crystal’s back as she walked in before him.
Trent closed the door once they were inside. “Crystal, I’m stealing your guy for a bit.” He moved his head to the left, indicating Jamie should follow him.
Crystal snagged Jamie’s hand and leaned close. “You’ll be fine.”
He wasn’t entirely convinced, but what could he do?
Jamie trailed Trent into a large living room with tall windows and cozy furniture. Crystal’s remaining brothers stood from where they’d been sitting, and her father got up from a recliner. Jamie had met Crystal’s mother earlier, but her father had still been at the feed store.
Trent led him across the room to the patriarch. “Dad, this is Jamie, Crystal’s guy.”
Chuck Donovan shook Jamie’s hand with a fierce grip. He sported a thick head of gun-metal gray hair and dark blue eyes that matched his daughter’s. “Good to meet you.”
Her other two brothers came forward. The first, a lanky bloke with blond hair and gray eyes, offered his hand. “I’m Sam.”
“Hi, Sam. That’s my dad’s name,” Jamie said, shaking his hand and turning to the third brother. “That means you must be Fitz.”
“That’s me.” He was called Fitz from his middle name, Fitzgerald or something. He brushed his brown hair from his forehead. “You need a beer?”
“Got it,” Trent called, reentering the room. He must’ve dashed out to grab it. “Hope you like amber.”
“I like everything, thanks.”
“Oh, good. I worried you maybe didn’t like beer and were just being polite. Alaina said you own a winery.”
“With my brothers and friend.”
Everyone sat back down, Chuck in his recliner and the boys on a large sectional. Jamie could either squeeze in with them or sit on the hearth. He chose the hearth.
“How many brothers?” Fitz asked.
“Three—all older.”
“Just like Crystal. What else do you have in common?” Trent asked.
Jamie didn’t want to feel like he was under interrogation, but it was difficult not to with all of them focused on him. Plus, he was seated at a lower vantage point on the hearth. Maybe he should’ve remained standing. That way he could flee at a moment’s notice.
He told himself to chill out. This wasn’t Sadie’s family. God, he remembered that introduction at their manor house outside London. It had looked like something out of an English period drama complete with a reclining mastiff at Sir Geoffrey’s feet. That hadn’t been intimidating.
This was better. Wasn’t it? No dog, but four rather large men who were all likely devoted to their daughter and sister’s protection and well-being.
No, not better.
“Uh, what do we have in common?” Jamie racked his brain for something. Anything. “She likes wine too.” Ugh, really?
“And beer,” Sam said. “How’d you meet up?”
“I guess through Alaina?” Jamie hadn’t meant for that to come out as a question. He’d just tried to throw something out before his filter-poor brain said something like, We had hot sex on New Year’s Eve! He took a long drink of beer both to fortify himself and keep his mouth from spewing things he’d instantly regret.
“He lives in Ribbon Ridge,” Chuck explained. “Where Alaina lives.”
“I didn’t realize Crystal spent much time there,” Sam said.
Chuck grinned. “You’re awfully busy with three kids under the age of five.”
“Very true. Don’t mind me if I fall asleep over here.” Sam sank farther down into the couch.
“So does she spend a lot of time there or is your relationship long distance?” Fitz asked before swigging his beer.
“I guess long distance. Ish. She’s been spending a lot of time in Ribbon Ridge working on a project.” He wasn’t sure if he should talk about her screenplay. It seemed like her thing. But then it wasn’t a secret, especially with the coverage it was getting right now. He looked around the room at the guys who looked more comfortable on a farm than at a movie premiere and decided they weren’t reading Variety.
“The screenplay,” Chuck said. “She told us about it last night. Sounds fantastic. I’m so proud of my girl.”
Jamie lifted his bottle. “I can drink to that.”
Everyone else raised their beers and drank.
Chuck looked at Jamie. “Though I guess that means she’ll be in LA more. Long distance is tough.”
Yes, it was. They’d only been apart two weeks at a time, but he hated every moment. And now that they’d said they loved each other, he knew it would be worse. All afternoon, he’d floated on a haze of love and happiness—pure joy. Knowing they lived in different states twisted his gut into a knot.
Jamie sipped his beer, not knowing what to say.
“So what do you do at the winery?” Trent asked. “Stomp grapes?” He laughed. “Sorry, I know you don’t actually do that.”
“No, we have machines. But I don’t get involved in that stuff. I’m the money guy.”
“Hey, Alaina told me you were a super smarty-pants, that you went to the London School of Economics,” Sam said.
“Mick Jagger went there,” Chuck said. He looked around at his sons. “Google it if you don’t believe me.”
“Oh, I believe you,” Trent said, shaking his head with a laugh. He sent Jamie an intense stare. “Dad loves everything to do with the Stones. Do not knock their music, or things won’t go well for you.”
“I’m not that bad.” Chuck looked over at Jamie. “You like them, right? How could you have gone to the London School of Economics and not?”
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want is a classic, sir.”
“Sir? You call me Chuck. If you’re dating my daughter, call me by my name.” He glanced around at his sons. “What else do we need to know, boys? Oh, I know.” He looked back at Jamie. “What does your dad do?”
“He’s a middle school principal.” Jamie’s palms started to sweat. This was an interrogation. “And my mom’s the elementary school secretary,” he added, figuring they would ask. “And if you know about Crystal’s screenplay you probably know that a couple of my ancestors were KKK leaders.” And there went his pathetic filter.
Chuck’s eyes widened. “That was your family? I think I missed that part. Hell’s bells, son, that’s pretty terrible.”
“Yes, it is.” Jamie managed to close his mouth before he tacked “sir” on the end. He drank more beer, wishing it would put him at ease. The longer this questioning went on, the more his anxiety escalated. He was just waiting for Chuck—or any one of them—to tell him he wasn’t exactly son-in-law material, which was pretty much what Sir Geoffrey had told him after their first meeting.
Jamie turned his head to look toward the kitchen. Every now and then he heard feminine laughter. He silently urged Crystal to come rescue him.
“You own a house in Ribbon Ridge?” Trent asked. “I’ve got ten acres down the road, and Sam’s about to close on a new place outside town. What’s it got, eight, nine acres?”
“Nine,” Sam said, nodding.
“I’m the only one living on a regular lot,” Fitz said. “But it’s big enough for the kids to run around and have a chicken coop.”
“My half-brother and his wife have chickens,” Jamie said, glad he had something to contribute. Then he recalled they’d asked him about owning a house. “I, uh, rent a loft in town.”
“Like in Portland?” Fitz exchanged looks with his brothers. “Isn’t that the closest city?”
“It’s the closest big city, bu
t our county has some large towns and a small city. I live in Ribbon Ridge, though—we have a downtown.”
“Loft sounds so fancy,” Sam said. “You saw downtown Blueville today. We don’t have anything resembling a loft.” He laughed, and the others joined in.
Trent squinted at Jamie briefly. “You seem kinda young. I think we’ll have to give Crystal a hard time about robbing the cradle.”
Jamie had endured enough. He stood. “Please don’t. Uh, speaking of Crystal, I’m going to go see what she’s up to.” He walked toward where he’d heard talking earlier and nearly collided with her.
She steadied herself by putting a hand on his chest. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah.” Except his insides were twisting like a windsock in front of a used car dealership. “No. Sorry. Your brothers and dad were just grilling me. I’m…” He swiped a hand over his face. “I just need a moment.”
She took his hand and led him toward the front of the house, to a room off the entry that was clearly an office. Flipping on the light, she steered him inside and closed the door. “What’s wrong?”
“I just, I get nervous around families I guess. Okay, around one other family. I never really told you that much about Sadie.”
“Who’s Sadie?”
“She was my girlfriend in England. We dated for about six months. Things were great until she took me home to her family. Her father was a knight and thought I was pretty far beneath her. She agreed, and that was the end of that.”
“That’s horrible.”
“Especially since she’d driven me into crippling debt.” His gaze strayed to a rather large deer head mounted on the wall. “Holy shit.”
“Sorry. Don’t look at it.” She clasped his forearms and turned him toward her.
“It’s just going to stare at the back of my head. Forever.”
Her gaze was full of sympathy. “Unfortunately, yes. Why did she drive you into debt?”
He shook it off. “Because she had expectations. Her family was absolutely minted.”
“Massively wealthy?”
He nodded. “I just wanted to impress her. Did I mention I was young and a complete dickhead?”
“Hey, you saw the effects of my regrettable youth earlier today. I am so not going to judge.”
She had a good point. “I guess I’m just afraid your family won’t like me, and then you won’t like me either.”
“I was afraid your mother was going to hate me forever, but I didn’t think you would. I’m sure you can learn to separate me from them,” she said somewhat wryly. “Anyway, they will love you because I will beat them into submission if necessary. I realize I have insecurities but not when it comes to those lummoxes in the living room. All they really care about is if you make me happy.”
He stepped closer, taking her hand in his and stroking his thumb along the back. “And do I?”
She smiled up at him, her heart in her eyes. “Oh yes.” She leaned into him and brushed her lips against his. He captured her mouth for something longer and far more intimate.
When they pulled apart, she stroked her hand along his jaw. “Any other secrets you want to tell me?”
“I think that’s it. It wasn’t really a secret, was it?”
“I guess not. But I want to know everything about you.”
He smiled down at her. “I feel the same. Do you have any other secrets I should know about—any other obnoxious biddies going to insult you?”
She shook her head. “No, I think we’re safe from that. I mean, it might happen, but for the first time, I don’t care. I finally feel like I’m in charge of my life. This screenplay is going to change everything for me.” Her gaze softened. “It already has—it led me to you.”
“Actually I think too much whiskey and a dodgy pool cue led you to me, but we can debate that some other time. Forever, really.”
She laughed. “Yes, we can.”
“I just have to ask—those million reasons that I said could keep us apart, where do we stand on them? I think we can agree the age difference is stupid and no one cares. Even if your brother did bring it up.”
She scowled. “Asshole. Which one?”
“Trent.”
“I’ll make sure Delia beats him over the head later.”
“Good plan. So the age thing is no big deal. What about money? As I said, I’m, uh, kind of in debt. Between the Sadie debacle and my student loans, I am on a pretty extreme budget. In fact, my mom bought my plane ticket here.” He winced.
She moved closer, pressing into him. “I do not care one bit about that. What’s mine is yours.”
“Seriously? I have debt from another woman.”
“Sure and the fact that I can probably afford to pay for her ten times over—I’m guessing here—gives me a certain superior satisfaction.”
“Have I told you today how much I love you?”
“Only a few dozen times, but I will not get tired of hearing it.”
He kissed her again, and there was a knock on the door.
“Dinner’s ready,” a feminine voice called.
“Give us just a sec, Mom,” Crystal answered. “So what’s left?”
He looked into her eyes, loving her so much and yet feeling a sliver of anxiety at the same time. “Location. I live in Ribbon Ridge. You live in LA. My job is in Ribbon Ridge. Yours is in LA. I think.”
She pressed her lips together and gave him a tentative look. “It is. For now.”
“You’ve always said you hate small towns—I can see why after today—but is there any chance you could live in Ribbon Ridge?”
“I realized today it isn’t the town, it’s the people. And more importantly, my hang-up about certain people. That said, I’m nervous about what happened in Ribbon Ridge the other night. I’m still producing this screenplay.”
“Yes, but people are already coming around—look at my mom.”
“That’s great.” She paused, her gaze tipping down to his chest for a moment. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were clear and full of love. “Can I think about it for a while? I want to be totally honest with you here. Just know that I love you, and I want to figure it out. Together. Can we do that?”
He cupped her face and kissed her. “Yes.”
A fist pounded on the door. “Do I have to come in there?”
“Trent?” Jamie whispered.
She nodded. “If you touch that door, I will take your hand off,” Crystal yelled.
The sound of footsteps retreating made Jamie laugh. “You’re pretty scary.”
She clasped his hand again and turned toward the door. “Hopefully not to you.”
“Nope.” He squeezed her fingers. “You’re scary, and you’re mine.
Her eyes glowed with promise and ownership. “Damn right.”
18
The last two weeks had been a blur. Crystal had reluctantly flown back to LA after spending two blissful days in Blueville with Jamie. They’d packed enough good memories in those days to pretty much obliterate the old memories she’d held on to for far too long.
Now she was back in Ribbon Ridge, having arrived last night. This time, Jamie had insisted on meeting her at the airport, and she’d been powerless to resist.
Jamie had trudged off to work that morning, and she’d met with Darryl, with whom she’d shared Rose’s diary. He’d been thrilled to read the story, and they’d spent a couple of hours rehashing everything they’d learned. She’d asked him to serve as a special consultant on the movie script, and he’d enthusiastically accepted after professing what an honor it was.
In a little while, she’d be hosting a town meeting along with Kelsey, Brooke, and Alaina at the library. She walked inside, eager to see her friends.
Kelsey met her immediately, wrapping her in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you!”
“You too. I know I’ve said it before, but I’m really sorry for bailing on you at the reception.”
Kelsey shook her head. “You did not bail. You
were in self-preservation mode, and I would’ve been too. We had your back. We still do.”
Crystal smiled, appreciating their friendship so much.
“Hey there!” Brooke swept inside and gave Crystal another hug. “Congratulations again.”
“Thanks.” Crystal had sold the screenplay last week for seven figures, most of which she’d earn when the movie was produced and released.
“She’s talking about the screenplay, right?” Kelsey asked. “Or did I miss any new news?” Her gaze dipped to Crystal’s ring finger.
Crystal lifted her hand to display her naked finger. “Nothing to report, nor will there be. We’re still trying to figure out how this works—me in LA, him here.”
“You could just live here,” Brooke said.
Kelsey looked scandalized. “What about her fabulous house in Los Feliz?”
“She can keep that for girls’ weekends, duh.”
Crystal laughed. “Yeah, I’d be hard-pressed to give up that house no matter where I decide to live. Brooke, how are the wedding plans coming?”
“Good. I’m not into panic mode yet. I’d like to avoid that altogether, but my mom and sisters are trying to make this something bigger than I really want. They think it needs to outshine my first wedding since Cam is actually The One. I’m letting him make a lot of the decisions because he is The One, and it’s his first and only wedding.”
“I bet he likes that.” Kelsey chuckled. “Cam is such a metrosexual.”
Brooke rolled her eyes. “Seriously. He’s making all the groomsmen get suits made. He heard about some deal on this podcast he loves.”
Crystal grinned. “I know exactly what you’re talking about. Love it.” She turned to Kelsey. “And what about you, ready to plan your wedding yet?”
“Not quite, but getting closer. We’re talking about next Valentine’s Day. I know that’s almost a year away, but we’re not in a hurry.”
“Sounds perfect,” Crystal said.
Alaina breezed in the door. “Hello, ladies! Are we ready to do this?” She hugged Crystal. “Good to have you back.”
