by K. A. Linde
Piper was different.
And I had no idea how to reconcile that.
“Could you be more obvious?” she demanded as she reached for a banana at the buffet.
“I didn’t know we were hiding it.”
“I fell on my ass? Jesus, Hollin.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What did you want me to say?”
“Like normal, I’d prefer you said nothing,” she snapped.
“So, this never happened.”
“Sure, it happened. It was a one-night stand. I’ve come to my senses now that I’m not pumped full of alcohol.”
“That wasn’t the only thing you were pumped full of.”
She made a disgusted look. “And this is why this never should have happened.”
“And what about after? What about the ride home and the kiss at your door?”
“What do you want me to say?” She met my eyes with a dark gaze. “I was drunk.”
“Fine,” I said with the hedonistic smirk that she despised. “If you say so. How is your ass anyway? Still have my handprints on it, babe?”
“Fuck you, Hollin.”
Then, she strode away.
And I cursed myself for being a perpetual dick as I watched her walk away.
15
Piper
Hollin and I had gone from zero to a hundred. It had been a fucking master class in whiplash.
But what we’d done was a mistake. An incredible, soul-shattering mistake. I never, ever should have had sex with him, and he shouldn’t have asked about it in front of all of our friends the next morning.
What had happened on the tour bus should have stayed on the tour bus.
So, I’d done the very mature thing—antagonized him and then avoided him entirely.
I had no idea what I was doing. I wanted more of what he’d offered. I wanted to feel the way I’d felt at the show, but I didn’t even know how I’d gotten to that point. How I’d let my guard down enough to get there.
Hollin Abbey was the last person on the planet I wanted to be with. After what had happened with Quinn and Khloe, I’d written him off as the scum of the universe. We’d had mind-blowing sex, and I was just going to what? Forgive him? Forget about who he was? Not likely.
Not that he’d reached out. No texts. No calls. No stopping by. He wasn’t exactly the pining type. After all, he was the guy who loved the chase and got over it once he got what he wanted. This wasn’t any different.
“Mija, did you want to get lunch?” my dad asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I glanced at the time. “I’m supposed to meet Peyton. She wants to talk wedding arrangements.”
Dad chuckled. “Does she know that you don’t care?”
“She’s Peyton. She knows.” I pecked him on the cheek. “But also, I care that her wedding day is perfect.”
“You’re a good sister.”
“I try. It’s good to have Peyton back in town.”
“We all feel like that. Go. Have fun.”
“I will, Papa.”
“Remember to pencil us in for Easter.”
I squeezed his hand as I passed. “Always.”
Easter was a big deal in my family. It always had been. Abuelita always talked about what it had been like in Mexico. Carnival before Lent and then all the amazing traditions leading up to Easter Sunday. I’d always wanted to go to her home in Mexico and experience it, but we’d never had the funds to make it happen. One day, I’d do it.
I jumped into my Jeep, glad that I’d taken the top off this morning when I drove into work. The weather was warming up, and I lived with my top off all summer. Rain or shine, it was the Jeep way.
I parked outside of Thai Pepper. They’d closed for a few months, and everyone had feared that they were going to close forever. It was the best Thai in town. It would have been a real travesty, but they had opened back up and were busier than ever.
Peyton had on a little skirt and cardigan over her leotard and tights when she met me at the door. A tall blonde trailed behind her in a burgundy dress and chunky heels.
“Pipes!” Peyton said with a Miss America wave. “Hope you don’t mind that I invited Tori. She didn’t have plans.”
“The famous Tori,” I said, holding my hand out. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
Tori shook my hand with a wide smile. She was gorgeous in that dancer sort of way. Lean muscle mass on a narrow frame. Her legs were toned almost as much as Peyton’s were. Though it was nearly impossible to be as fit as my sister. Her blonde hair was down in loose waves around her shoulders, and she had an easy smile that met her soft green eyes.
“Piper! God, it’s so good to finally meet you.”
Tori had been hired as the costume coordinator for Lubbock Ballet Company right before The Nutcracker season. She and Peyton had hit it off, and Peyton had insisted that we’d be fast friends.
We stepped inside the busy restaurant, put in our orders, and took a seat. Peyton pulled out a notepad filled with to-do lists.
“I have so many things left,” she said with a sigh.
“You’ll get through it,” Tori said confidently.
Peyton smiled at her. “Thanks. I’m glad Nora is doing so much.”
We talked through the cake choices and agreed on a half-dozen for her to taste-test with Isaac later that week. I’d agreed to watch Aly that afternoon so they could have some time together. His daughter was a dancer as well and quite a joy. I couldn’t wait for her to be my niece for real. My mom and Isaac’s parents had been doing double duty, watching her while they wedding-planned.
Our food came, and I ate the pad thai with gusto. Even if I hadn’t been starved, I’d have scarfed down the noodles like they were my life force. Sometimes, I wondered if they put something in them to make them taste this delicious. To make me always crave them.
“How was your concert, Pipes?” Peyton asked. “You never mentioned it.”
I swallowed hard. “It was good. I went backstage with the band.” I hesitated a moment. “Saw the tour bus.”
“Really?” Tori asked. “That sounds so much fun. What band?”
“Cosmere.”
Tori arched an eyebrow. “Wow. They’re pretty huge.”
“The lead singer is local,” Peyton filled her in.
“I’d heard that.”
“Why are you fidgeting?” Peyton asked. She pointed her chopsticks at me. “What happened? You’re only like this when you’re hiding something.”
When I’d gotten home from the show, I’d confided in Blaire what had happened. She hadn’t been that surprised, which I found mildly insulting, but she’d laughed it off. I’d begged her not to tell anyone else, but this was just Peyton. I could tell her. And I didn’t know this Tori girl from anything. Made it easier.
“I might have done something rash.”
“Oh?”
“Like hook up with someone on the tour bus.”
Tori whooped. “Girl, get it!”
Peyton’s jaw dropped. “You?”
“I know. Crazy, right?”
“Who was it?”
“Was it a band member?” Tori asked. She nudged Peyton. “You didn’t tell me your sister was wild. I like her already.”
Peyton eyed me with questions in her eyes. I wasn’t wild. That wasn’t me at all. And yet it had happened. This wasn’t like me.
“It wasn’t a band member. A band member’s brother.” Peyton’s eyebrows shot up, and I gave her a look that said we’d talk about it later. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Well, was it at least good?” Tori asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
I couldn’t hold in my own secret smile. “It was.”
“What a way to get over Bradley,” Peyton said.
Oh. Bradley. Right. I hadn’t been thinking about him at all.
“I told you it was really over.”
“You’ve proven your point,” Peyton said gently. The big-sister voice.
“Ah, don’t give her a hard time,
” Tori said. “Every girl needs to feel that thrill a little bit. Find that man who sets her blood on fire.”
“Success,” I said, returning to my food.
We returned to the safe topic of the wedding for the rest of the meal.
It wasn’t until we left and Peyton hugged me good-bye that she whispered in my ear, “We’ll talk later?”
I huffed. “I don’t know, Peyton. Am I stupid for having done this?”
She glanced over at Tori to check that she was still on the phone. “Hollin?” she guessed.
“Am I that transparent?” I asked with a forced laugh.
“After that conversation with Nora, I’ve been wondering if more was going on than you let on. Is he why you broke up with Bradley?”
“What? No. Of course not. I was serious that I had no interest in him. He’s not the kind of guy that I want.”
“What kind of guy is that?”
I didn’t know how to answer that. “Someone serious.”
“Bradley was serious about you, and that didn’t seem to matter.”
“Yeah, but he wasn’t…serious. And by the end, hearing him chew made me want to put a fork through his eye.”
Peyton cracked up. “Yes, well, that sounds healthy. Look, I’ve been there. The last guy I dated was terrible. We had similar interests, and I had to see him for rehearsals, so I thought it worked. It wasn’t until I saw Isaac again that I realized how wrong I’d been. Maybe…you should give Hollin a chance.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then, why did you sleep with him, silly?”
I held my hands out. “I was drunk?”
“Well, if you just wanted some fun, then you got it. I’d say, it’d be smart to either take some time for yourself or actually look for that serious guy. Instead of inevitably falling back on Bradley.”
I winced. Too real. “True. Thanks, seester.”
She hugged me again. “I love you.”
I returned to the office with my mind on anything but work. I grabbed the mail on the way in, leaving the bills for my dad to deal with. All my worries about Hollin fell away as I stared at the envelope in my hand. I ripped into it, pulling the letter from within.
It was the official confirmation that Sinclair Cellars would be in the IWAA Texas Wine Award Competition. We’d shipped wine down to Austin, and knowing that it had gotten there safe was a relief. The letter informed me that I’d receive further information if I was selected as a finalist. It all felt so real.
I tacked the letter up on my wall, feeling all the more focused for it.
I’d left work at a reasonable hour. Blaire was blaring music, doing some TikTok dance in the living room when I walked in on the whole thing. She shrieked like I was a horror movie villain coming to slaughter her. Then managed to trip and fall on her ass. She laughed hysterically at herself.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Blaire said through her laughter. “You scared the hell out of me.”
I was leaning over, laughing at her reaction. “I texted you that I was coming home.”
Blaire got to her feet, killing the music and ending the video. She wiped tears from her eyes. “I’ve been learning that stupid dance for an hour. I didn’t even check my messages.”
“Well, you have to upload that one.”
“I should. It might go viral if I include some slasher movie music when you walk into the door.”
“Everything you do goes viral.”
She shrugged. “Sometimes.”
“Where’s Jennifer?”
“Julian’s.” Blaire turned off the ring light, which had bathed our house in perfect artificial light. “She said she’d see us at the game later.”
“The game?”
“Soccer. The Tacos.”
My lips formed an O as I remembered that they had a soccer game tonight.
The Tacos was the team that Isaac had put together a few years ago. The roster had changed a few times, but Blaire was their lead striker. She was really, really good. I loved coming to watch her. The only problem: Hollin played on the team. Running around in his short red shorts and ostentatious white cleats. Normally, I just ogled him from the sidelines. But I hadn’t seen him since I’d gotten off of the jet Sunday afternoon. Avoiding him would be a lot harder in person.
“I might skip this one,” I told her.
“No,” she told me automatically.
“What do you mean, no?”
“I know what you’re doing,” Blaire said, crossing her arms over her matching coral athletic gear. “You can’t just disappear. You were already acting suspicious the morning after the tour bus incident. If you stop coming around, someone else will figure it out.”
“Ugh,” I groaned, dropping my purse and falling on the couch. “Do I have to?”
“You said it didn’t mean anything. Did it actually mean something?”
“No,” I muttered.
“Then, it shouldn’t matter that you see him.”
“It’s awkward.”
Blaire sank into the seat next to me. “Well, you slept with your sworn enemy. I could see how that would be awkward.”
I laughed. “Do I have to go?”
“Yep, you do.”
“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “But I’m not speaking to him.”
Blaire grinned. “Yeah, right. He’s going to be all up your ass, like normal.”
“I won’t rise to the bait.”
She looked dubious. “Good luck.”
Yeah, she was right. I was screwed.
16
Hollin
“You’re going to be late to your game,” Alejandra called. She leaned against my office door. She was the winery manager, and I worked with her more directly than any of our other employees.
“Fuck,” I grumbled.
“What’s keeping you?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Tamara.”
Alejandra laughed. “Is she coming on to you again?”
“When is she not?” I asked with a shudder. “She’s the same age as my baby sister. I wish she would keep her hands to herself.”
“You know that’s sexual harassment. We could fire her.”
“She’s my sister’s best friend. I’m not firing her.”
“Plus, everyone loves her on the tours.”
“She is our best guide.”
“I’ll talk to her,” Ale said. “Again.”
“Thanks.” I headed into the bathroom to change into my soccer uniform. I threw my shirt, Wranglers, and boots into my bag and left.
And there was Tamara.
“Hey, big boy,” she said with a wide grin.
She was a natural redhead with pouty lips and tons of makeup. She made it somehow look effortless. I couldn’t deny that she was attractive, but again…same age as my sister. Not to mention, I had another woman constantly on my mind right now. Not that I’d heard a word from Piper.
“Tamara, you going to the game?”
“Yep. How could I miss you in shorts?”
I laughed with a head shake. “I’m your boss, Tamara.”
“Oh, I know. All in good fun.” Then, she winked at me to say that she’d bang me if I let her.
“Well, I’ll see you at the game.”
“Can’t wait!” she chirped.
I hopped quickly into my truck. She always exaggerated her hips. It was like she knew I was an ass man. I didn’t need any of that in my life right now. It was complicated enough as I tried to figure out what to do about Piper.
I parked my truck at the back of the lot and immediately looked around the field for Piper. I hadn’t seen her very recognizable Jeep in the parking lot, but sometimes, Blaire drove. It didn’t look like she was here yet.
“You’re on time,” Julian said with a grin.
“I’m always on time,” I quipped.
“Not lately.”
I found Annie sitting in the bleachers in her red uniform, next to Chase Sinclair. Jordan was on the other side, staring pointedly down at his ph
one.
“What’s he doing here?”
Julian shrugged. “He and Annie are friends.”
“And Jordan is chill with that?”
“Does he look happy about it?”
He did not. But he was trying at least. That was more than I would want to do. Chase and Annie had known each other since they were kids. It made sense that they’d stayed friends. It still would have been hard, knowing that he’d confessed his love for her.
“He’s a better man than I am.”
Julian arched an eyebrow. “Well, duh.”
I punched him in the arm. “Shithead.”
We warmed up for the game, but my eyes were still on the stands. I kept waiting for her to walk in and wondered what I’d do. It wasn’t like I could go up to her and shake sense into her. I didn’t even know what sense I would be shaking into her. But I wanted another taste. After Saturday, how could she pretend that she didn’t?
She and Blaire strode out of the parking lot and toward our field. Blaire was a blur of red as I found Piper. My feet stilled, and I just stared. She was wearing tight jeans that fit her curvy figure and a skintight black tank top. A jean jacket was tucked under her arm. She hadn’t seen me yet, or she was purposely avoiding my gaze.
Julian ran into me on the field. “Dude.”
“What the fuck?”
Julian’s gaze shifted to where I’d been looking. He found Piper and arched an eyebrow. “So, you and Piper?”
I ground my teeth together. I hadn’t told him about what happened at the show. It had seemed like Piper didn’t want me to. But I usually told him all about the girls I was into. Why was this any different?
“We might have hooked up at the concert.”
“Might have?”
“On the tour bus.”
Julian laughed. “Well, I didn’t see that one coming.”
“Thanks, dick.”
“So, care to explain what’s going on now?”
I gritted my teeth. I hated admitting the truth. “Nothing to explain.”
“She’s not looking at you. How did you already fuck this up?”
