“You think I’m going to allow another man to outmatch me? Hell, he may know food and have connections, but I can act just as chivalrous.”
“Okay, whatever you say, Jacob Queen,” she teased and then leaned her head against my chest as I carried her to my car.
Hell, I was thinking too deeply. I needed to stop. This was wrong. I shouldn’t want this. Shouldn’t want her. But I wasn’t going to stop. I couldn’t. We got into the car and made our way to the house. Annabelle immediately pulled out her phone, frowning.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking the ramp to the highway.
“Just looking at emails. One of the permits might not be coming through. Crap.”
“Is that going to be a problem?” I asked, checking my rearview mirror.
“It’s fine, happens all the time. Beckett’s the one who needs to worry about it, same with Paige. However, we’re all on the email loop, including Dad, so now I’m dealing with a hundred different threads. It’s fine. It’s just annoying.” She put her phone down, closed her eyes, and groaned as she leaned against the headrest. “I’m exhausted and full, but tonight was a good night.” She paused for a beat. “I’m sorry Paige was a little bit pushy. Colton, too. But I can’t apologize for him because I don’t really know him all that well.”
“They weren’t pushy.” I paused. “They weren’t that pushy.”
Annabelle snorted. “They want everyone to be as in love and happy as they are. I don’t think they realize that people can have other types of relationships.”
She said the words very carefully, as if she were afraid that I would say something hurtful. Or maybe I just heard things that weren’t there.
I was as jumpy as she was.
“So, are they really in love? Big L and all that?”
Annabelle shrugged, and I glanced over as she looked at her hands. “I’m not sure. We haven’t talked about it. We do have a girls’ evening scheduled, not that we allow ourselves to do that often these days. However, my friends Eliza and Brenna insist on it because I think they know Paige and I need a night off.”
“That’s good. So, you guys are going to talk about Paige?” I asked cautiously.
Annabelle snorted and patted my knee. I tried to ignore the heat, but I felt it anyway.
Damn it, I was getting in far too deep. I needed to push all those thoughts from my mind.
“We are probably going to grill her over Colton. Because I’m pretty sure there’s the big L when it comes to the two of them. And Eliza’s husband will be home from deployment soon. We’re always worried about that.”
“How long has he been over there?”
“Eight months. It was a long one this time. He’s done a remote for a year at the beginning of their marriage before. But it feels as if he’s been gone longer than they’ve been together,” she said, frowning. “I don’t know why I said that. Sorry. They love each other so much, and work so hard at their relationship because he’s gone constantly. It just sucks for her. And I’m always worried.
“I get that.”
“Anyway, they will probably ask about you. Only because now that I’ve gone out with Paige and Colton with you, she will have ammunition. And if she wants to stop us from talking about Colton, she will bring you up.”
“You’ll just have to keep the spotlight on her then.”
“Yes, because some things should be private.” She looked over at me quickly, and I reached for her hand. I squeezed it, and she smiled.
“Yes, I like that it’s just the two of us. Others can think what they want, but we’re having fun—you and me.”
She smiled again, and I didn’t see any hurt in her gaze, didn’t see her flinch this time. Maybe I’d just imagined that things were weird.
“It’s nice to have a night where I can relax with somebody, have some great sex, and then be all pumped for work the next morning.”
I laughed and shook my head. “There you go, glad I’m good for something.”
“I mean, I do appreciate your dick,” she teased, and I laughed harder, practically shaking as I pulled into my driveway.
Her phone dinged again, and she cursed. “Crap, I need to handle this. It’s Beckett.” She looked over at me. “Raincheck?”
“Did you just raincheck me for sex?” I asked, laughing again.
“Yes. But I was just talking about your dick, and now I won’t be able to ride it.” She moved forward and gently patted my crotch as if she were patting my head. “I’m sorry, buddy. I’ll be back soon.”
I laughed again, gripped her neck softly, and kissed her hard on the mouth. “I’ll take that raincheck. Now, go do your work thing. I have paperwork, too.”
It would help me get her out of my system so I could focus on what was important and the plan we had in place. Me falling for my brother’s widow was not part of that plan. She smiled one last time and scrambled out of the car. I watched her carefully as she made her way to her front door and walked inside. I let out a breath and made my way into my house, knowing I would need a stiff drink and a lot of work to pore over.
It would be a long night, doing my best not to think about Annabelle Montgomery. Only these past weeks, I had been starting to get used to having her on my mind and in my life more than not. And that should probably scare me more than it did.
Chapter 14
Annabelle
* * *
“Knock knock. I don’t care if you’re busy, we’re here, and we have cheese,” Brenna said as she made her way into my house, her key dangling from her finger. Eliza walked in behind her, rolling her eyes, her hands full, as well.
“You know, you could’ve rung the doorbell,” I said, coming towards them to help alleviate some of the load.
“We knocked,” Eliza said quickly. “But you didn’t answer, and these are heavy.”
“I’m sorry. Work.”
“So we hear,” Brenna said as we set everything on the kitchen island.
“Thank you guys for bringing everything over.”
“You’ve been busy, and we know it. I mean, we’re all busy, too, but your days have been a little more hectic than most,” Eliza said before she leaned down to kiss me on the cheek.
“I love you guys,” I said and hugged them close. The front door opened again, and Paige walked in, grinning.
“Oh, I’m missing the group hug.”
Paige had two bottles of Prosecco in her hands and a bag of groceries on her arm.
“I come bearing gifts.” She set everything down near the rest of the things and then opened her arms. I laughed, and the four of us hugged again, leaning into one another.
“I’m glad we’re doing this,” I said.
“Oh, good. I was afraid we would have to push you into it,” Paige said, hugging me hard as we started setting up our dinner.
“You shouldn’t have to push me into anything. And I’m sorry I’ve been so busy with work.”
“And Jacob, we hear,” Brenna said, and I shook my head.
“No, you are not getting me to spill anything.”
“Open the Prosecco,” Eliza said, grinning.
“Yes, we’re going to get her drunk, and she’ll tell us everything.” Paige clapped her hands in front of her chest and beamed. “I want to know it all.”
“You are a dork,” I said, laughing.
“Why am I a dork all of a sudden?” Paige asked, frowning.
“Because you’re my sister, and you shouldn’t want to know everything. It’s weird.”
“You don’t need to tell me about the sex things. But you need to tell me about everything else.”
I did my best to keep the smile on my face, but I didn’t know why it hurt so much. Probably mostly because of what I had to say next. “Considering that it’s only sex stuff between Jacob and me, I don’t think I have much else to say.”
Paige’s eyes widened. “No, that can’t be right. I saw the two of you at dinner. There was definitely more than only sex between you.”
I shook my head, doing my best to deny it all.
“So, it’s just a friends-with-benefits thing?” Eliza asked, sounding a bit disappointed. “I mean, not that I don’t miss the benefits part of a relationship. I just thought with how much time you guys spend together it was something more.”
I sighed and looked at my friends. “Okay, I’m not getting into this. We’re here to talk about Paige and Colton. And hear what Marshall had to say when you finally talked to him,” I said to Eliza, speaking of her husband.
“And you’ll notice that I have nothing to give in terms of the gossip when it comes to men, but I am here to aid with all of my wise knowledge since I know what I’m talking about,” Brenna said dryly.
I cringed. “And we’re here to talk about work and life and all the shows I’m missing since I haven’t been able to binge anything recently.”
“It’s because you’ve been too busy having sex with Jacob Queen to watch TV,” Paige said, and I threw my hands up into the air.
“Okay, what are you watching?”
Paige blushed. “Well, I’ve been a little busy myself,” she said and ducked as Brenna threw a piece of bread at her. “Hey, don’t waste food.”
Brenna scowled. “Fine, I won’t waste food. But we are going to eat and enjoy ourselves. We can talk about sex later. Because since two of us in this house are not having sex, it isn’t fair that that’s the first thing and the only thing we talk about.”
“Seconded,” Eliza added. “And I’m hungry.
“I’m starving,” I said, shaking my head. “I skipped lunch.”
“I realized that.” Paige glowered. “I tried to make sure you got fed today, but you were in and out of meetings all day. I didn’t have an opportunity to make sure you ate.”
“You don’t need to take care of me,” I chided.
“It’s my literal job. I’m the office manager. I manage the office.”
“And that includes me and my calorie intake?” I asked.
“If it has to. If my siblings and Clay don’t take care of themselves, I will do my best to make sure that changes.”
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”
Paige met my gaze, and something passed behind her eyes that I didn’t quite understand. “I’ll always worry about you. You are my big sister. My much older, yet not always wiser sister.”
I threw another piece of bread since Brenna didn’t have one in her hand.
“Hey, that is perfect French bread for the spinach artichoke dip I made,” Eliza said and went to work setting up our plates.
“And it’s amazing,” Brenna said, her mouth full of it.
“Okay, we have the artichoke dip. We also have honey chicken skewers, rice bao balls, and a veggie tray,” Brenna noted, going through her list.
“I brought meatballs, as well,” Paige interjected, pulling out the Crock-Pot I hadn’t realized was in her bag. “The little sweet ones that you just need to use a toothpick for.”
“My mouth is watering.” I looked at the feast in front of me.
“And I made cupcakes,” Brenna said, pouting.
I laughed. “Why do you always pout when you bring over cupcakes?”
“Because I’m a cake decorator. Not a cupcake decorator.”
“You love cupcakes. You love decorating them. You only get pouty when your clients want a mediocre cake and a thousand little cupcakes in a tower. That means they only want the cake as filler.”
“First up,” Brenna began, “my cakes are never mediocre, so you take that back.”
I nodded, holding up my hands. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be. And second, you’re right. They want plain cake you can cut into and hide behind a curtain or something. And they want everyone to believe they’re going to get a cupcake personally for themselves. But three hundred cupcakes in a nice little spiral to make a cake? It doesn’t happen. Pinterest and insta-weddings and all of that stuff is ruining my business.”
The three of us looked at each other and started laughing as Brenna puffed out her chest.
“Pinterest and Instagram and everything that’s wedding hashtag related keeps you in business,” I said dryly.
Brenna cringed. “Maybe. But the woman who came in today to discuss her wedding cake changed her mind—for the fifth time. Maybe I just hate cupcakes. But I made them for you anyway.” She flipped the top of the box, and my mouth dropped open.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
“I needed something to do with my hands. So, we have a variety. Lemon and strawberry, chocolate gateau, and carrot cake.” Each was immaculately decorated with perfect little individual marzipan and fondant animals. There were unicorns and pandas, and a small sleeping elephant. Each of them looked like a piece of art, and I couldn’t wait to stuff them all in my face.
“You went circus on this?” I asked, laughing.
“My brain kept thinking of a hundred different things, so I went with cute animals. And I’m going to eat all of this dip so long as Eliza lets me. Maybe put a few balls in my mouth because you know I like talking about balls in my mouth,” she said, and we laughed. “And then I’m going to eat that elephant.”
“I don’t know, the elephant looks amazing,” Paige said as she reached for it. Brenna slapped her hand and pointed at us all. “No. We eat cupcakes after dinner. You know I usually like dessert first, but I’m in a mood, and you have to listen to me.”
“You’re not making any sense, but I love you.” I leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, and then we settled down with wine and our food.
The doorbell rang about thirty minutes into our dinner, and I frowned, looking at everyone. “Did we miss somebody?” I asked as I stood up.
“I don’t think so,” Paige said. “Maybe it’s Jacob Queen.”
I rolled my eyes. “He is working tonight. And he’s in the office so he’s not going to be stopping by.”
“You know exactly where he is?” Eliza asked, beaming.
“Okay, enough of that.” I looked through the peephole and frowned before opening the door. “Hey, Hotch, what’s up? Anything wrong?”
Hotch shook his head and held out a big box. “I heard you mention it was girls’ night tonight, and since I was in the neighborhood, I picked up some of those variety cookies from the bakery down the street. I know your friend Brenna makes the best cakes and cupcakes there is, but I figured why not add a little variety with cookies?”
I looked at him, smiling but a little confused. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“No, I didn’t. But it was on sale, what can I say? I have a whole box for myself and the guys for later. I don’t mean to intrude on your night, but I saw these and thought of you.”
He handed over the box, and I opened the lid, holding back a groan at the sight of the perfectly iced sugar cookies. They were all pretty spring colors, each exquisitely done. I’d had cookies from this bakery before and had nearly fallen to my knees in gratitude for the delicious taste. I thought Brenna was a better baker, but that could be because she was my best friend. However, these cookies would be amazing.
“You honestly didn’t have to, but thank you, Hotch.”
He just grinned, put his hands in his pockets, and leaned back on his heels. “No problem. Well, I’m off to see the guys. I just wanted to see how you were doing. I haven’t talked to you that much recently.”
I leaned against the doorjamb, balancing the cookies on one palm. “I’ve been busy with work and family. You know?”
“And with your other neighbor, I hear.”
He said the words lightly, and I didn’t hear any jealousy in it. I was glad, even though I didn’t want the whole neighborhood knowing I was dating Jacob—or whatever we were doing since we didn’t actually want to be dating or anything serious like that. Hotch hadn’t asked me out since Jacob came back to town. Not really. And he hadn’t put on any moves or acted peculiar. The cookies he handed over hadn’t been the first time he’d done something like
that. He was just a nice guy, and I’d always hated having to say no to him.
The fact that he wasn’t asking me out again or acting as if we could have something was nice—a change of pace.
“Well, it’s mostly work,” I said, cutting into any tension that might show up.
But there was none. Hotch looked happy. As if he hadn’t asked me out a few times before this. Maybe I was overthinking it. Perhaps Hotch was simply a nice guy who wanted to give me cookies. Delicious ones that I wanted to take a bite of immediately.
“Anyway, have a good night. Tell the girls hi. I’ll see you later.”
He waved, then headed back to his place, not even bothering to invite himself in or wanting to see the girls. He was just a nice guy who brought over cookies. So why did I feel so weird about it? It was probably because, after so many times of gently saying no to Hotch, I said yes to Jacob after one day. That didn’t make Hotch a bad person. It just meant that I wanted Jacob. Not that I could have him. Or want more than what we had. Because it wasn’t serious, it couldn’t be.
I closed the door and walked back into the living room. The girls glanced at me.
“Cookies?” Brenna asked, coming up and taking the box.
“Hotch dropped them off.”
“Oh, right, they were doing that sale. Buy one, get one free, and the proceeds of any additional tips go to St. Jude’s.”
“Really?” I asked.
Brenna nodded. “Yeah, it’s great. Marlene, the baker over there, is a wiz when it comes to cookies. We worked together on a few projects. And their sale today should bring in lots of donations and great business for her. I sent over a few, dare I say, cupcakes.”
That made sense since Brenna didn’t have a storefront and worked on orders rather than selling directly to the public. She worked alone. She didn’t need a store.
“That was nice of him,” Eliza said, meeting my gaze.
“Hotch does things like that sometimes. He’s never asked for anything in return. I try to reciprocate, but I think he’s just a nice guy.”
“Sometimes I feel like nice guys don’t exist,” Brenna said as she set the box of cookies on the table and sank down into the cushions.
Inked Persuasion: A Montgomery Ink: Fort Collins Novel Page 13
