“I’m just getting started. Don’t you worry.”
The four men ended up with bottles of beer while Libby and Pallas each had a glass of white wine. Everyone sat on sofas in one of the seating areas, except for Cade, who chose a chair. Nick wondered about the staff required to run a house this big. Just keeping up with dusting would take days.
This so wasn’t his style. Despite Ceallach’s success, his family had lived pretty much like everyone else in Fool’s Gold. The house Nick had grown up in had been a sprawling ranch style on a large lot. Nothing like this estate.
He wondered what it had been like for Pallas to grow up here. She and Cade sure would have had plenty of room to play, but had that upside come with a darker corner? Had she been lonely? Felt cut off from her friends?
Libby glanced at him. “So, Nick, what do you do?”
He smiled. “Right now I’m between gigs. I’m working part-time as a carpenter for Pallas at her business.”
Libby’s mouth compressed into a moue of disapproval. “I see.” She turned to her son. “Cade, darling, now that you’re back, you’ll have to take over one of the wings here at the house. A young man needs his freedom.”
“That he does,” Cade told her. “I’m going to be staying at the ranch house.”
“That old place? It’s practically falling down.”
“I had a new roof put on it last fall,” Grandpa Frank told his daughter. “Libby, Cade isn’t going to live here with us. Like you said—the boy needs his freedom.”
“But I enjoy having you around.” Libby’s expression softened. “I never get to see you anymore. You’ve been gone for so long. I miss our talks.”
Cade shifted in his seat. “Ah, me, too, Mom. You’ll see me plenty, now that I’ve moved back.”
“It won’t be enough. Nothing is right when you’re not here.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw Pallas flinch. No, that wasn’t right—it was more as if she’d retreated into herself. Who could blame her—with Libby making it clear Cade was her favorite.
“At least your business will be successful,” Libby said, still pouting. “Your sister is barely able to keep hers afloat. I offered her a chance to come to the bank, but she turned me down. Can you believe it?”
“Libby,” Grandpa Frank growled. “Leave the girl alone.”
“It’s true,” Libby protested. “Ask her.”
Nick put his beer on the coffee table and leaned forward. “I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?”
Libby turned her him, her eyes wide. No doubt she was shocked at his rudeness. His mother would be, too, but hell, someone had to be a distraction.
“There are appetizers.” Libby rose. “Let me go check on them.”
As soon as she left, Grandpa Frank moved next to Pallas and started talking in a low tone. At the same time Cade shifted his chair closer to Nick’s.
“Who are you?” he asked, sounding more neutral than his mother.
“I work for Pallas.”
“Aside from that?”
Nick held in a smile. He liked knowing that Cade looked out for his sister. “We’re friends.”
“Are you really a part-time carpenter?”
Drew joined them. “He’s an artist. A famous one. Don’t let him play you.”
“What was your name again?” Cade asked.
“Nick Mitchell.” He looked at Drew. “I’m not famous.”
“Sure. When was the last time you needed to work a real job?”
Nick had worked as a bartender back in Fool’s Gold, but that had been by choice, not necessity.
“It’s been a while,” he admitted.
Cade turned to his cousin. “Can you look up his balance at the bank and let me know he’s legit?”
“Should we talk about the dozens of laws being broken as we speak?” Nick asked lightly.
Drew grinned. “It’s two against one. You might want to get along.”
“Not my style.”
Cade and Drew exchanged a glance. Drew raised a shoulder. “From what I hear, he’s a good guy.”
“Good enough for our girl?”
Nick thought about pointing out that he and Pallas weren’t actually an item. Not technically. He liked her. He liked being around her and spending time with her. She was special. He looked forward to seeing her and—
He swore silently. They were an item. When had that happened? He turned and saw her looking at him. He winked and she smiled.
Libby returned with a tray of prosciutto-wrapped melon, along with stuffed mushrooms.
“I hope these meet with your approval,” she told him. “It’s so hard to know what goes with beer.”
“Pretty much anything.” He reached for a mushroom. “They look delicious.”
Libby’s pinched look of disapproval stayed firmly in place. Cade stood and put his arm around her.
“Mom, you’ve got it all wrong. Nick’s a great guy. He’s famous.”
“I doubt that.”
Grandpa Frank nodded. “It’s true. You’ve heard of his father, if not him. Ceallach Mitchell. He’s that glass artist guy.”
Nick was torn between wondering how Grandpa Frank knew about his father and wondering what his old man would think about being called “that glass artist guy.”
“Ceallach Mitchell is your father?” Libby sank down next to him, her gaze much friendlier than it had been. “I had no idea. You’re an artist, too?” She turned to Pallas. “Did you know?”
“Yes. He has pieces in Atsuko’s gallery. Although technically he is my part-time carpenter, it’s just because he fell madly in love with the panels at Weddings in a Box.”
Her mother sighed. “As usual, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Nick squashed his flare of annoyance. “You haven’t been to your only daughter’s office?” he asked, deliberately making his voice thick with disbelief. “It’s a great place. She’s very creative and that must make you proud.”
He reached for his beer. “The wooden panels that I’m restoring are exquisite. The carving is all hand done. Don’t get me started on the style or details. I’ll never stop talking.” He took a sip. “Anyway, I’m working on them because something that special needs to be treasured. Pallas could sell them and make a small fortune, but you know her. She has too much character for that. She’d rather keep them for the business. It’s one of the reasons I’m happy we’re together. Because she’s strong and capable and I admire her.”
Libby stared at him with an uncomfortable combination of worship, confusion and annoyance. Pallas was trying not to giggle, while Drew and Cade silently toasted him behind Libby’s back.
“Yes, well, that’s very interesting,” Libby said, returning to her original seat. “Good for you. Drew, tell everyone about the new banking regulations. They’re going to change things for sure.”
Predinner drinks dragged on for over an hour. By the time they finally went in to dinner, Nick was genuinely starving. Based on the couple of appetizers he’d sampled, the meal was going to be worth the wait, but still, talk about a command performance.
Fortunately, Libby hadn’t turned on Pallas again, so Nick had been able to simply sit back and listen. Libby kept watching him, as if she wasn’t sure if he was someone she should respect or worry about stealing the good silver.
Pallas linked her arm through his as they walked into the huge dining room. The table could have easily seated twenty. The six of them were clustered at one end.
“It’s nice to know you admire me,” she teased.
“I actually do.”
“You’re being great. I will owe you forever. Seriously, thank you for all of this.”
“My pleasure.” He was about to say he hadn’t had to make up anything about
her when he saw all the family portraits lining the dining room walls.
There were dozens of them in solid wood frames. He moved closer and saw there was indeed coordinated clothing differentiating the various parts of the family.
“Cool tradition,” he said. “This is what you were telling me about.”
Too late he realized his mistake as Libby walked toward him. “I’m sure Pallas hasn’t told you all about them,” she said, pointing to one of the pictures. “Like that one.”
Right. The picture Pallas had been banned from because she wouldn’t wear the correct shirt.
“The one where she’s missing?” he asked, walking to the picture. He studied it, noting that a much-younger Cade didn’t look very happy in the photograph and Pallas was nowhere to be found.
He turned back to Libby. “Looking at that must break your heart. I’m sure if you could go back in time, you’d do everything in your power to make sure your only daughter was a part of the family memory.”
Libby’s gleeful expression fell a little.
He crossed to Pallas and pulled out her chair. When she was seated, he sat next to her and lightly kissed her on the mouth.
“Thank you,” she mouthed.
“I got this,” he whispered back.
He didn’t understand the family dynamics, but that didn’t matter. What was important was that Pallas needed protecting and he was just the man to do it.
CHAPTER TEN
BY THE TIME they started the drive home, Pallas was feeling less smug about Nick standing up for her and more embarrassed by her family. No—not her family. Her mother.
It had always been like this between them, she thought grimly. Libby poked and prodded, looking for a weak spot, and then she pounced. Pallas didn’t think her mother was deliberately cruel or mean, but there sure was something going on. Something that ended with Pallas hurt and Libby disappointed.
“You were great,” she told Nick as they left the Saunders property. “I appreciate the support and the way you stood up for me.” She pressed a hand to her cheek. “Which is kind of the same thing. How much wine did I have?”
“Not that much. I was happy to be there and act as your dinner boyfriend buffer.” He paused. “Your mom is interesting.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“I wonder what happened to her when she was little.”
“What do you mean?”
“Libby has some issues. A lot of what she’s doing doesn’t seem like it’s about you. You’re just the familiar punching bag, and she’s reacting without thinking. Whatever demons she’s wrestling are about her.” He glanced over and smiled in the dim light of the car. “Of course, I’m a guy. I could be wrong about all of this.”
Pallas stared at him. “Oh my God! I can’t believe you said that. No, I can’t believe I never thought of it before. What if you’re right? What if it isn’t about me at all? I could never please her but I always thought I wasn’t good enough. What if it was never about me?”
She’d fought with her mother, had tried to please her mother, had thought about leaving, the way Cade had, but never seemed to find the courage. The one constant in her life had been her difficult relationship with her mother. What if none of that had been about her?
“My head is spinning,” she admitted. “I’m going to have to think on that. A lot.” Mostly when there hadn’t been wine with dinner.
“Family is tough,” he said. “I’m glad you have Drew and Cade to protect you.”
“They’re good guys,” she said with a sigh. “Cade was always there when Mom got on me. Drew, too, although he didn’t live with us. It helped a lot.”
“It was the same with my brothers,” he told her. “We had each other’s backs. Del and Aidan weren’t interested in working with Ceallach, so our dad pretty much ignored them. I knew that had to hurt. Ronan, Mathias and I got all the attention, which was both a blessing and a curse.”
“Plus your dad had the excuse of an artistic temperament.” Something Nick would never say, she thought. He was incredibly gifted, yet acted so normal.
“You have no idea,” he said, turning by the river. “Remember when I told you about the show my dad and I did together? It was all glass. It was in New York. I’d never been, but Dad had. We stayed in a huge suite with views of Central Park. There were parties every night. My dad ate it up. He was the reason they were all there and made sure everyone remembered that.”
Just hearing about it made Pallas uncomfortable. What he described was so not her thing. “But did you enjoy it?”
“At first. There was a lot of attention.”
She smiled. “By that we mean women?”
“Maybe.” He chuckled. “Yes. I was way out of my league. I dated my first model. They really don’t eat very much at all.”
“What a surprise,” she murmured drily. “What about a threesome with twins?”
“They weren’t twins.”
She swung her head to stare at him. “Seriously? For real?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t my thing.”
Good to know. For a second she thought about asking how a threesome worked, exactly. Because once a man was done, he was unavailable for at least some period of time. Of course Nick had been in his twenties and it had been a threesome, so maybe...
“Best not to go there,” he told her.
“I think you’re right. So who else?”
“There was an actress. I fell hard for her. We dated for three months, then she dumped me on a national talk show. Told the host she was totally over me. I was waiting in her dressing room, along with the rest of her entourage. From their lack of surprise, I was the last one to know.”
“That’s horrible.” Breakups were difficult enough but to have one happen that way... She couldn’t imagine it.
Nick pulled into her driveway. He turned off the engine, then angled toward her. “I’m fine. It was years ago. I learned my lesson and went home. My point is all families are weird in their own way. Some just happen to be a lot closer to crazy than others.”
He touched the side of her face. “At the end of the day, you’re doing what you love and you’re doing a hell of a job at it. You have friends and people who love you. Don’t let your mom get you down.”
Was it just her or was Nick the best guy ever? Before she could decide, he pulled her close and kissed her.
His mouth was warm against hers, his lips firm yet tender. He kissed her slowly, deeply, offering as much as he took. The truck console was between them, so she couldn’t get as close as she would like, but even just kissing was pretty darned fun. His mouth was warm, as was his body. Plus the man had protected her—it was a powerful aphrodisiac.
He drew back and smiled at her. “So here’s the thing. I’d love to come in.”
Her body went on alert, then surrendered. Desire rushed through her, making her girl parts all tingly. Then panic set it. Was her house a mess? Were her sheets clean? When had she last shaved? Would he mind if she brushed her teeth first?
“But,” he continued, “I have this feeling you need more time. Am I wrong?”
No! No. Of course not. Who needed time? She opened her mouth to say that, but what came out was, “A little.”
She held in a groan. Had she really said that? “What I mean is—”
He cut her off with another kiss that rocked her down to her toes. Then he straightened. “You’re worth waiting for, Pallas. You have to know that.”
With that, he got out of the truck and went around to her side. He walked her to her door, waited for her to unlock it, then pulled her close.
His strong arms held her tight. She responded in kind, wrapping her arms around him. He was tall and broad, and when she was with him, she felt safe. Protected.
She liked being with him
. She liked watching him work and brainstorming with him about her business. Funny how he’d only been in town a short time yet she felt as if she’d known him forever. Or at least a long time.
He moved his hands up and down her back, then cupped her face and kissed her. “Have a good night,” he whispered.
“You, too.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
His mouth brushed against hers one more time, then he walked back to his truck and left. Pallas closed the door behind her and set her purse and keys on the small hall table. As she walked to her bedroom, she wondered why Nick had such a different and better view of her than she had of herself. It was as if he saw who she could be rather than who she was right now. An interesting concept and one she needed to consider.
* * *
THE FIRST PART of the week passed in a blur. Pallas was scrambling to get the last-minute details for the black-and-white wedding finalized. Catherine was basically a sweet person, but in the last month, she’d definitely drifted into bridezilla territory. The 2:00 a.m. texting was starting to get old.
Only seventy-two more hours, give or take, she told herself on Wednesday afternoon, as she drove to Wynn’s office. Then the black-and-white wedding would be history. In the meantime she was going to be on a video conference call with Nova, Wynn, Violet, Silver and Nick. They were all bringing samples and ideas for the next stage of preparation.
She met Violet in the parking lot, struggling with two large boxes and a huge suitcase on wheels.
“Did you bring every button you own?” Pallas asked with a laugh as she rushed to help her friend.
“You mock my buttons, but they will save the day. You’ll see.”
“I can’t wait for that to happen.”
Pallas slung her tote bag over her shoulder and helped Violet wrestle the smaller box toward Wynn’s shop. They were halfway across the parking lot when a familiar truck pulled up next to them. Pallas felt a little quiver in her stomach. She’d known Nick was going to be at the meeting, yet still felt a thrill at seeing him. A nice little bonus in her workday.
He rolled down his window. “Ladies, could you use a man?”
You Say It First--A Small-Town Wedding Romance Page 14
