Palmetto Passion: A Sweet Small Town Family Romance (The Bradford Brothers Book 1)

by Christina Benjamin

  That woman had a way of making everything easier.

  It wasn’t that I forgot what I’d been through when I was around Tess, it was that suddenly it all felt bearable—like she was helping me share the burden of my past without even realizing it.

  Thankfully, before anyone could ask about how the last year had been for me, my mother clapped her hands together and urged us all to take our seats for the beautiful breakfast she’d prepared.

  We settled down at the dining room table, instinctually taking the seats we used to when we all lived together.

  My father sat at one of the head chairs while I sank into the other, with my mother on his right-hand side and Ivy on the left with Brooks beside her. And Colton took his seat beside an empty chair for the always-tardy Asher.

  Soon, plates of breakfast and coffee were being passed around and the entire group was chatting like old times. My mother carried the conversation, excitedly asking what her children had been up to most recently. She asked Ivy about her successful event planner business in NYC and if she ever ran into Asher in his high stakes finance world before switching her focus to Colton and his latest paintings.

  My father looked on much more pensively as she asked each of my siblings about their careers, eventually pushing away his plate and leaning back in his chair. I knew this was hard for him—just another reminder that none of his children wanted to take up his legacy of the family business. But what he didn’t realize was that disappointing him was hard for us too.

  The conversation tapered off as my father made his displeasure known with his usual passive-aggressive grumbling.

  Always quick to avoid confrontation, Colton quickly changed the subject. “So, are we going out tonight or what?” he asked, leaning his elbows on the table before our mother shooed them off.

  “Definitely,” Ivy exclaimed.

  “I don’t know,” Brooks teased. “Do you think we can even get in at a bar around here on such short notice?”

  Colton laughed. “Brooks is right, Ivy. We should get our plan together now. I mean, there are so many places to choose from,” he added with a roll of his eyes, knowing full well that there was only one bar in Bradford Cove.

  “You all just got here and you’re going to go out?” our mother protested with a pout before Colton assured her that we’d have plenty of time to hang out today and the rest of the days leading up to the wedding.

  “I guess we should celebrate almost everyone being here,” Ivy said thoughtfully before looking over at Brooks with a loving smile. “And the fact that our wedding is happening so soon!”

  She leaned over, kissing her fiancé’s cheek as Colton made a gagging noise while grinning playfully. “Are you even old enough to get married, Brooks?”

  “You leave Brooks alone!” Ivy scolded. “It’s not his fault that he’s a grownup unlike all my older brothers.”

  “Just teasing,” Colton objected.

  “Well I’m the bride and I say Brooks is off limits.”

  “You’re the one making the rest of us look bad. You’re the baby. You’re not supposed to get married first. Now Mom will never leave us alone.”

  Our mother perked up, her head tilting as she looked around at Colton and me. “Speaking of that . . . are you boys bringing dates to the wedding?”

  “Not a chance,” Colton grunted.

  When she turned hopefully toward me, I laughed heartily and answered. “The last thing any of us needs is a date.”

  Chapter 12

  Tess

  All the numbers on the excel spreadsheet were blending together in front of my eyes when Mabel laid a hand on my shoulder.

  I jumped, turning slightly toward the woman as she offered a kind smile. The daisy she had tucked behind her ear was wilted after the hours of our long workday. Honestly, the flower looked as sleepy as I did. I pushed away from the computer and rubbed at my eyes with a yawn.

  “Why don’t you take a break?” Mabel suggested.

  “You’ve been sitting at that computer screen for hours,” Hal called from where he was washing his hands of soil in the nearby basin. “I bet your head is hurting something fierce.”

  Mabel nodded. “You’re gonna go cross-eyed if you’re not careful, sugar,” she scolded.

  “I’ll be fine. I just have a lot to do.”

  “Is this about the Bradford wedding?”

  “Of course it is,” I murmured back, biting my lip. “It’ll be here before we know it and I haven’t even gotten all of the orders for the flowers put in yet. I’ve already had to rush them so they’ll get here on time, but then I have to arrange them and work on the canopy and the centerpieces and the trellis . . .” I took a deep breath. “Maybe I took on more than I should have.”

  “You, Tess? Take on too much?” Mabel laughed and shook her head. “Please, when it comes to you, there’s no such thing. There’s no way you could’ve taken on too much, my busy little bee. This is completely your element.”

  I smiled back at her, slightly relieved by her faith in me. She was right. I was tired, but I was loving this. Working on the Bradford wedding hadn’t given me a spare second to sit down and wallow about how things ended in Chicago—or last night for that matter.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about Rowan and our amazing night together. I also couldn’t stop thinking that I’d ruined it somehow. Had I missed an opportunity to make the night even more memorable? Should I have kissed him? Invited him in?

  I focused back on my spreadsheets.

  Categorizing my orders was much easier than categorizing my feelings for the surprisingly sweet billionaire.

  Yes, billionaire! Of course I googled him after I got home!

  What a mistake. Like I needed more reasons to be nervous around him. But I reminded myself that last night wasn’t a date, even if I might have wanted it to be.

  Besides, if I didn’t deliver the perfect floral arrangements for his sister’s wedding I wouldn’t get another one.

  Mabel patted my arm and left me to my work. It was too early to tell whether or not her trust in me was misplaced or not, but hopefully I could handle this better than I did when I was at the Bradford Estate. I was just going to have to keep my mouth shut when it came to being around the rest of the Bradfords and their opulent lifestyle.

  They’re all billionaires in case you’re wondering.

  But it wasn’t my place to judge.

  That being said, it really did surprise me that, even though he had access to such wealth and means, Rowan preferred such small delights as that laidback diner that he’d taken me to. The food had been simple but truly exquisite, and not at all what I’d expected of dining with a Bradford billionaire.

  “You never did tell me how your date went,” Mabel said casually as she pretended to tidy up the front desk.

  I cocked my head at her impatiently, but she only batted her eyelashes still hoping I’d spill the details.

  “It wasn’t a date,” I corrected. “It was two people getting to know one another as friends and business partners.

  Mabel scoffed. “Yeah, sugar. Sure it was.”

  Knowing I’d probably kick myself for asking I said, “What does that mean?”

  “I’m just saying I saw the way you two were looking at each other. There was nothing ‘just friends’ about it. That was a date.”

  I blushed faintly and managed a shrug, turning back to the computer to submit the final details of another order. Not that I would ever admit this aloud, but Mabel was right. There had been something intimate about the evening Rowan and I shared. There were definitely sparks. And these days, sparks were rare.

  We may not have made out or anything but being with him made me feel alive.

  He made me feel like I could be myself and I could trust again. But that was silly. I still didn’t really know him. One dinner didn’t mean that I had him all figured out. I probably wouldn’t even see him again until the wedding, and by then this spark or whatever it was would’ve probably flickered
out.

  Oh well, that was probably for the best. A girl like me did not belong with a guy like him.

  I shut down the computer and stretched my stiff limbs before starting to pack up my things. I normally got off hours earlier, but with all the planning for the wedding, I’d been stuck in the shop until after the sun went down. Mabel and Hal usually went home much earlier as well, but I think they didn't want to leave me all alone to work on the wedding. Mabel had entertained herself by talking on the phone to various members of her knitting club, which was basically the town gossip club, and Hal had futzed around in the back pretending to be busy until I was done with my work. It was sweet the way they looked after me, but unnecessary.

  “You got any big plans tonight, sugar?” Mabel asked as we locked up.

  I shook my head. “I’m beat.”

  “On account of that late night you had with Rowan?” she inquired.

  I laughed. She was persistent. I’d give her that. “Nice try.”

  “I’m just glad you went out, sugar. You don’t do it nearly enough.” She grinned and pulled me in for a hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Hal waved his goodbye and headed out the door behind Mabel while I double checked the locks.

  The night was brisk and cool for spring, a few lazy gray clouds drifting by overhead. I hoped it didn’t rain again. There were only a few more days until Ivy’s wedding and that wasn’t the type of event that would warrant bad weather. I supposed that even if it did decide to be downcast that day, the canopy of flowers won’t mind a little drizzle and it would help keep the bride safe from the wet, but no one wanted a rainy wedding day.

  Unless of course, the Bradfords had a backup plan I wasn’t aware of.

  Shoot! Of course they do. They’re the Bradfords!

  I pulled out my notebook to add a reminder to find out the backup plan tomorrow. Thumbing through my sketches, I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered sharing them with Rowan, who I’d thought was Gerald at the time.

  It was funny that I could already laugh at the memory when only yesterday I’d been livid. I guess that was the difference a night out could make. Maybe Mabel was right. I didn’t go out often enough.

  Sometimes a change of perspective was just what the doctor ordered.

  Speaking of doctors, I couldn’t seem to keep my mind from wandering back to the sexy doctor who walked me to my door last night.

  Screw it. I needed a drink. It was the only way I’d be able to turn my brain off of all things Bradford. Plus, all that talk about pizza and beer with Rowan last night really had me craving it.

  I changed direction and headed to the bar down the street. The closer I got the more my confidence grew. I deserved this. After a long and stressful day of ordering flowers for the biggest wedding Bradford Cove had ever seen, I was ready to unwind for a bit. Plus, the deposit for the wedding had been a nice bump to my paycheck, and it’d been a long time since I’d treated myself to anything, even a beer and pizza night out.

  Lost in my thoughts, I walked into the bar and nearly ran headfirst into a man with sandy brown hair balancing four beers and a gin and tonic in his hands as he walked from the counter.

  “I'm so sorry!” I cried as the gin drink toppled over and soaked his shirt. “I’ll get you another one!”

  The guy just shook his head before warmly winking at me while I stared at him in horror.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said before walking off toward the pub tables.

  The Palmetto Porch was crowded tonight. That, plus my clumsy blunder was already making me regret my choice to come out.

  Could I go one day without making a fool of myself in this place?

  But I was here, and I needed a beer now more than ever.

  I groaned and fought my way up to the bar.

  The bartender looked up. “What can I get ya?”

  “Just a beer, please. Whatever’s on tap,” I answered, cheeks still bright red from knocking that poor guy’s drink all over him. “And can you send that guy over there a new gin and tonic?”

  The bartender slid an ice-cold pint in front of me and then glanced up as someone joined me at the bar. I sank into the open barstool, hoping it wasn’t the guy who I knocked into, when I heard a familiar voice.

  “Can I get two shots of whiskey?”

  I turned in my chair, jaw dropping as I looked up at the handsome doctor next to me. Rowan Bradford smirked, pushing one of the shots he’d just ordered toward me.

  “Rowan! What are you doing here?”

  “Rescuing you.”

  “What?”

  “That guy you ran into is my almost brother-in-law,” he said with a grin. “He came back to our pool table and told us he was almost mowed down by a girl who wasn’t from around here and I had a feeling I knew who it was.”

  “Oh god!” I buried my face in my hands.

  “You really have it out for us Bradfords, don’t you?” he teased though I turned even brighter red in mortification.

  “The bartender is going to get him another one,” I mumbled, flustered not only by my encounter with Ivy’s fiancé but by the unexpected sight of Rowan again.

  Rowan held up his hand as the bartender picked up the bottle of gin. “He doesn’t need another, trust me.”

  Feeling slightly better, I picked up the offered shot and clinked glasses with Rowan before downing it. The alcohol warmed my throat all the way to the pit of my stomach. I took a gulp of my cold beer to offset the heat, though my eyes kept wandering back to Rowan.

  How strange that I ran into him again. Did he love dive bars, too?

  I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him last night and this somehow felt like my chance at redemption. “What are you doing here?” I asked again, unwilling to let the conversation die just yet.

  “Hanging out with my brothers and my sister. Actually . . .” he paused, straightening so he could peer over the crowd to wave at someone.

  A second later a tiny, bubbly blonde emerged from between the wall of bodies packed into the muggy bar. She swayed just slightly as she stood beside Rowan, wrapping one arm around his waist and beaming at me. Her beautiful blue eyes that unmistakably matched Rowan’s were slightly glassy.

  “This is Ivy,” Rowan said, patting the young woman’s head like she was a puppy, “Ivy, this is Tess. She’s the one who’s handling your flowers—”

  “Tess!” Ivy shrieked, throwing her arms around me and hugging tight before stepping back again. “Oh my god, you’re a miracle worker! I can’t wait to see what you do with the flowers. The sketches were totally to die for. I'm super thrilled! Just maybe don’t try to hand out drinks to anyone,” she added with a giggle.

  “I'm really excited to do it for you,” I offered back, unable to stop smiling. “And I’ll leave the bartending to the pros, I promise.”

  “Good,” she exclaimed, bursting into excited chatter about her upcoming nuptials.

  Ivy Bradford was a ball of positive energy, who all but radiated joy, making me so glad the first wedding I'd be handling was for her. Rowan looked on proudly, his eyes lingering on me over Ivy’s head.

  “Tess, you’ve got to come to the wedding,” Ivy said suddenly.

  “I’ll be there to make sure everything’s set up to your liking.”

  “No. You can’t just drop off the flowers and leave after you’ve done so much work. Come hang out with us and have a good time.”

  My eyes widened in shock. “Oh, I couldn’t impose like that!” I answered hastily.

  “Are you kidding?” Ivy smirked. “I reserved spare seats for each of my brothers to bring dates but they’re ruining everything by insisting on living the bachelor life instead of finding love.” Rowan and I exchanged a loaded glance as Ivy continued babbling. “Seriously, I’ve got plenty of extra room. Please, please, please come? Remember, I'm the bride, and it’s my day! You can’t say no to me!”

  She grabbed my hand and gazed pleadingly at me until I finally caved.

  “
Okay,” I relented, “It does sound like fun and it would be nice to see my work in action.”

  “Yay! We’re gonna have so much fun!” Ivy promised. “I’ll put you right next to Rowan since you two know one another. It’ll be like you’re his date!”

  Even though she was tipsy, Ivy had a coy glint to her eyes as Rowan faintly blushed. She didn’t give either of us a chance to argue before she hugged Rowan and then flitted back into the crowd rejoining her fiancé, a model-esque looking blonde and another dark-haired man, whose brooding blue eyes looked suspiciously like Rowan’s.

  Come to think of it . . . I’d seen a third guy with broody Bradford eyes at the bar when I’d first walked in. He’d been smirking at some poor defenseless woman over a cocktail. She didn’t stand a chance against those baby blues. Proving my point, the spot they’d been occupying was vacant now. She was probably off somewhere offering him an all-access pass to her lady business.

  The Salvatores had nothing on these blue-eyed brooding Bradford brothers.

  I glanced back at Rowan, silently sipping my beer as I tried to play it cool. I knew I was failing miserably, but I’d just scored his plus one to Ivy’s wedding! Sure, it’d actually been his sister who invited me, but the smile on Rowan’s face told me he didn’t mind.

  He was staring at me with a mixture of delighted confusion on his ruggedly handsome face. It was kind of adorable the way he’d let his little sister steamroll him. Like a kitten bossing around a Labrador.

  I had a feeling Ivy Bradford was used to getting her way. Lucky for me, we wanted the same things—Rowan with this big bewildered grin on his face.

  “Your sister seems fun.”

  Rowan chuckled, shaking his head in admiration. “She’s something else.”

  I watched Ivy’s blonde head bob out the front door, followed by her friends. “It looks like the party’s leaving without you.”

  Rowan shrugged.

  “Shouldn’t you go with them?”

  “I’d rather stay here,” he said, stepping closer to place a protective hand on my back as the crowd jostled us.

  I couldn’t help myself, my body melted into his touch.