by Kimi Flores
She felt his eyes on her as he said, “There are a ton of places to eat here, so if something else grabs your attention, I’m open to whatever.”
“I’d like to try that place you mentioned.” She smiled back.
Relieved, he breathed out through his mouth. “Okay good…because I already made reservations.”
Bri froze. “Then why did you say I could pick another place?”
He shrugged, a sheepish look on his face. “I don’t know. Just trying to be chivalrous, I guess?”
She shook her head, wondering if he was going to try this hard all night. I hope he relaxes at some point. “Can we go into a few stores?” Maybe that would relax him, and they could find some common ground.
“Sure.” He didn’t look too excited, but she wanted to take a peek. If she found anything worthy, she might come back on her own sometime.
The heels on her ankle boots sunk into the grass as they ambled through the park, toward one of the stores. They’d just made it onto the sidewalk when Blaine exited a business in front of them, followed by a little boy that looked about Madison’s age.
Surprised, Bri couldn’t believe he was here…with a child. “He never said he had a kid,” Bri murmured under her breath.
Josh looked at her curiously. “Hmm?”
“Oh, sorry. Um…” She spoke softly as Blaine spotted her zipping past, using Josh as a barrier.
“Bri?” Blaine called out from behind them.
Dammit.
Bri turned to find Blaine’s gaze darting between her and Josh as he pulled the little boy to his side. She bit the side of her bottom lip. “Oh hey, Blaine. I didn’t realize you would be here tonight after all.” You know, seeing as you stood me up.
Avoiding her stare, his eyes scanned the building behind him, then the ground. “Yeah, my sister owns this bakery.” He pointed his thumb to the door he’d just left. “She had an employee call in sick and needed me to take care of my nephew tonight.” He rustled the boy’s hair. The kid did not appreciate it, pushing Blaine’s hand away and scowling.
Guilt-ridden that she’d jumped to an assumption, she lowered her eyebrows. She snuck a look at Josh, who was zeroed in on Blaine.
“Who’s this chick?” The brat asked Blaine, distaste written all over his face.
Blaine slowly blinked, obviously embarrassed. “Manners, Justin. This is Bri. She’s Mrs. Abby’s cousin.”
The kid rolled his eyes. “Mrs. Abby sucks. She gets me in trouble.”
Bri glanced at the little monster in shock. What. The. Hell?
Taking a deep breath, Blaine’s inflamed skin said that not only was he humiliated, but he was pissed off. He gave them a tight smile. “We’ll let you guys be on your way.” When his gaze stopped on Bri, something changed. Blaine’s defeated look bore into her and she wondered how often he got stuck with this boy who obviously didn’t appreciate the favor his uncle was doing for his mom.
She felt bad, as she watched Blaine walk off, grasping the boy’s arm.
She certainly wouldn’t want to be that kid in about five minutes.
“I take it, he was the date that blew you off tonight?” Josh muttered.
“Yeah. Sorry about that.” She averted her eyes, looking everywhere but his face.
“Cute kid.” He gave a sarcastic laugh as they walked down the street.
She still couldn’t believe what he’d said. “I know. What a little shit, huh?”
He busted up laughing. “That was my nickname growing up.”
Raising her eyebrow, she teased, “Yeah, I bet.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” He pretended to be offended.
She just shrugged, not wanting to elaborate aloud. I can’t even imagine what a hellion you were as a child.
“The albacore with coconut risotto and tomato curry looks fantastic. I’ll have that.” Sucking in her lip, Bri peered at Josh over her menu. “Do you want to share an appetizer?”
It was driving him crazy, all the biting, sucking, and playing with her lips. He imagined that she didn’t even know how often she did it.
No wonder why I couldn’t resist her.
Josh lifted his shoulders nonchalantly. “Order whatever. I’m sure I’ll eat some.”
The fireplace next to them flickered, the flames illuminating the side of her face. He didn’t want to make it obvious, but he just couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
Looking up at the waiter, she added to her order. “Can we also have the phyllo wrapped goat cheese with roasted beet salad?”
“Of course.” Turning to Josh, the short, blonde server asked, “And for you, sir?”
Josh had been distracted watching her and didn’t even look at the menu. He ate pretty much anything so he simply handed his menu over and said, “I’ll have the same.”
“And to drink?”
“I’d love a glass of Semillon. Thank you.” She smiled, passing her menu to the waiter as well.
“I’ll stick with water for now, thanks.” Once the server left, Josh grinned. “Don’t you dare tell Zachary I brought you up here for a glass of wine.”
Leaning in as if she was about to tell him a sordid secret, Bri lifted an eyebrow, smirking. “I might have to be bribed.”
He settled back in his seat, loving this playful side of her. “Actually, you’re the one drinking it. You may need to bribe me.”
“How about neither of us mentions it?” She brought her index finger up to her mouth, where his eyes followed. The perfect bow in the center of her top lip complimented her full bottom lip perfectly. “As a matter of fact, how about we keep our past to ourselves too? I know a few people already know, but how about we at least keep it from my brother.”
Looking down at the silverware on the table, he contemplated, shit, I never thought about what he would do if he knew. Josh would kick a guy’s ass if he had a sister and that had happened to her. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t relieved. “Works for me.”
Resting his elbows on the table, Josh placed his chin on top of his intertwined fingers and took a quick look around the quaint, restaurant that had no more than twelve tables in it. It was a more romantic atmosphere than he’d originally thought. Still, he wanted to clear the air. “Do you mind if we talk?”
Instantly, she sucked in her bottom lip, distracting him again. “Sure.”
The waiter took that moment to deliver her wine, and Josh watched her take a quick, nervous sip.
He rubbed his palms on his jeans, feeling nervous himself. “Okay here goes. I know I already apologized, but I want you to know how truly sorry I am. I was an ass, and I should never have treated you like that.”
She tilted her head to the side, looking confused. “Josh, you did already apologize.”
He held his hand up for a second, wanting to get it all out at once. “I know, but I want to tell you more. You already know what I was going through at the time, but I’m not going to use my friend’s death to excuse my behavior. The partying started even before Kai died, and honestly I acted just as bad before he passed. The Hollywood lifestyle is definitely not for the weak. There’s an abundance of anything and everything you can imagine, and there’s the pressure from the studio execs, the fans, plus ratings. You find yourself in competition with your closest friends. You’re surrounded by all the noise during the day; the silence is deafening when you’re alone. It’s easier to just let the party continue and detach yourself from everything and everyone.”
Bri took another sip from her glass, listening intently.
“If it hadn’t been for Zach and the rest of my family, I don’t know where I’d be now. After rehab, I bought the ranch and I’ve been living there since.”
Panicked, Bri looked down at her wineglass. “Oh man, Josh. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even thinking.” She looked around for the waiter when Josh realized what she was freaking out about.
Reaching out to her, he felt the soft skin of her hand under his. “It doesn’t bother me when other p
eople drink, Bri. Don't worry about it. I only drank to escape all the crazy in my life. I don’t have a reason to drink anymore, and I’ve kinda lost my taste for alcohol.”
Playing with the glass stem she asked, “Are you sure? I don’t mind having something else.”
He lightly rubbed the top of her hand, then pulled away. He didn’t want to let her go, but she might be wondering why he was still touching her. “Really. I’m fine. I’m surrounded by wine at the vineyard. It doesn’t bother me at all. Enjoy. Please.”
Smiling in relief, she pulled her hair to the side and over her shoulder, also something he noticed she did a lot. How many nervous habits did this girl have?
He heard her phone chime in her purse, but she made no move to get it.
“Do you want to answer that?” He asked.
“No.” Her nose wrinkled up. “It can wait until we’re done.” She fiddled with the stem of her glass once more before taking another shaky sip.
“Bri, will you please relax? I’m telling you that I’m fine.” He watched her, impressed that she didn’t feel the need to answer her phone. Nobody did that anymore.
She pointed to him with her index finger. “You know. The funny thing is I’ve been waiting for you to chill out and as soon as you do, I’m all uptight.”
“Well, knock it off then.” He smirked, earning him a devious smile.
As the appetizer arrived, she agreed, “Fine. So tell me Josh Tucker, how do you spend your days?” She plated some of the phyllo wrapped goat cheese and took a bite.
Sneering lazily, he slowly shrugged his shoulders. “I’m kinda boring now. I help Zachary whenever he needs me, ride my horses, hang out with my brother, Paul, and Tanner, another guy we grew up with, ride dirt bikes on the ranch—”
Bri interrupted him, her face lighting up. “You ride bikes on your ranch?”
“Yeah, why?”
She dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “I love dirt bikes.”
He gave her a curious smile. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“Why?” She pointed at the small dish between them, encouraging him to eat.
He sat back in his chair, surprised. “You just don’t seem like the type of girl that would like that kinda stuff.”
“What kinda stuff? Things that only guys should be doing?” She said in a mocking tone.
“No,” he chuckled. “I mean, there are lots of girls that ride, but…you look so, you know. Girly.”
She narrowed her eyes, and Josh cringed. Shit. He had a feeling he’d just pushed a button he wasn’t aware existed.
She gave him a sassy retort. “I look girly because I am a girl. Doesn’t mean I can’t be adventurous and have fun too. I’m not about to sit in a corner just to be looked at. Life is too short, and I plan on enjoying every minute.”
Josh blinked, stunned. He’d known plenty of tomboys, and even more girly girls. But this was the first time he’d ever met both all wrapped up into one exquisite package.
Grinning, he couldn’t help but think, where have you been hiding, Bri Hunter?
“That restaurant was fantastic.” Bri walked alongside Josh, toward her car. He seemed more relax as they walked a little closer than when they’d arrived. She couldn’t say that she minded when their hands brushed against each other. “You didn’t have to pay for it though, you know.”
“I know. I wanted to.” He said as she watched him eyeing her tiny car when they approached it. “By the way, this is a kick ass car. I bet it’s fast.”
Her eyes widened with excitement. “Yes, it is. That was one of the requirements when I decided to buy a new car.” She bit her lip, considering something. “You wanna drive back?” She tossed her keys at him.
What am I doing? I don’t let anyone but Stefen drive it. I’m not drunk, am I? No, just one glass of wine and that was over two hours ago.
Catching her keys, a huge grin broke free. “I might take the long way home, if you don’t mind.”
She lifted her shoulder to her chin, attempting to hide her jitters that someone else was going to drive her car. “I’m not in a hurry. It’s a nice evening. We can put the top down if you want.”
His expression said that he liked how she thought. Once they were settled in the car, with the convertible top down, Josh turned onto an open road and sped up a long hill. Bri loved driving fast, but she’d never been a passenger while someone else drove as fast as she did. It was an exhilarating feeling when she dropped her head back on her seat feeling the wind blowing her hair everywhere. The sensation was thrilling until she lifted her head and her long strands smacked her in the face while sticking to her lip gloss.
Downshifting as they came up to a curve in the road, Josh snuck a quick look at her. “I’m not scaring you, am I?”
“No way, I’m loving this.” She peeled her hair off her lips and twisted it up as she reached inside of the center console, securing her bun with an elastic band.
“Yes, I know,” he said humorously. “You like to race other unsuspecting drivers.”
“You’re just mad because I was winning.” She snort her sarcastic remark. Did I seriously just snort?
“No, I was tired that day. I’d spent the week at my parents’ and wanted to go home and crash. My uncle guilted me into going.” She watched his eyes take another quick peek at her. “Even though you weren’t stoked to see me there, I’m glad I went.”
“Thanks a lot.” She shifted nervously in her seat.
“No, I mean you sparked my curiosity.” He smiled uncertainly. “I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but after your brother mentioned we were in the same circle when you were in college, I started…sort of…looking for pictures of us online. I never found any though.” He ran his hand over the top of the steering wheel.
“I have a picture,” she blurted out before thinking.
“You do?” He raised his eyebrows. “I’d love to see it sometime.”
“Pull over, and I’ll show you now.” He’s gonna think I’m some kind of stalker, carrying this picture on my phone.
Josh’s eyes widened. “Okay.” He slowed and drove the car to the side of the olive tree-lined dark road while she dug in her purse for her cell. Lifting his hand, he wiggled his fingers toward her. “Lemme see.”
She touched the screen, sighing at all the missed calls. Dammit, Mom. I’m allowed to have a night without you. Groaning, she fidgeted with the phone, flustered as she touched every icon but the photo album one she wanted.
Josh tapped her shoulder. “Hey, you okay? You don’t have to show me if you don’t want to.”
Puffing out a breath of air, she assured him. “No, it’s not that. I just have someone pestering me.”
“Anything to be concerned about?”
“Nope. My brother’s taking care of it.” Because I can’t seem to be able to fight my own battles.
Josh looked confused as he tilted his head. “You sure?”
“Yeah.” Still irritated, she finally opened up her photo album and scanned through her pictures. “Here it is.” Holding it up, she watched his reaction.
His mouth went slack, and he shook his head. “I still can’t believe it. You look like a totally different person.” He squinted, studying the picture. “I mean, you were hot, but now you’re…” He stopped and looked at her, and Bri started to quietly panic.
I’m what? Fat? Ugly? Old? A waste of time?
All of the hurtful things she’d ever been told came flooding into her mind.
“You’re breathtaking,” he finally said, his fingers lightly touching her moonlit face, caressing her cheek. “I can honestly say that I’ve never met a woman like you before.”
Bri gulped. That was not the answer she expected. She’d been told by guys before that she was pretty, gorgeous even, but they all wanted a piece of her that she wasn’t willing to give. Josh seemed different, open and honest and not out for something.
As he pulled his hand away, she tried not to think about how cold she felt all of a
sudden.
“Hey, what do you say we take another picture?” He suggested with a grin. “An updated shot of us?”
Breathless herself, she agreed. “Okay.”
“C’mere.” He put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer as they glanced at the screen. His long arm stretched out further than hers, so she hoped the flash wouldn’t drown out their faces. “One-two-three, cheese.”
