by Piper Rayne
“It’s a long, sad story, but I’ll spare you the details. When I was eight, my dad split and let’s just say my mom didn’t handle it too well. I ended up moving to Beaver Bluff and living with my aunt and uncle for a few years.” Saying it out loud made the memories swirl around me and pull me back.
“I’m so sorry.” Tori pulled her hand out from under the dress and rested it on my arm.
The heat of her touch warmed my skin through the thin cotton of my shirtsleeves. Uncomfortable with how much I’d shared, I tried to downplay it. “It was a long time ago.”
“We probably crossed paths. Maybe even met each other at the swimming hole on a hot summer day.” Her smile chased the ghosts of my past away. “Who are your cousins? I probably know them.”
Yeah, she probably did. Everyone knew everything about everyone else in Beaver Bluff. Even as a kid, I understood the way a small town worked. Though coming from LA, it took me a while to catch on.
“You know the Bishops?”
“The Bishops as in the Bishop family who owns the distillery?” Her eyes widened, and she pulled her hand away from my arm.
“Well, a third of it.” I shrugged.
“That’s right. A third.” She nodded.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine, it’s just… my sister’s having her wedding at the distillery this weekend.” Her eyes took on a glossy shine. “It’s been a little crazy trying to work with two event planners to get the details right.”
“I bet you’re working with my cousin Ruby.”
“We’ve been working with Ruby a little, but mainly running things by Sawyer.”
“Sawyer?” The name didn’t ring a bell.
“Yeah, Sawyer Stewart. She’s been working as the event manager and is my sister’s best friend. I’m not sure who does what, but it’s been a little confusing trying to finalize details. You’d think with both of them working for the same company they’d actually talk to each other once in a while.” Tori rolled her eyes. “It’s about time that feud between the families came to an end, don’t you think?”
The feud… I hadn’t paid too much attention to the generations-old feud that had been going on between the Bishops and the Stewarts when I was a kid. Uncle Russ said to stay away from the Stewarts, and since their oldest boy was a couple of years younger, it hadn’t been a problem.
With their granddad passing, all the Bishop kids would take a more active role in the distillery. That was one reason my cousin Cole had asked me to come—to be there when his grandfather’s will was read and make sure the Stewarts didn’t take advantage of a bad situation.
It wouldn’t hurt to get Tori’s take on the generations-old battle that waged between my cousins and the co-owners of the distillery. “What do you know about the feud?”
“Everyone within a hundred miles of Beaver Bluff knows about the feud between the Bishops and the Stewarts. I’m sure you know the details better than most, seeing as how you’re family.”
“I’ve heard stories over the years, but it’s all been one-sided.”
She shook her head. “It’s ridiculous. No one can even remember what started the dumb fight in the first place. Are you coming in town for the funeral?”
“Kind of. My mom and their mom are sisters, so I’m not technically related to their granddad who passed. But I wanted to be there for support and to help navigate whatever business issues might come up.”
“What kind of business issues?” She cocked her head. “There won’t be any problems with the distillery, will there?”
“No, nothing like that.” I’d probably already said too much. Without knowing what the will specified, it wouldn’t do any good to speculate. In a town like Beaver Bluff, the more tongues wagged, the worse things would get. “Tell me about your sister’s wedding. Are you excited?”
Tori let her head fall back against the headrest. “Excited isn’t quite the right word. I’m thrilled for my sister, but ready for the event to be over.”
“Are you going to tell me how you ended up on a flight from LA with her wedding dress?” I needed to change the conversation. Plus, I was curious.
“Like I said, I’m a middle school counselor, so I have my summers off. Bailey’s been doing a crazy cleanse diet to lose weight for the wedding, and when she sent her last set of measurements to the designer, they had to do some major alterations.” She snugged her arms around her waist. “The designer recommended hand carrying it back as opposed to having it shipped, so here I am.”
“You either love your sister a lot or she’s holding something major over your head.” I grinned, but a part of me wondered. Either Tori had a heart made of twenty-four-karat solid gold or owed her sister a big favor.
“The only thing she’s holding over my head is a date for her wedding.” She glanced over, the hopeful grin on her face impossible to deny. “What do you think about my offer?”
“A whole pie?”
“Are you seriously considering it?” Her eyes lit up like someone had just flipped a power switch. “How many pies do you want? I can’t cook at all, but I can bake.”
“I don’t know. What’s the going rate for saving a woman from her relatives?”
She nibbled on her bottom lip, drawing my attention to her mouth and making me wonder how soft those lips might be. “That depends. Are you free Friday night for the rehearsal dinner too?”
“Don’t push your luck.” I let out a laugh.
“Sorry, you’ve got me all excited thinking about the look on my sister’s face when she realizes she can’t set me up with her fiancé’s cousin. It’s going to be priceless.”
I could relate to the satisfied smile on Tori’s face. “Hey, I’ve been in your shoes. I know what it’s like to have everyone on your case all the time. I’m the oldest cousin on my dad’s side and all of them are married with at least one kid already.”
“It’s awful, isn’t it?” She rolled her eyes. “I mean, I’m all for tying the knot and starting a family, but only if it’s right. I’m not going to settle just so I can check off the married box.”
“How about a pie for going to the wedding and something else I can share with my cousins?” I’d keep the pie for myself, but it would be nice if I could bring something with me to the wake. Plus, it would guarantee I’d get to see her again. My cousins wouldn’t need my undivided attention the whole time I was in town. It might be fun to have a little distraction, especially in the form of the vivacious woman next to me.
“You got it.” She pulled out her phone and handed it to me. “If you’ll give me your number, I’ll text you the details on when and where to show up. No rehearsal dinner, just the wedding.”
“When are you going to bring me my pie?” I teased.
“I suppose I can drop it off tomorrow. We probably ought to talk for a few minutes anyway, so it doesn’t look like I picked you up on the airplane.”
I typed my info into her phone, then handed her mine so she could do the same. “Yeah, wouldn’t want anyone to think your fake date wasn’t real.”
“Should we shake on it?” Tori held out her hand.
I took it. Her hand felt nice in mine. Maybe even more than nice. I’d been looking forward to using the time in flight to look over some paperwork. Now, faced with the full force of Tori’s smile, reviewing a brief didn’t hold the same appeal as getting to know the woman next to me.
Despite feeling a little awkward trying to shake her hand while we crowded into seats next to each other with a wedding dress between us, I gave her hand a squeeze. “You’ve got a deal.”
Chapter Five
Tori
The next morning, I stopped by to pick up donuts on my way to deliver the dress to Bailey. A vanilla latte and a sour cream old-fashioned seemed like the perfect way to celebrate the big news I was about to share. I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when I told her I had a date. And not a pathetic, last-ditch effort kind of guy. Deacon was the whole package… the kind of man I cou
ld see myself falling for.
I’d learned a lot about him during the four-hour flight. He did his undergrad at UCLA and got his law degree from Stanford. We’d bonded over our shared love of “Schitt’s Creek” and disdain for artificial vanilla. He had the credentials and good looks that might even earn me a reprieve from the matchmaking efforts of my mom and her meddling friends.
Sherman answered the door. “Thank God you’re here. She was up half the night worrying that the dress wouldn’t make it.”
I handed over the garment bag, thrilled to be done with it for good. “Why? I sent her a text when I landed and another one when I got home last night.”
He leveled me with a why-the-hell-would-I-know gaze. “Just be glad I talked her out of meeting you at your place and getting it from you then.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t get home until after one in the morning. Having to deal with Bailey on top of minimal sleep might have sent me over the edge, even with the lingering high of convincing Deacon to be my plus one.
“It’s here! Oh, gorgeous, I’m so glad you’re home!” Bailey raced from the back bedroom to wrap her arms around the garment bag and cradle it to her chest.
“Good to see you, too.” I handed Sherman the bag of donuts.
Even in pajamas with her hair in a knot on top of her head, my baby sister looked as fresh as a Simpson sister about to walk the red carpet. Tall and blonde, she turned heads everywhere we went. She’d been blessed with the genes from her dad’s side of the family while I favored our mom’s Italian heritage.
“Are you sure I can’t take a quick peek?” Sherman reached for the zipper tab.
“Don’t you dare!” Bailey swatted his hand away. “It’s bad luck to see the dress before the big day.”
“You probably ought to try it on,” I suggested.
“Good idea.” Bailey grabbed me by the wrist and tugged me toward the bedroom. “Come on, you can button me in.”
I followed to help her into the dress. The strapless bodice fit her like a second skin. My fingers fumbled to button the tiny pearls up the back. When I was done, I stepped to the side, and we evaluated her reflection in the full-length mirror.
“It’s perfect.” Bailey smoothed her hands over the full, tulle skirt.
“You look amazing.” I meant it. Bailey would be a stunning bride, whether in the handmade designer gown that cost more than my current car, or in a burlap bag.
“Thank you for getting it for me.” She squeezed my hand. “Pretty soon it’ll be your turn to walk down the aisle.”
My heart did a backward flip inside my chest. “Not so fast.”
“Toby’s excited to meet you. If you two hit it off, it might be you getting married this time next year.” Her eyes had a crazy shine to them. The kind that called for a healthy dose of reality.
“Oh, I meant to tell you, I have a date.”
She turned to face me, her eyebrows knit together like two angry blonde caterpillars. “What do you mean you have a date? I thought you were going with Sherman’s cousin?”
“No. I said I was waiting to hear back. And guess what? Deacon can come so I’m not available for a set up.” I didn’t mean to argue with the bride-to-be, but it gave me a slight twinge of pleasure to confirm that no, I would definitely not be spending the evening listening to Toby talk about his turtles.
“Well, that’s good news, I guess. How do you know this guy?”
“We met recently.” Recently, as in just over twelve hours ago, but she didn’t need to know that.
“What’s his last name?”
“Raines.” Thankfully he’d added his last name when he put his contact info into my phone. He’d typed it out as Deacon Raines - pie lover and wedding date for hire. Thinking about him now put a smile on my face. I couldn’t wait to see him again this afternoon.
“Knock knock.” Knuckles rapped on the door before it swung open wide. “Let me see you.” Sawyer Stewart waltzed into the bedroom, a giant bag over her shoulder.
Bailey turned around and gave her a dazzling smile. “What do you think?”
Sawyer grabbed my arm. “She looks like that Disney princess who got married in a castle, doesn’t she?”
I didn’t want to ask which Disney princess. Seemed like the vast majority of them ended up getting married in a castle, so I nodded.
Bailey and Sawyer exchanged air kisses. They’d been BFFs since nursery school and could have been mistaken for twins. Sawyer was pulling double duty as the event coordinator at the distillery and maid of honor. Mom asked if Bailey hurt my feelings by choosing Sawyer over me, but I felt lucky I’d been passed over for that dubious honor. I didn’t know how she’d wrangled the rest of the women in the wedding party and was thrilled to be providing support from the sidelines.
“Is that your dress?” Bailey asked, eyeing the garment bag.
Sawyer nodded. “I thought it might be fun to try them on together.”
Sensing the perfect moment to escape, I tested Bailey’s mood. “Y’all don’t need me for this, do you?”
“Guess what.” Bailey grabbed Sawyer by the arm. “Tori’s bringing a date to the wedding.”
Sawyer’s penciled-in brows rose to her hairline. “Really?”
I tried to play it off. “Just someone I met recently. You know Bailey needs the head table to have even numbers.”
“Is he coming to the rehearsal dinner because I’ve already submitted numbers to the kitchen.” Sawyer’s gaze bounced between us.
“Nope, he has plans. You’ll have to wait to meet him at the wedding.”
“Good for you.” Sawyer nodded, like I’d been anxiously awaiting her approval. Then she turned to Bailey. “You’ll never believe what happened at work yesterday. Ruby Bishop tried to tell me you decided on the ivory votives instead of white. I swear that woman’s trying to ruin your wedding and run me out of a job.”
Always one to take her bestie’s side, Bailey groaned. “I’m sorry, hon. Any word on old man Bishop’s will?”
“Not yet. They said they had to wait for some hoity-toity lawyer to get into town before they’d review it.” Sawyer tossed the garment bag down on the bed and lifted her shirt over her head.
Crap on a cracker. The hoity-toity lawyer they were waiting on was Deacon. It had to be. The last thing I wanted to do was cause a problem at my sister’s wedding, but if I didn’t take Deacon, I’d be stuck with Toby, the turtle lover. He wouldn’t be the worst set up I’d ever had. I once dated a guy who dressed up in a beaver costume for work. But I liked Deacon. Showing up on his arm would be like giving everyone who ever thought I’d be single forever a proverbial middle finger.
“Enough talk about the damn Bishops,” Sawyer said. “Let’s see how the bridesmaids’ dresses look next to yours and then we can practice your makeup.”
It was my chance to escape. “If y’all don’t need me, I’m going to head home and finish up the wedding favors.”
I’d make the pie, take it to Deacon, and we’d figure this out. It was time the damn feud between the Bishops and the Stewarts stopped dictating everyone’s lives.
Chapter Six
Deacon
I glanced at my phone, checking the time. The attorney was just about done reading the will, but I was going to be late meeting Tori if I didn’t get out of here soon.
Nothing had gone as expected today, especially the reading of the will. Evidently my uncle had passed on his inheritance and my cousins would split their grandfather’s interest in the distillery equally. It had come as a shock to everyone but my uncle. He sat there while the attorney read the specifics with a smile on his face so wide it could have held all fourteen lanes of traffic on the 405 in LA.
“We need to celebrate.” My cousin Vaughn clapped me on the shoulder. “I’ve got some work to finish but can meet up in a few hours. You in? I’m buying.”
“Where are you heading? I can meet you later.” First, I had a date with a gorgeous curvy brunette. Oh, and a pie.
“Let
’s go to the tasting room at the distillery. Granddad had a few bottles set aside for special occasions and I’m pretty sure something like this qualifies.”
His twin, Cole, joined us. “Anybody else not see that coming? The Stewarts are going to lose their shit when they hear they have to deal with the five of us instead of running everything through Dad.”
“Aren’t you tired of one-upping the Stewarts?” I asked. The feud between the two families had gone on long enough as far as I was concerned.
Cole nudged me with a shoulder. “Tired of one-upping the Stewarts? Whose side are you on, cuz?”
“Sides? You can’t be serious.” I meant it like a statement, but the questioning expressions on my cousins’ faces made me wonder. I shook it off. “Whatever.”
“You okay, LA?” Vaughn asked. He was the older of the two by about a minute and a half. He’d always figured that ninety seconds gave him the right to micromanage his siblings.
“I’m fine. I’ll see y’all there in a bit.” I grimaced at the “y’all” that slipped out. It was too easy to slip back into habits from my past. When I’d moved in with my mom after being in Tennessee, she’d trained the backwoods accent right out of me. Said she’d worked hard her entire life to not let people know where she was from and that if I wanted to make something out of myself, I’d do the same.
Ever since then I’d been afraid to come back, afraid to try to reconcile the best memories of my life with the humiliation she made me feel when I slipped up and admitted how much I missed it.
“Don’t get lost,” Cole joked.
The distillery was only a couple of miles from town. “Very funny.”
My phone pinged. Seeing Tori’s name pop up in my notifications brought on a smile.
Vaughn and Cole headed out, followed by the rest of the family. I waited until I’d reached the front seat of my rental car before clicking on her text.
