by Darcy Burke
“What can I get you guys to drink?” Chloe asked.
Alaina snapped out of her delirium and picked up the drink menu. “I don’t know.”
“Should we get a pitcher?” Sean suggested. “Tori and I are thinking Nock.”
A porter. That sounded heavy to Alaina right now. Actually, beer in general sounded heavy. “I’m not really in the mood for beer, but don’t let me stop you.”
“I’m getting Crossbow,” Evan said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.
Chloe pointed at something called Maid Marian on Alaina’s drink menu. “This is a semisweet hard apple cider, if you like that.”
“Sounds great. Yes, please.” Alaina set the placard down.
“What about a starter? Nachos, hummus plate? Kyle started making the hummus last fall, and since we switched to his recipe, it’s one of the most popular items on the menu.”
Alaina was starving. “Sounds fabulous. Though, you probably could’ve suggested braised tire, and I would’ve asked you to bring an order.”
Everyone except Evan laughed, and Chloe took off.
Alaina wanted to ask if he was okay, but she didn’t want to draw attention to his behavior, especially since Tori and Sean seemed oblivious. Was that because they were too involved in each other or because Tori knew her brother well enough to realize nothing was amiss?
Damn it, she needed to stop overanalyzing everything! Otherwise she was going to find herself in over her head. She didn’t have time for that.
Her eye caught the bottle of ketchup on the table. The label read “Portland Ketchup” and featured a picture of a rose. Portland, she’d learned, was the City of Roses and held an annual Rose Festival in the spring. “Is that good ketchup?” she asked no one in particular.
“It’s fantastic,” Sean said. “Best ketchup I’ve ever had, and I didn’t even like ketchup before I started eating here. Goes great on their signature seasoned tater tots.”
“Then I definitely need some to take back to my assistant. She’s a ketchup fiend.” Crystal was going to be beside herself to find a new variety of ketchup. “Festivals, amazing ketchup . . . What else is cool about Ribbon Ridge?”
“So many things—but you have to like small towns,” Sean said, his eyes lighting. “Although, Portland isn’t far and it has everything you need. Honestly, Ribbon Ridge is perfectly located—an hour to the ocean, an hour and a half to the mountains and skiing, wine tasting in our backyard, and forty-five minutes to the best restaurant scene west of the Mississippi. Hell, maybe the entire continent.”
Alaina grinned at him. “You’re head over heels for the place, Sean. I’m shocked. You loved LA.”
“I loved LA after spending my life in England. However, a few years in LA will cure you of the crush. But that’s just me. You’ve been in LA over a decade, right?”
“Twelve years.” She’d left Blueville as soon as she could, and she hadn’t looked back. “But my reasons for loving LA are less geographic and more opportunistic. It changed my life.”
Tori leaned forward. “Really, how?”
Evan surprised Alaina when he answered. “She grew up in a crappy town, in an even crappier house, with an even crappier family. The life she found in La-La Land was about as far from her roots as you can get.”
Tori blinked and then shifted her gaze to Alaina. “Is that right?”
Alaina maybe wouldn’t have shared it quite like that, but she didn’t say so. “Yep, that’s the Reader’s Digest version.”
Sean knew a little bit about her background, but not as much as she’d told Evan. As a matter of fact, she’d told Evan more than she’d ever revealed to anyone besides Crystal. Oh, the press had tried to uncover whatever they could—they knew her father had a criminal record, since those things were impossible to bury, and they knew her grandfather was a pastor. They didn’t, however, know what it was like to grow up with him or her mother or why Alaina kept her distance from both of them.
“We also have a farmers’ market,” Evan said, referring back to what they’d been talking about. Had he done that to redirect the conversation after he’d veered it off track? Or was it just another instance of him not always following the flow?
“And it is amazing,” Tori said. “Sean hasn’t seen it either, since I, uh, was a giant bitch pretty much all of last year and he wasn’t here.” She directed a sheepish look around the table and stroked Sean’s arm.
Alaina looked at her in sympathy. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad. Besides, your brother died. That’s more than enough reason to be whatever you have to be to make it through to the other side.” She fidgeted with the edge of her scarf, which was next to her thigh on the chair. “If there is another side.”
“There is, I think.” Tori smiled at her. “And thank you.”
“Nah, Tori was a raving lunatic.” Sean shook his head, but his eyes glinted with humor. “Batshit crazy, really. I nearly gave up.”
“Thank God you didn’t.” Tori kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“You probably wouldn’t have been such a trainwreck if I’d been here.” Evan sounded . . . upset. It was an inflection Alaina hadn’t heard from him before.
Tori shook her head vigorously. “No, you don’t. I did the guilt thing, and trust me—it ruins you. So ditch that right now. I’m glad you’re here, but there’s no telling what would’ve happened if you’d come home last year. Maybe I would’ve driven you away forever.” She smiled at him to show that she was at least half-kidding.
Evan nodded. “Sure.”
Alaina loved watching Evan interact with his family. Even when he was quiet, the love and care they showed for each other was palpable. As was her yearning for it.
Knock it off, Alaina. You are not an Archer, and you never will be.
Chloe showed up with their drinks and took their dinner order after they all scrambled to make a decision. Alaina opted for the grilled salmon with a salad and marinated steamed veggies.
A minute after Chloe left, an older gentleman with glasses delivered their hummus plate. Alaina tensed but bit her lip before she could ask why a stranger was serving them.
“Hi, kids,” he said. “Who’s your friend?” He looked at Alaina with curiosity and a friendly smile . . . and nothing else, such as recognition. She forced herself to relax.
Tori gestured toward Alaina in introduction. “George, this is—”
“Lainie,” Alaina interjected. She held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
“I’m George. I’ve known these kids forever—well, the Archers. And that Brit character’s all right. He might be a better beer connoisseur than the entire Archer lot.”
Tori gasped, but it was obviously in jest. “That’s sacrilege.”
George chuckled. He nodded toward Evan. “You here with Evan?” he asked Alaina.
“Uh—”
“She’s a guest of the family,” Evan answered.
George nodded. “I see. Well, if you want the real dirt on them, come see me at the bar, Lainie.” He winked at her before disappearing behind the screen.
“Don’t worry,” Tori said, accurately reading Alaina’s thoughts. “George won’t say a word. But just to be sure, I’ll smooth things over. Is Lainie a nickname or just something you threw out? I guess you’re pretty good at improvising on the fly.”
Sean laughed. “She is an Academy Award-winning actor.”
Tori rolled her eyes as she helped herself to pita bread and hummus. Everyone dove into the appetizer for a few minutes. They all agreed that Maggie was so lucky to be able to eat Kyle’s food whenever she wanted, and Alaina mused that she wished her personal chef was half that talented. It was probably best she wasn’t, since Alaina had to maintain a certain weight. Yet another reason it was maybe time to take a nice, long break. Counting calories and constant workouts were not things she would miss.
Tori sipped her beer. “That has to be the best job—acting. Did you always want to be an actress?”
“Yes, but I started out modeling. I was lucky enough to be born with excellent genes, and I’m not ashamed I used them to my advantage.” Which wasn’t to say she hadn’t worked her ass off when she’d arrived in LA.
“Good for you for never losing sight of your dream.” Sean toasted her with his pint glass.
“What about you, Tori?” Alaina asked. “Did you always want to be an architect?”
“No. I wanted to be president.” She laughed. “But after I was president of the sophomore class in high school, I changed my mind. Evan’s like you—he knew he wanted to work with computers since middle school.”
Alaina, painfully aware of Evan’s silence, looked at him to gauge his reaction—was he engaged? Yes, because he suddenly frowned. “Actually, in college I studied graphic design.”
“I know. You took some classes with Alex.” Tori’s brows gathered. “It was great of you to provide support.”
“That wasn’t what I was doing. I wanted to be a designer, too. I still do. Do you want to know why I really moved home? So that I could have Alex’s job. I’m the new creative director for Archer Enterprises.”
Tori looked at him in confusion. “But you’re a network administrator, not a designer.”
“Wrong. I never lost sight of my dream either, and unfortunately Alex’s death has allowed me to go after it.”
Chapter Eleven
EVAN WATCHED THE array of emotions on his sister’s face, realizing he’d never interpret them all. He did get shock and then sadness, but that was pretty much it. “Did I upset you?”
He hadn’t meant to, of course. He hadn’t even meant to say anything about the job, but Alaina’s advice from earlier had been pinging around in his head all afternoon and the entire time they’d been sitting here. Maybe it was the postcoital bliss still giving him a high, but he’d wanted to share this.
Sean put his arm around Tori and stroked her arm. “You okay?” he asked her softly.
She nodded. “I’m just . . . surprised. I had no idea that’s what you wanted to do. Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“It was Alex’s thing. I didn’t want to take that away from him.” Evan kept his gaze fixed on the narrow space between Tori and Sean. “You’re right that I first took a class to be there for him, but after that I was hooked. I just kept taking them with him.”
Tori rested her forearm on the edge of the table. “I don’t understand you working for Archer. Derek said they hired a consulting firm. Do you work for this firm?”
“No. I created it to shield my name.”
“You lied. No, you actually deceived.” She shook her head and then smiled. “That’s great.”
“Deception is great?” Alaina asked. “I’m so confused.”
“Sorry.” Tori didn’t stop smiling. “It’s just that Evan has never been able to lie very well. That he could concoct this scheme and keep it a secret is remarkable.”
“Well, I didn’t keep it a secret. At least not for very long.”
“Long enough,” Tori said. “Or did you plan to never tell us?”
Evan shrugged, feeling a bit uncomfortable at putting himself so firmly in the spotlight. “I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I just wanted to do this on my own. I wanted to be the right person for the job, not the beneficiary of nepotism.”
“I understand wanting to do that.” Sean raised his glass in a toast again. “Cheers.”
Everyone raised their glass, and Evan felt a rush of heat to his face. He never liked being the center of attention, even among his family. “It’s not a big deal.”
Tori looked at him intently. “It is. Derek was telling me yesterday that Dad was thrilled with the new creative director, that it almost felt like having Alex back because the new guy understood the brand so well.” She reached across the table and laid her palm flat. He put his hand next to hers and she covered it. “Dad is going to be so happy that it’s you.”
“After he’s done being mad that I lied.”
“I don’t think so. When will you tell him?”
Evan brought his hand back to his lap. “Tomorrow, I guess.”
“Don’t wait. Take it from me: The longer you keep a secret from our family, the harder it is when you finally come clean.” She looked at Sean.
He smiled at her. “Or get outed.”
She laughed softly. “Whatever.”
Evan leaned toward Alaina. “Tori kept their marriage secret for a very long time and only fessed up after Sara overheard her and Sean talking about it. Her comment about coming clean is completely bogus.”
“I see.” She lowered her voice and angled her head toward his ear. “Why did you decide to tell them tonight?”
“I didn’t, really. I just blurted it out. I do that sometimes, remember?” He darted his eyes toward her very briefly. She was so close—her exotic, spicy scent filled his senses—that he pulled his head back to prevent himself from kissing her. Blurting things out about a secret job was bad enough, but kissing her in front of his sister and Sean wasn’t something he wanted to explain.
Because he couldn’t. He liked her. A lot. He was having sex with her. Not a lot, but it could very well become that. Okay, maybe twice in less than twenty-four hours was a lot. Or at least more than he’d done with anyone else. Especially since they’d likely hook up again later. Focus, Evan.
He did like her. She made him feel comfortable and . . . powerful. Yeah, she gave him a sense of confidence. Maybe that was why he’d spilled the beans. She’d made him feel safe and strong enough to say it.
No one but his family had ever influenced him like that before.
Tori’s voice jarred him back into the here and now. “What happened to your consulting business with networks and website management?”
“I don’t do that anymore. I sold the business to a colleague.” He ate some pita bread and hummus, hoping the conversation might turn if he had food in his mouth. He didn’t want to be the center of the discussion any longer.
Tori beamed at him. “I am so excited for you, Evan.”
He swallowed, appreciating her support yet simultaneously bothered. He suspected it wasn’t her, however. His mental revelations about Alaina were distracting him. Thankfully their dinner arrived, and the subject was left behind.
While they ate, Tori asked Sean and Alaina about their producing plans. Aside from the show about Kyle and his restaurant, they planned to do a short series—maybe five episodes—about The Alex. They were also considering producing a comedy series and were talking to a writer who’d given them a pilot they found promising. Evan zoned out for a bit, which he did from time to time when there was a conversation he didn’t feel as though he could contribute much to.
As the meal wound down, Alaina asked, “I don’t suppose there’s a private bathroom?” Her cheeks turned a pale, pretty shade of pink. “Sorry, I hate to sound like a pretentious brat.”
“You are not pretentious or a brat,” Tori said. “I totally understand, and yes we have a bathroom in the basement you could use. I can take you down.”
“Actually, I need to grab something from there,” Sean said. “I mentioned to Kyle that we were coming tonight, and he asked if I could pick up a box of old cookbooks he stashed.”
Tori turned to Sean. “Take her through this side door to the kitchen instead of around to the corridor.”
“Yep, that was my plan.” Sean stood up and winked at Alaina. “I am happy to be your security guard.”
“I usually hire beefier guys, but I guess you’ll do.” She flashed a smile at Evan before she took off with Sean.
Evan finished his beer and had barely set the empty pint glass on the table when Tori asked, “Are you dating Alaina?”
He normally appreciated direct questions, since that’s the way he communicated. However, in this case, he didn’t really want to answer, so he found it inconvenient, to say the least. “Uh, not really.”
“What does that mean? It’s a yes-or-no question.”
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br /> “No?”
“You had dinner with her after she got here, right? You set up a wine tasting for her, right? You spent today with her, right?”
And had mind-blowing sex with her. Twice. “Yeah, so?”
“So, she’s clearly showered since I saw her earlier today. And you”—she leaned over the table and sniffed—“you showered, too.”
“Okay, Sherlock, you caught us. We wanted to be clean.”
Tori blew out a breath. “I’m not trying to be nosy.” He arched a brow at her. “Okay, I’m actually being nosy.” She laughed. “But only because I love you. I really like Alaina, but she’s, you know . . . ”
“The world’s most famous actress?”
“Yes. And anyway, didn’t you just break off a long-term relationship?”
“That wasn’t a relationship.” He looked his sister in the eye. “I appreciate your concern, but you really need to let me live my life.”
She settled back in her chair. “I wasn’t trying to meddle, sorry. I think it would be cool if you dated her. She seems great, and you seem really comfortable around her.”
He was. Since Tori had—accurately—mentioned the shower, his mind had turned to Alaina’s body. They’d jumped in the shower together and hadn’t been able to stop from fooling around. But in order to get here on time, they’d put the brakes on. He was suddenly anxious to throw things back into drive and go full speed ahead.
Sean and Alaina returned, and they all decided they were too full for dessert. Chloe brought the tab, which Alaina immediately snatched up. “I’ve got this. It’s my thank-you for making me feel so welcome.” She put a card into the leather folder and handed it to Chloe. “Thank you so much for tonight.”
Chloe smiled. “My pleasure. I’m looking forward to showing you my sketches for The Arch and Fox.”
“I can’t wait.”
They chatted about the restaurant while they waited for Chloe to come back. Evan only half-listened, as his mind was currently imagining Alaina doing another sexy striptease.
