Chapter 11
Aiden
Outside of a few private guiding trips, the official rafting season is over. Twyla’s party and a low-key family trip on Sunday were my last group bookings. I celebrate being essentially unemployed again by spending the week looking at condos with Patricia, my agent.
I don’t need or want a huge place. Two bedrooms so I can have an office. Near the mountain but I don’t need ski-in, ski-out access. A view of nature instead of neighboring buildings would be nice.
This proves to be more difficult to find than I anticipated. Patricia’s still optimistic she can find me a place before October, which is two weeks away.
When I approached my father about a friend needing a short-term condo rental, he didn’t ask questions, merely sent me Patricia’s contact information and told me she’s the best agent in his office.
My mother is another story. Luckily, she’s going to be distracted when the deal is announced next week. Focused on the whys and hows and the money involved will keep her occupied. Once the details are known, unfortunately, it will be the talk of the town, and the upcoming wedding—the social event of the season according to my mother.
I should probably get one of my suits out of storage in California when I go back for the final meeting. Before I left for Georgia to start my long walk up the East Coast, I thought about having a ceremonial bonfire of suits. When the time came to do it, I couldn’t set fire to all of them, keeping back my two favorites, in case of future needs. I did burn all of my ties. I hate those silk nooses.
Today I’m looking at a two-bedroom condo in the Viceroy in Snowmass. Not my first choice to live in a hotel, but Patricia’s promised me it has a nice view of the ski mountain.
When I see the large deck facing the slopes, I agree right away.
“It comes fully furnished,” she says, sweeping her arm out to the side like a car show model. “If you want. Of course, you might have your own furnishing you want to bring in, and the owner can remove everything to storage for an additional fee.”
“I sold everything except a few sentimental pieces, which are in storage in San Francisco. Furnished will be perfect.” I eye the sofa. “On second thought, I’ll buy a new mattress. If that’s okay.”
Her nose wrinkles before she smiles. “I would, too.”
“Then we’re all set. Draw up the lease agreement and I’ll transfer the funds. Six months in advance, correct?”
“You’ll be better off buying next spring if you can wait.”
“I can. I’m learning to be a patient man.”
Her smile is genuine. “I’m sure your parents are thrilled to have you moving home more permanently.”
“My mother will be overjoyed when she finds out. Please keep this between us for now. I want to surprise them with the news.”
Her professional expression of reserved interest falters for a second before she recovers. “Of course. Not a word from me.”
Happy to have a place to live that isn’t inhabited by semi-feral man-boys, I want to share the news with someone.
One particular someone.
Mae.
Except I don’t have her number.
However, I have a good idea of where I can find her.
I suddenly have a craving for crepes.
As soon as I arrive at La Belle Femme, I can tell Mae’s not there. The small restaurant is mostly empty for a Saturday afternoon, and three blond waitresses loiter near the host stand at the front.
“Table for one?” The short blonde perks up, checking me out.
“I’m looking for Mae. Is she working tonight?”
“She’s off today,” she tells my pecs.
“Mae went to Rugby Fest. I think her boyfriend is one of the players.” The tallest blonde gives me a dirty look.
The third blonde of the trio, asks, “Boyfriend? On the rugby team? Who?”
Curious to know the answer, I raise my brows and wait.
The tallest glares at her coworker. “You know. They’re going to the wedding together.”
“He isn’t her boyfriend.” I flash a smile. “Landon’s my brother.”
Odds aren’t in his favor he’ll ever be her boyfriend.
“Oh, you’re the mountain man!” short and perky exclaims, clapping her hands like she just won the bonus round on a game show.
“Not sure about that. I’m Aiden.” I give them all a brief wave. “Nice to meet you and thanks for the info. I’ll head over to the park to catch up with Mae and watch my brother play.”
Walking out of the restaurant and up the short flight of stairs, I’m self-conscious of them staring at me. A few weeks ago, if I strolled in there in a T-shirt and hiking pants, with my beard untrimmed and my hair long, they wouldn’t have given me a second glance. Probably would’ve refused me service. Now that I’ve tidied up my hair and beard, I can feel the weight of their stares on my ass. It’s a strange sensation to be ogled again.
They don’t know anything about me, but they’re each telling a different story inside of their head. I’d bet a grand nothing they come up with is close to the truth other than being related to Landon. Even that could be a lie.
I leave the car where it’s parked and walk the few blocks to the field where the tournament is being held.
Amazing how a few superficial changes make a huge difference in how the world perceives me. While walking, I catch women noticing me. Some turn their heads as I pass, others whisper to their friends, a few point, being way less subtle than they imagine.
The only change I’ve made was to trim my beard and get a haircut. It’s still longer than I used to wear it, but I’m too lazy to deal with it being short.
I’m grateful for my sunglasses blocking my eyes and creating a barrier between the gawking women and me. This way I can avoid eye contact. Wish I had brought my baseball cap with me instead of leaving it in the car.
The closer I get to the park, the more crowded the sidewalks get. Cheering carries through the streets even from blocks away. Based on what Landon told me, the Pitkin Rugby Club should be playing now or about to start their match against their biggest rivals, the Ambassadors from Denver.
Part of the charm of Rugby Fest is its small town feel. There aren’t tickets or reserved seating. Dogs and kids roam around the edge of the park, sometimes crossing over onto the grassy pitch. Temporary white tents flank the north end of the park behind the black and red striped goal post. Children play in the little playground behind the beer garden.
I easily spot Landon and Easley in the middle of the field surrounded by the rest of their teammates. Behind them, risers are set up for spectators. Standing at the rope barricade, I scan the benches for Mae and Zoe.
“Hey, good looking, can I buy you a beer?” a woman shouts from inside of the beer tent.
Doubtful she means me, I ignore her and turn around to walk to the other side of the park. If I can’t find Mae, I’ll stick around to cheer for my brother and Easley. This afternoon is the final match and they’ve won every year for the past five. No pressure or anything.
Skirting the perimeter of the beer garden, I spot another set of risers on the other side of the Gosling’s sponsored tent. I decide if I’m going to stick around for the match, I might as well have a Dark and Stormy, the signature Gosling’s drink.
“Aiden!” I hear my name and spin around for the source.
Mae stands at the ropes, waving her arms.
I wave back, grinning at her like we haven’t seen each other in months. So much for playing it cool.
“Finally,” she yells, making her way through the crowded area. “I spotted you on the other side of the beer garden, but you didn’t hear me when I tried to get your attention.”
I show my ID to the bouncer guarding the entrance to the tents.
Mae greets me as soon as I’m waved through the gate.
I’m not sure if I should hug her or do the kiss on the cheek greeting or where we are on the scale between business handshake an
d an intimate embrace between old lovers. If it were up to me, I’d vote somewhere closer to the making out.
Because she has her hands full with drinks, we do an awkward, open half-hug where I go in for a kiss on her cheek but she isn’t expecting it and I end up brushing my lips against the corner of her mouth before we both start laughing uncomfortably.
That went well.
“Here.” She hands me a plastic cup. “I have an extra Dark and Stormy. It’s yours if you want it.”
I accept the cocktail. “An extra one?”
She nods and sips her straw. “The line is forever long and it’s better to double up than spend the whole afternoon waiting for drinks or the bathrooms.”
“Smart. Want me to get in line now to replenish your supply?” I offer, happy to repay the favor.
“No, come sit with us. We’ve taken over the front row by the goal post. Prime seating.”
Drink in hand, she weaves her way through the crush of people lining the ropes. Sure enough, her group of friends occupies the first bench.
“Aiden!” Zoe greets me with a friendly smile. “Our favorite Roberts brother is here.”
“Landon’s not so terrible. Don’t forget the champagne he had delivered. That was really sweet.” Mae defends my brother, using my gift as the example. Exactly as intended. I’m glad they enjoyed it.
“True. And surprisingly it wasn’t the cheap stuff. Maybe he is getting better.” Zoe sounds doubtful.
The others all say hi and scoot down to make room for both Mae and I to sit. It’s a snug fit, but I don’t mind.
“What’s the score?” I couldn’t care less about who’s winning or losing.
“Twenty-six us, nineteen for the Ambassadors.”
“Good for them.”
“You’ve already missed Easley splitting open his lip and punching a player on the other team.” Clearly amused by this, Mae dishes the dirt on the game. “Then Landon tackled a guy during a timeout. Words were exchanged, but sadly we don’t have the scoop.”
“We’re thinking smack talk,” Mara adds. “Maybe because Landon’s been playing like shit.”
Mae nudges her.
“Sorry. I know he’s your brother, but he’s kind of an ass,” Mara apologizes, not sounding at all sorry.
“No worries about insulting me. I’ve been calling him LS for Little Shit since we were kids. The abbreviation helped me get away with cursing in front of our mother. For years she thought I was saying Ellis. Hell, she probably still does.”
“That’s hysterical. Does he know and can we all call him that?” Sage asks from down the row.
“Go right ahead. I’m sure he’s figured it out by now.”
“I’m liking you more and more, Aiden.” Sage extends her arm to tap her glass against mine.
“Me too,” Mara adds, and Zoe echoes her.
“Me four,” Mae says, with a small smile.
“Good.” I lower my voice so only she can hear me. “I’d hate to be your second favorite Roberts brother.” The crowd cheers when the Ambassadors score.
Studying me, her eyes widen with surprise. “You got your hair cut. That’s why I almost didn’t recognize you. Some lady in the beer garden thought you were a Hemsworth.”
“Uh, I’ll take that as a compliment. I think.” I’m not sure why I feel uncomfortable with all this attention. I never had an issue with women in my former life.
“Trust me, it is. I like it.” She surprises me by reaching up and dragging her hand through the shorter waves.
Her touch feels incredible and I want to ask her to keep going. Unable to read my mind, she drops her hand quickly and leans away. I’m going to have to work on my telepathy skills.
“Time to rejoin society I guess.” I’m unsure about both the haircut and society.
“You make it sound like you’re a hermit.”
“In a way, I have been. Walking the Appalachian Trail solo meant basically being by myself for five months.”
Her eyes widen with surprise. “After you were in rehab?”
Whoa. “Who told you I was in rehab?”
This has Landon written all over it. Not sure he’d outright lie and say I had a problem, but I can see him taking advantage of a misconception to his own benefit. Scraggly brother showing up after disappearing for almost half a year would provide him with good fodder for all types of stories.
Chapter 12
Mae
Seeing the shock on Aiden’s face, I feel terrible for bringing up him going to rehab while we’re watching a rugby match. We did loudly declare him to be Landon’s brother when he joined our group. Glancing around, I check to see if anyone is obviously eavesdropping.
Everyone appears to be watching the game. Maybe they didn’t hear me. Everything will be fine.
Aiden takes a sip of his Dark and Stormy.
Oh, shit. I’ve shoved a drink at him. Way to fail at being supportive, Mae. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have given you a drink. Don’t feel peer pressured into drinking it. I’ll take it back.”
“It’s fine. I swear to you, I don’t have a drinking problem.” He dips his chin and meets my eyes. “Promise.”
I shoot him a look and drop my voice to a whisper. “Are you sure? I can get you a soda. I noticed you didn’t drink when we were on the river. It isn’t a big deal.”
“Swear. Did Landon tell you I went to rehab? Or did you hear that from someone else?” His voice is low and he sounds pissed off.
“No one told me. Not in those specific terms.” I press my hand to the bare skin of his forearm. The soft hairs tickle my palm. I want to run my hand down his warm skin until I can slide my fingers between his and hold his hand to reassure him I’m not judging him. “I think it’s admirable you realized you needed to make a change for the better.”
“I did make a change. I’m still in the process of moving the pieces into place, but I’m getting closer to having the life I want. But—”
The crowd around us erupts in screams and jeering over something that happened in the game. I have no idea what’s going on because I haven’t been paying attention since I spotted Aiden strolling the perimeter of the park.
At first, I was only checking out the hot guy in the tight gray T-shirt and faded jeans who strode through the crowd with a purpose. I hadn’t been the only one to notice him. A woman I’d never met gripped my wrist to keep from swooning into a faint as she declared him the sexiest man alive. I’m only slightly exaggerating. Her friend is the one who asked if he was a Hemsworth. I had to do a double-take to confirm he wasn’t and that’s when I realized he was another infamous brother. I called out to him and offered to buy him a beer, but he didn’t hear me or ignored a random woman offering him drinks. Smart of him.
Out on the grass, players are slowly peeling others off of the dog pile in the middle. I don’t see Landon, but Easley’s basically tossing guys from the top like he’s peeling an artichoke.
“What’s going on? Is this like finders keepers?” Sage scans the pile of men. “Lee’s down there, too.”
Zoe laughs. “How many matches have you been to over the last few years and you still don’t know the terminology?”
“A lot.” Sage stands on the bench to get a better view. “He’s learned to live with it because he loves me. Along with a minor obsession with eighteenth-century Scotland, this is one of my charming quirks. As I told Lee, I don’t plan to figure out the intricacies of the sport. I’ve made a pledge and I plan to stick with it.”
On my other side, Aiden stiffens. I’m not sure if it’s what Sage said, a play on the field, or something else. Still feeling terrible for mentioning rehab, I don’t want to make him uncomfortable by one of us saying the wrong thing again.
Zoe guffaws. “You’re obsessed with Outlander. Don’t try to make it sound like anything but your unhealthy fascination with naked Jamie Fraser.”
“Who among us doesn’t have that issue?” Mara asks.
We begin debating the merits of Sam Heugh
an. As an actor. Of course.
“Seriously?” Aiden exclaims.
I swivel my head to sneak a peek at him, expecting to see judgment in his face about us objectifying a man for his body. I’m about to tell him most women are here today because they enjoy the man candy. I open my mouth to speak, but clamp it shut as the crowd erupts into clapping and laughing.
Even Aiden is shaking with laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I shoot him some side-eye.
“Landon got pantsed.” He points at the field, clearly taking joy in his brother’s situation.
I take his words as warning not to look, because I don’t want to see Landon’s naked ass in the broad daylight, or in moonlight. Not glowing in the dark or on an ark. Not on a bed, not even when I’m dead.
“Why are you staring at me?” Lifting his brows, he widens his eyes. “I’m still wearing my jeans.”
“I don’t want to see anything that can’t be unseen.” I cup my hand to the side of my head like a blinder on a horse to ward off any flash of temptation. “Tell me when it’s safe to look.”
Aiden’s laughter gets louder. “The three of you all look like a row of the see no evil monkey emoji.”
Closing my eyes, I turn my head and then reverse my hand, still protecting myself from any wayward peek. Only when I’m confident I won’t have nightmares for life do I open my eyes. Sure enough, my friends have their hands over their eyes.
“Tell us when it’s safe,” Sage pleads. “I’m still not over the end of ski season flashing from a couple of years ago.”
“Shrinkage is real,” I whisper under my breath.
“You’re safe,” Aiden chuckles. “He pulled up his shorts immediately after he released the ball.”
As if it’s the World Cup final, a few guys around us grumble about not taking the match seriously enough. They’re here for rugby and zero other fun. In this town, no one will be rivals for life over who wins or loses today. After this is over, everyone will probably end up at the same bars, trading insults and bonding over their awesomeness.
Up to You Page 11
