by Darcy Burke
Kyle, a world-class chef and once the black sheep of the family, was talking to his dad, Rob, while his fiancée, Maggie, a former therapist and now the groundskeeper and landscape architect for The Alex, was over with Tori and her husband, Sean. Tori was an architect who’d designed the entire renovation, as per Alex’s wishes, and had moved back to Ribbon Ridge as a result. She’d started her own architecture firm while Sean, a producer, ran a production company with Alaina.
Finally, standing by the fireplace were Derek Sumner, the not-really-adopted adoptive brother the Archers had taken in when he was orphaned at seventeen, and his wife, Chloe, who was the art director for the Archer brewpubs. Derek was the most business-minded of the family and the chief financial officer of Archer Enterprises. Aubrey fully expected him to be the one to take over for Rob Archer when he retired.
Actually, that wasn’t true. Liam was equally as business-minded. He ran a real-estate empire in Denver that should’ve put him squarely in the role of his father’s heir apparent, since Archer Enterprises was primarily a real-estate development company. The brewpub part of it was a relatively new division started by Rob, for whom brewing beer wasn’t just a job, it was a passion.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Liam strolled in from the kitchen. His dark wavy hair was damp, suggesting he’d just come from the shower. That was not a vision she needed in her brain right now. Or ever, really.
Could she excise him from her mind so easily? Just because she’d ended things didn’t mean she wouldn’t think of him, especially when he was in town. However, doing so was dangerous. If she thought too long or too hard, she might find herself going right back to that well.
And she didn’t need that kind of turmoil.
His gaze found hers, and she had her answer. No, she couldn’t get rid of him that simply, even after terminating their thing months ago. Not when he looked so impossibly gorgeous and a simple look turned her knees to jelly.
She turned away from him and came face-to-face with Alaina’s assistant and best friend, Crystal Donovan. “Hi!” Crystal was friendly and hilarious. She possessed the Southern twang that sometimes crept into Alaina’s speech now and again. “How are you this morning?” She lowered her voice. “I’m a skosh hung over, I’m afraid, and I tried to be so good.”
Aubrey smiled. “I was very good. I drank lots of water.” Otherwise she would’ve been in the same boat. She’d learned long ago that the Archers knew how to throw a good party—Archer beer, the best wines from the area, and if Kyle started mixing cocktails . . . forget it.
“Smart girl. Note to self for next time.” She inclined her head toward Liam, who’d gone to talk with his dad and Kyle. “What’s the story with McHottiepants over there?”
Aubrey shrugged. “He lives in Denver. Owns his own company. He’s a millionaire in his own right, even without his trust fund.” Every one of the Archer kids—except Derek—had inherited a trust fund at the age of twenty-five. The funds didn’t quite make each of them millionaires, but it was pretty close. Several of them had probably closed the gap, and she knew Liam definitely had.
Crystal’s eyebrows shot up. “Interesting. Although, I don’t much care about the money.”
No, Aubrey didn’t imagine she would. As Alaina’s assistant, she was likely a millionaire, too. Meanwhile, Aubrey was a modest attorney in a small town—a country lawyer, really, like her uncle who owned the firm at which she worked.
“I wouldn’t be interested in him for any other reason, either, if I were you,” Aubrey said. “He’s a total player. I think his longest relationship was six months, and there are differing reports as to whether it was monogamous.”
Crystal nodded. “Gotcha.” She sighed. “Too bad. Damn, my radar must be broken. I can usually spot one of those a mile away. You learn that really fast in LA.”
“I’m sure.”
Kyle whistled to get everyone’s attention. “Good morning! We thought we’d start with the brunch. It’s being laid out in the dining room. Be sure to pick up a mimosa or a Bloody Mary at the bar in the kitchen. Little hair of the dog will do you all some good.” He winked at the room at large.
People began to file toward the dining room. Aubrey cut into the kitchen—she loved Kyle’s mimosas. When she turned from the bar, drink in hand, Liam stepped toward her.
“Morning,” he said, flashing her a quick glance.
That’s it? After last night’s hard sell, he wasn’t going to try again? They were alone in the kitchen, and he’d never missed an opportunity to flirt or touch or somehow flip her switch. Hell, just being in the same room with him was usually enough to get her going.
“Did you really take no for an answer finally?” She hadn’t meant to say it, but the words had tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them.
His head snapped up, and his steel blue eyes were cool. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“Well, yes, but that didn’t stop you from pursuing me last night.”
He cracked a smile. It was small and brief but completely disarming. Damn, she hated being vulnerable to his stupid charm. “I’m trying to be a stand-up guy. Besides, you were right—we’ve run our course. I’ve never been one to hang around too long.”
Wasn’t that the truth? “Speaking of which, when are you headed back home?”
“Tomorrow probably.” His brow furrowed briefly, and this time she bit her tongue before asking what was wrong. His business wasn’t hers. “I don’t know yet. You going in for breakfast? I’m starved.”
“Yeah.”
He gestured for her to precede him. She half expected him to touch the small of her back as she walked by, but he didn’t. Disappointment surged in her chest, and she immediately chastised herself. This is what she wanted. This is what she’d demanded.
Nevertheless, that didn’t make letting Liam go any easier. Damn, she was beginning to hate this family and the way they made her feel. Or at least the way two of them had made her feel. The two who looked identical and who she’d thought were worlds apart. Turned out they were each as manipulative and soul-crushing as the other.
After filling her plate at the buffet in the dining room, she ate breakfast with Tori and Sara in the great room. As usual, the conversation included a bit about work and more specifically the ongoing zoning appeal.
“Has Sutherlin turned in his brief yet?” Tori asked.
After months of stalling tactics, they’d finally entered the phase where the complainant—Parker—filed his brief. “Not yet, but it’s due this week.”
Tori sipped her mimosa. “The oral argument will be soon then, right?”
“After I submit my response, the Land Use Board of Appeals will set the court date.”
Tori blew out a breath as she slathered mascarpone on a scone. “I can’t wait. This has been so frustrating.”
Emily came up to them where they were perched on a couch. “Aubrey, can I speak with you for a minute?” Her gaze flicked to Aubrey’s plate. “Or when you’re done.”
Despite the half scone and few bites of frittata left, Aubrey was actually stuffed. “I’m done.” She stood with her plate and followed Emily into the kitchen.
Emily turned and took the plate, setting it on the counter. “Let’s step into my office.” Literally. A small, circular office led off the kitchen and was used by a variety of people, though it was primarily Emily’s home base.
Aubrey couldn’t imagine what Emily wanted to talk to her about, let alone privately. Alarm bells pealed in her brain. She really hoped this wasn’t about a legal matter. Aubrey didn’t think she could handle another Archer problem, especially if it was something like divorce. For several months after Alex’s death, Emily and Rob had gone through a very rough patch, and the D word had been quietly discussed by several of the Archer siblings. Emily had even gone to France with Hayden for a few months, and that had seemed to give her and her husband the space they’d needed to deal with their grief. In fact, they’d appeared quite like their old selves r
ecently—they’d even seemed romantic.
“Is everything all right?” Aubrey asked.
“Yes. Well, I think so. I’m hoping you can help me with something. I’d ask one of my children, but I don’t think they’d be able to help. I wanted to ask you about Liam.”
Aubrey’s insides cinched up like a pair of hiking boots. “Uhhh, why me?”
Emily tipped her head to the side. “You seem friendly. Whenever Liam comes home, I see him chatting with you. I thought you’d become friends.”
Friends. Aubrey bit her cheek to keep from laughing. She was his fuck buddy, not his friend. “We’re not especially close, so I don’t know that I can help you either, unfortunately. What did you want to know?”
Emily’s brow creased, and Aubrey wanted to help her. This woman had been through so much, and she was so kind, so generous, so loving. “Do you know about Liam’s hobbies?”
If she meant his thrill-seeking, adrenaline-junkie risk extravaganzas, then yes. “Like the heli-skiing?” He’d broken his wrist and dislocated his shoulder doing that back in February, the idiot. She’d been worried sick when she’d heard and had even texted him to ask how he was doing. No wonder he’d held out hope they were still hooking up, despite her declining to see him over the holidays. Nice move, Aubrey.
Emily nodded. “And the skydiving and the rock climbing and the extreme kayaking.”
That was only the tip of the iceberg. Liam was always trying something new, always pushing the limits. That was another of the reasons she’d ended things. Worrying about his next exploit and whether he’d kill himself was not something she wanted to do. “I’m aware he does all of that, but I don’t really know too much about it.”
“He doesn’t discuss it with you? I was hoping he might, or maybe you know someone he talks with. I’m worried about him. I have been for quite some time, but his accident in February really scared me. I’ve tried to impress upon him to take it easy, but he only seems to go even harder, especially since Alex died.”
Aubrey had noticed that, too. She’d known all about his daredevil activities long before Alex’s death, because Alex had shared them with her. Every time Liam jumped from a plane or navigated class V rapids or scaled a steep rock face, he sent the video footage to Alex, who ate it up. Alex couldn’t do any of those things for himself, so Liam had done them for him. What had started out as a favor several years ago had turned into a full-blown way of life for both of them. Alex came up with the experience he wanted, and Liam went out and did it. It was both sick in that neither one of them seemed to care about the danger involved and beautiful in that it was something they shared. Aubrey didn’t know if anyone else was aware of the situation, and she’d long ago decided she wasn’t going to be the one to tell them.
Still, she wanted to help Emily if she could. “What can I do for you?”
“Maybe you could talk to him? I doubt you’ll be able to talk him out of doing any of it—he won’t even listen to me.” She shook her head resignedly. “But maybe you could find out what he’s planning. I’d like to know what he’s up to. When he called to say he’d had an accident, my heart just dropped into my feet. I knew he was okay since it was his voice on the phone, but maybe someday it won’t be. And I . . . ” She swiped at her eye. “I don’t know how I could go through that again.”
In that moment Aubrey wanted to punch the living crap out of Liam. How could he put his mother—his entire family—through this after what they’d suffered with Alex? If there were two more selfish people on earth, she didn’t know them. And one of them wasn’t even on earth anymore, thanks to his selfishness.
Yes, she wanted to help Emily, and she wanted to smack some sense into Liam in the meantime. Furthermore, Alex had instructed Aubrey to deliver messages from him to his family members at various times that he’d outlined. The timing of Liam’s was perhaps the trickiest. Alex had directed her to give Liam his message when he tried something truly foolhardy. She hadn’t known how she was going to figure that out and more than once considered just giving him the damn thing to be done with it.
She smiled at Emily and touched her shoulder. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Emily relaxed and nodded. “Thank you. I really appreciate you doing this. I don’t know if you’ll be able to get much out of him, but I do think you have a better shot than his siblings. He’s predisposed to be on defensive alert around them. With you, he seems more relaxed.”
Did he? Somehow, in the course of maybe three or four events over the past fourteen months, Emily had sensed a relationship between them when Aubrey wasn’t even sure one existed. But apparently it had. And it seemed to be far more conspicuous than she’d realized. A part of her wanted to seize on that and make it into something more than it had been, a series of mostly coincidental meetings that had sparked into sexual encounters. However, none of that amounted to anything. Liam was still a player and an adrenaline junkie. And her heart couldn’t handle either of them.
LIAM WENT BACK for a second Bloody Mary while Evan and Alaina started in on their gifts. Kyle had nailed it when he’d said hair of the dog. The alcohol was just what he needed to power through his nasty hangover.
He had to make the cocktail himself, but he could pour just as well as Kyle. Okay, maybe not quite as well, but he’d never admit that out loud. He stirred the drink with a celery stick and speared a couple of olives to dunk.
“Liam.” Aubrey’s honeyed voice stirred his body to full attention. He’d done his best earlier to give her the aloof relationship she’d asked for, but damn it was hard.
“You want a Bloody Mary?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Mimosa.”
“Those are easy. Kyle premixed them.” He went to the fridge and pulled out a pitcher, which he poured into her empty glass. “Drink up. These won’t be any good in a couple hours when the bubbly goes flat.”
“Thanks.” She took the drink and raised the glass in silent toast.
He went back to the other bar to grab his Bloody Mary.
She sampled her mimosa. “Earlier, when I asked when you were heading back to Denver, you seemed hesitant. Is there any chance you’re planning to stay awhile? I’m due to get the opposing brief on the zoning appeal this week, and the oral argument will be in the next month or so, I think. It would be great to have you there.”
He sipped his drink and narrowed his eyes at her. What kind of game was she playing? “You dumped me. Why would you want me around?”
“I didn’t dump you—we weren’t in anything formal.” She studied him a moment. “Scratch that. I think I’d like to put ‘dumped Liam Archer’ on my résumé.”
He laughed at that. “You mean your eHarmony profile? Or are you still on Tinder?”
Her gaze turned incredulous. “I have never been on Tinder. You must have me confused with one of your other hook-ups.”
He raked her from the top of her ginger head to the toes of her ballet flats, which encased feet he knew to be extremely sexy. Who even knew feet could be sexy? But Aubrey’s were. “Not a chance, sweetheart.”
Her cheeks flushed a pale pink, and he inwardly smiled at having provoked her. “Whatever. I thought you might finally like to engage with this project. You’re the only one who’s completely turned away from Alex’s legacy. I’d thought you two were closer than that.”
He’d thought so, too, but when your identical twin could successfully hide from you the fact that he was plotting to kill himself, you didn’t know shit. And that was both a sobering and horrifying realization.
He leaned closer, not bothering to hide his flash of temper—thinking of Alex often kindled that. “Don’t talk to me about Alex. Ever. I thought we’d established that a long time ago.”
She didn’t appear to register his anger, or maybe she was trying to rile him on purpose. “Right, one of your pesky ‘rules’ for hooking up. My bad.” Sarcasm oozed from her tone. “You’ll do what you want—you always do—but I hope you’ll consider coming for the zo
ning hearing at least. Maybe pretend you give a crap.”
He exhaled, feeling suddenly weary. He did give a crap. He cared a lot, actually. Hadn’t he just been thinking last night that he ought to do more? Especially with Whitney involved . . . He could use whatever connection they still had to maybe fix this entire messed-up situation.
Maybe.
“I’ll think about it.”
Her answering look was professionally bland, the trademark of a good lawyer who knew how to present a poker face. “Magnanimous of you.” She leaned toward him. “Let me know what you decide.”
“Decide what?” Tori came into the kitchen. “Oh good, you have the mimosas out.” She refilled her glass from the pitcher Liam had set on the counter.
Kyle came in next and eyed Liam’s drink. “Made your own Bloody Mary? I would’ve thrown it together for you.”
“I can make a Bloody Mary.”
Kyle grinned. “Not as good as mine.” He moved behind the bar with the beer tap, where they also kept liquor. All the ingredients were already on the counter, and he went to work. “Admit it, I’m a better bartender. I’d better be, since I was a professional for a while.”
“I’ll admit nothing.”
Kyle laughed. “You’re such a prick.”
Tori came over to the bar and stood near Aubrey. “What is Liam going to decide?”
Aubrey glanced at him. Would she tell them? Oh, the hell with it. “She asked me to come back for the zoning hearing,” Liam said.
Tori pivoted toward him. “And?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“That’s what he’s deciding,” Aubrey said.
Kyle stirred his drink. “I can tell you right now what his answer will be: no.” He gave Liam a look that dared him to correct his assessment.
And just because Liam liked to be contrary—or as Kyle put it, liked to be a prick—he smiled. “I’m deciding yes, actually.”
“You are?” The harmony of the question coming from his sister and his former lover rankled him even further. Damn, he was on edge today. He blamed the hangover.
