by Karen Booth
“Would it have been better if I’d told you I was down there? Wouldn’t you have worried? I know you don’t like to worry.”
“Well, of course, I would’ve been concerned, but you’re a survivor, Zane. I never doubt your ability to figure out how to find your way through a tough situation.”
The undertone of her comment was that he’d managed just fine in his teenage years when everything had gone south. It was nice to get that stamp of approval, although he knew that it was just his mother being a mom. “Thanks.”
“What took you down there? New marketing client in the Bahamas?”
“I went on vacation.”
“No!” His mother gasped, which turned into her musical laugh. “My son? Went away for fun?”
Zane had to chuckle, too. “Believe it or not, yes. I’ve been stressed, and I needed to get out of Falling Brook to clear my head.”
“Are things at work not going well?”
Zane took the turn onto Scott’s street. Scott and his wife lived in one of the original Falling Brook neighborhoods, which was seeing a revival. Older, stately homes were being remodeled and updated, with young families moving in. Zane saw it as a move in the right direction. This town needed some freshening up. “Actually, things at work are amazing. We’re too busy, but in a good way. We’ve reached the point where we’re turning away potential clients. That’s something I never even imagined six or seven years ago.”
“Then what’s bothering you?”
Zane pulled up in front of Scott’s house, a recently restored five-bedroom Tudor with a pristine putting green of a front yard that was Scott’s pride and joy. Zane put the car in Park and killed the engine, sitting back in the driver’s seat and running his hand through his hair.
“You’re being quiet,” his mom said. “Just come out with it. You know you can tell me anything.”
He knew that. It didn’t make his embarrassment over what he was about to say any less real. “It’s Joshua Lowell. I got sucked into some drama with him. Someone anonymously sent me a paternity test saying that he had a child he wasn’t willing to claim responsibility for. I talked to a local reporter who was working on a piece about him.”
“Have you lost your mind? Why would you get involved in that?”
“I don’t know. Revenge? Or as close as I’ll ever get to it? It doesn’t really matter now. It all backfired. The story ran, without that bombshell, and Josh Lowell ended up smelling like a rose, he and the reporter fell in love and now he’s getting married. He’s even leaving Black Crescent.”
She sighed heavily.
“I know,” Zane said. “The guy is golden. Everything he does turns out perfectly, and it makes me nuts. I know it shouldn’t, but it does. Just thinking about it is making my shoulders lock up.” He cranked his head from side to side, hoping to loosen the tension.
“You realize that people think the same thing about you. That you’re golden. That you can do no wrong.”
“You might say that about me, but other people do not. Plus, that isn’t the point.”
“But it is the point. It’s not just me who says it, either. Your father thinks the same thing. Your grandparents. Aunts and uncles. Your colleagues and employees. Remember when you invited me to your company Christmas party two years ago? All night long, all I heard about was how great you are and it’s not just because you’re the boss. I heard it from your clients, as well. I’m your mom, and even I got a little sick of it.”
Zane laughed, but he was astonished to be hearing this from her. He’d never seen himself as anything more than the guy who was still striving to get back on top.
“Look at your life,” she continued. “You have an immensely successful business. You own a beautiful home in one of the most exclusive towns in the country. You’re handsome, and people love you. Whatever it is that you think the Lowells stole from us or from you, it doesn’t matter. It hasn’t kept you from having it all, and it never will keep you from it. You need to find a way to move forward.”
“This isn’t just about what they did to me. It’s about what they did to our family. The Lowells are the reason you and dad split up.”
“You know, your dad and I had a drink a few weeks ago. We talked about it.”
“You did?” His parents’ divorce had been as acrimonious as they came. To Zane’s knowledge, his parents had only been in the same place twice since their split fourteen years ago, at Zane’s high school and college graduations, and they’d barely spoken to each other. “You didn’t tell me this.”
“He came to Boston for work, and he called me. It was nice. We had a chance to say a lot of things that should’ve been said a long time ago. The truth is that your dad and I were never going to make it. Of course, losing everything put a massive strain on the marriage, but the underlying problems were already there. We weren’t in love. I’m not sure we ever were. We would have split up eventually.”
Zane was struggling to keep up, but he couldn’t help but notice that it felt as if a weight was being lifted. A burden from his past was evaporating before his eyes. “Wow, Mom. You are kind of blowing my mind right now.”
“Does that help you see that you need to let Joshua Lowell do his own thing and maybe get out there and keep looking for your own happiness? You know, I’d like to have a daughter-in-law, maybe become a grandmother at some point.”
“Mom…”
“No pressure.”
“Oh, right. No pressure.” Zane glanced at the clock on his dashboard. It was seven o’clock and he didn’t want to be late. “Mom, I need to run. Scott invited me over for dinner and I’m sitting outside his house. His sister, Allison, is in town.”
“Oh, how nice. Say hi to them both for me. I’ve always adored those two, especially Allison. She’s always been such a sweetheart to me.”
And just like that, Zane felt like the universe might be telling him to salvage the romance that had started at Rose Cove. It was at least worth trying. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, too.”
Zane grabbed the bottle of Chateau Musar he’d brought, which was Scott’s favorite wine, and hopped out of the car. He strode up the long driveway and couldn’t ignore the way his pulse picked up at the thought of seeing Allison again. Maybe this could actually work. Of course, there was a lot standing in his way. He’d have to find a way to sort things out with Scott. And he’d have to hope that there weren’t other guys in the mix. He’d also have to smooth Allison’s ruffled feathers. He’d been a jerk when they left the island. Allison deserved so much better than that. As to how difficult it would be to convince her to accept his apology, he wasn’t sure. He was prepared to grovel. It was difficult for him to set aside his pride, but he’d overcome worse.
He rang the doorbell, and Scott quickly answered, waving him in. When Zane handed over the wine, Scott unleashed a mile-wide grin. “You’re the best friend a guy can have. Let’s get this decanted.”
Zane followed him inside. He was looking forward to spending an evening with these people he cared about so deeply, but coming to dinner at Scott’s house felt a bit like returning to the scene of the crime, given the kiss with Allison at his birthday party. He wished he could find a way to rewind the clock to that moment when her luscious lips first met his. If only he’d known then that she hadn’t done it on a lark. She’d spent years building up to it.
They wound their way down the wide central entry and into the newly remodeled gourmet kitchen. Scott’s wife, Brittney, was cutting up vegetables at the center island. “Look who’s here,” she said, taking a kiss on the cheek from Zane. “I’m glad you could come over on such short notice. Scott was eager to express his thanks.”
“He keeps saying that, but Allison would’ve been fine without me. Seriously. She’s tough as nails.”
She swept the contents of the cutting board into a large bowl. “I agree. But you
know how he is. Super protective. Is there such a thing as a helicopter brother?”
“Hey. I’m standing right here.” Scott sniffed the wine cork, then emptied the bottle into a decanter.
“Well, the kids and I are thankful if nothing else,” Brittney said. “I swear the only thing that kept Scott from freaking out about Allison was knowing that you were down there with her.”
“Did I hear my name?” Allison poked her head into the kitchen.
Zane’s heart did a veritable flip when he saw her. There had been countless moments on the island when he’d been taken aback by her beauty, but right now, with her sun-kissed skin glowing and the stress of their life-and-death situation during the storm no longer showing its effects, she absolutely stole his breath away. “There she is.”
Allison grabbed at the kitchen counter and dragged one leg into the kitchen, followed by the other. Zane peeked around the island and saw what was slowing her down—Scott’s five-year-old daughter, Lily, had wrapped herself around Allison’s ankle. “Sorry. I’m having some trouble walking today,” Allison said. She gave her eyebrows a conspiratorial bounce.
“I noticed there’s a large growth on your leg. I’d better take a look at it and make sure it’s not anything contagious.” He crouched down and looked Lily in the eye. The little girl was already giggling. “I might need to administer the tickle test.”
“Noooo!” Lily unspooled herself from Allison’s leg, rolled across the floor and scrambled off behind her mother.
“Miss Thing,” Brittney said. “You and Franklin need to go get washed up for dinner.”
“Can we eat in front of the TV?” Lily asked, warily peering at Zane.
“Yes. I think the grown-ups would enjoy some adult conversation anyway.”
Scott scooped up Lily into his arms. “Come on. Let’s go hunt down your brother.”
Brittney nodded to two empty wineglasses on the kitchen counter. “Why don’t you two grab a drink for yourselves? We’ll be ready to eat in a little bit.”
“You sure we can’t help?” Allison asked.
“I’m sure. Cooking is one of the only things that relax me,” Brittney said.
“Wine?” Zane glanced at Allison, wondering how she was feeling about being around him. She had every reason in the world to give him some steely attitude. And he was going to have to find a way to work through it. “We can go out on the balcony and catch up.”
“About what? Not much has happened since yesterday.”
He knew then that he was going to have to try a little harder. “You can tell me how your meeting with your client went.”
* * *
Allison found it impossible to swallow and not much easier to breathe. Zane had picked the one topic of conversation she did not want to explore, especially not when he was looking good enough to eat. Damn him. It was one thing when he was wearing a pair of board shorts, but there was something about Zane in a pair of perfectly tailored flat-front trousers and a dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, that absolutely slayed her. He would always have her number. Even when he’d been a jerk to her. Even when he was going around picking uncomfortable things to discuss. “Wine sounds great, but I’d rather skip work talk. It’s been a long day.”
“Whatever you want.”
He poured them each a glass of wine, and she tried to ignore the pull he had on her. It came from the vicinity of her belly button, although just being around him made the more feminine parts of her body quake and yearn, as well. They stepped out onto the patio overlooking the back of Scott and Brittney’s beautiful wooded lot. The early-evening air was warm and breezy, hearkening back to their time on the island. Part of her wanted to go back so badly and relive every unbelievable minute, but she knew that wasn’t reality, and one thing she prided herself on, aside from her predilection for fantasies about Zane, was her ability to stay grounded.
“Did you sleep well last night?” He took a sip of his wine after he posed the question, regarding her with a look that took no effort from him and still felt like pure seduction.
“Like the proverbial rock.”
“We didn’t get much sleep during that last day or so on the island, did we?” He leaned against the balcony railing, inexplicably turning her on by leaving his firm forearms on display.
She smiled. Heat rushed to her face. “No, we did not. That damn storm kept us up.”
A subtle blush colored his cheeks, and he hung his head, nodding. “Right. It was the storm that kept us awake. The weather was nothing if not distracting.”
She sucked in a deep breath. She loved this glimmer of normalcy between them, their ability to fall into a fun back-and-forth, but it only made her crave more. Was there a way to get beyond the things standing between them? Even if Scott was ever able to get over himself, the Black Crescent problem was inescapable. Her meeting had gone exceptionally well today. She wasn’t about to turn her back on hard-earned success, no matter how much she knew it would anger Zane. Yes, she would come clean, but everything else was on Zane. It was his choice. Not hers.
She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Scott or Brittney wasn’t looking. “No matter what, I will never regret what happened, Zane. I need you to know that. It was amazing.”
He straightened to his full height, leaving her in the shadow of his towering frame, and touched her arm gently. How could he bring her entire body to life with only an instant of caring contact? “Yes. Of course. I feel the same way.”
Her heart began to gallop in her chest, beating an uneven rhythm.
“Dinner’s ready.” Scott was standing at the door to the balcony. His vision noticeably landed on Zane’s hand touching Allison’s arm.
Allison reflexively pulled back from Zane, and he did the same. The instant it happened, a wave of guilt blanketed her. Resentment followed. These games were so stupid. And idiotic. She had to put an end to them. Part of that was finding the right time to tell Zane about Black Crescent. “On our way.”
Allison and Zane joined Scott and Brittney in the dining room. On the front of the house, it had a splendid view of the front yard, and was appointed with all of the elegant trappings of a comfortable life. Allison didn’t like to get too wrapped up in material things. There was plenty of that going on in LA. Still, she could admit that she wanted this for herself. She wanted a husband and a house and children. More to the point, she wanted love and a life partner. She wanted it all.
The spread Brittney put out was truly spectacular—filet mignon cooked to an ideal medium-rare, with rosemary roasted baby potatoes and green beans. The wine Zane had brought was a sublime complement to the meal, and Scott seemed nothing if not relaxed and content because of it. The conversation was fun and light, full of laughs and interesting stories. Zane and Scott told tales—a few from high school, but most from recent years, stories about pickup basketball, epic golf tournaments and even a few nights out drinking. All Allison could think as she watched Zane and Scott together was that she didn’t merely appreciate that they had such a solid friendship, but that she also loved being witness to it. It was a real shame that Zane was a no-go because he was her brother’s best friend. In a lot of ways, it was also what made him perfect.
There were a few moments when Zane delivered a knowing glance with his piercing gaze, leaving Allison to grapple with the resulting hum in her body. Did he know that he could affect her like that without so much as a brush of a finger against the back of her hand? Did he know how much it made her want him, and how frustrating it made the knowledge that she’d never likely experience his touch again?
At the end of the meal, the conversation continued in the kitchen as the four of them cleaned up. They were just about finished when Lily walked in, complaining of a stomachache.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Brittney said. “It’s probably time for you to go to bed anyway. Why don’t you say good-night t
o Aunt Allison and Uncle Zane?”
Lily merely waved at them, curling into her mom’s hip. “Good night.”
Allison crouched down to give Lily a kiss on the forehead. “Sweet dreams, Lils.”
“Good night.”
“I’m going to help Brittney with bedtime. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Scott said.
The quiet in the kitchen when her brother left was deafening. She and Zane had just been presented with the same scenario they’d been in last month. Except this time, the playing field had definitely changed. Gone were many of Allison’s old reservations, replaced by newer and more intense ones. She didn’t have to wonder how badly it hurt to be rejected by Zane. She’d experienced it firsthand.
“I forgot you were staying here.” Zane took a step closer to her.
“Yes. I always do. The guest room is beautiful. Very comfortable.” She leaned back against the kitchen island, gripping the cool marble counter with both hands.
“Good bed?” he asked.
She laughed and shook her head. “Smooth, Zane. Real smooth.”
He shrugged and inched even closer. “I had an opening, I had to take it.” His hand was inches from hers. He reached out with his thumb and lightly caressed her fingers.
A zip of electricity wound its way down her spine. “Zane…”
“Yes? That is my name.” He slipped his fingers under her hand and lifted it to his lips. It made her dizzy.
“My brother.”
“His name is Scott. And he’s in the other room. And we’re here. And I’ve missed you.” He kissed her hand again, except this time, he closed his eyes and seemed to savor it.
She nearly passed out, but she had to keep her head straight. “You’re being so goofy. You missed me? I just saw you yesterday.”
He opened his eyes. “I know. And I was an ass by the dock.”
Hard to believe that had only been thirty-six hours ago. It felt like a lifetime. “Yes, you were. I get it, but it doesn’t change the fact that I wasn’t a fan.”
Scott’s voice came from the hall.