by Layla Hagen
“Let’s start again with a clean slate.”
“Not interested.”
“Don’t be like that. We could talk about it. Tell you what. We can go out for dinner before the charity event.”
“You’re not coming to that.”
True, he’d been my plus one, but he thought he was still invited?
“Val, come on. You promised you’d introduce me to that producer.”
That was why he’d called? Because he was still hoping for that introduction? I felt so small. So small. I wasn’t going to allow anyone to make me feel that way.
“Ethan, in case it’s not clear, this is me revoking that invitation. Don’t call me again.”
I punched the End Call button, breathing in through my nose. I felt lost, but I had to pull myself together. My siblings would arrive for dinner in no time. They’d sniff me out instantly if I kept the long face, and I didn’t want our dinner to turn into moping hour.
Landon and I spoke briefly about my beef with Beauty SkinEssence when he arrived. I had no update, since I hadn’t heard from them since the mediation meeting three days ago. My twin had set up the company with me before moving on to do his own thing and becoming a wildly successful businessman.
When Hailey arrived, I worked on my poker face. To no avail.
It took her exactly seven minutes to point a finger at me and say, “Wait a second. Why do you look like you need an entire bottle of Pinot Noir for yourself? You aren’t laughing with your eyes.”
“What?” I asked.
“When you laugh, or smile, your eyes seem a little sad.”
Shit, well, the cat was out of the bag. There was no point denying it. I gave in and told her about the phone call with Ethan.
“God damn that idiot,” Hailey hissed. “You know what, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”
“No, you will not. He’s not worth your time.”
“Yes, but how else will he learn his lesson?”
“Let’s change the subject, or the boys will sniff us out.”
Hailey and I were bringing in the food while my brothers were setting the table, together with their better halves. Well, except for Jace. My soccer star brother was the odd one out, still single. My twin, Landon, was happily married to Maddie, the genius who had designed the garden outside my house as well as the one at the office. They also had a daughter, Willow. Will was engaged to Paige.
Lori and her husband and son were the only ones missing tonight. Pity, because I’d been looking forward to hugging my nephew, Milo.
Lori had been a single mother for seven years before she fell in love with Graham, and I was used to her and Milo being at my house a whole lot more. I missed spending time with that little boy.
Hailey grinned. “That wouldn’t be so bad. There would be no holding them back.”
I popped open a bottle of Pinot too, for good measure. The sour alcohol matched my soured mood and heart perfectly. Belatedly, I also realized it sent a clear signal. Our wine system wasn’t a secret: Pinot for moping, Chardonnay for celebrating.
Jace materialized right next to us.
“What’s with the Pinot?” When Hailey didn’t answer, he trained his eyes on me.
“Nothing serious.”
“If it’s serious enough for Pinot, then it’s something I should know about.”
My mind was working at top speed, looking between Jace and Hailey. I knew that if I insisted on keeping things to myself, Jace would lure it all out of Hailey, who’d never learned to keep family secrets. Hmm... the best course of action was definitely to break the news myself. That way I could leave out a few details so my brothers wouldn’t flex their alpha muscles.
“I ended things with the guy I was seeing. Ethan.”
“What did he do?” Jace asked at once.
“Turned out he was seeing other people too,” Hailey informed him. “And now he called to ask if he could still go with her to the charity event so he could schmooze with some producer.”
I groaned. So much for keeping the details to myself.
“What?” Hailey asked defensively.
Jace narrowed his eyes. “Where does the guy live?”
I’d thought there was any way to keep them from being overprotective? I was dead wrong.
“On the moon, Jace. Just forget about him. I intend to.”
But Jace kept his eyes narrowed. “I can find out even if you don’t tell me.” He glanced briefly at Hailey, but I wasn’t worried. Hailey didn’t know where Ethan lived.
But then Jace motioned to Will, who joined us in an instant.
“That Ethan guy screwed our sister over. She won't tell us where he lives.” Jace certainly didn’t mince words. Will’s gaze turned murderous. Shoot. Now I was worried.
“I can find out where he lives,” Will assured him. He used to be a detective. I was sure he still had enough connections to the police to find out anything. I was losing the battle. Truthfully, I didn’t even know how to fight in these situations. Plus, a tiny part of me did hope my brothers would accidentally run into Ethan. They didn’t even know what he looked like, because I’d never introduced him to the family, but a girl could dream.
Was I a terrible person or what?
Jace turned to me, asking in a soft voice, “Sis, are you okay?”
I nodded with conviction. “We hadn’t dated for that long.”
“Yes, but I know you. You put so much of yourself into everything.”
“I think I’m slowly learning my lesson.” My brother’s concern warmed me. Even though I gave them shit, I was beyond happy and grateful that my family rallied around me no matter if I dealt with a lawsuit or a bad date.
And I really couldn’t point fingers.
I was always poking my nose in their business and offering my help whether it was required or not. I was slowly trying to rein in my instincts, but who was I kidding? They were part of who I was.
Those instincts partly formed after my parents passed away and Landon and I had been forced to take charge. But this nosiness had always been ingrained in my personality. My nature had cost me some relationships too, with boyfriends telling me I was too meddling.
“You need a date for the charity event? I can come,” Will offered.
Jace grinned. “I’m offering myself as potential companion too, sister. You can have your pick.”
“I don’t need an escort. I can go by myself.”
It was a pity Hailey couldn’t come—she worked at a PR agency in Hollywood, and she was the one who’d put me in contact with the celebrities I’d invited.
I suddenly remembered Carter would be there, and my mood improved drastically. I’d taken an instant liking to him when he’d spoken about his niece. He was obviously close to his family too. I usually tended to see the best in everyone, but I didn’t think I was so far off base with Carter.
Of course, those piercing hazel eyes and overall delicious package might cloud my judgment.
I smiled as we all sat at the table, ready to dig in. My ranch-style home always felt too big, except during Friday dinners.
When I’d bought the land and built the house on it, I might have been overly optimistic about my love life. It was that optimism that had gotten my heart into trouble so many times.
I wasn’t giving up on love, but I did plan on taking things easier. Much easier.
Chapter Six
Carter
“Come on, man. It’s Friday night,” Anthony said. “Stay for one more round of drinks.”
“Yeah, the next round is on me,” Zachary added.
They were my partners at Sloane & Partners. We’d taken out our entire team of twelve for drinks, to celebrate the move to the new office.
“Have fun. I need to get home to the girls.”
There were several boos from the team, but I shook my head, smiling.
“You should bring them too,” someone said.
“At a bar?”
“We can move to a restaurant.”
“I promised I’d watch a movie with them.”
“Awww... that’s so sweet.” That was Ashley, one of our interns.
Zachary shuddered. “Ashley! Don’t say that in public. Imagine if word went out that the great Carter Sloane’s employees call him sweet? His reputation would be ruined. Our entire business would collapse.”
Clients flocked to us because we had a great track record. They trusted my ability and work ethic, and appreciated my no-nonsense attitude.
“Hey, who knows? It could be a unique selling proposition. Most people think lawyers are soulless robots,” Ashley volleyed back.
“Could be true,” I said.
“Nah, boss. You’re not fooling anyone,” Ashley said.
I liked to think I was the kind of boss everyone liked. I was ruthless when I had to be, but I liked the casual atmosphere. The law business was exhausting as it was. We could all do without the additional pressure of a stressful office life.
As I waved goodbye to everyone, I caught Zachary eyeing Ashley suggestively. I cocked a brow, motioning him to follow me. Once we were far enough from the group, I went straight to business.
“No fucking around at the office.”
Zachary set his jaw. “I know the rules.”
“You weren’t looking at Ashley as if you were planning to follow the rules. Employees are off-limits.” My tone was harsh, but I wanted to get my point across. Even though we’d been friends since law school, rules were rules.
“Understood.”
“Good. Have fun.”
He didn’t look too happy with me as I left, but there was nothing I could do about that. Office hookups weren’t unusual in bigger firms. I understood the appeal. The hours were long and the pressure was always high. It was a way of relieving tension. But in a smaller firm like this one, it was too risky, too messy.
The truth was, the number of singles or divorcees in the industry was alarming. The long hours were not exactly family- or relationship-friendly. And Zachary didn’t have anything to complain about. He hooked up often and wasn’t even discreet about it.
I dated plenty, but I hadn’t had a real relationship in some time. I wasn’t averse to them, but after the girls moved in with me, things changed. Some women pulled back when they found out I was a package deal or drifted away after I introduced them to the girls. After trying and failing a few times, I stopped trying. It was the best for the girls, and for me.
The girls and I ended up watching movies late into the night and sleeping most of Saturday. On Sunday I treated us all to ice cream and asked them about their week, trying to gauge if they liked the new school and were settling in well. As always, the weekend went by too fast.
On Monday morning, I headed out earlier than usual because I wanted to stop by the coffee shop first. That coffee was damn good, and so were the sandwiches. And who knew? I might even run into Valentina. She’s taken, I reminded myself, but then another voice at the back of my mind assuaged my guilt. We could just enjoy each other’s company or be friends.
Yeah... except every time I thought about her, the images flashing in my mind weren’t of the friendly variety. I wanted to taste her. Not just her lips. All of her.
I swept my gaze once around the coffee shop when I entered and found Val at one of the corner tables. After receiving my order, I went straight to her. She didn’t see me until I was right in front of her.
“I see you’re on your way to becoming a fan of Walter’s,” she said.
“It’s a nice place to start off your morning.”
“I know, right?”
“Mind if I keep you company?” I pointed to the chair next to her.
“Please.”
Being this close to her made it impossible to keep my thoughts in line. I didn’t just want to kiss her, I wanted to wrap my hand in her thick, luscious hair, draw the tip of my nose up and down her neck, then follow the same trail with my mouth.
“You have something in your hair. I think it’s a... plastic flower?” Val asked, amused.
“What?” I ran my hand through my hair. Sure enough, a tiny flower was stuck in it. Very masculine.
“Looks like this came off Peyton’s dress when I hugged her this morning.” Hugging was a mild term. She had climbed in my arms and refused to let go until I promised to take them out for ice cream tonight. I caved, of course.
“Your fourteen-year-old niece?”
“No, that’s April. Peyton is the five-year-old.” At her questioning glance, I added, “They live with me. My sister and her husband passed away a few years ago, and I’m their guardian.”
“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss.” Something flickered in those beautiful green eyes as she added, “They keep you on your toes, huh?”
“You can say that. My parents help as much as they can, but they live in Montana. They have a fir tree farm there.”
“How did you end up being a lawyer in LA?”
“I studied at UCLA for my undergraduate degree, and I liked the city. And as to why I became a lawyer, let’s say that I’ve always been argumentative. Could talk my way out of everything.”
“Oh, I can imagine.”
As a guy who worked outdoors a lot, my dad made fun of me for doing the exact opposite and then going daily to the gym.
“Now you have to smell other people’s sweat to make up for being on your ass all day,” he’d chortle gleefully. I laughed every time. It was true, even though training helped me clear my mind. The rush of endorphins improved my focus. I liked my career, and it was very lucrative. I could make sure that Peyton and April attended the best schools and wouldn’t have to work odd jobs to put themselves through college as I had.
“How did you end up building a cosmetics and fragrance company from the ground up? Your story is fascinating.”
“You looked me up.” Her mouth popped open, as if she couldn’t imagine why I would do such a thing.
“I did.”
“Well, there’s a lot more to it than what’s on the website.”
“Tell me all about it.”
“Sorry, I can’t right now. I’m pressed for time and really have to get going. I have a million things to do.”
“Are you looking forward to the charity?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Is your date also in the cosmetics industry? Or film?”
She cast her eyes downward to her cup of coffee. “He is in the film industry. But I’ll be going alone.”
“Your date got caught up at work?”
“No, we’re just not dating anymore.”
I shouldn’t rejoice at her obvious disappointment, but I couldn’t help the fist-pump feeling that overtook me. I wanted to get to know this woman better.
“What happened?”
She shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but I could tell that it did matter to her. I didn’t push the issue, though. It clearly made her uncomfortable, and why should she share something so personal with me, after all? We barely knew each other. I set out to take her mind off it instead, all the while trying to ignore the thought that she wasn’t taken anymore.
“No pancake this morning?” I asked.
“Nope.”
I leaned in a little closer, touching her forearm, craving the contact. Her gaze dropped to my hand on her arm, and she licked her lips.
“How about if I buy it for you? Does that count?”
“It definitely does.”
“But your conscience wouldn’t be guilty.”
“You’re even better at finding tricks and loopholes than I am.” She smiled at me.
“What if I buy two for me and then decide I’ve had enough after the first one? Would be a shame to let the other go to waste.”
“You never run out of arguments, do you?”
“Not when I’m after something,” I admitted.
“And what you’re after now is me having a pancake?”
It crossed my mind to lay out my cards and tell her exactly what I was after, but I couldn’t be tha
t direct. Yet.
“I want to turn this morning around for you. Don’t let that moron waste more of your time than he already has.”
I kept her gaze for a beat, then another one. I could tell she didn’t want to look away first, but eventually she did, shaking her head and chuckling.
“Do you always employ such dangerous tactics to lift someone’s mood?”
“I’d categorize this as ballsy, but I’m happy to show you my dangerous side too.”
Val swallowed. “Well, I’d love to find out exactly how you distinguish ballsy from dangerous. I have a hunch that our definitions differ, but duty calls. I must do some things for the charity event too. At this rate, it’s feeling more like work than fun.”
“We’ll enjoy ourselves too.”
“Define enjoy,” she challenged with a smile while pulling her hair into a ponytail. The movement of her hands made her chest rise and push forward. She bared her neck. That skin looked so kissable, so touchable that I was barely fighting the urge to find an excuse—any excuse—to touch her. I looked at her mouth long enough for her to notice. Her eyes widened. She felt the chemistry between us too.
“Nah, and spoil all the anticipation? I’ll show you when we’re there.”
I rose from my chair at the same time as her.
“I’ve been to enough events to know they’re not my kind of fun.”
“But you didn’t have me to keep you company.”
Her lips parted slightly. Then she narrowed her eyes.
“Well, then... I could use some fun. I look forward to seeing you in action. I’ll hold you to it.”
“I’ll make sure you do.”
Chapter Seven
Val
I was a little light-headed as I sat behind my desk. The first thing I did when I opened my laptop was to look up Carter online. I felt giddy, as if I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to. His law firm was three-years-young, but that was still impressive, considering he was thirty-five. The lawyers I knew who’d set up their own practices had done so later in their career.
I googled him a bit, and it was apparent he was a very successful litigation lawyer.
I was dying to know more about him, but I reluctantly went back to the to-do list I’d written yesterday evening, cross-checking it with some of the more urgent emails in my inbox. I usually didn’t have trouble concentrating in the morning, but I caught my thoughts wandering more than once and had to make a conscious effort to whip them back into line. When the screen of my phone lit up with an incoming message, I reached for it, even though I avoided answering messages during the day. Too distracting.