See, that’s the difference between my brothers and me. They don’t use the weaknesses of their enemies to their benefit. Not that they are my enemies, but we’re not on the same team either.
They are still unsure if they want to stay, and unhappy because we have to live together. Coexisting with each other is more challenging than any of us thought. We’re older. Each one of us has some baggage. There’s also resentment among us. We’re mad because the other never called. If we were mature enough, we could be discussing everything as adults. We don’t. I resent that neither one of them cared much after our brother Carter died.
Seriously, what was my father thinking when he decided to draw up a will where he shoved us all in this town for eighteen months?
Some days I want to dig into Dad’s past to see if I can find something significant that will clue me in. Others, I just think he was fucking with us.
“You could’ve been a professional chef,” Blaire says, grabbing a tortilla chip and dipping it into the guacamole. “Was your grandma the one who taught you how to cook?”
I nod. It wasn’t, but I let them think that. It was actually G’s mom. My grandmother was adorable—a saint—but she didn’t have the patience to teach anything.
“I wish someone had taught Henry how to cook,” Sophia complains about her husband. “Dad is trying, but he’s a slow learner.”
We all laugh at him.
Henry is used to having maids, nannies, and every service at his disposal. My grandparents worked hard to teach me that I had to clean after myself, among other things.
While in college, G, the guys, and I took turns cooking, cleaning, and shopping.
I still do everything for myself. Well, unless I’m on tour. During concerts we have roadies carrying our instruments, bringing the food, and sometimes driving me around.
If I could avoid it, I would. According to my manager, I have to have a crew. They are necessary. Lang just likes to have everything done for him. Since he has the support of our PR, I just let it happen.
“It’s only September,” Henry reminds me. “With that attitude, I doubt you’ll last the next twelve months around here.”
“In two months, I’m getting the fuck out of here,” I say, baiting him.
There’s a part in Dad’s will where he allows us to leave town after we’ve been here for six months. In order to do that, we have to contact Jerome Parrish, the one who handles our father’s estate, and ask for permission to leave. We have thirty days that can be used all at once or however we want. I don’t plan to use them unless it is necessary. If I want to get out—I just do it.
“I might take the thirty days and keep you guessing if I’ll return.”
“You do that, fucker, and I’ll hunt you down,” Vance threatens me. “I swear if any of you bail, I’ll kill you.”
“See, he speaks,” I say to no one in particular.
Everyone complains that Vance is always quiet and brooding. Obviously, they don’t take the time to have a conversation with him. He and I aren’t tight, but we get along. I still like to taunt him as I do with everyone else. I’m judicious that way.
“You just need to piss him off.”
“Which is why he’s always talking to you, isn’t it?” Blaire, Hayes’s wife, rolls her eyes. “Just when I think you guys have matured, you prove me wrong.”
I grin at her while searching for the salt. “I like to keep the excitement around this house.”
Vance’s glare should scare me. It scares everyone—but me. If necessary, I could take him. Yes, he has some kick-ass training, but I do too. I wish he had accepted to join The Organization. When I indirectly offered him an opportunity to work with us, he declined. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s hoping to go back to his friends. I hope not. If he does, we’ll have a problem.
Of my five brothers, my favorite is still Mills. We’ve been hanging out for a long time, so it makes sense that we’re the closest. After him, it comes to Hayes, the doctor who isn’t that bad. He’s just clueless, but fun to hang out with.
Pierce might be the next one. I’m still trying to understand him. He’s more fucked up than I thought. His marriage is the weirdest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life. I think we all just want to shove him and Leyla in a room and say, “Don’t come out until you fuck away your issues.”
Henry is another clusterfuck. He’s getting better since he has a wife who keeps him in line.
Everyone in this house treats me like I’m still the baby of the family. They are also afraid that I’m going to leave town because I can’t be contained.
News flash. I leave whenever the fuck I want.
“I mean it, Beacon,” Vance repeats. “You better not do something stupid.”
I lift the spatula and my free hand in surrender. “I wouldn’t dare to piss you off.”
Henry snorts. “You’re such a fucking liar.”
Oh, yes, Henry. I’m one of the best liars in the world. I trained for that. If only you knew.
I check the time. “I’m meeting the guys in Happy Springs. We’re going down to Portland. I’ll be back around one, maybe two in the morning.”
“No!” Vance’s voice booms throughout the kitchen.
Everyone jumps. I give him a lazy glance. “Come on, Dad. I promise not to break curfew.”
“He’s right, kid,” Pierce, who always has to follow the fucking rules, sides with him.
These assholes are so fucking predictable. I’m getting bored. I need a challenge.
“Fine,” I groan. “If you can’t trust me, it’s all the same. The music store opens at nine. Maybe I can leave for Portland at seven tomorrow morning if Vance allows it.”
“You’re a fucking pain in the ass!”
I take the warm tortillas out of the oven, plate the meat on a platter, and put everything on the table.
“Ready. Make sure to go easy on the tomatillo salsa. It’s hot. The red one is mild. The guacamole doesn’t have any jalapeno. We don’t want Blaire to have acid reflux.”
“Have I ever told you that you’re my favorite, kid?” She kisses my cheek.
I grin and wave at them. When I reach the door, Hayes asks, “Aren’t you going to have dinner with us?”
I shake my head. “Nope, I’m going to have dinner with the guys. I’ll be back within an hour or so.”
It doesn’t take me long to drive to the cabin I own. It’s between Happy Springs and Baker’s Creek, near the river. The guys are already there waiting for me. I exchange cars. One of the rookies from The Organization is with them—the decoy we use so no one notices my absence. He’s about my height. Slightly skinnier, but he can pass as me. No one has noticed my absence while I’m in Seattle. We have a routine that’s worked so far.
The timing on when to leave the mansion tomorrow morning is key. Pierce and Leyla wake up early to feed the animals. Aren’t I lucky that the guys are trained to be invisible?
Tomorrow, one of my brothers will be pissed that I didn’t sleep in the house. They’ll bitch that I’m putting everyone in jeopardy. I’ll argue that they are wrong. They have no proof. It’s my word against theirs.
See, Dad. You can’t dictate my life. You lost the right when you abandoned me.
Chapter Nine
Grace
My phone rings just as I’m about to leave the house. It’s Beacon.
“Yeah?” I answer, closing my eyes and waiting for him to psych me about tonight.
I’m still unsure what’s happening. Either I have a blind date, surveillance, or…God knows what my brother planned.
Seth said, “Dress nicely. Imagine the most romantic date of your life. Just make sure to leave your knives behind.”
He didn’t let me ask for any more information. It’s not a surprise party because there’s a family reunion at my parents’ tomorrow. Everyone I know is going to be there.
“Ready for tonight?”
“Yep.” That word doesn’t even make sense. I could say yes or no. Som
ething more specific, but I don’t want to say anything out loud. I am tired of the nonsense. I should get a break since tomorrow is my birthday.
“You don’t sound excited.”
“I’m skeptical,” I respond. “Seth was too cagey about it. He might just be playing some stupid prank—or giving me the blind date from hell.”
Beac snorts.
“Do you know what’s happening?”
“I have an idea,” he responds. “Are you ready?”
Before I have time to answer, there’s a knock coming from the backyard’s glass door. When I turn around, I see Beacon on the other side with a big grin. When I slide the door open, I jump into his arms.
“It’s you.”
“Happy Birthday!”
“You’re here.” I hug him tight because I was already dreading my birthday without him.
Plus, it’s been a couple of weeks since the last time I saw him. I’m helping Seth with the Bryant case in Denver. I don’t have much time to fly to Seattle—much less to go to Baker’s Creek to visit Beacon.
“I wouldn’t miss your big day,” he assures me. Before I can remind him that my birthday is tomorrow, he says, “You have me up until tomorrow at three when Seth has to fly me back to Portland.”
When I look toward his backyard, I realize the deck is illuminated. The patio table is set too. There are streamers, a banner that says Happy Birthday, and balloons.
“How did you manage all that?”
“Your brothers,” he answers. “I’m cashing in all the favors they owe me. See, I told you it was a good investment.”
I roll my eyes because only Beacon can think that spoiling my brothers and driving them to places when they were young was a long-term investment. An investment that is finally paying off. If this man ever has children, he’s going to do the same with them and then say that mowing the lawn is payback for changing their diapers.
“You promised you wouldn’t skip town again,” I remind him as we walk toward his house.
“No, I said I would only do it if it’s necessary. It’s your birthday. I never miss it.”
He never does. Even when either one of us is out of the country, he comes to me. He should give a lesson or two on how to be swoony to the guys I date. If it weren’t because he doesn’t believe in relationships, he’d make an amazing boyfriend and husband.
Also, an amazing dad.
He’s great with Arden, his nephew. When I get to babysit Mae, my niece, he treats her like a princess.
Perhaps, during this period where he has to interact with his brothers, he can open up to the possibilities of having his own family. He’s always wanted one. Here’s his chance.
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful,” I say. “But you broke your promise.”
“Nope. You said, ‘Promise me you won’t be escaping just to fuck with your brothers,’” he responds as we walk toward his backyard. “First of all, I didn’t escape. I left. Second, I didn’t do it to fuck with them. It’s your birthday. The most important day of the year. Third, I never agreed to it.”
Instead of getting upset at him, I hug him because he came on my birthday. Ever since I can remember, he’s made it special. I feel selfish because if he gets caught, things will end up ugly for so many people. I also trust him that he’s careful.
“You should visit me this weekend,” he mumbles. “I fucking miss you.”
I release him and give him a sad smile. “Sorry, I have to be at work on Monday. Pierce’s mom hated that I had to take a couple of days off because my family needed me.”
This is the first time I’ve done undercover work that has lasted more than a weekend. I’m the assistant for Sarah Bryant, one of the senior partners at the law firm and Pierce Aldridge’s mother.
The investigation is easy to deal with. It’s my boss who I can’t stand. I want to tie her to a chair and teach her how to be a kind human being. It’s not hard. She should give it a try.
“I hate that woman,” he complains, pulling out a chair so I’ll take a seat.
“Join the club.”
“I wish you had been in town with us. I made a taco bar for the fam.”
“You made me tacos?” He’s a great cook. Mom taught us well, but this man has some special gift that makes everything he prepares delicious.
“No, I went for tuna steaks,” he says, heading to the grill. “Easier, faster, and leaves room for dessert.”
“You spoil me.” I don’t sound grateful, though, more like bitter.
I should be elated that I have the most wonderful friend in the world. I am thankful for him. Seriously, some days I wonder how my life would look without him, and it is dull. We could say I’m the music. He’s the rhythm of how the melody is played. We complement each other so well.
When I date other men, my expectations are set too high. If a friend can do all this fantastic stuff for me, why can’t they?
“I could stop,” he suggests while setting the plates on the table. “Rare like the lady loves them. The salad is just arugula, cucumber, tomato, and a drizzle of olive oil with lemon.”
“Would you stop?”
He shakes his head and smirks. “Tell me about your day.”
I grimace. “It could’ve been better. I don’t want to talk about work. This case is making me confirm that I was never going to be able to work a nine-to-five job. If I decide to retire, I’ll go back to school and get a teaching degree so I can work for Mom.”
Mom owns an arts academy and a private school. Sometimes, I substitute for the preschool and kindergarten teachers. I’d give anything to be doing that instead of having to play assistant for one of Beelzebub’s mistresses.
“By the way, did your mom call?”
He rubs his earlobe and sighs. “How did you know she’s looking for me?”
“My uncle phoned to give me a heads-up,” I answer. Uncle Jacob is his agent. His office gets a lot of calls and mail from Too Far from Grace’s fans. Other times, he receives calls from Beac’s mother.
He rolls his eyes. “There’s nothing the Deckers can’t keep to themselves, is there?” He shakes his head. “I didn’t want to tell you because it’s stupid, and you’re going to worry.”
“I am worried.” And angry, I don’t say.
Beacon sets his jaw. “She’s planning on writing a tell-all and wants to include me. I assume it’s to get some attention. I think she’s trying to use William’s death. I wonder if Pierce can figure out if there’s an NDA or something that would’ve stopped her from talking before.”
It’s crossed my mind to pay her a visit and demand that she leave Beacon alone. Before his father died, it was all about singing together to revive her career. I didn’t like that, but an autobiography, that’s extra fucked up.
“You can stop her, can’t you?”
“It’s your birthday, G,” he changes the conversation. “We’re supposed to party. Twenty-eight. Isn’t it scary that we’re close to thirty?”
“You would know,” I taunt him. I still have two years to go. His birthday isn’t until March of next year, though. And I love to give him a hard time. “You’re becoming an old man. Time to settle down.”
“Talking about settling, how’s the search for the one going?”
“Since I was visiting you often during the summer, I stopped. Maybe I’ll try to date during my assignment. Which will be weird because I’d have to use my fake identity.”
As we eat, I tell him about the place where I’m staying in Denver. It belongs to my cousin Tucker. He lived there for a few years and kept the place. I don’t tell him that I miss this—being able to fly wherever he’s at or having him drop by wherever I am at and hang out with him for a few days. If I do, he might just leave Baker’s Creek and say fuck it all.
When he brings the special cheesecake he made for me, he lights a candle.
“Make a wish,” he says.
“You make it for me.”
“It’s your birthday,” he reminds me.
<
br /> “You gave me your wish on your birthday. This one is yours,” I insist.
The light of the candle illuminates his eyes. The effect makes them look strange. There seems to be a hunger inside—a fire burning. I shiver, imagining that maybe it’s for me, but shake the desire away. We’re friends. The best kind. This is our future together, and I’m happy with it.
I am, right?
Chapter Ten
Grace
“Tonight it’s just you and me, buddy,” I tell Mozart.
I should be at my grandparents’ house. The annual New Year’s Eve party started about an hour ago. All my family is there—including Mom and Dad. Being part of the Decker family has benefits. It also has obligations, like being at every family reunion. Today, I’m going to have to skip the festivities.
My grandparents aren’t going to be thrilled. Sorry, but I’m not in a mood to be chiming in the New Year when this one sucked so much. It’s going to be a lot of work to stamp a smile on my face while everyone else is genuinely happy. I wish I could be, but Beacon isn’t here. Richardson, the guy I dated up until yesterday, isn’t coming. There’s no one I can kiss or hug while ringing in the New Year.
This is one of those days where I wish Beacon wasn’t in Baker’s Creek. We have a routine. We spend the evening at my grandparents, leaving before midnight to receive the New Year at home. He gives me a lucky hug and leaves so he can be alone for an entire day in his house.
I hoped Richardson would be a good replacement, but no. He chose Stella instead of me.
Who is Stella? It seems as if he has not one, but five friends like me. Not exactly like me. According to him (please add a drum roll sound for effect), they aren’t uptight. The one time I don’t ask the guy what is wrong with me, he gives me a complete summary of why we’re not right for each other.
His explanation included the fact that he doesn’t believe in monogamy. A woman like me wouldn’t accept him. He didn’t even ask if I’d be okay with it. He just assumed. The rest, well, it’s all me. I’m frigid, afraid of intimacy, and I don’t even understand the point of dirty talk.
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