by Amy DeLuca
“Thank you. And thank you for taking me,” Kristal said as she stepped out of the car and walked toward the house with him. “I know you were busy, and it was a lot to ask.”
He shook his head. “No problem. You were right. I needed a break. To be honest, I think we’re all going a little stir-crazy. It’s been over a year of non-stop fifteen-hour workdays for all of us.”
“No wonder you’ve made such a success of your company. You drive yourself—and everyone else—so hard.”
He gave her a sardonic look. “Are you saying I’m a slave driver?”
“I’m saying I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who expects so much of himself and has such ambition—for success, power, respect—except for maybe my father.”
His brows lowered. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“No, not really. It’s just… well, he missed out on a lot of good things in life. And the doctors said stress contributed to his health crisis and premature death.”
Hunter stopped at the front door, his hand on the doorknob. He turned to her. “If I didn’t know any better… I’d say you were worried about me.”
Kristal’s tone didn’t match his facetious one. Instead, she sounded completely sincere. Her big green eyes seemed to penetrate down to his soul. “I do worry, Hunter. I care about you.”
For a second, he couldn’t breathe. What was going on here? And why hadn’t they started this conversation a little earlier before reaching the front door?
“Well… you don’t need to worry,” he said cautiously. “I’ve got everything under control.”
A crashing noise from within the house made Hunter turn the knob, and they walked in to find pure chaos. Reid was on a rampage, red-faced and shouting at Hap.
“You said you were going to get a different cast! Now the network wants to keep going with us in the show? There’s no way. I’m a programmer, not a trained monkey.
“I’ll move out. I’ll quit,” Reid threatened. “I should be spending more time at my own company headquarters anyway. And my apartment in Providence is looking real attractive right about now. Did you know someone spilled coffee on my laptop this morning?”
“I told you I’d pay for it. Please. It’s just a couple more weeks till filming is done,” Hap pleaded. “We’re screwed if you leave and we have to start all over or try to edit in some other dude as a replacement. Come on, man.”
Being the peacemaker that she was and never having witnessed Reid in this state, Kristal walked right up to him, getting way too close to his impassioned hand gestures for Hunter’s comfort. He followed closely behind her.
She put a hand on Reid’s arm. Without turning to see who had touched him, he jerked his arm away, knocking Kristal’s hand aside, which caused her to stagger back from the unexpected force.
Instinctively, Hunter moved forward, his hackles rising.
Reid spun around, spotting Kristal, and blanched. “Sorry.”
In Hunter’s opinion, he didn’t sound sorry enough. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.
“Reid… just calm down,” Kristal soothed. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” he snarled.
Her tone softened even more, and she moved toward him again, reaching out to touch him like a powerless child trying to comfort an aggressive bear.
“Did you hear from Mara?”
Instead of calming him, the question had the opposite effect on Reid. Anger flashed hotly in his eyes as he stepped back from her touch.
“Of course I didn’t hear from her. Even when I had my PR department send a press release to her TV station and a personal invitation for her to cover my company’s IPO announcement ceremony on Wall Street—which she turned down, via email. I guess she’s too busy covering fender benders and county fairs down there in Po-dunk, Mississippi to come cover news about the fastest-growing social media network in the flippin world.”
The volume of his voice had grown with each successive word, and so had his fiery gesticulations.
Hunter didn’t like Kristal standing so close—not when Reid was clearly distraught over the most recent snub from his long-lost love and behaving like a volatile powder keg. He moved to stand beside her, placing a hand lightly on her back.
She ignored him, keeping her focus on Reid. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I don’t know why she’s acting like this. It doesn’t seem like the Mara I remember from school. All I can think is she must be hurting in her own way.”
Reid’s face deepened in color, and his expression grew stormy. “I’m not hurt. I’m pissed. And you’re no better—moving in here, getting everybody worked up.”
“Hey man,” Hunter said in a warning tone, holding up a hand in an attempt to silence him.
Kristal’s head jerked back in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
Reid went on. “Hap’s always trying to shoot around your schedule. Paul’s pouting twenty-four-seven.” He flipped a hand at Hunter. “You’ve got this guy so twisted up he doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going. Even poor Josh has fallen under your spell. It’s what you women do. How long are you gonna stay around messing with their heads and sponging off the Chipp charity fund anyway?”
Kristal’s gasp was loud in the sudden silence of the room. Even Hap was dumbstruck.
That’s it.
Hunter’s temper flared like a wildfire finding fresh fuel. Moving Kristal behind him, he got in Reid’s face.
“That’s enough. Look, I know the ‘press opportunity’ didn’t turn out the way you wanted. I know you’ve been unhappy these past few years, and we’ve all put up with your bad moods and one-word answers because we’re friends and you’re a programming genius who has been an asset to the company. But Kristal is an invited guest. If you have a problem with that, maybe it is time you moved out.”
Kristal made a distressed noise. “No. I’ll move out. I don’t want to cause problems.”
Hunter turned to her, speaking calmly but firmly. “No. You’re staying—as long as you want to. This isn’t about you—it’s about Reid and his unresolved issues with another girl.”
Other voices came from around the room, supporting the statement and encouraging Kristal to stay.
“Please don’t leave.” Hap clasped his hands dramatically. “I really can’t re-cast two of you.”
Some of the blustery wind left Reid’s sails. “It’s true.” He let out a long breath, and when he continued, he did sound repentant. “It isn’t about you. I just… lost it for a minute there. That had nothing to do with you, Kristal.”
Turning to Hap, he said, “But I do need to be spending more time in Providence. I’ve been doing a lot online and on the phone, but it’s my company—I’ve got to start putting in more face-time.”
Reid held up his hand with two fingers extended. “Two weeks. Okay? Two more weeks… and then I’m out of here.”
Looking around the room at all their housemates, he said, “No offense guys. I love you, but I’m not good company for anybody these days.” Then he turned to Kristal. “I’m sorry. Really. I shouldn’t have said that.”
She nodded, still looking as if she was on the verge of tears. “Okay.”
It definitely wasn’t okay, and Hunter had a lot more to say to his longtime friend about it, but here in front of everyone wasn’t the place. He put a hand on Reid’s shoulder, squeezing hard.
“I was about to grab a drink and sit out on the terrace. Want to join me?”
Reid met his eyes, understanding from his look and tone it wasn’t a request but a strong suggestion.
He grimaced. “Sure. Sounds good.”
Hunter shot Kristal a quick glance that held a one-word promise—later—then steered Reid toward the back door where a beverage cooler and some serious straight talk awaited.
Thirteen
Like Siblings
As soon as Reid and Hunter stepped outside, the entire room seemed to sigh in relief.
Kristal looked around, feeling mo
re awkward and uneasy than she had on her first day there.
Was there any truth to what Reid had said? Had she caused problems in the house? The thought of it made her stomach cramp.
Smiling as if nothing at all unusual had happened, Josh got up and walked toward her. “There’s pizza in the kitchen if you’re hungry. I’m going back for seconds.”
“More like thirds,” Hap corrected.
“Want me to get you a plate?” Josh asked.
“Oh. No… thanks. I’m just going to heat up a Lean Cuisine and take it upstairs. I need to shower, and then I’m going to turn in early. I have to work the breakfast and lunch shift tomorrow.”
As she moved past him, Hap’s hand tapped Kristal’s arm, stopping her. He spoke in a low voice. “Don’t listen to Reid. He’s a bonehead. Everybody likes having you here—including Hunter.”
She tried to read his loaded, raised-brow expression. “Are you sure?”
“Of course,” Hap said. “You’re like a sister to us all. Sometimes siblings fight, but in the end, you’re still family.”
Kristal nodded and walked away, eager to get her food and retreat to the privacy of her room where she could think. She truly hoped she wasn’t the source of some sort of rift between the guys.
She’d grown to care for all of them. Hunter most of all. The thought that her presence might somehow hinder his new company’s growth or upset his long-standing friendships tore her up inside.
What was it Reid had said? You’ve got him so twisted up he doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going.
What did that even mean? If he was suggesting Hunter was hung up on her, he was dead wrong. Since she’d moved in, Hunter had acted like nothing but a friend.
Or as Hap had suggested, a brother. Ugh.
Even this evening on the romantic private beach when she’d stared up at him in the sunset glow and basically begged him with her eyes to kiss her, he’d done nothing. Felt nothing.
The heated moments they’d shared at the Charity Relief Foundation Ball were clearly a faint memory for him, if he even remembered the incident at all.
Kristal, on the other hand, was tumbling deeper and deeper every day. And when Hunter had gotten in Reid’s face and stood up for her, shielding her with his body and his words? Oh Mama. That had done something to her.
This was bad. Instead of getting less attractive on closer inspection, Hunter had only gotten better. He was smarter, funnier, kinder, and more handsome than she’d even realized. How could a woman not fall in love with him?
In fact, she was falling for all the guys—in a fond, sisterly sort of way when it came to the others.
As an only child, Kristal had always longed for a sibling. Living here, she’d felt a sense of family that had been missing from her life since early childhood.
And that was also bad. Because this was only temporary. She couldn’t let herself forget that.
As much as she might want to at the moment, she couldn’t move out immediately. She wasn’t quite there yet on the necessary funds. But the time was coming, and she needed to prepare herself to see all of them less, perhaps almost never.
A jagged shard of loss scraped Kristal’s heart. When she thought of the possibility of not seeing Hunter every day, the scrape deepened, becoming a gouge, stinging around the edges and aching at the center.
She definitely needed to prepare herself for that separation, because if she didn’t, the wound was likely never to heal.
Climbing into bed, she tried to relax enough to fall asleep, but her mind wouldn’t turn off. So she went with it, letting her thoughts go where they wanted.
Predictably, they turned to Hunter again and again.
She would never get any rest that way, so she worked to shift her thinking. Instead of longing for something that was obviously never going to happen and keeping her focus so pitifully trained on him, she needed to start looking in other directions.
Maybe she would finally accept one of the offers she occasionally got from restaurant customers to go out for coffee or dinner.
Yes, that was it. She needed to start dating.
Kristal’s thinking must have been along the right lines because the next morning it was as if the universe manifested the perfect opportunity and seated him in her section.
Tall, and strawberry blond, the man smiled up at her with a dazzling set of teeth and eyes the color of ripe blueberries.
“Good morning,” she said. “Do you know what you want, or would you like to hear our breakfast specials?”
“I would like to hear about anything you want to tell me.” His flirtation was so straightforward and friendly it was nearly wholesome.
Kristal laughed and recited the chef’s latest breakfast creations, but the guy ordered something basic, scrambled eggs with wheat toast and fruit. They chatted lightly whenever she stopped by his table to check on him, and he wished her a good day when he left.
At lunchtime, she was surprised to see him back again, sitting in the same spot.
“Hello again,” she said. “Can’t get enough of Castle Hill Inn’s fabulous cuisine?”
He grinned. “Or its beautiful employees.” When Kristal gave him a chiding glance, he said, “Seriously. Have you seen the woman at the front desk? Stunning.”
She laughed, thinking of Patricia, who was quite attractive… for a seventy-nine-year-old. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Patricia is taken. She and her husband just celebrated their fiftieth.”
The guy snapped his fingers and screwed up his face in mock disappointment. Then he gave her an appraising glance.
“Maybe you’d be free later then? After your shift. I mean, you’re no Patricia, but I’m in town for a couple of days, and I’d love to see the sights with a local.”
Kristal didn’t answer his question but responded with one of her own. “You look very familiar. Has anyone ever told you that you look like someone famous?”
“I have one of those faces,” he said casually as if he heard it all the time. “So what do you say? If you’re worried about going off alone with a stranger, the manager of this place knows my parents. They own one of the houses along Ocean Avenue. He can vouch for me.”
Kristal narrowed her glance. “I thought you said you wanted to sightsee.”
“I do. My parents may own a house here, but that doesn’t mean they’re in town. It’s one of their properties, and I’m visiting it for them to make sure it’s being taken care of and run well. I’ll be happy to show it to you… but I’d prefer to see your favorite Newport venues. Shall I come back and pick you up when you get off work?”
She would check with her boss to verify the guy’s story, but Kristal got a good feeling from him.
“Sure. I’d love to. It’s been a while since I played tour guide. And you won’t have to come back. I’m off in a half hour. We can just leave together.”
“Great.” He beamed at her. “I look forward to it.”
The guy had paid for breakfast in cash, but he gave her a credit card for lunch. When she took it to the register to ring it through and saw the name on the card, Kristal realized why he looked familiar. She’d seen his face on the nightly news.
Before she could take his slip back out to him, Jana came charging into the back office.
“Did you see who’s out there? Larson Overstreet from WNN. He’s so much taller than he looks on TV. And hotter.”
“Really?” Kristal said blandly. “I hadn’t noticed.”
When her shift ended, she and Larson walked out of the inn together. A familiar black Bentley pulled up in front, and Hunter got out, wearing a determined look.
“You’re a little late for lunch,” Kristal joked to cover the instant attack of nerves brought on by his unexpected appearance. “Robbie might get you a to-go box since you’re his favorite customer.”
Hunter came right to her, appearing not to even notice Larson’s presence or famous face. “I’m not here for lunch. I came to give you a ride home. It’s too
cold out today for your bike, and there’s ice on the roads. It’s not safe.”
“Which is why Tucker gave me a ride to work,” she said sensibly. “But I’m not going home now. I have plans.” Turning to gesture toward Larson, she said, “Hunter Bestia, this is Larson Overstreet. His family has a house here. Have you two met?”
Hunter’s gaze strayed from her face to take in Larson’s svelte six-foot-something frame, well-tailored clothing, and perfectly in-place hair. He frowned but grasped Larson’s hand in a firm handshake.
“No. Good to meet you. Visiting your folks?”
Larson smiled. “Just their beach house. I’m in from Atlanta for the weekend. I recognize you—congratulations on the success of Chipp. So you’re a friend of Kristal’s?”
The frown deepened as Hunter ascertained she and Larson were on a first name basis. He flicked his eyes to her before staring directly into Larson’s.
“We live together,” he said bluntly.
A yelp of a laugh escaped Kristal’s throat. “Along with six other people,” she clarified quickly. “We’re housemates. We’re actually filming a reality show pilot—I’ll tell you all about it in the car.”
Larson arched a tawny brow. “Really? That should be an interesting story. I look forward to hearing it almost as much as I look forward to your tour of Newport’s finest highlights.”
Hunter’s frown morphed into a full-on scowl. “Could I speak to you for a moment, Kristal—privately?”
Touching Larson’s arm, she asked, “Would you mind? I’ll just be a minute.”
He smiled. “Sure. I’ll get the valet to pull the car around. Hunter—good to have met you.”
Hunter gave him a curt nod then pulled Kristal to one side of the inn’s covered porch. “What is this… a date?” He spat out the last word like it was a bite of rancid meat.
“No. He just asked me to show him around town.”
Her answer sounded more defensive than she’d intended. She had every right to spend time with Larson Overstreet or any other man she wanted to see.