by Laura Pavlov
“Monica. Hello. So sorry about that.” I waved my hand in front of me as I turned to face her. “I was just giving something to Harrison, and I tripped. And then he tripped. And, well, yeah. We both tripped.”
“You certainly did.” She smiled and patted my shoulder. “Did you give it to him?”
I bit down on my bottom lip and tried not to laugh.
“Oh, she gave it to me, Mother. And boy, am I glad she did,” Harrison said.
“I can see that, sweetheart. Okay, well, I was just coming to see if you’d both like to have dinner with me tonight?”
“I would love to,” I answered quickly because I needed this conversation to end before I exploded.
“Great. I’ll see you around six tonight.”
“Count on it,” Harrison said as she walked to the door.
“Oh, I will.” Monica had a huge grin on her face as she waltzed out to the hallway.
“Please make it stop,” I mumbled, covering my face with my hands.
“Please don’t ever let it stop,” he said, and the heat in his gaze had me flushing all over again.
“Let’s start over. What did you want to discuss with me regarding the party?” I kept my voice low just in case Monica was close by.
Harrison leaned in and handed me a few pieces of paper. They were bids from different venues in the area. I looked each one over and nodded.
“So, I had another thought. These will work if you want to go this way. But your mom is all about family.”
“Right,” he said, watching me with a look of confusion.
“I just think these venues won’t be very personal. We’ll have to use their food and beverage, and we’ll have restrictions on head count and time frames. This is her fiftieth. She’s been through a lot. I say we hit it out of the park with lots of personal details. All Montgomery wines. We can order all the pastries from Harley. Get the food catered from her favorite restaurant. Have as many people as we want and bring in all the personal touches.”
“I like the sound of that. But we can’t have it here without her knowing.” He raised a brow in question.
“Your property sits on an acre. It’s the same backdrop as the winery because it’s close enough. We can tent it off, bring in our own restrooms, dance floor, the whole nine yards. In the most beautiful setting.”
He leaned back in his seat. “I like it. Let’s do it. It’s much more her style.”
“It’ll be a bit more work for us to get it all set up, but I really believe it will be better in the long run. Not so cookie cutter.”
“I like that. You sure you can handle pulling that off in six weeks?”
“Are you doubting me, Montgomery?”
“Never,” he said, with a smile. “But you know this means we’ll be spending a lot of time together at my house.”
I laughed. “We’re taking it slow. I can handle myself, can you?”
“Weren’t you the one who just came over here all hot and heavy?” he teased.
I covered my face with both hands and moaned. “It takes two to tango.”
“Damn straight. I can’t wait to tango again.”
I pushed to my feet and shook my head. “I’m going to get to work on this. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”
“Hey, Laney,” he called after me when I hit the doorway and I turned to face him.
“Yeah?”
“I always need you.”
Lord, give me strength.
Because I’m in deep trouble.
Chapter Sixteen
Harrison
Laney avoided me the rest of the afternoon and sent me a text saying she needed to run home and she’d meet me at my mom’s for dinner. I knew she was freaking out about what happened between us in my office. I wasn’t. I was just hoping it would happen again soon.
Lorena was busy in the kitchen when I walked in, and my mother was placing fresh roses from her garden in a vase.
“Hey,” I said, reaching for a few grapes out of the bowl on the counter.
“Hi, sweetheart. Jack’s on his way. Where’s Laney?”
“She ran home to check on her mother. She’s on her way.”
“You two seem to be getting on well.” Her cheeks pinked, and I knew she was embarrassed that she’d walked in on us earlier.
“We’re taking it slow,” I said, and Mom and Lorena shared a look. Nosy little birds. Thankfully, the doorbell rang, so I escaped the slew of questions that were sure to follow.
I needed a minute with Laney alone before my mother and brother started getting in our business. I opened the door and reached for her hand and hustled her down the hallway to the bathroom.
“Well, hello to you too,” she whisper-shouted.
I pulled her into the restroom and shut the door. “It was a kiss, Laney. Don’t blow it up and overthink it.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. “What makes you think I’m overthinking it?”
“Because I know you. And you avoided me all afternoon.”
“You do know that I actually have a job to do. I’m not just at the winery to have make-out sessions with you.”
I moved closer, invading her space as she backed up against the sink and dropped her purse and cardigan on the counter.
“You sure about that?” I asked, getting lost in her lavender scent.
She put a hand on my chest and licked her lips. “Yep.”
Our mouths were so close, my lips grazed hers as I spoke. “Glad you finally took that sweater off.” I traced over the spaghetti strap of her dress with my finger, and goose bumps covered her skin.
“Well, it’s definitely hot in here.” Her little breaths were the only audible sound.
“It sure is.” My mouth covered hers and I lifted her off the ground, setting her ass on the counter. I moved between her legs and her fingers tangled in my hair.
Our tongues dueled for control and I pushed one strap down on her dress and started on the next. She moaned into my mouth, and it nearly undid me.
“Harrison,” the word came out breathy and full of need.
The door burst open, and Laney and I fumbled to right ourselves.
Fucking Jack. He came in and closed the door behind him.
“Hey, kids. What’s going on in here?” He laughed, biting into an apple. “Laney Mae, your nip’s out. I mean, I’m fine with it, but I figured you wouldn’t be.”
“Dude, get out of here,” I hissed.
Laney yanked her strap up, fixed her dress, and moved to her feet. “These are the times I really hate you, Jack-ass.”
“What? Lorena said you two snuck off to the bathroom, and I assumed it was to discuss the surprise party. I’m definitely out of the loop on what’s happening here, but I’m not upset about it at all. This is good stuff.”
“Out.” I pointed at the door.
He dropped the apple core in the trash and reached for the door. “Should I leave this open? Doesn’t appear you two can be trusted behind closed doors.”
“We’re coming with you.” Laney laughed and tugged at my hand before leaning close to my ear. “Behave yourself.”
“That was all you,” I said, following her out to the dining room.
“Ah, good, you’re all here. Dinner’s ready.” Mom took the seat at the head of the table, and Jack sat across from Laney and me.
“This looks amazing, Monica. Thanks for inviting me.”
“Are you kidding? I’m thrilled to have you back in town, even if just for a short time.”
I tensed beside her at my mother’s words. Would Laney still go back to Chicago? We hadn’t talked about anything yet. Hell, we weren’t anything yet. But I was damn sure going to do my best to change that.
Laney slipped her cardigan over her shoulders and nodded.
; “Are you cold, Laney Mae? It is a little nippy in here,” Jack said with a smirk. He loved giving her shit.
Laney coughed, and my mom pushed to her feet. “Oh, is it cold in here? I’m so sorry.”
“No, no, it’s not cold at all. I’m totally fine.” She glared at Jack as my mother moved across the room to adjust the thermostat. Laney looked down to make sure her dress was in place and I tried not to laugh.
Jack beamed and I shot him a warning look. He was enjoying himself.
“So, are you still playing tennis?” Mom asked Laney, as she passed the salad around the table.
“No, I haven’t played in a long time.”
“Well, you two were always so good together. You should get the rackets out, Harrison.”
I glanced at Laney. “Yeah, we haven’t played in a while.”
“And, you have those blue balls you could use.” Jack leaned back in his chair and tried to cover his dumbass grin.
Laney full-on choked now, and I patted her back as she coughed it out.
“You okay?” Mom asked with concern, handing the roasted potatoes to Jack.
“Yes, just went down the wrong pipe.” She shrugged, trying to cover her smile as she glanced at my brother.
“So, I just read an article about this. There is a reason that they use the yellow balls in tennis. It’s all about the visibility. Apparently, they used to use white balls, but they were more difficult to see. I haven’t heard of using blue balls. Is that a new thing?”
I set my fork down and tried hard not to laugh. Laney’s hand found mine beneath the table and she squeezed it. I knew she was trying to contain herself as well.
“Oh no. It’s not new at all. Har-bear’s had the blue balls for years,” my brother said.
“Really. Have you used them, Laney?”
Laney set her wine glass down, and her eyes were trained on her plate. “Nope. I haven’t tried those yet.”
“Oh, I thought you gave him the blue balls.” Jack raised a brow at Laney and her cheeks flushed pink.
“Well, the yellow ones have been working for as long as I’ve been around. I don’t think I’d switch it up, sweetheart,” Mom said, reaching for the bottle of wine to refill her glass.
Classical music piped in softly around us, and Lorena came out to let us know she was getting dessert ready. It was time to mess with my brother a little bit. He was begging for it.
“You know who I ran into the other day?” I said.
“Who?” Mom asked.
“Bobby Carpenter.” My gaze locked with Jack’s and I fought back laughter. He hated the guy.
“Boogie Bob,” Laney and Jack said in unison. They both had issues with Bobby. This would be fun.
“Why does he have that name again?” my mother asked, trying hard to keep up.
“Laney gave him that name,” I said, shaking my head.
“He was always digging for gold, if you know what I mean?” Laney said. “He sat beside me in third grade and he was really going for it one day and he turned and wiped his boogie on my notebook. It was one of those cute ones with the horses on the cover. He literally wiped his boogie on my book.”
The table erupted in laughter.
“You had a problem with him too, didn’t you, Jack?” Mom asked once she pulled herself together.
“Funny you should mention it. Brother dearest here is quite familiar that Boogie Bob is a trigger for me.” He wiped his mouth and dropped his napkin on the table.
“He did ask how you were doing when I saw him. He just bought his family home from his parents. They moved to Arizona to retire. He’s living up the road, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of him.” I raised a brow and tried to cover my smirk.
“I can’t stand that guy,” Jack hissed. “He’s the one who stole my underpants freshman year.”
More laughter came from the table.
“Oh yes. I had to come to the school to pick you up. Why did he do that again?” Mom asked.
I glanced over at Laney, and her eyes danced with mischief. She loved this story and she adored my brother. My chest squeezed with something. Nostalgia, maybe? Hope?
“Coach decided to make me the starting QB my freshman year, and Boogie Bob was a junior. He’d been starting the two years before and he was pissed. Hell, I get it. It sucks. But that’s football. The little punk stole my drawers when I was in the shower.”
“There was also the issue with his sister, right?” Laney prodded, biting down hard on her bottom lip as a grin spread across her face.
“Ah, yes, thank you for the reminder, Laney Mae. His sister, Little Boogie was a pistol. That chick had a serious Jack attack. She climbed me like some sort of spider monkey under the bleachers. I rejected her, and she got pissed. You know I don’t like when ladies get too aggressive, Mom. Nothing worse than feeling violated.”
Mom rolled her eyes and shook her head, but her smile was impossible to miss. “So, he got mad at you about his sister and you taking his spot on the team and that’s why he stole your underwear? That’s not very mature.”
“You’re right about that. So, the family jewels were just—out there.” He motioned with his hands out to the sides. “And rubbing up against my jeans was not tolerable. So, I went to my brother for help. And he turned his back on me.” Jack shook his head.
“You barreled into my science class telling me you were in pain. Walking like you were carrying a load. I told you to go to the nurse.” I couldn’t take it any longer and I burst out in laughter, and Laney and Mom fell over the table doing the same.
“It’s called chafing, Har-bear. Have you ever chafed your balls, brother? It’s not pretty.”
“Well, you always were the one with the most sensitive skin,” Mom said, trying to rescue the big baby. “And you sure did love Nurse Pathi. But I remember you weren’t happy with her that day.”
“Yeah, you were always going to her for everything,” Laney said, shaking her head. She looked fucking beautiful too. Sitting here beside me.
Jack closed his eyes as if the memory was too painful for him. “Yes, Laney Mae. Usually Nurse Pathi would let me lie down and tell her my woes when I needed an escape from math class. But that day was different. I told her I had some discomfort downstairs. She had that fancy ice machine in her office, and she grabbed a bag and filled that motherfucker to the top. She dropped it on my crotch, applying pressure, while she made small talk with her assistant. Four fucking minutes she made me ice my balls. You know how I know?”
We were all on the verge of losing it, and Laney was the one who got out the one word he was waiting for while trying to contain her laughter. “How?”
“Because I counted to sixty. Four fucking times. While Nurse Pathi nearly froze my oversized di—um, sea monster right off my body.”
That was it. My hand came down on the table and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Hysterical laughter filled the room, and even Jack finally joined in. And damn if it didn’t feel good to laugh like this again. Laney had brought her light back into our house. Reminding us of happier times before Dad passed away.
“I remember Dad going up to your room and sitting on the bed, all serious. You were convinced your manhood had been damaged for life.” Mom swiped at the tears that were streaming down her face. Happy tears. I studied her, seeing the lines around her eyes that had formed as she grieved for our father these past few years.
“You may want to earmuff what I’m about to say, Mom.” Jack held his two hands over his ears, showing our mother how to protect herself from his words.
She smiled. “I’m all right. I’ve raised three boys. Nothing shocks me anymore.”
“Well, let’s just say my sea monster recovered quickly. But even thinking back to that day makes us both want to shrivel up and die. No pun intended.”
I shook my head as everyone continued to chu
ckle at his antics. Laney glanced over at me and smiled, and I fought the urge to pull her onto my lap and kiss her senseless. She was what was missing in my life. This girl. She filled a void no one else ever could.
“Sounds like we’re having some fun out here,” Lorena said, carrying out a tray of chocolate eclairs.
Jack howled. “They’re boobiful, aren’t they, Laney Mae? Excuse me, I mean beautiful.”
Her head fell back, and I knew she was enjoying his banter. She looked—lighter.
Happy.
“You sure are on one tonight, Jackie boy.” Mom passed the tray of pastries to my brother.
“Always. Did you say Boogie Bob bought his parents’ home?” my brother asked.
“Yeah. I’m sure we’ll be seeing lots of him, so you might want to give your sea monster a heads-up.” I was enjoying this. Nothing better than torturing my little brother.
He nodded. “What’s that you used to say when someone pissed us off, Laney Mae?”
“Payback’s a—” She glanced at my mom. “Biotch?”
“You can say bitch, sweetie. I raised this one.” Mom thrusted her thumb at Jack. “I can take it.”
More laughter.
More smiles.
More Laney.
“I don’t think we ever paid ole Boogie Bob back properly. I mean, you had to throw out the horsey notebook and I was tortured slowly by the little prick.”
“I think you’re right about that,” Laney said, a mischievous grin spread across her face.
“Doesn’t sound like his daddy’s home anymore.” Jack raised his hand and pretended to be dinging a bell. “Ding, ding, ding.”
It was code for ding-dong-ditching. Also known as Laney Mae Landers’ favorite thing to do. The girl would get us all on board, even Ford joined in a few times back in the day.
She nodded and shrugged. “I haven’t done that in a long time.”
“You aren’t going to ring on that poor guy’s door and run, are you?” Mom asked with disbelief.
“He chafed my balls, Mother. He has it coming. You’re not a chicken are you, Laney Mae?”
She looked over at me and smiled. “Never. But Harrison’s going to have to give me a piggyback ride through the vineyard because I’m wearing wedges.”