by LuAnn McLane
“You look tan, been in the sun?” Jesse asked.
“Some.” He took a sip of his coffee, trying not to fidget. “We do live in Florida, you know.”
“Nope.” Jesse shook his head. “For someone who was supposedly working on details, you seem to have been outside a lot.”
“Working by the pool. You know how water calms me down.”
Jesse snapped his fingers. “That’s it. You look super calm instead of your normal wound-tight-as-a-drum state.”
“I’m not always wound tight as a drum,” Oliver argued, and looked at Jimmy for backup.
Jimmy cradled his coffee cup in his hands. “I have to agree with Jesse that you look pretty laid back. Especially considering what’s coming up in your future.”
Jesse suddenly smacked the granite with the palm of his hand so hard that he winced. “Where is she?”
“Who?” Oliver swallowed hard. It wasn’t like he could keep Belinda his personal secret for too much longer anyway.
“The woman who put a smile on your face.”
“Okay. Belinda Beal is here.”
“Belinda Beal?” Jesse and Jimmy said at the same time.
“Staying in the guest house,” Oliver finally admitted, but held up one hand. “Don’t even start.”
But of course, they did.
“Aw man, this is part of a pretend romance for publicity, isn’t it?” Jesse asked.
“Okay, yeah,” Oliver said. “But only Grady knows she’s here so keep your pie hole shut.”
“Why does Grady know?” Jesse asked, put out.
“I didn’t answer his calls either and Arabella made him jog over here to check up on me. I only told him because he made me.”
“Were you expecting her?” Jimmy asked. “You didn’t mention this part when you told us about the whole solo thing.”
Oliver shifted, crossing one ankle over the other. “Dev dropped the ball with that,” he said, not wanting to let them know that Belinda had showed up on her own. He didn’t know why he felt the need to keep that info to himself, but he somehow wanted to protect her. From what, he wasn’t sure. But still . . .
“So wires got crossed?” Jimmy asked.
“Yeah, but she’s here now, so we’ve been taking our time getting to know each other before going public.”
“Wow, I know you think you want tongues wagging, but it’s gonna suck,” Jesse said. “Are you positive you want to do this?”
“The career or the fake romance?” Oliver asked.
“Both,” Jesse replied.
Oliver couldn’t fool his brothers and he didn’t want to. “You know how hard decisions are for me. But I promised Belinda to do this for her career too, so I’m not gonna back out.”
“Yeah, but how come you’re holed up here instead of getting out in the public eye?” Jimmy asked.
Oliver looked down at his coffee cup, not sure how to answer.
Jesse snapped his fingers. “Ah, I get it. You want Belinda all to yourself.”
“We’re getting to know each other,” Oliver explained. “Dev suggested we hang out while he made up a schedule for us. I haven’t seen Belinda for years.”
“You were hot for her back then,” Jimmy said. “Still hold true?”
“Are you kidding?” Jesse pointed at Oliver. “The answer is written all over his face.”
“Okay, I like her,” Oliver sputtered. “What’s the big deal?”
“Because you don’t like anyone,” Jesse pointed out.
“That’s not true! I’m just a little bit picky about who I hang out with. And I don’t have to be the center of attention like you, Jesse.”
“Guilty,” Jesse admitted, and they all laughed. “Hey, come on, at least throw us a bone.”
“She’s staying in the pool house,” Oliver said, knowing that would cause a stir.
Jimmy raised his eyebrows. “Wow, and you’re particular about who stays there.”
“Yes.” Oliver turned up the heat on the skillet and started the meal prep.
“So when do we get to hang out with her?” Jesse asked.
Oliver shrugged.
“Go get her now,” Jesse pleaded.
“She likes to sleep in,” Oliver said, and could have bitten his tongue.
“Ahh,” Jesse said with a knowing nod. “The pieces of the puzzle are falling together.”
Oliver cracked an egg so hard that the shell crumbled and he had to rinse egg goo off his hand. “There’s no damned puzzle. She’s here to get the publicity started. End of story.” He turned away and picked up another egg.
“Mmmm, no, I don’t think so. It’s the beginning of the story,” Jesse said.
Jimmy, being his usual quiet, observing self, spoke up, “What are you going to do if you fall for her, for real?”
Oliver reluctantly pivoted to face them, his emotions written on his face.
“Oh shit, it’s already happened,” Jesse said.
Denying it wouldn’t have done any good. “Okay, I’ll admit there’s something between us. I mean, there was something there even way back when we were kids.” He shrugged.
“And you like her,” Jimmy said.
“A lot,” Oliver added. “But it would be stupid to take this any further, cuz she’ll be heading off to do her own thing. So I’m gonna keep it real.”
“And how’s that working out for ya so far?” Jesse asked.
“Not well,” Oliver admitted. “And if this conversation goes any further than this kitchen, I’ll kick both of your asses.”
“You know it won’t,” Jesse said, and Jimmy nodded. “That goes without saying.”
Oliver raised his hands upward. “Okay, I’m so fucking into her I can’t even see straight. Leave it to my dumb ass to fall for someone who is guaranteed to leave.” He shook his head. “I mean, you know how careful I am when it comes to letting someone in.”
“We all are,” Jimmy said.
“Jimbo, I fell for her instantly. How messed up is that?”
“It’s not messed up at all,” Jimmy said quietly. “Maybe you should just let down your guard and roll with it. Let the complicated part work itself out later. Have you talked to Grady about any of this? He’s the expert in the love category.” Jimmy pointed a thumb at Jesse. “We’re still single and clueless.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jesse said, and then added, “But yeah, I’m single and pretty clueless.”
“Yeah, I talked to him earlier when he caught me on the beach,” Oliver admitted.
“And?” Jimmy asked.
“He said something kind of along the same lines.”
Jesse turned and gave Jimmy a high five. “Not so clueless after all.”
Oliver rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t go that far.” He didn’t tell them that Grady basically said that if it was love, he shouldn’t let Belinda go.
“So do we get to stay for breakfast?” Jesse asked.
“No!” Oliver pointed an egg at them. “You guys need to hit the road.”
“Not cool, bro,” Jesse said. “You know I can’t cook to save my life. This is just cruel.”
Jimmy clamped Jesse on the shoulder. “Let’s go out for breakfast. Plus, you’ve got a guitar lesson to give in an hour. And I’ve got some songwriting to get done.”
“How’s that going?” Oliver asked as he walked them to the door.
“Well, truth be told, I’m struggling. I have this noisy neighbor with a yappy dog. She’s driving me crazy.”
“Have you spoken to her about it?” Oliver asked.
“Briefly, at the mailbox, while her dog was nipping at my ankles. I was nice about it and it still didn’t go well.”
“Is she hot?” Jesse asked.
“What’s that got to do with it?” Jimmy asked.
“Uh, ev
erything,” Jesse said, and Oliver had to laugh.
“Yeah, she’s hot.”
“Single?”
“Do you want to date my neighbor?” Jimmy asked as they walked out the door. Oliver watched them get into their car and drive away, grinning. They would probably argue over how to handle the hot neighbor all the way to breakfast.
Oliver turned his attention back to whipping the eggs while watching the sizzling sausage. He wished he wasn’t so indecisive and could just make some sort of concrete decision about his current situation. What-ifs and yeah-buts banged around in his head until he stood very still and exhaled an angry sigh.
“Dammit,” Oliver grumbled. He vowed that the next decision he made was going to be written in damned stone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I STARTED A JOKE
Belinda soaked in a hot bubble bath, hoping to ease some of the soreness from her muscles. Two weeks of endless, incredible sex was a better workout than boot camp. She hadn’t felt this relaxed and happy in . . . well, forever? No, make that never. And it pissed her off, because this was coming to an end all too soon, when she dearly wished they could go on like this forever.
But she and Oliver had put off the publicity charade for as long as they could, and now Devin and Julie were on them both constantly First they used her twisted ankle as an excuse. Then Oliver said he was needed at the foundation and had to stay in Sea Breeze. But Dev was turning up the heat, big time. In just a few days they were scheduled to go to Key West and be seen lovey-dovey in all the famous hot spots. Well, her favorite hot spot was in the pool house, right here. Their little cocoon of happiness was going to be shattered very soon.
Belinda told herself that this publicity stunt was what she wanted, needed, to get her career started. Keep your eye on the prize. She closed her eyes and pictured her parents’ farmhouse, the rocking chairs on the back porch. Then she took a mental trip through the backyard, her mother’s garden, the woods where she’d played, and the pond where she’d fished and swum on hot summer days. The beauty of the Smoky Mountains would always be deep inside her soul. And the music. She sighed, remembering singing with her father’s Stone Gap Band at barn dances and weddings. How she missed those days!
Oh, and the farmhouse? Belinda loved it. No, she had to do this for them and for herself too. She could not imagine anyone else living in that house.
And, okay, just maybe this seclusion in this tropical paradise was merely an illusion, and not based in reality. Seriously, how could life be this perfect? A dozen more maybes danced around in her head, nearly bringing her to tears because deep down, she feared she’d already fallen in love with Oliver, or at the very least, was heading in that direction, fast. Her search for flaws had come up empty. Of course, Oliver thought his inability to make decisions was a major flaw, but for someone like Belinda, who jumped in with two feet, the ability to think things through was a precious gift. She smiled, thinking how they balanced each other so well. And damn, they sure knew how to scorch the sheets.
While she’d been out of commission for a while, she’d never experienced anything even close to the passion she shared with Oliver. Not even in the same ballpark . . .
She sat up so quickly that water sloshed over the side of the tub. Love. She really was in love. Not just falling for him. No, she’d never felt like this before. This . . . this was the real deal.
Well . . . fuck.
She’d just created the perfect storm for heartbreak.
Belinda’s heart sank. Truthfully, going back into the music industry and traveling constantly pretty much left no room for romance. Oh, she knew people did it, somehow. But she just could not imagine being away from Oliver for extended periods after their time together here.
And that’s why she needed to end this before spilling her guts to him. He must never know that she loved him. He wanted his solo career and she didn’t want to come between him and his career. They should have stuck to the strictly business thing from the beginning.
Belinda stayed there until the bubbles disappeared and the water started to turn cold. She didn’t want to go to Key West and she didn’t want to sing pop music. She didn’t want cameras following then everywhere, taking away her privacy.
After getting out of the tub, she wrapped herself in a fluffy towel and started brushing her hair, but almost immediately she sat down in the middle of the tile floor.
For a few minutes, she cradled her head in her hands. A single tear escaped the corner of her eye. Belinda gave it an angry swipe and sniffed hard. She tried to swallow the hot ache in her throat, but tears started to flow.
Belinda fought to remain silent, because when she had a full-blown crying jag, it was noisy and peppered with cuss words, and she was quickly heading in that direction. Sometimes she threw things, but since this was Oliver’s house, breaking anything was strictly off-limits. So she just cried. And cried, and cried.
Belinda hated this feeling-sorry-for-herself crap, but she couldn’t pull herself together just yet. She heard her cell phone ping and grabbed it from the counter near the sink. Oliver. Wanting to know when she was heading over to the main house for dinner. “I can’t!” she shouted at the phone, and then cried some more for being angry when he didn’t deserve it.
She inhaled a deep, shuddering breath, knowing she wasn’t going to see him tonight. She just couldn’t. Shouldn’t.
Her phone rang this time and she looked down to see her mother was calling. What? Ugh, the timing couldn’t be worse, but worry trumped her current meltdown, so she picked up. “Mom!” she answered with false bravado.
“Belinda, dear,” her mother said, and if she noticed anything wrong, she didn’t say so. “I have news!”
Belinda sat up straight and dabbed at her face. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Good news?”
“Are you sitting down?”
“Yes,” Belinda said, clutching the phone so tightly she was certain it would shatter.
“Okay, so a while back, we had this guy show up on our doorstep asking if we had any old barns on our property, and of course we do. So your father took him out and showed him, and, Belinda, the wood is worth a fortune! Apparently old barn wood is the thing people want for mantels, beds, flooring, you name it. Who would have thought?”
“What about Dad’s stuff in the barns?”
Her mother groaned. “I’ve got some serious egg on my face.”
Belinda cleared her throat. “Come again?”
“Well, about half the stuff in the three barns is junk.”
“And the other half?”
“Worth a fortune!”
Belinda’s heart picked up speed. Her parents’ view of a fortune could be a couple of thousand dollars. “Can you be more specific?”
“You know how your dad is a Civil War nut?”
“All too well.”
“Some of the stuff he collected is authentic, along with his coin collection.”
“Bottom line me, Mom.”
“With the barn wood and the junk? I think somewhere in the range of four hundred fifty thousand dollars. So we can pay off the fifty thousand we owed the bank.”
“Only fifty thousand? You said you owed a fortune, Mom. And part of it was what you borrowed for me to go to Nashville. I want to pay that off.”
“Now what gave you that idea? Darlin’, we paid off that loan years ago when you tossed money at us like it was nothing. The money we owed was money your father spent buying all that junk, and that was after he bought stuff with the money you gave us.”
“Not junk!” her father shouted in the background. “I told you I knew what I was doin’.”
“I’m not sure he did,” her mother whispered into the phone. “But who cares?”
“Right . . .” Belinda tried to comprehend the enormity of the news, but her mother kept right on talking.
“So
we used the extra four hundred thousand for a down payment on the music theater that went belly up during the recession.”
“What?” Belinda squeaked. “Why?”
“So you can come home and turn it into a country-music mecca. Belinda, everything is building up around Brookside Bend. Restaurants, two new hotels. We’re going to be the new Pigeon Forge someday! And with you at the helm, we can get lots of talent at the theater. And with your permission, we’d love to name it the Belinda Beal Theater.”
“Mom, I was famous for pop music,” she said absently, her blown mind still trying to understand this bombshell. So this was the secret her father had been harboring?
“Pffft. And now you’ll get back to your country-music roots. We’ve got the Stone Gap Band back together. And we’re remodeling the theater to include a dance floor so people can two-step. Isn’t this the best news ever?”
“If this was in the works, why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, even though she’d been harboring a few secrets of her own.
“Because we knew you’d say for us to save the money for our future. Am I right?”
“Well, yeah! Why take a chance with that kind of money?”
“Because I know deep down that you never wanted to sing pop music to begin with.”
Belinda sighed. “Mom, I should have listened to you, Dad, and Gayle. I’m sorry.”
“We were still so proud of your success, but we also figured you did it for the money, and we felt so guilty when you wanted to switch your direction and it ended your career. We should have stood strong to begin with.”
“Oh no, don’t take that blame. That was all on me.” And her guilt was the reason she’d kept her distance from the two people she cared about more than anything.
“But, Belinda, now you can have the best of both worlds. Sing country, bluegrass, and gospel because you’re the boss. Bring in talent and give them your advice. Bring in locals because you are the belle of Brookside Bend. So what do you say?”
“Mom, my head is spinning. This is just . . . crazy.”