by Angela Ruth
“Nice to see you too, Jor-El.”
“Um, good morning, Tracen.” Jor-El scanned the empty eating area. “Emily called last night to tell me that she’s given my name to security so I can watch her film anytime. When does filming start? I want to see her flip out of the raft.”
Emily had called Jor-El already? Tracen had only given her the kid’s phone number the night before. She sure was sweet. “They’ve already begun filming today, though I don’t know if you’re going to want to watch. It’s a kissing scene.”
“Oh.” Jor-El deflated like a flat tire. Was kissing still yucky when you were twelve? “You’re not going to watch?”
Tracen wondered how much the kid knew about his feelings. He thought he’d been doing a pretty good job of hiding them, but Honey had seen right through him. “They only need me for rafting scenes. I was thinking about going for a run.”
Jor-El pulled some change out of his pocket and counted. Not quite enough for breakfast. “I guess I’ll go home,” he muttered.
Tracen stood and walked with him to the door. A thought struck him. “You brought your unicycle?”
“Yeah. I asked for a bicycle for Christmas last year, but all I got was a winter coat and socks.”
Poor guy. Didn’t his dad send presents? “A unicycle is cool. Why don’t you ride along while I run? Then I’ll buy you breakfast.”
Jor-El had talent. Underneath the rolls that hid his waist, the kid must possess some awesome core muscles to stay so balanced. Tracen jogged along the pathway that lined the main highway, passing a couple on roller skis. And Jor-El literally rode circles around them all.
They headed back toward The Point when the sun reached the spot in the horizon where it blinded anyone not turned away from it. Tracen got tired of the sneezing fits.
“Bless you,” Jor-El called for what must have been the nineteenth time.
“Thanks,” Tracen mumbled again, pulling his T-shirt up over his face to wipe his forehead. Yeesh, he smelled like a locker room.
On rubbery legs, he led Jor-El through the dining room. He grabbed sunglasses from his office, then claimed a table on the patio so Gigi wouldn’t scold him about his hygiene scaring off her customers. He could shower after he fed the kid.
Tracen tossed a menu across the picnic table. “What do you want, buddy?”
Jor-El’s eyes lit up the way they had when Emily invited him to lunch on the first day he met her. The thought drew Tracen’s gaze down to the river. The filming continued, but he couldn’t see the actress he was looking for. Where was she?
“I’ll have the Belgian waffle. With a side of sausage. And maybe some scrambled eggs. I wonder when the next Wonder Woman movie will come out.”
Tracen frowned and scanned the menu prices, totaling up Jor-El’s breakfast before Jor-El’s last sentence penetrated his mind. He looked up. “A sequel to Wonder Woman?”
“Yeah. I read about it online yesterday. Though I know they haven’t started filming yet because Emily is still up here. But I hope it doesn’t take too long.”
“Wonder Woman II?” Tracen repeated. Emily hadn’t mentioned it. “There must be a different actress playing the part.” That’s the only thing that made sense. “Emily is planning to move back to Idaho and become a P.E. teacher.”
“Emily Van Arsdale is going to teach a gym class?” Jor-El asked in disbelief. But he didn’t wait for an answer. “That’s so cool. Maybe she could be my teacher and would actually give me a passing grade.”
Tracen held back a chuckle. He wondered what the phys. ed. teacher would think of Jor-El’s moves on a unicycle. The kid had coordination, even if he couldn’t climb a rope to the ceiling. “We will see.”
Jor-El leaned forward. “What do you mean we? Is Emily moving here to be with you?”
Oops. Tracen had enough trouble not getting his own hopes up. He didn’t need to have to reel Jor-El back in, as well. “No. She misses her mom, actually.”
Jor-El nodded thoughtfully. “That’s right. I forgot she’s from around here. But I think she likes you too.”
Huh. “What would give you that idea?” Tracen lifted his menu so the kid couldn’t read his expression—his eagerness to hear Jor-El’s answer.
“Oh…” Jor-El paused dramatically, as if telling a secret. “I talked to her last night on the phone. She laughed a lot when I told her about the time you promised your grandma that if she went rafting with you, she would stay dry.”
Not his most impressive moment. Tracen dropped his menu and finished the story for Jor-El. “But then I stayed so close to the bank that when we rounded a bend, an overgrown bush knocked Grandma backwards out of the raft, and all I could see were her feet sticking up out of the water.”
“And she got pneumonia.”
“You didn’t tell Emily that part, did you?”
“I had to. She asked. See, I told you she likes you.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Hopefully the kid also shared the part about how his grandmother laughed at the circumstances and how she begged to go rafting every time she’d visited since.
Gigi appeared then, so Tracen and Jor-El could order. As Gigi’s stick figure strode away in her nursing shoes, Tracen let his eyes wander back toward the river. He could see Emily now, but he wished he couldn’t. Jack had her pressed against a tree. The actor’s head dipped down until there was no space between the two of them. The contents of Tracen’s stomach curdled.
“She’s acting, isn’t she?” Jor-El’s voice sounded young and worried.
Tracen grunted and turned away. Why did he sit on the patio again? “Kissing scene.”
“Have you kissed her yet?”
Tracen’s spine stiffened, and he tried to remain nonchalant. Maybe the kid wasn’t as innocent as he’d thought. He feigned ignorance. “What?”
Jor-El’s eyes bored into him. “Maybe if you kiss her, then she won’t leave. She’ll let another actress play in Wonder Woman II, like you said.”
Tracen chuckled. “That would be some kiss, kid. But don’t worry. She never really wanted to be an actress anyway.”
Jor-El’s shoulders relaxed as he slouched back down into his seat. “That’s good. Because famous people don’t usually stay here for long.”
Tracen wanted to argue, but all he could do was offer an encouraging smile—a sad smile. Unfortunately, the kid wasn’t talking about Serena. He was talking about his dad.
Chapter Thirteen
“They’re here!” Tracen called, looking out the bay window.
The gravel crunching under tires could barely be heard over Toto’s barking. Then another noise joined the symphony. Emily’s phone. She pulled the device from her purse in surprise. She so rarely had the phone charged and with her that she wasn’t used to the old-fashioned ring.
Tracen planted a kiss on her forehead, and all sounds faded away. “Go ahead and answer it. Then tell whoever is calling that you’re spending time with family, and you won’t be available for the rest of the day.”
Emily enjoyed the warmth that spread through her. He was so sweet. Giving, yet protective at the same time. And she liked the sound of his word family. It made her feel like she’d come home.
For privacy, Emily stepped up into the kitchen of the manufactured home from the cozy addition Tracen had built on—she didn’t want to seem rude and full of herself the first time she met Tracen’s brothers. He had four of them. Growing up in the Lake household must have been a blast.
Emily flipped open the phone to hear Bruce’s curt greeting, then his bossy babbling. The man obviously hated holidays, as they kept him from his work.
“Okay, Bruce, okay, okay.”
The back door slammed, and a variety of male voices drew her attention away. “Bruce, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
Bruce kept talking.
“Okay,” she said again. Yes, she would be ready to shoot on time. It wasn’t like she was always late. Well, maybe she had been since she got to Sun Valley. A small smile played on her lips.
Filming seemed so unimportant when Tracen was around.
“All right, Bruce. I’ll be there. I’m turning off my phone now.”
Whew. She held the power button down and listened to see if Tracen had mentioned her yet.
“So,” an unfamiliar voice spoke up, “you’re really helping coordinate the rafting scenes for the movie being filmed here?” The tone sounded just a little cocky. She wondered how the guy’s attitude would change when she walked into the room.
“Yeah.” Emily pictured Tracen leaning against the fireplace mantel with arms crossed. She took a step toward the family room.
A lower voice broke in. “Is that actress Emily Van Arsdale in it?”
That actress? Emily paused and waited for Tracen’s response.
“Yeah,” was all he said, though she could almost hear his smile.
“Have you met her?” A younger voice now.
Emily covered her mouth to hold back a laugh. What would Tracen’s brothers think if they knew that actress was listening to their conversation?
Tracen repeated his standard answer. “Yeah.” Was he waiting for her to make an entrance?
“No way!” That must have been the young brother.
A commanding voice now. “What’s she like in real person?”
Real person. As if actors weren’t real people.
“She’s adorable.”
Ahh. Tracen couldn’t have given a better answer. Later she’d thank him properly for such a compliment. She sneaked toward the doorway. Tracen’s eyes caught hers, and he gave a barely discernible nod. Two of his brothers sat in her line of sight, but they had their backs toward her.
The cocky voice again. “Can you introduce us?”
A snicker came from the back of the room. “You’re engaged, dude.”
The young-sounding voice spoke up again. “I’d like to meet her.”
Tracen’s head tilted toward the ceiling, as if he didn’t want his brothers to see his expression. He looked back down at the brother with a buzz cut. “Sam, I’m so happy to have you back on American soil safe and sound that I would do anything for you.”
Sam’s spine shot up straighter. “You mean you’d introduce me to Emily Van Arsdale? You can do that?”
The other brothers chuckled. One tossed a throw pillow at Tracen.
Tracen smiled at the floor now, scratching the back of his neck. He looked up and shook his head. Then he gazed at Emily, eyes twinkling. That was her cue.
Emily stepped forward, her flip-flops squishing against the laminate hardwood flooring. The faces that swiveled to look at her could have come right out of a comic strip—eyes popping out, chins to the floor, cheeks bright red. She made her way to Tracen and slipped her arm through his.
“Welcome home, Sam.”
Sam laughed in disbelief. He threw the baseball cap he was holding into the air. “No way.”
Tracen slid a solid arm behind Emily’s back, his smile just as warm as his touch. He pulled his gaze away from hers to address his brothers. “I told you I’d introduce you to Emily, but keep in mind that she’s taken.”
“What?”
“You’re kidding.”
“You mean by you?”
Sam leaned forward in his seat, face aglow. “Emily Van Arsdale. Holy buckets! Please tell me you’re not dating my dopey brother. You could do so much better.”
Tracen kicked the hat back at him. “Thanks a lot, Bro.”
Emily squinted as she thought over their short relationship. “Actually…” The room quieted. “I don’t think we are dating. You’ve never asked me out, Tracen.”
Tracen turned to face her, playing along. “I haven’t?”
“No. Howie invited me to go waterskiing. And then I had to bribe you to get you to go to Boise with me. That’s not really dating.” Though the thrill from her non-dates had all exceeded any date she’d ever been on.
“Ooh,” the cocky brother taunted Tracen. Now Emily could see he had spiky hair and a bright blue dress shirt with an expensive-looking striped tie.
“That’s not very romantic, Trace,” the oldest brother reprimanded, reigning from a recliner in the corner. His coloring and gruffness reminded her of Kiefer Sutherland.
“Ask her out, Tracen.” The second brother in line looked to be the smallest and the sweetest.
Sam piped up, sporting a wicked grin. “Or don’t. Then I’d still have a chance.”
Emily laughed at all their support. What had she been worried about? Tracen’s brothers were the kind of family she’d always imagined.
“So, Em?” Tracen spoke as if offhand. “Would you want to go on a date this weekend? Maybe fishing? And then a rodeo? What do you think?”
The guy in the tie grunted with disapproval. Emily bet he’d worked a little harder when winning the heart of his fiancée. That was one of the things she loved about her relationship with Tracen. It wasn’t work.
“I thought you’d never ask.” She beamed.
Tracen made the introductions then. His oldest brother Dave ran a Christian retreat center on the coast with his wife and three kids. The next brother, Matt, the sweet one, worked as a private pilot for a wealthy businessman in Portland, Oregon. He’d flown all the brothers down to Sun Valley, landing on Redfish Lake in his boss’s new pontoon plane. Josh, the slick sibling, was two years younger than Tracen and worked as a sales director in Chicago. Then there was Sam, who was the youngest, the tallest, and now the buffest from his training duties with the military.
Emily shook hands all around. Sam took advantage of being last. He twirled her close and dipped her. “If I’d have known I was going to get this kind of greeting when I returned to the States, I would have come back sooner.”
“You’re cute, Sam, but I think you’re too tall for me.”
Tracen’s laugh sounded louder than the rest. He pulled Emily to her feet and out of Sam’s grip. His eyes twinkled, telling her he was thinking the same thing she was. They’d come a long way since he’d told her she was too short for him—though she still didn’t know what had caused him to avoid her in the first place. He’d practically run away the time she traced the scar on his ribs. And she hadn’t even meant anything by it—just wanted to remember his name.
“Wait a minute.” She stood up straighter, her back to Tracen, though she couldn’t possibly forget he was there with the way his fingertips ran up and down her arms. She pointed from brother to brother as she recited their names. “Dave. Matt. Josh. Sam.” She spun to face the guy she was now dating. “Tracen.”
Tracen shrugged at his brothers, as if trying to explain her actions. “She’s usually bad at names.”
“Only names that are hard to remember,” she retorted. “Like yours. Only yours.” The Sesame Street song “One of These Things Is Not Like the Others” played through her head. “Where did you get your name?”
Dave piped up. “His name was supposed to be Pete.”
Emily’s face split into a smile. “Pete?” He was no Pete.
Josh joined in. “But see, if he’d been a girl, Mom and Dad were going to name him Tracy.”
Emily felt her smile grow wider. She didn’t know if she could trust Josh, but that would be pretty funny if he spoke the truth. “Seriously?”
Tracen gave a weak nod.
Matt finished the story. “Mom got tired of waiting for a daughter, so when Dad left the room she wrote the name Tracen on his birth certificate.”
Emily guffawed. Who would do that? She wanted to dig deeper, but Tracen had his head bent low, so she encouraged him the way she had Jor-El. “Well, I like Tracen. It’s a unique name.” She added a little more softly, “And it goes with the scar.”
Tracen’s fingers intertwined with hers, as if he were remembering the first time she’d touched him. “I’m glad you like the name Tracen,” he said, his eyes finding hers. “But I think it’s more important that you like the name Lake.”
The bubble of excitement that rose within made Emily feel lighter than air�
��like a helium balloon. She did like the name Lake. She tested it out further. Emily Lake. She liked the sound of that too. Was she getting ahead of herself? Moving too fast?
A throat cleared in the silence that surrounded them, reminding Emily that they weren’t alone. “So, Tracen, are you still planning on staying in Sun Valley?”
Tracen’s head jerked up, their connection cut off. The glare he sent his brother Matt made her wonder what else she didn’t know about Tracen Lake. “Of course.” The tension in his voice drained away as he continued, and Emily wondered if it was all in her imagination. “I just got the blueprints for my cabin. I’ll start building it as soon as the filming of Emily’s movie ends. In fact, it’s her movie that’s paying for my down payment.”
Emily tilted her head. Tracen was building a cabin? She wanted to ask more, but not in front of his brothers. Not when everybody else already knew what he was talking about.
“Are the blueprints here?” Dave asked. “Can we see them?”
“Yeah.” Tracen pointed toward the kitchen. “They’re on the dining room table. I knew you guys would want to look ’em over. I’ve got a wraparound porch. And dormer windows. The garage will only be attached by a covered walkway.”
The men filed out of the room. Emily trailed after Tracen, but as soon as his brothers were out of sight, he turned back and bent low to kiss her. Contentment hummed through her core. She couldn’t get enough of this man, and apparently he felt the same way. Wrapping both arms behind his neck, she invited him closer, but before his lips reached hers, Josh walked back in. Tracen slid away.
“Can I grab something to drink? You got soda in the fridge?”
“Sure. Yeah. Go.” Tracen waved him away.
Josh sent her one of his arrogant smiles before disappearing back into the kitchen.
Tracen didn’t seem to mind the fact that they’d almost gotten caught. He locked his arms behind her back and drew her to him once again. She loved the fact that as much as Tracen missed his brothers, he still wanted to make time for her.
“You’re building a cabin?” She spoke quietly, intimately.