“Even sex?”
Ricardo next scooped a fat forkful of huckleberry pie into his mouth, and chewed, looking away as if lost in thought for a minute. Then he nodded. “Yup. Even sex.”
Will’s eyes opened wide. “Seriously, I do not want to know what you just remembered in that twisted mind of yours that involved bacon and sex.”
His buddy held his hands up in surrender. “You asked. I was only telling you.”
“Hey fellas.” Will turned to see Jennifer, a posse of bridesmaids in her wake. “I see you needed a pie fix this morning as well?”
“Yeah, well, nothing says hangover cure better than a slice of Grady’s finest,” Will said as he popped a bite into his mouth.
“Kinda weird alongside eggs, but totally what I need this morning.” She massaged her temples.
Will tried to discreetly look past her to the line at the front of the restaurant to see if Elise was with the group. A few of the women—all blond, naturally—had their backs turned to him and so who knew if one of them was her. It’s not like he’d been studying her in her newly blond state enough to distinguish her. Though he ought to be able to recognize her from behind... He grinned to himself.
“Something funny?” Jennifer said, lifting a brow.
He shook his thoughts out of his head. “Sorry, got distracted for a second there.”
The hostess approached Jennifer. “I’ve got your table all set up in the back if you want to round up your party.”
Jennifer turned around and whistled as though she were calling in a work crew for supper. The whole restaurant stopped and became quiet. Which was right when Elise turned and her eyes locked on Will’s. And her face flushed with embarrassment as he held her gaze, hoping to convey something—he didn’t have any idea what—to her. Just as quickly, the women all organized to follow Jennifer toward their table, and as they swept past his table, he tried to smile at her, but she turned her head away from him as if he didn’t exist.
Well, maybe that little accidental nighttime dalliance only served to make things even harder for him. The good news was Will never met a challenge he didn’t rise to, and now that he’d had a taste of the grown-up version of Elise Jackson, he was more determined than ever to go back for seconds.
Chapter Seven
“So, what was with the intense staring contest going on between you and Will?” Jennifer arched her thumb toward him.
Elise pretended she didn’t hear her friend’s question as she moved a bite of pie around on her plate with her fork. But she knew Jen wasn’t going to settle for a little stonewalling, even of the pie-shifting variety.
“Eh?” her friend tapped her on the shoulder.
“What do you mean?”
Jennifer crossed her arms over her chest. “You can play dumb with me, but you know and I know that I’m not stupid. Something is going on with you two. Can’t start a fire without a spark, and unless I’ve completely lost my intuition, which I can assure you I haven’t, I would say there has been some serious smoldering going on. Care to fill me in?”
Elise heaved a sigh. “Seriously, Jen, this is your wedding weekend. You’ve got your rehearsal dinner tonight, and there’s so much last-minute stuff to focus on. You do not need to worry your pretty little head about my nonsense.”
Jennifer rested her hand on top of Elise’s. “Sweetie, it’s not called worrying. It’s what we call caring. Besides, I feel responsible, since my act of omission did kind of put you on the spot with Will this weekend.”
If only she knew how I put myself on the spot with my own act of drunken idiocy.
Elise dismissed that notion with a flick of her hand. “I’m a big girl and I can handle a little awkwardness with Will Montgomery.”
Jennifer rubbed her lips together. “So... there’s awkward, and then there’s awkward,” she said. “And a little birdie told me that you were seen exiting the bar slung over the shoulder of a certain tall, dark and handsome ex-boyfriend of yours. Does that fall under the category of vicious rumor or is it possible that actually happened and I missed it?”
Elise rolled her eyes and shook her head. “It’s a long story.” She sighed, wincing as she tried to figure out what to say. She splayed her hands on the tabletop and leaned slightly toward her friend. “I think by then you and Jamie had already gone back to your room to fuck like rabbits. And I might have been a little drunk—”
“If it’s any consolation, we did not fuck like rabbits.” She paused half a beat, then held up her finger. “More like bonobo apes.” She started laughing at her joke, and Elise playfully punched her in the arm.
“This is not a laughing matter. Do you want to hear this or not?”
Jennifer rested her chin on her hands and leaned in. “You’ve got some dish for me? Hell to the yeah, I want to hear it!”
“Fine. But you are ridiculously sworn to secrecy. Not even Jamie can know about this. Promise?”
“I swear to you on my dog I won’t breathe a word.”
Elise frowned. “You don’t even own a dog.”
“I felt like it was bad juju to swear on, like my grandmother. It was the first thing that came to mind. But really, you know I’m totally good to keep it between us two. Now spill.”
“So, I got pretty drunk—as much as I can remember, I did. I was super stressed out about that whole thing yesterday—finding out about Will when he freaking charity-hugged me and all was so not on my to-do list. Maybe I capitulated to peer pressure more than usual and did wayyyy too many shots. I mean, I don’t even like tequila, so Lord knows why I did all those shots. But that’s water under the bridge.” She took a deep breath. “So then, what’s that guy’s name we went to school with? Tad? Tod? Something like that. The one who wears the cowboy hat. Is he bald maybe? Or he’s hiding his prematurely thinning hair? He was getting a bit handsy with me—at least I hear that’s the case—and who but Will swoops in all manly and determined and hauls me off like a sack of concrete after threatening bodily harm to Tod/Tad.”
Jennifer leaned in even more, her fingers tightly clasped as she latched on to Elise’s every word. “So let’s cut to the chase. You guys went back and kissed and made up?”
Elise shook her head. “I passed out cold!”
Jennifer sat up. “Wait—I thought this was going to be titillating news that was going to thrill and excite me. You passed out? How boring is that?”
Elise drummed her fingers on the table. Thank God the rest of the bridesmaids were busy chatting with one another. She so didn’t want this to be the topic of conversation for the weekend. “But then I woke up some time in the middle of the night. Things get a little sketchy here with my recall. But I think I’ve pieced together enough of this to generally have my facts straight, so bear with me.”
She looked up to search out her waitress for a coffee refill, only to once again make eye contact with Will. Argh. She looked away but her face grew warm, making her seem like a stupid schoolgirl with a crush on the star quarterback. Only she did not have a crush on anyone. It was all a complete misunderstanding. Except that she kind of, sort of wouldn’t mind terribly if she could have a little bit of a command performance. She’d forgotten how much she missed sex. Not to mention how much she’d missed sex with Will. Even drunken unprotected mistake sex.
The waitress came over and filled her cup, and Elise continued.
“I guess I got up to pee, and I must’ve been hot, so I stripped off my clothes, and went back to bed, but I realized there was a man sleeping next to me, and I thought it was Tad/Tod/Ted. And I decided—now bear with me, I think I was still drunk, so I wasn’t making good choices—that it would behoove me to have a one-night stand since I hadn’t been with anyone in like a lifetime.”
“Whoa!”
“Yeah, whoa. But it gets worse.”
Jennifer’s eyes widened. “How much worse could it get?” She took a swig of her water.
“I went down on him and then had sex with him. And I didn’t even think to insist on a condom. An
d it turned out to be Will.”
Jennifer choked on her water. “You gave an accidental blow job to Will? Then had sex with him?”
Elise winced. “Technically it was a deliberate blow job, but it was accidentally done to Will. Ditto for the sex.”
“Oh. My. God.” Jennifer fanned herself. “I’m speechless. Elise. This is epic.” She reached for her friend’s hand and clasped them. “You and Will! Together again!”
Slamming her coffee cup down, Elise wiped the air with her hands to erase that whole crazy concept. “Are you insane? I can’t be with him! It was all a huge mistake!”
“But it was good, right?”
“I don’t know! I mean yes. Or maybe. I was still half drunk. And I thought it was with someone else. So it’s hard to gauge.”
“All the more reason to give it another go to see for sure.”
Elise shook her head wildly. “God, no! I’m going to totally pretend it didn’t happen. If anyone asks about whatever happened to me last night, the party line is that I ended up with Tod/Tad/Ted. Got it?”
Jennifer squinted. “But won’t Tod/Tad know that’s a lie? And even more so, won’t Will?”
“Not like Will is going to broadcast it to the world. He’s not that kind of guy. And Tod’s not invited to the wedding, right? What’re the chances I’ll even see him again this weekend? It’s kind of the perfect excuse.”
Jennifer shrugged. “I dunno, Elise. I think this all sounds a little lame. You and Will hooked up! That’s great news! Let’s celebrate it and repeat it and see if it sticks!”
“Nothing has changed between us. Things happened long ago that proved I couldn’t trust him. Why would I ever expect that to change? I am far better off without Will Montgomery in my life.”
Jennifer cocked her head, glancing at her friend from the corner of her eyes. “Okay, babe. Just keep telling yourself that. But maybe you should keep in mind that you’ve got a few more chances for a booty call before the weekend’s out.”
“Over my cold dead body,” Elise said, although if she were honest with herself, she’d admit that she much preferred to be under his warm, live one.
Chapter Eight
The rehearsal dinner was at a restaurant up in the mountains at the nearby ski resort with a wall of windows that gave a breathtaking view of the surrounding Rockies. It was this sort of thing that made Elise question her decision to move far away from here. Something about Bristol spoke to her despite her leaving and never looking back. Maybe with maturity came perspective. Back then, she was sad and bitter and wanted to distance herself from the scene of her heartbreak. But now she was looking at this place through a different lens.
She’d been working in DC in what felt like a go-nowhere job, spinning her wheels as a legislative assistant and realizing that those jobs all came down to your boss needing to raise money to maintain power. She’d landed there out of college only because a friend had taken on a similar job and suggested she apply; she said she was having fun in DC. At the time it sounded like a nice change of pace, a big, exciting city over the more rural upbringing she’d been used to.
Since she wasn’t sure of her career path, she figured she’d try it on for size, only to learn it had very little charm. One thing became clear: she wanted to be a part of change for the better and had no interest in treading water and rarely seeing rewards for her hard work.
During the cocktail hour before the rehearsal dinner, she’d run into a woman she’d vaguely known in high school—someone who had headed up the conservation club when Elise was a freshman and this woman, Marissa Collier, was a senior. Now Marissa was spearheading efforts to set aside private lands to preserve habitats for the important wildlife that thrived in this wild country and to keep development and energy exploration from encroaching too close to the national park.
“I could use more help,” Marissa said as she took a sip of her champagne. “We’re working on several large grant applications right now, and I need more help with that plus someone who could be good with fundraising. There are so many untapped financial resources around here—visitors who come to Montana to enjoy this pristine land and want to help preserve it for future generations, for instance. I need someone with ambitious ideas about how to better reach out to these folks and to keep them coming back. The grant writing can be a bit tedious, but honestly being able to identify organizations with shared interests and join forces with them is very rewarding.”
“That sounds so interesting,” Elise said, taking a sip of her Perrier. After last night, even the lure of champagne held no sway over her. “And the work is all back here in Bristol?”
She nodded. “Yep. I know that’s unappealing to some young adults—the idea of getting away from hokey little towns and all. But this place”—she spread her arms out in front of the wall of windows—“I mean, what’s not to love?”
Elise knew that was undeniable. The scenic beauty, the clean air, and the lack of traffic were all pretty appealing. Even the tourist crowds held nothing to what she dealt with on her daily commute into DC from Virginia. And she had to basically flee hours away to the Shenandoah Mountains to get her nature fix, whereas right here you could be in the mountains in ten simple minutes. Bristol offered spectacular summers, short but breathtakingly beautiful autumns, cold but activity-filled winters, and wildflower-infused springtimes.
If she moved back here, she’d be closer to Jen and Jamie, which would be nice. Though would that be weird hanging out with the married couple? Maybe she could try to give Tod/Tad/Ted a chance. See what was under that big ole Stetson of his. Speaking of big, though, she’d certainly find herself nowhere near any big ole anything of Will’s, which made her a bit wistful all of a sudden. Was it because whatever happened last night stirred up feelings that had never gone away? Or because she hadn’t been properly laid in forever? She gave herself a mental growl because it was all a moot point anyhow.
Marissa had plucked a business card from her purse and was handing it to Elise. “Give me a call if you’d like to talk more. I think we could be a great fit.”
Elise nodded. “I’d like that. Thanks.” She stared out the window as the late afternoon sun burnished the mountains with a warm, salmon-tinged glow. An eagle rode the thermals in the distance. Nearby there were likely bears searching for their next meal among the plentiful berry bushes. And somewhere, a young father was introducing his son to the joys of fly fishing, and a mother was maybe setting up a tent with her girls for a night under the stars. She was only starting to realize that what DC had taught her was that DC wasn’t right for her—that this wild, but slightly settled place offered her exactly what she hadn’t realized she needed in her life. Maybe it was time she started to think about making some big life changes.
“I’ll be in touch for sure. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find the ladies’ room before we’re seated for dinner.”
They shook hands and Elise wandered back past the long, polished copper bar, following the signs toward the restrooms. She exited through a fire door down a flight of steps. She opened yet another door and nearly smacked heads with Will.
“Elise.” He gave her a hesitant smile.
She nodded back. “Will.” She’d hoped to continue in the direction of the bathroom, but he’d planted himself smack in the way of any forward momentum, then rested his palms on her shoulders.
“We should talk,” he said, staring into her eyes.
“Look, Will, don’t trap me here against my will. I’ve got mad skills with self-defense, so don’t make me use them on you.” That was a total lie but it sounded good.
He chuckled. “Bad enough you slapped me. Now you’re going to beat up the best man? I don’t think Jamie and Jennifer would appreciate that.”
“Yeah, well.”
“Yeah, well, you would do yourself a favor if you stopped hiding behind ancient biases and instead maybe deal with the here and now of things. You know, new information and all.”
“Ummm, what ne
w information?”
He squinted at her. “You’re going to play that game with me?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He shook his head. “Even after I defended your honor with that stupid prick, Tad.”
“Tod.” She took a deep breath. “Or maybe it’s Ted. It could be Tad.”
“Let’s agree it’s ‘Turd’ and call it a day.”
Despite herself, she broke into a smile.
“I can’t stop thinking about last night, Elise.” He’d slid his hand from her shoulder to clasp her hand.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Oh, she was so going to rot in hell for that lie. But maybe she could convince him it was all in his head?
“Look, Elise, you can pretend all you want, but you know and I know what happened between us last night was real.”
She furrowed her brow. “Maybe you’re mistaking me for someone else?”
“Oh, you think so, do you?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. “I see your taste in panties has grown more sophisticated.” He pressed the delicate black lace beneath his nose. “Last I recall you were all about the ‘days of the week’ undies.”
She tried to grab the panties from his hand, but he pulled away too quickly, tucking them into the breast pocket of his suit coat. He shrugged. “Tut-tut, Elise,” he said, shaking his head. “You wouldn’t want to deprive a man of the next best thing if he can’t have his own nose right there.” He looked down toward her crotch.
She rolled her eyes. “Fat chance.”
He squinted. “It’s my fault for not having returned the favor, you know.” He winked at her and gave her a little smack on the bottom. “It’s just that I pretty much lost my mind with that dirty little mouth of yours wrapped around my cock. I truly thought I was dreaming for the first few minutes. And then when you asked me to slide into you from behind...” He clutched at his heart as if he were having a heart attack. “Well, what’s a gentleman to do but please the lady as she requested?”
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