by MJ Duncan
“Don’t think so,” Anna said, laughing. “Why?”
“Kendall was just asking about you.”
“Ah,” Anna sighed. “Well, do me a favor and lie. Make me sound cooler than I actually am.”
Bryn chuckled and turned her back to Kendall, who was watching her with an amused smile. “I don’t believe that’s necessary, but I will do my best to play up your finer qualities.”
“Thanks. So, anyway, I am between epic knee replacements at the moment, and thought I’d check in about tomorrow. What time do you want us to come over?”
“Whenever you’d like. I’ll be here all day, making sure everything is set up properly for the evening, so if you would like to come early, you are certainly more than welcome.”
“So, like…is eight a.m. too early?”
Bryn smiled. Even though the teasing lilt in Anna’s tone told her that she was joking, the idea of spending the day with her was enticing. Anna had been working more than usual over the last couple weeks due to her colleagues taking vacations, and they had not managed more than a few shared dinners at various restaurants near the hospital since the day she had helped Anna paint her front porch.
“Not at all,” Bryn assured her. “I’ll be down at the winery by seven to meet with the company I hired to set up the tables and stuff for the party. Though I sincerely doubt that Mitch and Di would enjoy spending the entire day here.”
“Eh, they can drive themselves. Seriously, though…”
“Come over whenever you wish, Ms. Fitzpatrick.” Bryn glanced over her shoulder at Kendall, who was whispering to Figment as she cinched the girth strap on her saddle tight, and rolled her eyes at the playful smirk Kendall shot her. “Kendall will be doing trial prep from my home office for the majority of the day, and I would not be at all opposed to your company.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay. Then I will see you in the morning. Tell Kendall I say hello.”
“I will. Good luck with your next surgery.”
“Thanks.” A tinny voice over the loudspeaker echoed through the line, and Anna sighed. “I gotta go. They’re ready for me. See you bright and early.”
“I’ll have a coffee ready and waiting for you.”
“A woman after my own heart,” Anna chuckled. “Later, Nakamura.”
“Bye,” Bryn murmured. She bit her lip as she disconnected the call, and stared at the screen for an extended moment before she slipped it back into her pocket. She let out a soft sigh as she turned back to Kendall, who was watching her speculatively. “What?”
Kendall smiled and shook her head. “Nothing. You look happy.”
“I am.” Bryn frowned. “Why do you seem so amused by that fact? Should I not be?”
“You deserve to be happy more than anyone I know,” Kendall said seriously. “I’m just…surprised, I guess. I mean, this is the first time I’ve seen you in a while, and…” She shrugged. “Happiness looks really good on you.”
Bryn smiled shyly and ducked her head. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Kendall looked out the open barn door. “You ready to hit the trails?”
Bryn nodded and reached for Morgana’s reins, which were looped around the bar outside the tack room. She stepped up onto a bale of hay to help lever herself into the saddle, and clicked her tongue twice as she tapped Morgana’s sides with her heels.
“So, Anna’s coming over tomorrow morning?” Kendall asked once they were riding side by side up the trail that looped around the property.
“She is.” Bryn glanced at Kendall, who was looking straight ahead with an unreadable look on her face. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” Kendall looked over at Bryn and smiled. “I’m actually looking forward to meeting her. From the way you talk about her, she’s got to be something special.”
“She’s incredible.” Bryn smiled as just the thought of Anna caused a pleasant warmth to bloom her chest.
Kendall arched a brow and asked, “Incredible, huh?”
“Mmm.” Bryn nodded. It was clear from the way Kendall was staring expectantly at her that she was waiting for Bryn to elaborate, and Bryn ran a hand through her hair as she tried to think of a way to even begin to describe Anna. “She was not at all thrown off by my ice queen routine when we first met, which, let’s be honest, isn’t something a lot of people are willing to put up with.”
“You do channel the icy bitch thing incredibly well.”
“Yes, well, you’ve met my mother, so…” Bryn rolled her eyes. “I’ve had a lifetime to learn at the hands of the master. But Anna…” She sighed. “She’s nothing like that.”
Kendall hummed under her breath and nodded. “And?”
“And?” Bryn shook her head. “I don’t know what you want me to say. She’s a brilliantly gifted surgeon, but she can behave like an absolute child sometimes. Did I tell you about what happened when we painted her porch?”
“Yeah. You did.”
Bryn smiled as she remembered the way Anna had sat on the counter, hair still damp from her shower and her bare legs kicking idly back and forth as she ordered Thai food for their dinner because she had not been able to talk Diana into finishing the job herself and she actually had forgotten to go grocery shopping. “That was a fun day.”
“Sounded like it,” Kendall agreed.
“Oh, and you’ll appreciate this one—she’s slowly but surely expanding my iTunes library.”
“Okay, hold up.” Kendall pulled Figment to a stop so she could gape at Bryn. “You have got to be kidding me. Really? I’ve been trying for years, and she just waltzes in and gets you to listen to something other than elevator music?”
“My taste in music is not that bad,” Bryn pointed out defensively. “Helen Jane Long is quite good, if you would just give her a chance.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Kendall waved her off. “Whatever. This chick has somehow gotten you to listen to actual music?”
Bryn blew out a breath and nodded. “She has.”
“Damn.” Kendall smirked. “I’m going to have to ask her for her autograph or something.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Bryn chuckled.
“Maybe,” Kendall agreed. “But you’re happy, and I’m pretty sure that it’s all because of her. So, she’s my new hero. If I wasn’t still with Jen…”
Bryn rolled her eyes, knowing that Kendall was kidding. “How is Jen, anyway?”
“She’s good.” Kendall smirked and nudged Figment back into a slow walk. “She wanted me to tell you how sorry she was that she couldn’t make it to your thing tomorrow, by the way. There was some kind of a problem with a distributor of hers in Germany, so she needed to fly out there and deal with in person.”
“What kind of problem?”
“I don’t have the faintest idea. I was too busy trying to find the zipper on her skirt to pay too much attention to what she was saying.”
Bryn shook her head. “Honestly, Kendall. I don’t know why she puts up with you.”
“Well, let’s see…” Kendall tapped a finger against her chin. “I’m fan-fucking-tastic in bed. I’m loaded. And I am usually too busy to notice that she’s too busy to do shit. We just work.”
“And that’s enough for you?”
“Yeah.” Kendall shrugged. “Neither of us is looking for that perfect happily-ever-after-type relationship. We enjoy each other’s company. The sex is incredible. And, for now, that’s all either of us have time for. Someday down the line, who knows—it might become something more, but for now…”
“I couldn’t do that,” Bryn murmured.
“Of course not. Because, no matter how much you deny it—you want the happily-ever-after-type relationship,” Kendall said, her expression daring Bryn to argue with her. “You want to meet someone you can’t resist, who both challenges you and supports you, yada yada yada.”
Bryn rolled her eyes. “Yes, well, I’ve come to the conclusion that that person doesn’t exist.�
�
“Maybe you’ve just been looking in all the wrong places.”
“Perhaps,” Bryn allowed with a soft sigh. “But I’m done looking. I am, as you keep pointing out, quite happy right now.”
“Yeah, you are,” Kendall agreed, glancing at Bryn out of the corner of her eye.
Bryn nodded. “I am.”
“Good. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you,” Kendall said, a soft, almost sad smile tugging at her lips. She blew out a quiet breath and looked back out over the trail in front of them. “So, this party tomorrow…same guest list as usual?”
Bryn adjusted her grip on her reins as she shook her head. “Nearly. Though I made sure to take the congressman whose wife you got caught making out with last year off the list.”
“Oh thank God,” Kendall groaned. “I was not looking forward to seeing them again.”
Bryn grinned. “You’re welcome.”
“In my defense, she did not have a ring on. And, she hit on me first.”
“Yes, Kendall. I know,” Bryn drawled. “Just…do me a favor and try to not cause a scandal tomorrow night.”
Kendall placed her hand over her heart and nodded somberly. “I’ll try my best.”
Bryn laughed and shook her head. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Twenty-One
Things had been going so well lately that Bryn should have expected something to go wrong, and she grit her teeth as she just barely resisted the urge to throw her phone against the stone façade of the tasting room in frustration.
“Fucking hell.” She blew out a loud breath as her gaze swept over the expansive stone patio that was almost finished being set up for the Harvest Festival that was scheduled to begin in two short hours. Circular tables covered with pristine white tablecloths sat underneath a crisscrossing bough of white fairy lights. Bright napkins in varying hues—an homage to Spectrum’s name—dotted the tables, adding a whimsical splash of color, and glass hurricanes sat in the middle of each table, sheltering a five-wick candle that would be lit just before the guests arrived.
It was all just as she envisioned, with the exception of the stacks of dishware that had just been delivered.
The dinner and salad plates that were being carried to the kitchen were just as she ordered, but instead of the chargers with a fat silver band around the perimeter that she had reserved, the company had delivered a set of plain white chargers to match the other plates. Bryn knew that none of her guests would even realize that there had been a mix-up, but knowing that did not make her feel better.
“Murphy and her fucking laws,” Bryn muttered under her breath. She shook her head as she turned to the girl from the event company who was standing off to the side, looking incredibly uncomfortable. Bryn sighed and shook her head. “Just, set the tables as quickly as possible with the plates you brought.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The girl motioned to her colleagues to get to work, picked up a stack of plates herself, and started for the far table.
After watching them all for a minute to make sure they knew what they were doing, Bryn ran her hands through her hair and wandered to the edge of the patio that would serve as the dance floor later that night. She blew out a soft breath and massaged her forehead with her left hand, trying to stave off the headache she could already feel beginning to pulse behind her eyes.
The soft press of fingertips at the small of her back made her tense, but she relaxed at the sound of Anna’s voice, asking in a gentle, concerned tone, “You okay?”
Bryn closed her eyes and nodded. “I’m fine.”
“You’re pissed,” Anna pointed out, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice.
Bryn chuckled. “I am. Yes.” She leaned back into Anna, needing more of the support she offered, and smiled in spite of her frustration when Anna stumbled back in surprise.
“Sorry,” Anna murmured, grabbing onto Bryn’s hips to steady them both.
Bryn sighed and covered Anna’s hands with her own, soaking-in the feeling of serenity that filled her. She did not know what it was about Anna’s touch that affected her so, but as she idly stroked Anna’s fingers with her own, she realized that she selfishly did not care. “I’ll be fine.”
“What happened?”
“They sent the chargers I had ordered to a wedding reception in Walla Walla and delivered theirs here in return.”
“Oh. Well, if you want, I can always drive out there and get them. I can bring Mitch to act as a distraction, and Di’ll help me load them all into the car.”
“If only it were that easy.” Bryn smiled and dropped her head back onto Anna’s shoulder. “Thank you, though.”
“For offering to commit robbery?”
Bryn smiled. “No. For being here.” She looked out over the small reservoir that sat in the hollow at the bottom of the hill, and sighed. “I’ve put on this party every year since I first bought Spectrum, but this is the first time that I’m actually looking forward to it.”
“Because the tables are being set with the wrong plates?”
“Because you’ll be there,” Bryn murmured as she pulled Anna’s hands tighter around her waist, hoping to convey with a touch how much she meant what she had said. “It’ll be nice to have a friend there.”
Anna pulled Bryn closer and rested her cheek on Bryn’s shoulder. “I thought you said Kendall came to this thing every year.”
“Most years, yes. But, for her, this party is more about networking and finding potential clients. I don’t usually see her for more than a few minutes at a time. And then last year…”
“What happened last year?”
“She got caught making out with a Congressman’s wife down by the bocce court.”
Anna laughed. “She didn’t.”
“Oh, she did.”
“Miss?” A soft voice interrupted them.
Bryn jumped in surprise, and took a quick step away from Anna as she looked over at the young woman who had taken the brunt of her frustration about the mix-up with the plates. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but we are done setting up. Would you like to inspect the tables before we leave?”
“Of course.” Bryn turned to Anna and offered her a small smile. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I…” Bryn ran a hand through her hair and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just sorry we were interrupted.”
“Me too,” Anna murmured with a small smile. “But hey, we have all night to hang out. I plan to get stupid drunk, dance my ass off, and take full advantage of the guest room you promised me. You do dance at this thing, right?”
“People do, yes. The DJ will be setting up about an hour before the event.”
“I knew that,” Anna said, shaking her head. “But I was asking if you—” she touched her index finger to the tip of Bryn’s nose, “—danced.”
“Well…” Bryn started walking slowly toward the nearest table to inspect the settings, and smiled at the way Anna followed her. “Kendall has managed to drag me onto the dance floor a few times, yes.”
“Good.”
Bryn stopped beside the table and gave it a quick once-over. She looked up at the young woman from the vendor and nodded. “This will be fine. Thank you.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” the girl said, giving Bryn a small bow before she made a quick exit.
Bryn turned back to Anna and smiled. “I can promise you one dance. Despite the fact that this is a party, I will be working.”
“Why, Ms. Nakamura,” Anna drawled, batting her lashes playfully, “are you asking me to dance?”
“That depends, Ms. Fitzpatrick,” Bryn retorted as she started toward the parking lot where Anna’s car was parked beside her UTV. “Can you keep up?”
“Oh, I can keep up,” Anna said confidently. “I can do the robot, the cabbage patch, the running man…”
“I can’t wait to see it all.” Bryn chuckled as she climbed behind the wheel of the Ranger. “I’m guessing you would pr
efer to leave your car up at the house?”
“Yeah. It’s probably safer up there than down here where a bunch of people are going to be drinking.”
“Indeed. There are also plenty of grasshoppers in the plants around here too that might cause somebody to crash as well.”
“Shut up,” Anna grumbled.
Bryn laughed and started the UTV. “I’m going to go up the service road, but you can just head right on up. You remember the code for the gate, right?”
Anna tapped the side of her head and nodded.
“Excellent.” Bryn smiled at Anna as she shifted the UTV into reverse. “Then I shall see you up there.”
Twenty-Two
Bryn smoothed her hands over her hips as she turned slowly from side to side, checking her reflection in the mirror. Her black dress was a classic sleeveless A-Line, but the four-inch crimson silk band along the hem gave it a more playful edge than a typical little black dress. It was tight through the bodice and hips, tailored in just a way that it fit her like a second skin and highlighted her trim physique. The skirt was not much looser, but it was surprisingly easy to move in. Black stockings and four-inch Louboutin pumps that exactly matched the crimson stripe on her dress completed her ensemble, and she nodded at her reflection as she did a final slow spin.
She was ready.
Her heels clicked quietly on the wood floor as she made her way down the hall into the great room where she could hear Anna and Kendall laughing. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they did not notice her at first, and Bryn’s stomach fluttered as she looked at them standing there together.
Kendall was dressed to the nines, as usual, in a designer emerald green cocktail dress and strappy black heels, but it was Anna who had her absolutely riveted. Bryn was so used to seeing Anna with her hair pulled back that she was struck by how beautiful she was with it hanging in loose curls around her face and tickling the tops of her shoulders. Anna’s charcoal pinstripe slacks looked like they had been tailored specifically for her with how well they hugged her hips and ass, and her ice-blue silk blouse was a perfect complement to her eyes. The sleeves of the blouse were rolled to the elbow, leaving her toned forearms and chunky watch on display, and the top three buttons were open, so that the shirt billowed enticingly with every wave of her arms.