by Laura Pavlov
“Oh, please. I curse the ground he walks on. And what makes you think it was written for me?” Ivy acted as if the mention of Ty didn’t sting, but we all knew better. He’d been her high school boyfriend for years, and he’d up and moved away when his parents’ marriage fell apart. He’d broken Ivy’s heart and never looked back. Even though it had been years, no one wanted their ex to go off and become a big famous musician, which Ty had done. But Ivy had taken it all in stride. Her heartache had turned to anger, and she’d convinced herself that all of her feelings were those of hate.
“I heard the song too,” Gigi said. “It’s definitely about you. Have you heard it?”
“I have not, and I refuse to. I have put Ty Greene in my rearview and listening to that voice of his will not do me well. Why do you think it’s about me? Does he say he enjoyed stomping on his ex-girlfriend’s heart and leaving her in the dust?” she hissed.
“It’s called, ‘Left My Heart Back Home,’” Coco said, and she raised one brow. “The lyrics are super sad, Ive. It’s all about feeling ashamed about where he came from and leaving the only love he’d ever truly known behind.”
“I bawled like a baby when I heard it,” Gigi said, and Addy agreed.
“Well guess what? I bawled like a baby four years ago when that jackass strolled out of my life. My tears are all dried up for Ty Greene. I’ve never even gotten so much as an apology. So boo hoo for the country star. He’s cashing in on my heartache. I ought to sue his ass and get half of the royalties. Or for all we know, Ty’s had many loves since me and all those songs are for them. I’m the only one that keeps dating duds.”
“Well, at the rate you’re getting asked out, you’re bound to find someone worth dating,” I said, and we all burst out in laughter.
It was the truth. Ivy had mastered all the dating apps. The girl had guys lined up to take her out. She went to concerts, dinners, golf dates, and picnics. She’d gone to goat yoga, cooking classes, and escape rooms. She’d yet to go out with a single person more than once. I think Ty had left her wounded and though she put on a brave face, she hadn’t found a love like she shared with him, and that broke my heart for her.
I’d had a high school boyfriend, and a brief guy I dated my second year of college, all leading up to the very unexciting pinnacle of romance with Will—but I’d yet to find my great love. And I imagined if I had, losing him would be devastating.
“Well, I also have some terrible news. Brace yourselves,” Coco said.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Whitney is getting married next fall,” she said with her eyes closed and one hand over her forehead.
Whitney Ratcliffe was basically Willow Springs royalty. She was Coco’s older sister, and the pride and joy of their family.
“She’s marrying Joey Gitney?”
“Yes. And for anyone else, Whitney Gitney would be a negative. But she acts like it means they’re meant to be together. She told me they are naming their first daughter Britney.” Coco fell back on her bed dramatically.
“Britney Gitney?” Addy said over her laughter.
“She thinks they’re like Kim and Kanye and they have special names now. Only my sister can turn that crazy-ass name into her own personal win. Ugh. And my mother has already started, and they got engaged yesterday. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours. This wedding is going to take over my life. I’m so glad you don’t have to plan this one, Ivy. If this had happened six months from now, you would have had to deal with the biggest bridezilla on the planet.”
Ivy was taking over the only event planning business in Willow Springs after graduation. Her father was spotting her the money to buy it out. Our girl was born to plan events for everyone.
“This is going to be the talk of the town,” Gigi said.
“And guess what the worst news is?” Coco ran a hand through her hair and sulked.
“What?” Addy asked.
“I got my 23andMe results back. I’m definitely a freaking Radcliffe. It makes no sense. I have nothing in common with those people. I was hoping we’d all get our results back and find out that we were secretly related. God knows what goes on in this ridiculously small town. But only the future Mrs. Whitney Gitney came up as my sibling.”
We could barely contain our laughter. Coco had bought us all 23andMe tests for Christmas in hopes that we were all somehow related.
“I haven’t looked at mine yet.” I chuckled. I knew who my parents were and my two brothers, so there wasn’t a whole lot of anticipation to take the ridiculous test.
“I checked too. We aren’t sisters. Not by blood anyway. But we’re sisters in spirit,” Ivy said.
“Well, spirit sisters are way better than blood sisters anyway.” Coco groaned.
We all burst out in laughter at how disappointed she was.
These were my girls through thick and thin.
Magic Willows for life.
I’d been at Carlisle Ad Agency for almost two weeks, and aside from a few minor run-ins this week with Crew, it had been delightful. Layla had allowed me to shadow all of her meetings and sit in on all of her calls. She’d started tasking me with managing Crew’s calendar and overseeing a few of the current campaigns before she presented them to him.
“You’ve got a really good eye for this, Maura. I’m impressed.”
“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you,” I said, and I meant it. The woman was talented, and she was most definitely Crew Carlisle’s right hand. The man relied on her for everything. He ran a tight ship and managed a lot of people, and Layla made it all look easy.
“Are you managing okay with your two night classes? You know you don’t have to work full-time if it’s too much. Whatever that was with you and Crew when he interviewed you—he’s all bark and no bite. So don’t let him get to you. He’s actually a really great guy. He just has a lot of pressure taking over a company of this size at his age, and all the responsibility that comes with it.”
I nodded. “Well, he’s definitely not a fan of mine.”
“He admitted you knew one another after I grilled him that day,” she said with a chuckle. “He can be a stubborn ass, but there’s a really good man underneath it all. What is it? Your families are rivals? So, you two just have to hate one another because of your last names?”
“I guess so. I don’t hate him because of our family history. He’s just never been very nice to me. But working here is a dream, so if that means kissing his butt, I can handle it.” I shrugged.
“You have to tell me something.” She bit down on her bottom lip and her eyes danced with mischief.
“What?”
“You rear-ended him, didn’t you? He’s the one who called the cops on you, and you claimed he had a teeny peen.” Layla was falling back in her desk chair in a fit of laughter, and I couldn’t help but do the same.
“I never said his penis was small.”
She clapped her hands together. “But he sure thought you did, and you just might be my new favorite person.”
“Why?” I asked over my laughter. I knew my cheeks were bright pink that I was discussing this with my supervisor. But Layla and I had become fast friends. She was married to her high school sweetheart and had two kids in middle school who were her pride and joy. She made work and home all look effortless, and the woman exuded happiness. I admired everything about her.
“Because you’re the first person I’ve ever seen get a rise out of Crew Carlisle. No pun intended.” She covered her mouth, and I barked out a laugh.
“What’s so funny, ladies?” Crew appeared out of nowhere. I’d had very little interaction with him, and he never came out to our work area, which was technically right outside his office. He was usually hustling off to a meeting or attempting to press a button for world domination.
“Oh, ohhhhhh,” Layla said, trying to pull herself together as tea
rs streamed down her face from laughing so hard. “I’m sorry. It was just a little mom joke. One of the kids puked on me and I was just sharing the torrid details.”
He narrowed his gaze. “You rub your ear when you’re fibbing, Layla. Do better next time you try to pull one over on me.”
She rolled her eyes. “I do not.” But she intertwined her fingers, which I guessed was an attempt to keep her hands in her lap.
“I need you to type up an email for the car dealership that we’re pitching next week. Meet me in my office,” he said, his tone suddenly serious.
“Why didn’t you just call me like you usually do?”
“Because you were laughing so loud, I wanted to make sure you weren’t slacking on the job.” He crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow. There was an easiness about them, but he made every effort to act like he was all business.
He marched back to his office, and Layla turned to me as she glanced down at her phone. “Go be the scribe for this one. I need to return a call. I’ve got two missed calls from my mom in the past ten minutes. That’s not like her.”
“Oh boy. He’s not going to like this.” I pushed to my feet and grabbed a notebook and a pen.
“Tell him that I said it was a family thing, and he’d need to put on his big boy pants. It’s an email. Not NASA.” She pushed to her feet and smiled, but there was something behind her gaze now. Worry? Fear?
“I’ve got this. You go call your mama.”
I knocked on Crew’s door and he shouted for me to come in. I made my way to the chair across from his desk.
“What’s this? Where’s Layla?”
“She had a family thing she needed to take care of. I am more than capable of taking notes about what to write in an email.”
“Are you though?” He smirked.
Cocky bastard.
“Well, let’s see. I’m about to graduate from college, so yes… I believe I’m equipped to take notes if you talk really slow and clearly pronounce the words for me.” I rolled my eyes. His attitude was just too much sometimes. Yes, I wanted to work here. But I didn’t need him treating me like I was stupid.
We all had our limits.
He nodded. “Fine. Are you ready?”
“I was born ready,” I teased, and I saw the corners of his lips turn up just the slightest bit before he straightened.
“Mr. Weiner,” he said, and I didn’t look up and tried to cover my laughter. “Is that funny, Ms. Benson?”
“No. I’ve got it, Mr. Weiner. We’re good. Continue.”
I swear I heard him laugh but when I looked up, his mouth was in a flat line showing no humor. I paused for just a minute to take him in. Coco was right. He really was beautiful in every way. Until he opened his mouth, that is. His eyes were a piercing emerald green. His face was framed with a sharp jawline, full lips, and high cheekbones. His nose was chiseled to perfection, and his dark hair was cut close to his head.
“We have several campaigns to run by you, and I look forward to our meeting next week. Crew Carlisle.”
I looked up at him. Was he serious? This was the big deal? I could write that email in my sleep.
“Wow. Thanks for trusting me with this.” I couldn’t hide the sarcasm from my tone as I pushed to my feet.
“I think Layla’s rubbing off on you,” he hissed. “One smart-ass in the office is enough.”
“Duly noted.” I curtsied for reasons I don’t even know, but as much as he pretended it bothered him, I saw the slightest smile once again.
I didn’t even know why this man hated me the way that he did, but at least he was being a bit more civil now.
“Have Layla check that before you send it.”
I internally flipped him the bird. He acted like I wasn’t capable of writing a sentence. I was hell-bent on showing Crew Carlisle just how good I was at my job. I was running on no sleep because I was spending all my free time working on my final two courses before I graduated and holding down a full-time job.
And I was more than up for the task.
Chapter Four
Crew
I took the helicopter home to Willow Springs to have dinner with my family. This was always a tough time of year for my parents and my brothers, so I came back as often as I could. We had a large ranch house, and I’d grown up there. My mother was a lover of animals, and in a way, they’d been a part of her healing process. An escape from the past. We had several horses and riding had become an escape for me over the years as well.
Not that my home life wasn’t great, because it was. We were a tight family and we’d always had one another’s backs. Blade was two years younger than me, and Dax two years younger than him. They both worked with my father at the oil company. Blade handled all the large contracts and had his own home here in Willow Springs. He traveled often but liked staying close to home. Dax ran the Austin office, which had expanded over the last year, but he commuted home often as well. Knox was twenty-one years old, and he attended Texas University in Austin, and planned to come work for the ad agency with me after he graduated. I’d always known this was the path I’d take. I’d gone to work with my grandfather when I was young, and the man had made me spend my summers interning with him throughout my college years. He was grooming me to take over, and the transition had been fairly smooth. There’d been a few bumps in the road. Taking over the reins and having employees twice my age work for me rubbed a few people wrong. So, I held my head high and took no shit. Those that couldn’t get on board could leave. Only two had walked, and if I’m being honest, I was grateful they had. They weren’t team players, and they treated the newer hires with zero respect. Carlisle Ad Agency wasn’t about that. We worked hard, but we celebrated everyone’s achievements. Even that little doucheskank, Sam, who thought he was the social chair of the office. The dude grated on my nerves but he was damn good at his job, and I wasn’t too proud to admit it. He just needed to improve on his work ethic, because he was a slacker by nature.
The helicopter landed a mile from the house. We had space to have a landing strip on our land, but my father refused to put one in, claiming it was sacrilege to use the land to make our lives easier. He didn’t mind leasing a space where other small planes and helicopters parked their transportation. The man was as old school as you got.
We always kept two Jeeps parked out there to get to and from the house. Dax and Knox had gotten home this morning as they had a bit more flexibility with their schedules than I did. Dax could work from home, and Knox planned his visits to Willow Springs around his college social calendar. The kid didn’t have a serious bone in his body. I tried to come home for a weekend once a month, but sometimes I just snuck over for a quick dinner. Running an ad agency was a twenty-four-hour a day, seven days a week, job. I forced myself to leave most of the time, because my work was never done. And between my father and my grandfather, we all had a strong work ethic, minus my baby brother, Knox, but he’d come around. He was all about “me” time and relaxation, which none of us related to growing up on a ranch.
But he’d gone through a lot as a kid, and we all cut him some slack. He was the most lighthearted of all of us, aside from my mother, and it was difficult to give him too much shit. He was an eternal good time. He never met a stranger, and he was a mama’s boy through and through.
I drove the short distance home and rolled the window down even though it was January and colder than a witch’s tit… it smelled like home. Like smoked wood and pine. There were days that this house, this place, held too many memories for me. I’d wanted to leave long before I graduated from high school. Hell, maybe that’s why I never considered getting into the oil business. Carlisle Ad Agency allowed me a full life away from here. And as much as I loved being with my family, I liked having my own life in another city as well. Away from the past.
I drove by the Benson ranch and put up my window. I swear the
Benson stank seeped out of the ground their estate sat on. Maybe that’s why I stayed away. I couldn’t stand the thought of that man. Arthur Benson was everything I hated about this town. And now his daughter was working for me. Layla insisted Maura was the best intern she’d ever had, which she knew pissed me off, seeing as I’d worked for Layla one summer. She’d laughed when she’d said it.
Speak of the devil. My phone vibrated with a call from Layla. We’d found an ease working together and she always joked that working for my grandfather hadn’t been so smooth. The old man was a bit of a tyrant.
I spoke into my Bluetooth as I pulled down our long driveway. Our home sat on more acres than one could count. I put the car in park as I answered.
“What’s up?”
A sob escaped before she spoke, and I could barely make out her words. “Hi, Crew.”
My chest tightened. This woman had become family. She always had my back. And yes, she enjoyed giving me shit, which is why she felt more like family. Half the people at the office walked on eggshells around me and the other half talked shit about how I’d been handed an empire because of birthright. I couldn’t fault them. It was partly true—but I also worked my ass off to prove I was worthy.
“What happened?”
“It’s my dad. He’s had a stroke and it was pretty severe. I need to fly to Chicago and help my mom. I just...” She gasped for air, and I closed my eyes. I was a selfish prick and the thought of her being gone did not sit well with me. Layla was my right hand. But this was her father. I needed to remember that. “I didn’t want to tell you while you were home. I know it’s not an easy time of the year for you.”
I let out a long breath. “Don’t give that a thought. Take all the time you need. You have Jerome’s number. I will shoot him a text now that you’ll be reaching out for a flight. At least let me get you there without the trouble of going to the airport.”
“Crew. I can’t ask you to do that for me.”