Although fucking around with Gilbert the day before wasn’t exactly like starting over, was it? More like slipping into bad behaviors. Which I couldn’t let happen. I didn’t need a repeat of San Francisco. I couldn’t bring those shadows to this perfect town of my dreams.
I’d sat straight up in bed in the middle of the night, puzzle pieces clicking into place. Pieces that should’ve clicked the instant the lady in the steam room said Gilbert’s name. Gilbert Bryant.
Bryant.
Though I hadn’t even been in the town for half a year, I knew the Bryants. Founding family. The Bryants. The Kellys. The Epsteins. The Riveras. The Carlisles. All founding families. Town royalty, it seemed, and I’d fucked one. Or he’d fucked me. Whatever.
Shit.
I cast a glance at one of the gas streetlamps and paused. It was stunningly beautiful cloaked in the fog, a large Victorian home partly revealed in the mist behind it. Like a fairy tale.
I started to turn away, knowing I was dawdling and shouldn’t show up late, but the image changed, though just in my mind. Nothing else had shifted. Still beautiful, but suddenly ominous. Like a vampire would swoop out of the widow’s peak, dive through the fog, and drain me in the soft light of the gas lamp.
I was being ridiculous.
So what if I’d messed around with a Bryant? He’d been more than willing. But still, I was in no place to attempt that particular tightrope act. I couldn’t imagine why Gilbert would turn on me. Even if he didn’t want to do it again, surely he’d just leave well enough alone. But what if he had a partner? A husband, wife, something? Just because he’d said he was single, didn’t mean it was true. I’d fallen for that before. I couldn’t fall for it here. Not if I hoped to retain any part of my heart or reputation.
And suddenly I was there. The Kelly’s place. A huge mansion with pale green turrets and cream gingerbread accents. And completely covered in soft white Christmas lights. As were the trees on the sloping lawn.
My first Lavender Shores party. A combination engagement and Christmas party no less. At a founding family’s estate home. No pressure.
Suddenly feeling overheated, I loosened my scarf and adjusted my pageboy cap, lifting it to let the cool night air do its magic. I’d gripped the brass handle of the front door when another thought hit me. Again one much too slow and late, considering my supposed IQ, which as it was turning out, must have been an error in scoring, no matter what my degrees said. I was going to a party at the Kelly’s. At a founding family’s house. The other founding families would be inside. Of course they would. Probably including Gilbert.
A shadow passed behind the stained glass of the front door, and the knob twisted in my hand of its own accord. I stepped out of the way as the door opened and a pretty brunette stepped out. She glanced at me, then did a double take. “Walden! You made it!” She wrapped her arms around me in a quick, warm hug.
“Hi, Lacy.” I returned her hug, but my arms fell from her quickly, and I truly questioned my sanity. Lacy Bryant. Shit. Gilbert Bryant. Siblings? Cousins? Not that it mattered. Same difference. Unless she was his wife! Holy fuck. Wait, no. Lacy wasn’t married. Not his wife.
She tilted her head as she pulled back. “You okay? I promise it’s not that scary inside. It’s just an engagement party, sweetie. I know the social scene isn’t your thing, but I’m glad you came. Plus, I’d like to introduce you to my brother. The two of you are pretty different, but sometimes opposites attract.” She laughed at herself. “Sorry, that probably doesn’t help with the nerves. Me trying to set you up.” She motioned down the walk. “I’ll be right back. I left my purse in my car, and I have a gift for Andrew’s mom I meant to bring in. You go on inside. There’s some heated mulled wine in the kitchen. That’ll put your nerves at ease.” She gave my arm a squeeze. “And I love the red glasses! So festive. You should wear those to school next week. The kids will love them.” Then she was gone, her shoulder-length hair bobbing as she practically skipped down the front porch steps.
Her brother? She was going to introduce me to her brother? A Bryant, obviously. Holy shit, what if she introduced me to Gilbert? How was I supposed to play that off? I couldn’t look at her and be like Oh, we know each other. He used my ass so hard I was still feeling him this morning.
Or worse, what if Gilbert wasn’t her brother, but a cousin or something and she introduced me to whomever her brother actually was. Then Gilbert walks up, and it looks like I’m trying to fuck my way through the entire Bryant family?
Oh my God. I was losing my mind. Completely losing it and being stupid. None of that would happen. Even if Gilbert was there, we’d nod across the room and he’d pretend not to know me. I’d catch up with Lacy, meet her brother while making it clear I wasn’t on the market, say my congratulations to Andrew and Joel, and then hurry home and hide.
But first, mulled wine sounded like an excellent idea.
The inside of the house was as gorgeous as the outside. It glowed with warm colors, amber lighting, gleaming exposed wood, and tasteful and obviously expensive Christmas décor. And the people milling about were just as lovely. All wearing clothes that cost more than my beater of a car. And there I was in a tweed jacket from Goodwill and wearing a fucking pageboy cap and my damn red glasses. Lacy was right. I’d gone for festive; I should have gone for Fifth Avenue.
People smiled and nodded here and there as I cut my way through, searching for the kitchen. I had a flash of the Anne of Green Gables movies, when Anne was hired at the girl’s school with all the rich families. She’d been such an awkward mess. I was Anne. Completely out of my element, and so way out of my league.
I’d just stepped into the kitchen when I stopped dead in my tracks once more. Maybe I’d experienced some brain trauma when I’d smashed my skull into the wall twice in the steam room the day before. Anne’s love interest was Gilbert Blythe.
Seriously? Gilbert Blythe? Gilbert Bryant? You couldn’t make this shit up.
I had to remind myself that I wasn’t Anne Shirley. I wasn’t an orphan. I wasn’t redheaded. I wasn’t destined to marry Gilbert Blythe, Bryant, or McGillicutty, for that matter.
And I needed to leave. Mulled wine be damned. Good manners be damned. I’d drop a card off at Joel’s memorabilia shop downtown and call it good.
If I could just get out of there before Lacy returned, all would work out. Maybe there was a back door I could escape through. Of course, I could see myself getting trapped in their yard. The Kellys were fancy enough they probably had one of those hedge mazes complete with giant spiders and dementors.
I really needed to quit rereading Harry Potter.
Okay, no to the backyard escape. I’d just have to risk running into Lacy.
I turned around and smashed into someone, causing red wine to splash up onto the lenses of my glasses. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I completely didn’t mean—” I stopped talking. Fuck. My. Life.
Gilbert stared at me, an expression of shock crossing his face, and then a smile grew. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I swallowed. Shit. Shit. Shit. He looked amazing. Hair perfectly falling over his forehead, the scruff over his jaw just a bit closer than the day before. Again that look of effortless beauty that only money could buy. And not at all what I should be noticing. I dropped my gaze to the floor, but before it got there, it stuck on Gilbert’s chest and the deep purple stain over his pale blue shirt. “Oh shit. I’m so sorry. I got wine all over you.”
He chuckled softly. “Not a big deal. That’ll teach me to drink it quicker.” Gilbert glanced around. Looking for a husband, wife? Afraid someone would see us together? “What are you doing here?”
“I, uhm, was invited. I’ve met Joel and his fiancé—” Shit. Name, name, name. “—Andrew a few times. Great guys.”
“Yeah, they are. Andrew’s my best friend. I never dreamed you’d know him.” He scoffed, and his tone darkened. “But it’s fucking Lavender Shores, right? Everyone knows everyone and everything.” He gave a forced smile, and th
en his brown eyes narrowed. “You’ve got wine on your glasses, which are red, by the way.”
I pulled them off and used my tweed jacket to rub them, scratches be damned. “Yeah, I thought they were good for Christmas. And the engagement. The color of love and all that.”
He still grinned, but I couldn’t quite tell if it was in amusement or mockery. “They are. You sure look different when you’ve got clothes on. I’d never guess that—”
I couldn’t let him finish that sentence, no matter where it was leading. “Have you ever watched Anne of Green Gables?” Of course that was what I went with.
“Oh, for fuck.” This time there was no mistaking his expression. “I know what you’re going to say. And yes. That’s where my name came from. My dear, lovely mother worshiped those damn books her entire childhood. She claims they helped her escape Texas.” He threw his arms wide. “Meet the X-rated, damaged version of Gilbert fucking Blythe.”
I’d hit a nerve. Obviously. Spilt wine. Triggered… something. Again, time to go. “Sorry. Again. I’ll buy you a new shirt if I need to. But I’ll get out of your hair.”
“No, wait.” Gilbert’s hand shot out and gripped my arm. The motion seemed to startle him as much as it did me. He let me go almost instantly. “Sorry. You don’t need to leave. It’s not your fault I’m named after a ridiculous schoolgirl romance story.”
Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t keep my heart from leaping at the notion Gilbert wanted me to stay. Nor could I keep my mouth shut. “It’s all right. I was named after a pond. Which greatly distressed my parents when they realized Thoreau was allegedly gay.”
He crinkled his nose. “You were named after a pond?” Then his eyes widened. “Oh, Thoreau. Walden Pond. Your name is Walden?”
How had I missed that I hadn’t even told him my name the day before? All the things we’d done and I hadn’t even had an inkling of realization I hadn't told him my name? I really was slipping back into dark places. I tried to force a smile. “Uhm, yeah. Walden Thompson. After the pond.”
He laughed again, though the sound was warm and without a hint of mockery. “Well, seems like we both need to have a sit-down talk with our parents about how they chose names for their children.”
I’d hated my name growing up but had come to love it. Though I didn’t feel the need to share that with Gilbert. At least we had some common ground. Besides our talents in the bedroom, steam room… wherever. And why was I worried about common ground? I needed to flee from him, not try to build connections.
At that moment, Lacy hurried over, pulling a man behind her. A man twice her size. Even taller than me and built like a tank. Gorgeous, but in a dangerous way. Tattoos showed from the collar and cuffs of his shirt. She came to a stop in front of me and glanced at Gilbert. “Oh, hey. I didn’t see you finally got here.” Not waiting for a response, she looked back up at me as she gave a tug on the man’s arm. He dutifully followed her beckoning but looked miserable about it. “Walden, this is the brother I was telling you about.” Lacy smiled over at him. She looked like a five-year-old next to his mass. “Connor, this is Walden. He’s maybe the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”
The tattooed giant stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Ah, you too.”
As we shook hands, his gaze traveled to Gilbert. Then back to me. I glanced at the floor, over to Gilbert, felt my cheeks burn, then returned to Lacy’s brother. Connor’s hazel eyes narrowed, and then he grinned, looking suddenly relaxed and much less menacing. Connor let go of my hand and grinned down at Lacy. “Looks like you got the wrong brother, sis.”
Wrong brother?
Lacy looked back and forth between the two men, confusion evident, then clearing suddenly. “Oh.” She took a step back. “Oh.” Then another step back. “Oh.” She nodded slowly, and a slight blush rose in her cheeks.
Connor laughed and gave a nod in my direction. “Pleasure meeting you, Walden. I’m going to go out back to have a smoke. I’ll let you enjoy my awkward siblings. Good luck.” He elbowed Lacy lightly in the shoulder and walked past us into the kitchen.
I wanted to follow. At least he knew the way out. Even if there were dementors to contend with.
Lacy’s blush was in full force. “Sorry about that.” She directed the sentiment toward Gilbert, then shrugged at me. “I didn’t realize you already knew one of my brothers.”
I knew it. “You and Gilbert are brother and sister?” Of course they were. “I can see the resemblance. Same eyes and hair color.” Shit. I shouldn’t be talking about Gilbert’s eyes.
“We’re twins, actually.” Gilbert spared me a glance before turning a wary expression on Lacy. “How do you two know each other?”
Though I had no idea why, I could swear Lacy sounded like she didn’t want to admit the truth. “Walden works with me.” She sighed, like she was breaking bad news. “He’s the new science teacher at Lavender High.”
This time, Gilbert took a step back. “Oh.” Then another step back. “Oh.”
Look at that; they really were twins.
When he looked at me again, there was accusation in his gaze. “You’re a teacher?”
I nodded, though I wanted to lie, even if I wasn’t sure where that inclination came from. “Yes.”
“Oh.” His gaze darted around the room, seemingly not landing on anything. He didn’t look back at me. “I gotta go.” He started to move, then addressed Lacy. “Tell Andrew I had to jet, but I’ll call him tomorrow.” He was gone before she had time to respond.
Five
Gilbert
The fog from the night before seemed like it had become a living entity. From the window in my cabin, I couldn’t even see the cliffs looking out over the ocean. Though it was nearly nine in the morning, it could pass for dusk outside.
No, not my cabin. I’d sold it six months ago; I needed to quit thinking of it as mine. I didn’t even want the place. And I couldn’t have done it justice. I’d never have been able to make it feel like this. A perfect combination of classy, cozy, and charming. Not me at all. But totally Andrew.
The place was peaceful and serene.
A tug on the hem of my jeans made me look down at one of the ugliest dogs I’d ever seen. “How does he manage to chew things with that demonic tongue hanging out like that?” Not to be outdone, his dachshund sibling stared longingly at my jeans but refrained from biting, which I appreciated. “And what happened to that one’s ear again?”
Joel set down his coffee and stood. “Not sure. Either an accident or abuse.” He came around the table and scooped up the tongue monster in one arm and the one-eared wonder in the other. He dipped his head to nuzzle both of them, slipping into baby talk. “We don’t know, do we, babies? No, we don’t. We don’t know, but we know you’re safe now.” He bopped one-ear on his forehead. “Don’t we, Brook?” Then did the same to the tongue pup. “And we don’t bring up Robin’s physical features, do we boy? No, we don’t. You’re sensitive. Yes, you are.”
I looked over at Andrew. “Seriously? I know your fiancé is fucking gorgeous, but he can’t be talented enough in bed to make up for hearing that display.” I motioned to the door. “It’s not too late. No vows have been exchanged. You can still make a run for it. I’ll even let you drive.”
Andrew steepled his fingers, pretending to consider. “That might work, but you won’t let Morris ride in your car.” At his name, the teenage-stage golden retriever bounded up from where he’d been sleeping by the fire, made it almost to the table, and tripped over his too-large paws. He caught himself but only enough to crash into Andrew’s legs. Andrew held the pup on either side of his face, issuing baby sounds that made Joel’s earlier display sound butch. “Who’s my little clutzy-wutzy? Hmm? You are. Yes, you are. And don’t you worry, I’m not leaving you behind. No, I’m not. I’m not leaving my little baby poo.”
I made gagging noises, which were mostly real. “Never mind. You’re too far gone. And just so you know, if you have children, I’m not
coming over. Ever. The amount of projectile vomiting you two would induce could be life-threatening.”
Joel plopped down in a chair, still holding… whatever they were called. I knew they’d been named after a set of twins who played some kind of sport, but I hadn’t really been paying attention. I enjoyed sports even less than puppies and children.
“Are you sure you were really heir to the Harvest Coffee fortune? I’m pretty certain a blue blood like you wouldn’t hold dogs at the breakfast table.”
When Joel addressed me, he used his real voice, thank God. “We don’t ever mention Harvest Coffee in this house. We only serve the best that old Pete sells downtown.”
“Oh my God, they’ve converted you to a Lavenderite, haven’t they?” Despite myself, the two of them were cute. Well, actually they were smoking hot together, but seeing them like this, cute seemed more appropriate.
Joel just rolled his eyes.
Andrew swatted at me from across the table but missed. “Be nice. You bailed on our engagement party last night and were going to sneak out of town without saying anything.”
“I don’t know why you have that surprised tone in your voice. You have met me, right?”
He narrowed his eyes. “I know you’re only here now because I promised you breakfast.”
“True story.” I shrugged. “You do make the best Italian frittata in the entire world.” I took a sip of my coffee and leaned my elbows on the table, letting my teasing tone fall away. “I am really sorry about last night. I just needed to get away.”
Andrew grimaced. “Actually, it’s probably good you left. My dad and your mom came up with an engagement game and made everyone play.” Joel groaned and shook his head silently. “It was a “how well do you know the engaged couple” game. People had to guess our birth signs, where Joel proposed, what our wedding colors are going to be, stuff like that. But then it moved on to where was the first place we had sex, and who was the man of the relationship.”
The Garden (Lavender Shores Book 2) Page 4