by Kimi Flores
Fantastic, Bri thought scornfully. Bradley James was Josh’s younger brother. Abby must not have made the connection since that was Bradley’s stage last name.
Bri’s shoulders slouched as her bad mood returned. She was happy Caleb’s Unlawful Encounters book series was finally going to be on the big screen, but she didn’t like the fact that her life continued to intertwine with Josh’s.
Man, I’m all kinds of pissy today. I need to go home and take a nap.
Leah got up, heading toward the kitchen, and eyeballed Stefen so he’d follow her.
Digging his nose into Max’s side, Caleb breathed in his baby smell, then turned and smiled down at Bri and Dani. “The movie’s wrap party is next Friday, and I’d love it if you guys could come.”
“Sounds like fun,” Dani said, shooting Bri a knowing glance.
She was also aware of the fact that Bradley was Josh’s brother. She didn’t know the whole story though. After they’d seen Josh at Zachary’s vineyard last fall, then the handful of times since, Dani had asked Bri why she acted so bitchy when it came to him. All Bri disclosed was that they’d known each other when she was in college, but he seemed to have forgotten that fact. She was too embarrassed to expose the whole ugly truth.
What the hell was I thinking anyway? Sleeping with a celebrity? Really, Bri? She mentally slapped herself. Her mother would probably just love to hold this little tidbit over her head. She already gave Bri a hard time about ‘losing’ him once she saw that stupid paparazzi picture of them in the paper.
And this achy feeling in her heart never seemed to go away. Every time she thought about that night, or more specifically, what happened early that next morning, that ache was there. No matter how far she ran from it.
“I’ll let you know if I can make it or not.” Bri faked a smile. Although she saw in his coffee brown eyes that he’d caught her brooding tone.
Leah and Stefen reappeared with plates and forks for the dessert. Bri looked at her sister-in-law, who was suddenly interested in everything except making eye contact with her.
“Hey Bri, mind coming into my office?” Stefen started to walk away from the group, eyeing Caleb as he passed.
Oh shit, what did Leah tell him?
The bottom hem of Bri’s long skirt fell to her ankles as she got up, strolling nonchalantly toward Stefen’s office.
“Be right back.” Caleb kissed Abby again before he followed.
A cool breeze enveloped the office when Stefen opened the sliding doors that led to the spectacular ocean view. Glancing outside, he leaned against the doorframe and peered back at Bri and Caleb. “Close the door please.”
As they all sat, Stefen began the Spanish Inquisition. “What’s going on with you, Bri, and don’t try to feed us some bullcrap about being tired.”
Caleb sat beside her, one leg crossed over the other, Max still cradled in his arms. “We know you better than that, sweetheart.”
Defeated, she lowered her head, exhaling a breath. “I don’t know. I’ve just felt kinda off lately. I love living so close to you guys, but I’m starting to feel restless.”
Stefen positioned his elbows on the arms of the chair and touched his lips with the tips of his fingers. “That’s understandable. You’ve been traveling all over for the years now. I figured it would take you some time to adjust and figure out what you wanted to do.”
Playing with a loose string on her summer tank top, she blurted out, “Mom called me this morning.” She armed herself for their responses. Even Caleb couldn’t stand their mother and he normally liked everyone.
“What the hell did she want?” The emotionless stare on her brother’s face broke her heart. Bri hated that Stefen felt that way about their mother. But she guessed it was understandable, after the way she’d treated his wife.
“She asked me for money.”
Caleb jerked his head back. “What? Why would she need money from you?”
Stefen groaned.
Bri shrugged. “I don’t know. She said something about Dad putting her on a budget.”
Max was cradled in one arm as Caleb leaned to the side, patting Bri’s shoulder with his free hand. “I’m sorry you’ve had to put up with her, but I still don’t get why she needs money from you.”
Stefen lifted his eyebrow. “Dad told me he was tracking her spending. Said she was acting even more erratic than usual and started blowing money like crazy. Plus some things are changing at the firm,” he gave Caleb an intentional stare, “and Dad is watching finances carefully. What did she say it was for?”
“Some charity dinner, but she couldn’t even tell me what organization it was for, just that she needed ten thousand dollars for it.” She shrugged, but the two men looked at each other perceptively.
What’s going on?
“What’d you tell her?” Caleb asked, patting his milk-drunk son on the bottom.
“That I’d make the deposit on Monday morning.”
Shaking his head vigorously, Stefen barked, “The fuck you are. Bri, you are not giving that woman anything.”
Bri quickly looked at Caleb, who was also shaking his head.
“What was I supposed to do? She’ll keep calling if I don’t just give it to her.” She was desperate for them to understand why she agreed to give the money. Then again, she’d made sure they never really knew how strong her mother’s hold was on her.
“Uh-uh, Bri. This is not your problem. I’m calling dad and let him know what’s going on. He may have changed a lot since I left the firm last year, but our parents have always thought about themselves. They can figure all this shit out on their own and stop trying to drag us into it.” He rested his elbows on the desk and pointed to her. “Don’t you dare make that deposit. I’ll deal with this.”
Bri exhaled, relieved. She knew that there was a time to fight for her independence and there was a time to let Stefen or Caleb handle things. Now that he knew what was going on, this was going to have to be one of those situations she let Stefen take care of.
“Thank you,” she whispered, then she frowned. “Wait. What’s going on at the firm?”
Both men looked at each other before Caleb blew out a breath. “After over thirty years of marriage, my dad decided to leave my mom for some twenty-five-year-old intern at work. He’s having a midlife crisis or some shit like that. It’s like he’s trying to start over, filling a void in his life. He left the firm and is now traveling with a girl younger than me.” Caleb shook his head in disapproval.
Bri held her hand over her mouth. “Caleb, I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged. “Our parents have the most dysfunctional lives, I’m surprised this hasn’t happened to both sets sooner.”
Bri snickered sarcastically. “Are you kidding, our mother would never let Dad go. A divorce would make her look bad.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s how my mom feels too. Apparently she’s trying to take everything they own, and my dad is on a cradle robbing high, so he doesn’t care.”
Bri glanced at Stefen. “What does this mean for Dad? What about the firm?”
Stefen leaned back in his chair. “It means he’s working his ass off to keep everything afloat. I’m trying to convince him to downsize their caseload, but dad’s a workaholic and refuses. I’ve been helping out with cases that can be worked remotely. He’s asked me to come back for a bit, but that’s not my life anymore. It’s not where I want or need to be.”
Her eyes widened as she listened, with pride in her heart. Stefen was a workaholic at one time as well. When he saw the opportunity to win over Leah, he’d jumped over hurdles to prove himself to her. It was nice to see that he didn’t fall back into old habits just because their father asked for help.
Even though she never got her license to practice law, she was confident in her ability to work on minor cases. “Let me know if I can help.”
“I’m trying to get Dad to downsize, not offer more help.” He winked and she knew this conversation was over.
“Thanks for always looking out for me, guys. I know I can’t hide my moods from you. I don’t know why I even try.” She gave them both a silly grin.
Caleb stood up, bending forward to kiss her on the temple. “Listen, just because we’re married now doesn’t mean we aren’t here for you. Abby and Leah love you just as much as we do, and one of the advantages to living in the same town is that we’re all close enough to support each other. You know that.”
Her eyes closed as she gave a tight nod. “Yeah, I know.”
Dropping his chin, Stefen gave her a brotherly look. “Don’t answer Mom’s calls, okay? All she does is stress you out, and I’m done with her shit.”
He nudged her out of her chair. “Come on, let’s go back to the table. I wanna show you all the sugary goodness we got you guys.”
Bri rolled her eyes, “Please, Stefen. Don’t insult my intelligence. I know those desserts are for your wives so you can earn some sugary goodness for yourselves.”
Caleb barked out a laugh, as Stefen said in a cocky manner, “Baby sister, I don’t need to do anything to earn that.”
Bri elbowed him in the rib. “How in the hell that girl ever puts up with you, I’ll never know.”
Strolling between the long rows of grapevines, Josh was filled with nostalgia. “Hey remember that summer I stayed with you guys when we stole a few of your dad’s cigars and snuck out there?” He pointed toward the four Tuscan inspired villas off in the distance that his uncle and Zachary rented out to guests.
Zachary nodded. “How could I forget? Dad busted us and made us smoke the whole things. I think I puked for a week after.” He howled a laugh before bending down to pat his tan-colored wheaten terrier, Buddy.
“Yeah, I never picked up another one.” Josh smiled at the memory. His uncle was old school and taught life lessons the hard way, but he respected that. “Still can’t stomach the smell of ’em.”
Or the thought of them.
“I guess there was a method to Dad’s madness.” Zachary smiled fondly anytime he talked about his father.
As the shaggy dog panted, they began to make their way through the field. Although it was still early, the summer sun beat down on the vineyard. The smell of soil and sap from the grapevines filled the air around them. Josh reached over picking one of the red grapes, wiped it off on his shirt then popped the sweet fruit into his mouth.
“We got into a lot of trouble that summer.” Zachary smirked. “Best time ever.”
Josh kicked a shriveled grape in his path. “Got my first hickey over there.” He lifted his chin in the direction of the side fence that surrounded the property.
The sound of Zachary’s chuckle filled the area. “Yeah, I remember. We picked those girls up at the bowling alley right after I got my driver’s license.”
Josh nodded at the memory then rotated his baseball cap so the bill shaded his eyes. “Well, you’ve got the best line ever now.” He cocked his eyebrow before acting out the pick-up scene. “Your place or mine? Oh, and by the way,” he raised his index finger, pulling up the corners of his mouth, “my place is a vineyard.”
Zachary shoved Josh in the shoulder, causing him to stumble as he laughed. Buddy darted to Josh, barking his disapproval.
Lifting his hands in the air, Josh said, “Hey, he pushed me, I didn’t do anything.” He rustled the fur on top of Buddy’s head, seeming to calm him down. The men wandered along the extensive line of grapevines about ready to be harvested in a few months.
“I’m sure being a celebrity isn’t a bad way of getting women either,” Zachary pointed out, a light summer breeze blowing his brownish blonde hair.
“Nah.” He met up with the withered grape, kicking it even further away this time. “I’m not a celebrity anymore.” Josh regretted all of the mistakes he’d made. If only he had just stayed on the right path, he would still be acting and probably even enjoying it. That thought left him feeling kinda of empty but he’d learned his lesson a long time ago. Some things are not healthy to fill that void with. One being alcohol, the other being women who wanted to use him.
There’s only one woman I can’t stop thinking about. But she hates me. He sighed at that depressing thought before he raised his head and saw her. The girl that had been on his mind for nearly seven months now. Damn, how in the hell?
Bri was standing in the vineyard parking lot, caressing his American Quarter Horse, Smokey. Light filtered through the tree leaves above her, showcasing her beautiful face, long dark hair, and insanely gorgeous body as she laughed with the two other women Zachary talked about quite often, Leah and Dani. Bri was more stunning each time he saw her. And yet he didn’t have the balls to talk to her.
For some reason, she blatantly ignored him whenever he was near. One thing was for sure, Brianna Hunter definitely held a grudge against him. When he’d first met her last Thanksgiving, she’d accidentally given him a sideway glance and smirked when he snickered nervously under his breath next to her. Once she realized it was him, a scowl quickly replaced her smile, and she turned to stalk away.
I’ve got to figure out what the hell I did to her.
The worst part was that something about her felt so familiar. There was no way she was who he thought she might be. No way.
She looked like a totally different person, but a nagging feeling deep down told him that she might just be the girl he knew as Bea. He didn’t remember most of the girls he’d slept with but the gorgeous, model thin beauty with short auburn hair made an impression no one else ever had. Unlike most of the other girls he’d had sex with, he’d felt so comfortable with Bea. He’d even opened up and shared his feelings about Kai with her.
After being given wrong information, he was pissed at her the night he took her to bed though. Despite his anger, they’d had the most amazing drunk sex that night. That was until he moved off of her and saw the blood on the sheet. It was obvious that she wasn’t experienced but he didn’t realize it was her first time until it was too late.
Man I was such a prick to that girl afterward.
No way. It’s not her, and I have to stop thinking it might be.
Resolving not to focus on this until he was alone and could think clearly, he caught up to Zachary, deciding to call him out on the flirting he seemed to be doing from a distance. “Hey, what’s that little look you’re giving Leah’s sister?” Josh hadn’t seen his cousin eye any woman since his ex-wife left him, years ago. And good riddance to that bitch. Who knew what the hell he ever saw in her anyway. Nobody else liked her, especially Uncle Joel.
The bright sun hit Zachary’s face as they walked out from under a trellis covering, causing him to close one eye and narrow the other. “You mean Dani?”
Josh chuckled, well aware of her name. He moved his eyebrows up and down. “Yeah, Dani.”
“Oh, you know. Just appreciating the sight of a beautiful woman.” Zach’s smile widened when he said the last two words.
Josh stopped, placing his hand on Zach’s chest. “What are you gonna do about it?”
His smile didn’t falter while his eyes were still glued on Dani. “Nothing. Just enjoy the view.”
“Hmm.” Josh shook his head. “Damn shame.” They started up again toward the women that were probably there to plan the flower arrangements with a bride-to-be. They always arrived earlier than the brides they met. Not that Josh was paying attention or anything.
“Yeah, well you know I’m not up for any kind of relationship. I’ve got too much going on here at the vineyard and now taking care of dad.” Zachary spoke matter-of-factly.
Sounds like an excuse to me but whatever.
“Believe me, I get it.” And he did. “No women for me either. No matter how hot she is.” Of course, as soon as he said this, his mind went directly to the stunning woman shooting daggers at him from the distance.
Why was she so irritated?
“Speaking of women, I’ve gotta ask. What’d you do to Bri?” Zachary scrunched his eyebrows together, looking back
and forth between them. “I’ve noticed you’re the only one she looks at like that.”
“I know,” he replied, stumped. “Like she wants to kill me. I don’t remember her, but I have a feeling she wasn’t just a fan I denied an autograph to. Maybe I screwed over one of her friends or something.”
Man, I hope that’s it.
Zachary brought his hand up to shield the sun from his blue eyes. “How do you know it was a friend? Maybe you screwed her over.” He gave Josh a pointed look.
Josh shook his head. “Uh-uh. Nope. I’ve never met her before last year. There’s no way I’d ever forget a woman like that. No matter how drunk I was.”