“Okay.” Truthfully Charlie didn’t know what to think, but thinking was something she could do later.
“I know this is asking a lot, but can you do me a huge favor?”
She nodded and whispered. “Sure. Anything.”
“Hold on,” he said. She could hear him speaking to someone in the background, the sound muffled as if he had his hand over the phone. After a few seconds he was there in her ear, his deep voice so familiar and already something she ached to hear.
“The media is all over this and we need to get Teague and his parents away somewhere so that they can have some time to themselves without the press hounding them. We’re flying to Maine tonight, but I have no food in the house or anything really. Would you be able to stock up for me?”
“Yes, of course. “
“I know you’ve already got a full plate, but I didn’t know who else to call and Cooper’s never met anyone from town. I’m probably overstepping--”
A heartbeat passed and in that moment she knew that Ava’s words earlier had never been truer. This could be Charlie’s moment. Was she going to be brave enough to grab it?
“It’s good, Rick. I’ve got you covered.”
“I miss you, Charlie.”
Those four little words nearly undid her. Which was insane. Wasn’t it?
“Same,” she whispered. “There’s a storm coming in again. A lot more snow. Please be safe.”
“I know. It’s why we’re heading out now from a private airstrip not far from here. We want to get out ahead of it. I’ll call you when we land in Maine but Charlie, can we keep this on the down low? If possible?”
“Of course, I’ll do what I can.”
“Okay. I’ve got to run. I…”
Her heart was still beating hard, and she held her breath when he continued.
“I can’t wait to see you. I…we’ll talk, okay? This means more to me than you can know.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
Charlie pocketed her cell and walked back to the office. Ava was still hunched over the desk, her eyes on the television. “God, these Simon men are something else.”
“Ava.”
“Like they won the gene lottery or something.”
“Ava.”
“Huh?” her friend replied, obviously distracted by the coverage. Charlie grabbed the remote and the screen went blank.
“Hey,” Ava said, turning around.
There weren’t too many people that Charlie knew she could trust with a secret this big, but luckily Ava was among the few. “I need for you to call Danielle back and tell her that the guy she saw on television isn’t my Rick.”
“Oh, I…and why? Why do you care what Danielle thinks if it isn’t true?”
“Because it was Rick.”
“Okay.” She could see that Ava wasn’t understanding her at all.
“It was Rick and he’s bringing his cousin, the one who was kidnapped, and his Aunt and Uncle and I think his brother is coming to.”
“Coming here.” Ava’s eyes widened. “To Fisherman’s Landing.” The look on Ava’s face was comical.
“Yes. Here. And no one can know or at least we have to do our best to make sure that no one finds out.”
“Okay,” Ava said slowly. “You can count on me. Do you need me to do anything else?”
“If I give you a grocery list, would you be able to do that? Are you working this afternoon?” Ava was an assistant in the pharmacy and her hours were all over the place.
“I haven’t worked a Saturday in ages. I’m off.”
“Good. I’ve got to finish up these oil changes or I’ll have customers screaming at me. Once I’m semi caught up, I’ll grab Connor and take everything out to Rick’s.”
“Holy. Rick’s brother is a hot Charlie Hunnam look alike.”
Charlie screwed up her face. “Who the hell is Charlie Hunnam?”
Ava laughed and grabbed her purse. “Never mind. I know the only TV you watch is that stupid car restoration show. So why in hell would you know who Charlie Hunnam is?”
Her friend scooped up the phone. “Get me the list while I put off Danielle.”
“What are you going to tell her?”
“I’m going to tell her that she’s out of her ever-lovin’ mind if she thinks anyone from the Simon family would move out to Fisherman’s Landing. Really. Who in their right mind would come out here if they didn’t have to? Especially in the dead of winter.”
“True.” Ava could be convincing when she needed to be.
“But Charlie?”
“Yes?”
“You better tell me right now if Beau Simon is coming, because I just might have to take a moment to deal with that.”
Jesus. She hoped not. Charlie might have been living under a rock the last few years, but even she had seen a couple of his movies. There was a reason he was one of the biggest names in Hollywood. “No, I don’t think so.”
Charlie needed to work. She needed to concentrate on something other than the fact that Rick was one of those Simons. And she sure as hell didn’t want to think about the fact that she was going to be meeting his family. You know, those Simons.
“ Whew,” Ava said with a wink. “Thank goodness he’s not coming because I don’t think this town could handle that.”
“What?” Distracted, Charlie frowned and earned a WTF look in return.
“Beau Simon?”
“Oh.” Charlie sighed. “Well, I guess you don’t have to worry about making an ass out of yourself.”
“Nope, I’m all good.”
“Awesome,” Charlie retorted as she headed back out to the garage.
I’m glad someone is.
She had a feeling that life had just thrown her another curveball, and dammit, she wasn’t good with curveballs. Charlie sighed, glancing around the empty shop. Where was Davis when she needed him? He would understand what was going on inside her.
She’d known all along that whatever-the-hell-it-was-she-was-doing with Rick wasn’t going to last. He was just passing through, and she was a townie for life. And now? Knowing who he was and the kind of life he was used to living only made the gap between their worlds that much bigger.
She’d known that.
Stupid girl.
Chapter Twenty-one
It was dark and the snow was just starting to fall when the Simons arrived in Maine from Florida. A large SUV was waiting for them and Maverick slid into the driver’s seat while Cooper and his Uncle Noah helped Teague into the back. Or rather attempted to. His cousin was stubborn as hell shrugged them off.
“Goodness, it’s almost as cold here as it is up north,” his aunt Eden said, rubbing her hands together as she took the passenger side. “Maybe colder.”
“We’re right on the Atlantic here, so yes, it can get nasty,” Cooper replied. “Let’s just hope the press thinks we’re up in Gravenhurst and don’t come sniffing around here.”
Maverick nodded, thinking that most of the paparazzi would assume they’d headed to the Simons’ Canadian retreat. He fired up the engine and waited for his uncle to get into the vehicle.
“Why did you buy this place?” Teague’s voice was rough, and he looked worse than he sounded. Maverick eyed him through the rearview mirror, jaw clenched tightly.
Teague’s right arm was in a cast and he had two broken ribs. The guy was sporting a pair of black eyes as well as a broken nose, and he’d also taken a bullet to his leg. Luckily, that particular wound had been superficial.
But it was the wounds beneath his skin that Maverick was worried about. Teague was too quiet and had refused any type of counseling that had been offered. He’d been debriefed, did the bare minimum required of him and then wanted out. Maverick had no idea what had gone down over there, but it wasn’t good.
He didn’t hear Cooper’s answer to his cousin’s question, but he could hear the men talking, their voices low. He pulled out of the private airstrip and headed toward Fisherman’s Landing. His GPS told him the
y had about an hour until they reached their destination, but he was figuring it would take longer on account of the snow.
“So who is this woman? The one who’s waiting for you?”
Startled, Maverick didn’t answer at first. His fingers drummed along the steering wheel as he peered into the night.
“She sounds interesting,” Eden Simon continued. “A mechanic. I don’t think I’ve ever met a female mechanic before.”
“She’s pretty amazing,” he responded, navigating a sharp turn in the road.
He felt his aunt’s eyes on him and snuck a look when it was safe. “What?”
His aunt was a petite little blond woman who a lot of people thought of as fragile. They would be wrong. Very wrong. All of the Simon men knew that Eden Simon was fierce and she packed a lot of backbone into her small frame.
“How long have you known this girl?”
“A month? Maybe?” Hell he didn’t know because it seemed as if he’d known her for a lot longer than the reality.
“This girl is different from the other’s you’ve been with,” his aunt said.
He couldn’t argue with that.
“She means something to you.”
He nodded. “She does.” He liked saying that. Liked the thought of it.
His aunt settled into her seat. “It’s about time. I was just telling Jack that you needed to expand your social circle because women like that Elle aren’t what you need.”
He smiled. Eden sounded just like his pal Donovan. “Oh? And what is it that I need?”
She laughed and looked at him as if he was crazy. “Well apparently it’s someone who can change a flat tire.”
“Yes,” he said with a huge smile and a warm feeling in his chest. “That’s exactly what I need.”
“Good,” she murmured, looking over her shoulder into the back of the SUV. “Now if only we could find whatever it is that Teague will need to get through this.”
“He’s strong just like you. He’ll be fine,” Maverick found himself saying. Probably because it felt like the right thing to say, but mostly because he hoped like hell it would be true. Teague wasn’t the same. Truthfully, over the last few years the guy had seemed to drift away from all of them. Slowly, like sand in an hourglass.
The Simons wanted him back. Plain and simple.
Maverick banished those thoughts from his mind and concentrated on driving. It took almost two hours to get to Fisherman’s Landing. The snow was falling faster than the road crews could keep up with and the going was slow. By the time they pulled into the driveway, it was nearly ten at night and all of them were tired. It had been a grueling week and sleep was much needed.
Maverick cut the engine, eyes on the house and the soft glow of light that fell from the windows. He liked knowing that Charlie was in there waiting for him.
“Look’s like someone plowed the driveway,” Cooper said.
Maverick spied Charlie’s truck off to the side. A large snow blade was attached to the front of the thing, and he smiled.
“Guess we can thank your girlfriend,” Cooper said, slapping him on the shoulder as he opened up his door.
Maverick slid from the truck and with his uncle Noah’s help, retrieved the bags and led the way to the house. Cooper and his aunt followed behind them with Teague.
The long gallery that ran the length of the house was shoveled clean as well, though with the steady fall of snow he was pretty sure there’d be a ton for him to do in the morning.
He set his bag down and was just about to reach for the door when it flew open.
“You’re here,” Charlie said, her eyes shiny as she rubbed the palms of her hands over her jean clad thighs. “I was worried. You didn’t text.”
“Shit, babe, I’m sorry.” Maverick took a step toward her. “I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to get here.”
He thought that maybe her bottom lip trembled a bit, and it made his heart turn over. He didn’t think about anyone else except the woman in front of him and Maverick bent toward her, his hands sliding into all that loose, dark hair. He held her prisoner and slid his mouth over hers.
He kissed her—a soft, gentle kiss—and though it made him want to dig in and go deeper, he reluctantly let her go. He rested his forehead against hers for a couple seconds and then moved to the side.
Once all the Simons were through, Maverick closed the door behind them. He took a step closer to Charlie, slid his hand to the small of her back and introduced her to his family.
His aunt enveloped her in a big hug and at first Charlie seemed stiff, but then she accepted the embrace. And then another from his uncle Noah. When Cooper stepped forward, Maverick felt compelled to speak.
“Keep it clean Coop.”
His brother flashed a smile and offered a hand instead. “Thanks for getting the house ready.”
“It was no problem, really.” She glanced at Maverick. “I had to bring some bedding from home because I wasn’t sure if there was enough here.”
“Thanks for that,” Eden said with a smile, though it faltered when she glanced over to her son. “You’re due for more pain medication and we should get you to bed.”
Teague said nothing, but his eyes were dark and his mouth set in a tight line. He offered a smile to Charlie as he passed by and headed for the stairs.
Cooper took them up to the second floor and for a small window of time, Maverick had Charlie all to himself.
He immediately slid his arms around her because he needed to feel her. Badly. She was shivering, as if cold, and Maverick held her tightly, his head buried in the hair at her nape.
God it felt good to hold her.
“We need to talk about everything,” he murmured against her.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “We’ve got time for that.”
Maverick moved slightly so that he could see her face. So that he could try to read her eyes. “I need for you to know that I was going to tell you about my family. I don’t want you to think I was holding that back for some reason. I wasn’t. I was just…it’s hard for us sometimes. Hard to blend in and just be one of the guys.”
“I get that,” she said with a small smile. Had any woman ever had a mouth that delectable? “I mean, I think I can imagine what it would be like, judging from some of the footage I saw on the news.”
She rubbed his shoulders and, damn, but he could have stood there for hours. “How is your cousin? He seems kind of lost.”
Maverick shook his head and glanced upstairs. “That’s a good way to describe it. He’s up and down but mostly just down. I hope he can find his way back because right now he’s just kind of existing.”
“I know what that’s like.”
His eyes shot back to Charlie’s. There was more to her story than she’d told him. He wasn’t sure how he knew this, but he did.
“Someone or something will bring him around,” she said softly. “It might take a few weeks or a few months or even a few years. But it will happen.”
He pushed back a lock of hair that fell over her brow and kissed her once more. “You’re not driving home in this.” He frowned, glancing around. “Where’s Connor?”
Charlie nodded to the front room. “He’s asleep on the old sofa in there. The poor little guy was tuckered out. The entire time I was out shoveling, he was playing in the snow.” Her eyes misted. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him this happy. This engaged.” She shrugged and smiled. “I don’t know if it’s the music somehow or you…”
She blushed and Maverick’s heart melted a little bit.
“There’s hope for your cousin,” she murmured.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for us today. You know that, right?”
“I do.” A wicked smile crossed her face. “And I’ll make you pay. Trust me. I have plans for that.”
He grinned and swooped in for one more kiss, but his brother Cooper had other plans.
“Damn, but I’m feeling left out.” Cooper’s voice trailed off sugg
estively. He’d come down from upstairs and Charlie pushed at Maverick with a laugh.
“Don’t be a jerk,” Maverick said, sliding his arm around Charlie’s shoulder. It was a possessive move, and maybe it made him look like a caveman, but he didn’t care.
His brother shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and the look of appreciation in his eyes as he gazed down at Maverick’s woman made Rick’s blood pressure rise.
“Guess I’m okay with you touching my Shelby,” Cooper said, ignoring Maverick.
Charlie waited a beat. “That’s good to hear,” she replied. “Though I won’t be doing much of the touching. At least not to the body or the interior.”
“No?” Maverick wanted to wipe the grin off his brother’s face with the back of his hand.
“Nope. That would be my guy Davis.”
“Too bad.”
Charlie shrugged. “I’ve got my hands full with other things. You know how it is.”
Cooper chuckled. “I do.” He looked at Maverick. “And to think that if only I’d taken one trip into town.”
“In your dreams, brother,” Maverick replied.
Cooper stepped down from the stairs. “I’m heading out to the shop in a bit if you want to come along.”
Maverick watched his brother until he disappeared into the kitchen and the pressed a kiss to the corner of Charlie’s mouth. “Cooper has a history of wanting what he can’t have.”
“He sounds like trouble.”
“He is.”
“Well,” Charlie murmured against him. “There’s only a certain kind of trouble that I like and he’s not it.”
“Good,” he growled, taking her mouth one last time before gently pushing her away. “You and Connor can sleep in my bed tonight. Okay?”
“Okay. I packed an overnight bag just in case.”
“We’ll figure something else out tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” she asked, that tongue that he loved, darting out to lick at the corner of her mouth.
“Yeah,” Maverick replied with a wicked grin. “Tomorrow you’re stuck with me, wherever the hell you’re sleeping. You’ve got no choice on that one.”
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