Silver had paced the apartment all day, wondering what to wear, what to say, how to act. Justin would be here any moment, and she stood in front of the full-length mirror on her closet door, wondering if she was dressed correctly. The cream-colored blouse and tan slacks fit her perfectly. She’d added a pearl necklace, a pearl ring from her grandmother, and a gold Michael Kors watch. She felt very put together and proper, with tan flats on her feet and a matching purse ready to go.
Becky, on the other hand, wore a vintage, hot pink jumpsuit, a darker pink, wide leather belt, and bright yellow spiked heels. It should have looked gaudy, but instead boasted haute couture. When Justin had called and said to bring Becky, Silver had been surprised but readily agreed. Having her best friend there would make the evening better.
Miss Fashion Forward gave her another once over and groaned.
“What’s wrong with this outfit?” Silver asked.
The other woman sucked in a loud breath then blew it out. “You won’t like what I say.”
“Becky!”
“Well, you’re dressed like your mother.”
Oh, hell no. Not in this lifetime.
When Silver walked out of the bedroom ten minutes later, she wore dark brown slacks with brown Mary Jane flats and a mink brown silk blouse she’d found in the back of her closet. She had to admit the brown set off her hair and complexion. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Parted on the side, her long blonde hair swung loosely past her shoulders.
“One more change,” Becky said as she followed Silver into the living room. “Please?”
Silver stared at the red heels her friend carried. “Red with brown? You can’t be serious.”
Becky’s face lit up. “Hold these.” She handed the red heels to Silver and ran back into the bedroom. When she returned, Becky handed her a small pile of soft fabric. “Your grandmother’s shawl.”
Silver took the delicate silk and ran her fingers across the hand-done embroidery. The soft brown background was the perfect canvas for the intricate flowers of all colors, including red. Kicking off the brown shoes, she slipped on the red heels then wrapped the shawl artfully across her shoulders. “Well?”
“Perfect!” Becky declared.
Silver shook her head, but smiled. “You’re right. By the way, where have you been the past few days?”
“Doing some research into a few things.”
“What things?”
A series of sharp knocks interrupted them.
“Saved by the knock,” Becky muttered. “I’ll get it.”
Silver shook her head. Sometimes her friend baffled her.
Justin was dressed casually, delicious in a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled back and a pair of dark blue jeans, black boots, and a black hat. After calling Silver beautiful and giving her a lengthy kiss to say hello, and a hug for Becky, the three of them climbed into a black Lexus—his mother’s car—and joked the entire way to Connie’s house.
“Wow,” Becky whispered as they pulled into a long, circular driveway.
A massive two story Southern colonial mansion rose against the evening horizon. Oak trees lined both sides of the wide drive, and pink crepe myrtles waved in a gentle breeze from immaculate flower beds. White window frames and black shutters accented red brick; leaded windows flanked the double front doors painted a dark burgundy; white columns stood a full two stories over a huge veranda across the length of the house; and four white rocking chairs welcomed visitors.
Justin parked near the front and got out to open the passenger and back doors, helping both women out of the car. When he took her hand in his, Silver’s jitters calmed.
“This is an amazing home, Justin.”
“Wait until you see inside,” he said with a smile as he opened the door. They were greeted by a young man who stood as tall as Justin with brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes.
Justin smiled. “Hey, big brother. This is Silver Madison. Silver, this is Kade.”
Kade shook her hand. “Great to meet you, Silver.”
“You, too. I bought your last jazz album, Crazy Caribbean, and thought it was fantastic.”
“Thanks! I appreciate it.”
“Ahem.” Becky cleared her throat.
Justin eased Becky forward. “Kade, this is Becky Sinclair, Silver’s best friend.”
“Nice to meet you, Kade. Before you ask, I know your music and I don’t like it. Not a fan,” Becky finished, pointing to herself.
Kade blinked at her then his eyes crinkled with amusement as his gaze roamed over her outfit. Then he saw the shoes.
“Yellow?”
“Deal with it, Sandman,” Becky said with a stiff smile.
“Not sure what the Sandman thing means, but you’re not a fan. Good to know, Sunshine.”
They entered the living room and Connie stood. “Silver, it’s good to see you again.” She hugged Silver and turned to Becky, extending her hand. “Connie Rivers. You must be Becky.”
“Yes, ma’am, Becky Sinclair.” She shook the woman’s hand. “Thanks for asking us to your beautiful home.”
“I’m glad you’re here. This is Justin’s brother, Hunter.”
The dark haired and blue-eyed man was a younger version of Justin, only more slender, with a devilish grin.
“Pleased to meet you.”
Becky giggled. “So you’re the one who ropes cattle by day and sings karaoke by night?”
Hunter crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, what do you know? Big brother’s been telling on me.”
Silver laughed. “Only the good stuff.”
Connie led the way to the dining room. Silver looked around as they walked. Simple, understated wealth. Nothing flashy or ostentatious, yet one could tell that the furniture and accessories were of the finest quality. Camel colored walls and natural woods set the tone for earth-toned furniture and accessories. Exotic area rugs covered slate and wood floors, adding dashes of elegance. Paintings, angel sculptures, and crystal vases with fresh cut flowers warmed the room. Hundreds of leather bound books caught her attention.
Floor to ceiling shelves were filled with colorful bindings. One section had been encased with glass and held very old books. She felt herself drawn to it and bent down to see the titles on the old covers. Robinson Crusoe, Once and Future King, Tom Sawyer, and others mounted on cloth-covered stands, precious treasures that someone had seen the value of through the years.
“I guess you would like old books, being a teacher,” Justin whispered as he slipped an arm around her waist.
“The mustier, the better,” she quipped softly. “Justin, these are incredible. Are they first editions?”
Nodding, he opened the case and took out Once and Future King, gently lifting the cover. Inside, scrawled writing said:
Slade, thanks for the help. No one else could have done the job. Your friend, T. H. White
“Who is Slade?”
“My grandfather—something of a rebel in his day.”
“Why does he have an original copy? And what did White mean about the job?”
“Ask Grandpa sometime. It’s quite a story.”
“Come on, you two. I don’t want these enchiladas to get cold,” called Connie.
Justin put the book back inside the case and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the food.
Nearly two hours later, after almost non-stop laughter and too much to eat, Silver felt amazingly comfortable with almost everyone. As they walked into the living room, Becky put her arms around all of them. “Should we take a groufie? You know, a group selfie.” When no one commented or moved, she put her arms back down. “Maybe not.”
The doorbell rang and Kade answered it. He returned with Sam following on his heels. Justin’s jaw tightened as he glared at his manager, and Becky moved away from the men. Kade and Hunter left, saying something about helping their mother, and Silver sat on one of the sofas.
Sam shuffled his feet toward Justin. The manager had dark circles under his eyes and reeked of alcoh
ol. “Thanks for asking me to come over. I need to talk to you.”
Justin answered in a low, quiet voice. “Yes, we do need to talk.”
“OK, so where can we go for some privacy?”
“Right here is fine. There are a few things I want to say. First, meet my new manager,” Justin said, pointing to Becky.
Becky gave a quick wave and said, “Hey there, Sam.”
Silver looked at her friend who wiggled her eyebrows.
Sam sneered at them. “What does she know about managing a singer?”
“She knows to be honest and fair. And she knows that embezzlement is a felony.” When Sam didn’t say anything, Justin stepped forward.
Sam spread his hands in surrender. “Justin, I got in a bind with a few bets. Nothing big. That’s why I’m here. To talk to you about all of this.”
Becky leaned against the back of the sofa. “Nothing big? Try nearly a quarter of a million dollars gone from the business account.”
Silver gasped. “A quarter million?” Now she knew why Justin had been so preoccupied last night at the lake house.
“You’ll return every dime of that money you stole,” Justin advised with deadly calm.
“Sure, yeah, I can do that. I was going to tell you—the money, the photographers. Everything.”
“Photographers?” Justin looked at Becky who shook her head, indicating she knew nothing about it.
Sam licked his lips in a nervous gesture. “Yeah, payments to some of the press so they’d get your name in the tabloids. Hey, it meant more exposure for you, and that’s what GramMer wants, right?”
Justin grabbed the front of Sam’s shirt. “I don’t want a career built on sleazy headlines! You’re fired, and I want the money back in the account by tomorrow morning. Now get out!” He pushed Sam away.
“Justin, there’s something you gotta know first.”
“Sam, you’re drunk. Be smart and shut your mouth,” Justin warned him. “Walk away.”
The drunk spread his feet in defiance. “I’ve been a good manager, and everything I’ve done was to make you into the superstar you want to be. So what if I like to gamble? There are worse things.” He turned to glare at both the women. “None of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t hooked up with this blonde bimbo,” he yelled, pointing to Silver.
Before she had time to react, Justin drove his fist into the man’s face, busting his lip open and knocking him to the floor. Kade and Hunter ran into the room, followed by their mother. When the brothers started forward to help Justin, Connie stopped them.
Standing with his hands clenched, Justin glared at Sam. “You steal from me. Try to ruin Silver’s reputation with that stunt after the contest. Now you come into my mother’s house with your pathetic confessions, insult Silver, and I’m supposed to let it go? Get out before I do something worse.”
Both brothers walked over to flank Justin. Silver felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest as she watched Sam stand up, one hand pressed to his lip as blood oozed through his fingers.
Connie threw him a dish towel she had in her hand. “Don’t get your mess on my floors as you leave.”
Sam ignored her. “There’s no way I’m letting you get by with this.”
Becky groaned. “Sam, for the love of God, it’s over. Leave before Justin decides to call the police.”
He sneered at them as he backed out of the room. “I’m gonna do whatever it takes to make you pay. All of you.”
“Do your worst, you son of a bitch!” Justin called after him.
Silver looked at the three brothers standing shoulder to shoulder, like some impenetrable barrier. She heard the door slam shut and let out the breath she’d been holding.
“I don’t think that little problem is going away any time soon,” Kade said. “Are you going to press charges?”
Dragging a hand through his hair, Justin blew out a loud breath. “Not if he returns the money.”
Moving across the room to sit in a chair, Connie spoke softly. “It might be a good idea to close him out of all the accounts.”
“Justin did that today,” Becky answered. “Sam can make deposits, but he can’t withdraw funds.”
Silver crossed her arms over her chest and faced her friend. “Since when don’t you tell me things, like becoming Justin’s manager?”
Nudging her shoulder, Becky grinned. “It all happened really fast and I sort of got caught up in the whole ‘see my dream come true’ thing. Justin offered me the job after I discovered Sam was being a stupid ass… Sorry,” she directed to Connie. “My first assignment as his new manager was to make use of my contacts and find out exactly what Sam was up to.”
“Sorry, Mom. He insulted Silver, and the next thing I knew, my fist went right into his face,” Justin said.
Connie leaned back. “Dinner at my house is not usually this exciting.”
“You should see the kids at the high school,” Silver said. “I always say nothing surprises me after teaching. Besides, this cowboy keeps riding to my rescue every time I’m around him. I kind of like his chivalrous behavior.”
“Knight in shining armor. Interesting,” teased Kade.
Justin gave her a goofy grin then narrowed his eyes at Kade, whose shoulders were bouncing in silent amusement. Hunter’s loud cough sounded like a strangled laugh.
Clearing his throat, Justin said, “I’d better take Silver home since it’s a school night.”
Becky thanked Connie and said she’d be in the car, answering a few text messages.
Silver stood and hugged Connie. “Thank you so much for tonight. I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun at a family dinner. It was great to meet everyone.”
Connie returned the smile. “Sweetie, you are more than welcome to come here any time, although I hope we can skip any further scenes like this one.” She directed the last words to Justin.
He kissed his mother on the cheek. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll call you in a few days. Hunter, don’t give Mom any grief.” He punched the younger man’s shoulder.
“Whatever,” Hunter grunted as he punched back. “Silver, we should have lunch sometime. Talk about this guy.”
“That sounds great,” Silver answered.
“No, it doesn’t,” Justin corrected, and everyone laughed while he guided her outside. When he opened the car door and kissed her after she sat down, Silver shook her head and let out a shaky breath. Justin had been in control of his anger until Sam stepped over that line. The cowboy must care to react that way.
Then she realized something else that terrified her. At some point during the night, the walls around her heart had crumbled away.
She had fallen in love with Justin Rivers.
* * *
Justin walked Silver to her front door after Becky hugged them both and left. Looking up at him as she unlocked the door, Silver asked, “Do you want to come in for a few minutes?”
“It’s a school night. Don’t you have to be in bed by a certain time, Miss Madison?” he teased.
Rolling her eyes, she walked inside. “Don’t be obsequious.”
He followed her and pulled out his phone. His fingers moved over the face of it, then he lifted to her mouth.
“Say it again.”
She smirked then said, “Obsequious.”
Looking at his phone, he said, “It means dutiful or deferential. Do your students ever stare at you like they don’t know what you’re saying?”
“I usually follow up with another explanation that tells them what it means. Like, don’t be obsequious; don’t feel duty bound to say that. At least that way, they’re getting more than, like, you know, just, you know, simple phrases that, like, you know, mean nothing. You know?”
Holding his hands over his ears, Justin mimed a horrified expression, which made her laugh, so he put them down. He loved her laughter. It made him feel good, like things were going right for once in his life. “Would you like some wine? I have a Riesling.”
“Perfect,
” he said with a big smile. When she walked out of the room, he pulled up the Wine Spectator app on his phone.
When she came back carrying two glasses of the wine, he set down the phone, prepared for the test. Taking a glass from her, he sat in a chair and took a sip.
“Mmm. Clean, fresh, a hint of citrus, and slightly sweet.”
Nodding, she glanced at his phone and sat down on the sofa across from him. “You forgot to mention the perfect wine for dessert.”
He picked up his phone and heard her giggle as he slid it into his pocket. With a grin, he confessed. “Caught me.”
“You really like it? It’s Chateau Saint Michelle.”
“Yeah, it’s good.” He cocked his head to one side. “And you are beautiful.” He made it a point to tell her at least once every time he was with her.
A blush warmed her face as she mumbled her thanks. After a few moments of silence, she leaned forward. “You really handled yourself well tonight. Thanks for defending me. Again.”
“I’ll always defend you, Silver.”
“It means a lot to me, but there’s something I don’t understand.”
Had he forgotten something? “What’s that?”
“Why are you sitting all the way over there instead of here beside me?” she asked with an innocent look.
Justin’s heart slammed into his chest so hard he stopped breathing for a few seconds. He stood up, staring at her. “Miss Madison, that’s a very good question. Do you know the answer?”
“A good teacher always has an answer,” she replied softly.
He walked the short distance to sit beside her. Gently pushing her silky hair over one shoulder, he wondered if he would ever get tired of her sparkling green eyes.
“I want to sing for you…something I started writing last night. I haven’t finished yet… Actually, I only have the chorus…but…” Pulling out his phone, his fingers moved over the face and found the music track he’d put together. “It’s called ‘Rusty Hearts.’”
But you…
You oiled this rusty heart of mine
Midnight Diamonds Page 10