by Coleen Kwan
“How’s your grandpa?” Caleb asked. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Not unless you can give him a personality transplant. He’s hoarding food for the next apocalypse and it’s all going to waste, and he won’t listen to me.”
“I’m sorry, man. Must be tough on you.”
They drank in silence for a few moments, and Derek felt some of the tension ease from his shoulders. Caleb had always been a good friend, more like a brother to him.
“Maybe Hannah could help,” Caleb said, “now that she’s back permanently.”
“No.” Derek quickly shook his head. “She doesn’t need this, not when she’s still picking up the pieces.”
“Yeah.” Caleb’s face darkened. “That fucker Rick. I knew he was no good for her. I should have stopped her from marrying him.”
Derek slowly sat up. “What are you saying? You knew something about him before they got married?”
“Uh-huh.” Caleb grimaced. “I caught him in a bar chatting up some easy-looking woman. When I challenged him about it, he said it was nothing, just an old girlfriend saying hi.”
“And you bought his story?” Anger built in Derek. Dammit, to think that Hannah might have been spared all that heartache.
“I didn’t know any better. And I was eighteen and drinking in a bar. How was I going to explain that?” Caleb swiped a hand over his face. “Plus, Hannah was looking forward to the wedding so much, I didn’t have the heart to tell her.”
Derek squeezed the bottle between his hands. “How come you never told me?”
“Jeez, I was grounded at the time, remember? I wasn’t even supposed to be out, let alone sneaking into a bar.”
Derek’s chest contracted. “How could I forget?” When Derek had screwed up big time just before graduation, Caleb had claimed responsibility for the accident so that Derek could escape Pine Falls and his granddad. Caleb’s license had been suspended and his dad had grounded him for three months. That was the kind of friend he was.
Sighing, Caleb leaned back against the porch railing. “One thing’s for sure. I won’t make the same mistake again. I’m going to make damn sure Hannah doesn’t end up with another jerk. No one who isn’t a squeaky clean boy scout is getting past me.”
Derek scratched his neck, uncomfortable at what Caleb would say if he knew what he really felt about Hannah. “Buddy, it’s the twenty-first century, and your sister’s older than you. You don’t have a say in her love life.”
Caleb’s face had taken on a mulish determination. “Don’t care what century it is. Anyone who wants a crack at Hannah will have to get past me first.”
Derek took another swig of his root beer. Caleb was being melodramatic and medieval, and Hannah was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. A beautiful, sweet, sexy woman he was still determined to take out for a drink. But he wished he hadn’t heard Caleb because one thing was definite—Derek was no squeaky clean boy scout.
Chapter Three
At eight o’clock on a Friday night, Jimmy’s bar was hopping. Hannah sat at a table with Nicole and Amber, her best friends from high school. She’d been back in Pine Falls a few weeks, and this was the first real girls’ night out for the three of them.
“Mm, I’m in heaven.” Nicole nodded appreciatively. “I have a glass of wine in my hand, a bowl of nuts, and my man is babysitting the kid at home. Couldn’t get better.”
“You’re easy to please,” Amber said. “I like my wine and nuts, but I enjoy them more when there’s some man candy around for me to objectify.”
“What about that sexy mechanic of yours?” Nicole asked. “I thought you two were still dating.”
“Oh, we are, and he’s a sweetheart, but there’s no harm in looking, is there?” Amber turned to Hannah. “And besides, I’m doing it for you.”
Hannah held up her hands. “Hey, I already told you guys I’m not looking for a new man. And when I am ready, I’m going to choose someone who’s mature and stable and steady.”
“Wow, that asshole Rick really did a number on you, didn’t he?” Amber said.
“I’m learning from my mistakes. When we split up, Rick said to me he was too young to get married at twenty-four, and for once he was telling the truth. He wasn’t cut out for marriage. He always had the mindset of a player. I’m not going to fall for the wrong guy again.”
Amber reached across and lightly squeezed her hand. “And we hear you, but you can look without buying, you know.”
Amber had always been the boldest of the three. She went after what she wanted, and men fell for her like nine pins, even when she left them heartbroken. Nicole was more like Hannah. She’d married straight after college, but unlike Hannah, her marriage was still going strong. She and Craig had a two-year-old boy and were planning on having more children soon.
Hannah felt like the odd one out, neither happily single nor married. Up until nine months ago, she’d thought her life was all figured out. But then she’d come home early one day to find her husband naked on the dining room table with another woman—a younger, prettier woman—and now she found herself divorced and sitting in a bar wondering if she’d ever be as carefree as the people around her seemed to be.
Amber narrowed her eyes at Hannah. “Let’s see, who would I pick for you? Someone tall and dark, I think, because you don’t want to be reminded of your stupid ex. Someone with a great body and killer eyes—blue’s my favorite color—and a nice, sexy smile.”
Good God, she might as well be describing Derek. Hannah pressed her lips together but couldn’t prevent an image of Derek from floating into her head. She’d been thinking of him constantly for the past two days. Why couldn’t she stop? Why did the thought of him make her so hot and flustered?
Nicole released a loud gasp and grabbed Amber’s arm. “Oh. My. God. Are you a witch or something? Because the man candy you’re describing just walked into Jimmy’s.”
A prickling sensation tickled Hannah’s neck, intensifying as she looked up in time to see Derek sauntering into the bar.
“Wow, I’m a frigging genius,” Amber murmured as she rested her chin on her hands so she could gaze at the newcomer. “Isn’t he divine?”
Yes, Derek looked heavenly, Hannah silently agreed. Tight jeans emphasized his long legs, while his tailored charcoal shirt hugged his torso, making the most of his broad shoulders and chest. He stood a few inches above most other men, his slick, walnut hair gleaming in the lights, the quarter inch of stubble on his jaw immaculately groomed. How did he manage to look rugged and crisp at the same time?
“I love my husband to bits,” Nicole said, eyes glued to Derek, “but even he wouldn’t blame me for drooling over that.”
Hannah remained motionless in her chair. The bar was crowded, and their table was near the back. Derek wouldn’t see her. So why was she acting like she needed to blend into the background and hide from him?
“Well, Hannah?” Amber nudged her shoulder. “What do you think? A few hours with him and a girl would forget her own name, never mind her douchy ex-husband.”
Hannah cleared her throat. She couldn’t suppress the truth any longer. “That’s Derek Carmichael,” she said. “My kid brother’s friend.”
Two pairs of eyes swiveled in her direction.
“Derek Carmichael? I remember him.” Amber let out a low whistle. “Wow. He’s grown up in all the right places.”
“He’s five years younger than us,” Hannah pointed out. “He’s only twenty-four.”
“So? He’s legal.”
“Amber!” Hannah’s face heated.
“What? All I’m saying is he’s one fine specimen of a man, and he’s old enough for me to admire his body without feeling skeezy.”
“Derek Carmichael, of course!” Nicole snapped her fingers. “He’s the hunky carpenter on the Better Homes show, isn’t he? I saw an episode at my sister’s place, and I remember her telling me he used to live in Pine Falls. I didn’t realize until now he was the same Derek who used to h
ang out at your place, Hannah.”
Amber’s eyebrows shot upward. “Oh, so he’s the Derek Carmichael who’s been hanging out with Marla Beaudry?”
“According to him, they’re just friends,” Hannah felt compelled to say.
“Yeah? He looks like a friendly guy. Call him over and invite him to sit with us.”
“I’d rather not,” Hannah said quickly.
“Why not?”
Hannah hesitated. She couldn’t confess that she’d been daydreaming about Derek for two days. She couldn’t confess that that made her feel guilty and weird and awkward. She glanced surreptitiously in Derek’s direction again, and her stomach muscles tightened. Derek wasn’t alone anymore. Three women surrounded him, young and confident with short skirts and stilettos showing off tanned legs. They were all chatting with Derek, giggling and flipping their hair in front of him. Derek appeared laid-back about being the center of attention, but he certainly wasn’t discouraging the girls.
Hannah turned back to her friends. “Looks like he’s already occupied.”
“Pfftt! Those small fries,” Amber scoffed. “He’ll be bored with them in no time. He’ll thank you for rescuing him.”
“He doesn’t need any rescuing. He’s loving the attention.”
Hannah shifted her chair around so she didn’t have to look at Derek. She didn’t need to watch those girls flirt with him. So stupid of her. It wasn’t any of her business who Derek mixed with. And she shouldn’t let him spoil her night out with friends.
“Did I tell you guys about my new manager?” she said, eager to steer the conversation away from Derek. “She’s a real tough nut, and she doesn’t like me one bit.”
Ordinarily, her friends would want to know all about her difficult boss, but not this time.
“Mmm?” Amber replied, clearly distracted. The next moment, she sat up straight, all jaunty, adjusting her top and fussing with her hair.
Nicole kicked Hannah under the table. “He’s coming over,” she hissed.
Jesus, they were behaving like teenagers. But Hannah’s heart rate picked up as she heard footsteps approaching from behind and her two friends broke into smiles, their gazes fixed beyond her.
“Evening,” Derek spoke, his voice easy and warm like a dollop of honey.
Hannah turned, plastering a smile of what she hoped was mild surprise on her face. “Oh, hi, Derek. What a surprise. Been here long?”
“Just got here.” He hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets, looking relaxed like he bumped into her at the bar every other night.
“Uh, do you know my friends Amber and Nicole?” She introduced them, and Derek shook hands with each woman.
“Why don’t you join us?” Amber said straight away, just as Hannah had predicted.
“Don’t mind if I do.” Derek hooked an empty chair from another table and sat down between Hannah and Nicole. “Can I buy everyone a round of drinks?” Without pausing, he signaled to a passing waitress who hurried to his side. “How about some mojitos?”
Hannah’s reservations were drowned out by her friends’ enthusiastic yeses. Nicole and Amber were already chattering away, asking Derek about his TV show and his business in L.A., and soon the conversation was flowing effortlessly.
It was a revelation to Hannah watching Derek talk with her friends. As a teenager, he’d been more prone to brooding silence than chattiness, but now he appeared surprisingly comfortable with Nicole and Amber. Well, when she thought about it, it was hardly surprising. He lived in a cosmopolitan city now, and he was used to fronting a TV camera; of course he’d become more articulate. He didn’t monopolize the conversation either, showing an interest in Amber’s hardware store and Nicole’s teaching career.
As Hannah listened in, she discovered more about Derek’s life in L.A.
He and Ben, his business partner, had recently opened a store in West Hollywood. One of their clients, a TV producer of a lifestyle program imaginatively titled Better Homes, had suggested Derek do a short segment for one of his episodes. Derek had agreed to the one-off for the publicity, but then the producer had offered him a weekly segment, and his TV presence had caused sales at the store to skyrocket. Derek had a house and workshop in the hills not far from his store, and his life sounded perfect for him.
During a lull in the conversation, Derek turned to Hannah. “I stopped by your place earlier today but you weren’t home.”
“I was at work. I got called in to take someone’s shift at the last minute.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Actually, I don’t mind. I only started a couple of weeks ago, so I still need to prove myself.”
Derek shifted in his seat so he could face her directly. “You’re working at a nursing home, aren’t you?”
He seemed genuinely interested, so she told him about Avalon House, the upmarket nursing home just a few miles out of town, and Vera, the starchy nurse manager. Hannah needed to get into Vera’s good graces, because she was only a part-timer filling in gaps in the roster, and she needed more shifts to save as much money as possible before college started in the fall.
“You’re going to college?” Derek rested his elbows on the table, his attention fully focused on her.
“Uh-huh. I’m finally going for my nursing degree to become an RN.”
“That’s great.” He looked genuinely impressed.
She shrugged, twirling her fingers around a strand of hair. “It’s something I should have done years ago, only…”
Only when Hannah was still in high school, her mom had run off with a UPS driver ten years her junior and cleaned out the joint bank accounts, including the money set aside for Hannah’s college fees. When Hannah and Rick married, she’d hoped she’d eventually get that nursing degree, but it wasn’t possible while Rick was in medical school, as her wages covered their living expenses and reduced his college loans. It was only when Rick became a resident earning a decent salary that she’d finally begun to think about it.
“Only, I haven’t had the chance, until now,” she finished, reluctant to talk about Rick.
“I’m sure you’ll do great.” He smiled at her, his eyes warm with interest, and she found herself leaning into him, irresistibly drawn to his masculine charm.
“I hope so. I’m a bit old to be starting college.”
“No you’re not. Tons of people switch careers and go back to college. I know you—you’ll worry about your grades and end up passing with honors.”
Hannah couldn’t help laughing. “This is weird, isn’t it? I’m not used to you telling me to buck up.”
“Yeah, it was always the other way around. Remember how you’d try to cheer me up with your lame jokes?”
“Lame jokes?” She bumped her shoulder against his and received a jolt of pleasure at the sturdy solidness of his body. “They were gems.”
He bumped her shoulder back, giving her another flash of heat. God, he was built like Apollo. Something fizzed in her bloodstream, something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. A heady buzz of sheer, physical arousal. “Uh-huh. Gems of lame-itude. Like, why did the scarecrow win an award?”
“Because he was outstanding in his field, of course.” At least her mouth was still working, even if she was mentally drooling over him.
Derek lifted his glass. “I rest my case.”
She chuckled again. “You’re the only one who remembers my jokes.”
Beneath the table his knee pressed against hers, the move deliberate, provocative. Maybe it was the mojito, but she didn’t shift away, and his eyes sparkled even brighter. She shouldn’t be acting so forward with him, but with her friends around her, she felt safe. This was just a bit of teasing.
“Because I needed them. And you’ll do fine in college. As long as you stay away from those frat boys and don’t do too many keg parties.”
She rolled her eyes. “Keg parties? Give me a break. I’ll be too busy for keg parties.”
“Speaking of kegs, can I get you another drink?” Be
latedly, he turned to the other two women. “Anyone up for another round?”
Only then did Hannah realize that she and Derek had edged closer together so their chairs were touching, that they’d been talking exclusively to each other for a while, and that her friends were exchanging amused looks.
“Thanks, but it’s way past my curfew.” Nicole gathered her purse and stood.
Amber also got to her feet. “Yeah, I’m dead tired. Think I’ll make it an early night.” She looked at Nicole. “Want to catch a ride with me?”
Alarmed, Hannah stood, too. “Hey, where are you two going?” It wasn’t even nine thirty yet, and Nicole and Amber were clearly cooking up a scheme.
Amber put her hand on Hannah’s shoulder and pushed her back down with surprising force. “Relax. Sit here and have another drink. I’ll call you in the morning.”
And before Hannah had time to protest, her two best friends had deserted her and left her alone in a bar with a handsome young man.
Derek couldn’t believe his luck. He’d planned on spending his last night in Pine Falls with his grandpa, but Otto had had enough of him and grumpily told him to get out of his hair. So Derek had cruised past Hannah’s house, hoping she’d be in, but the house was dark, so he’d gone to Jimmy’s. As soon as he’d spotted Hannah at a table with her friends, his mood had instantly flipped.
It was even better now that her friends—as nice as they were—had left and he was alone with Hannah.
“My friends are a little weird sometimes,” she said, twirling a coaster on the table.
“I like them.”
She glanced uneasily around the bar. “Maybe I should call it a night too.”
“No, don’t go yet,” he said quickly. “It’s my last night here. I’m heading back to L.A. tomorrow.”
“Oh.” He wasn’t sure if she sounded disappointed or relieved.
“Just stay for one more drink.”
She bit her lip, then nodded, and he beckoned to their server for another round of mojitos. After a few moments, Hannah began to talk about her immediate plans for the future.
“I want to find my own place to live,” she said. “My dad and Rosalind say I can stay with them as long as I want, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. Bad enough starting college at my age without staying home with the folks.”