by Claire Adams
“Let’s just say it’s a good thing that decor is back in style,” I replied dryly and shook my head. My sister and I loved it here. All the Paris talk was just that. Talk.
“It’s a beautiful city,” he said with awe in his voice. “I traveled all over Europe a few times. I think I’ve been everywhere over there by now.”
I noticed the arrogant tone of his voice. Wasn’t he special just running away from home to see the world? I was already over this reunion, and I yanked his hair in my fingers to trim another set of uneven lengths.
Austin arched a brow at me, apparently still aware of how I had trouble hiding my moods. “Are you okay?” he asked in a low tone.
I tried to focus on the song playing over the speakers. I used to love it.
“Why are you even here?” I asked coldly, looking around to see who was watching us.
The billionaire being in town was a big deal, and this was a small town. I didn’t want to be part of the rumor mill and eaten alive. Thankfully, it was mostly older customers today, and they were busy talking to their stylists. They didn’t notice me in the corner.
Mid-morning in December was like this. A lot of the kids were sleeping in after being up late with their friends. I missed those times, looking back.
I didn’t miss Austin. Not at all. I just missed being younger.
“Mom asked me to come,” he replied evenly. “She deserves a traditional Christmas after the year that they’ve had.”
“Is she aware that you hate it here?” I asked as I met his gaze in the mirror. His expression told me I was right. Eventually, Austin shrugged.
“I don’t come right out and say it, no. I’m sure she knows that, though.” His voice was low. He looked around the room. “It’s just so small here. There aren’t the opportunities there are in New York.” Austin had talked about New York ad nauseam in school, and I rolled my eyes. “I made my life work there.”
“I think there is opportunity everywhere,” I argued, still chopping at his hair. I was ready for this to be done already. “Lots of people are happy here with what they have. I guess you never were, so you can’t see that. You haven’t changed, Austin. I am amazed that we had anything at all in common in school.”
Everything I used to think was good between us, that I’d missed until this day, faded away. I was just a girl who went to his school that he dumped when he left this horrible place, making me regret the fact that I fell for him in the first place.
“Oh, I’ve changed, Rebecca. I’ve changed in at least a billion ways.” Austin chuckled obnoxiously. I shot him a dark look in the mirror.
“Your money might impress the people in New York, or all over the world, but it doesn’t impress me. I think it’s made you a worse person than before, and I hope you hide this side of you from your mother.” I finished the cut in record time, feeling unsettled as he silently watched me in the mirror.
It looked as though he was trying to figure me out.
I finished and asked in as few words as possible if he was satisfied with the cut. Austin seemed to sit there forever. He ran a hand through his gorgeous hair before nodding. I brushed off the cape before taking it off. I led the way to the register to tell him how much the haircut was.
A few people seemed to recognize him now, but I only saw the fifty that he tipped me with. Granted, it would get me a few extra groceries this week, but screw him for being so uppity and rich.
“I might see you around,” he said. “Although I am trying to lay low, so the media doesn’t get the tip that I’m here.” Austin looked at me. “Thanks for the cut, Rebecca. It was nice seeing you.”
I nodded curtly at him.
Austin walked out of the door, and I tucked the money into the pocket of my jeans, vowing to use it for something good. I couldn’t help but frown at the shiny, fancy car he got into.
Austin didn’t get what life was all about. Looking back, he never really did.
Chapter Three
Austin
Once I was at my parents’ modest home and relatively unpacked, Mom insisted on an early supper. She’d made a chicken casserole with rice and broccoli that could feed a damn army, along with rolls and salad.
This meal used to be my favorite when I was a kid. I appreciated that she tried to make me happy, but I ate a lot of different things now with the hours I kept in the city. I smiled as I spooned some onto my plate and looked at my parents. “Thanks, Mom. This looks great.”
The rice appeared to be brown. I glanced at Dad. Mom would go to the ends of the earth to keep him healthy. I figured she was trying to be healthy where she could.
That was the only change that I could see. The house, the dishes, and their lives were exactly the same.
I thought back to the salon. Damn it. I couldn’t stop thinking about Rebecca. I spooned some food into my mouth, lost in my own thoughts. She’d stirred up things inside of me earlier that I hadn’t thought about for years. Rebecca was as beautiful as before, if not more so. I’d been so eager to get the hell out of here that I thought little of ending it with her eleven years ago.
Today, she looked gorgeous with those striking hazel eyes. The specks of green glimmered in the sun shining through the windows of the salon. Her skin was still pale and her hair long and curly. She looked so small town, but gorgeous. I sipped my water, trying to sort through my thoughts.
I’d dated some of the most beautiful women in the world, according to the media. I had a slew of actresses and models that left their notch on my proverbial bedpost. They were coveted by all, and friends envied me, asking for details of the nights spent with them. I was a hero in the eyes of some, though a man whore in the eyes of others. I looked at Mom with a slightly apologetic look as she searched my face worriedly.
Why was Rebecca still inside of my head? We dated in high school, and I didn’t think about her too much once I left. Sure, we’d slept together a few times, but it wasn’t overlooking the places where I had women now. I woke up to some of the most gorgeous views in the world and to women eager to please me, the billionaire.
Fuck this.
“Everything looked the same when I got back here. Grayson’s hasn’t changed a bit.” I stabbed some lettuce with my fork.
“They update when they need to, but you’re right,” Mom agreed. She scooped up some of the casserole with her fork, smiling gently. “People here like that, Austin. It’s the small-town life.”
I scowled, hating this life right now. “I guess. Even your house hasn’t changed at all.”
Dad gave me a look that suggested I shut up. I’d offered them money for anything they needed since falling into such wealth, but they insisted they had everything they needed. Sure, they took out equity loans to do the bigger repairs on the forty-year-old house, but Mom insisted that’s what it was for.
Dad worked long hours as an electrician for a local company for many years before he retired a year ago, and they were doing just fine. The house was paid off, so what was a small loan to them? They had everything they needed in life.
“I have done what I need to do to this place,” Dad spoke gruffly before he glanced at Mom. “We raised you here, and it’s just fine, Austin.” He shot me a pointed look. “Consistency in life is a good thing, son. I know what I am waking up to every day, and I wouldn’t change any of it.” Dad reached out for Mom’s hand to squeeze it, giving her a loving smile.
“Maybe, but some change can be great for a person. I know I like living in a world of change.” I took another bite of the casserole and swallowed. “I am always considering new investments, and I love that part of my life.”
My mother frowned. “Austin, you have more money than you know what to do with. Why do you look for more? Relax, honey. Enjoy life.”
“That’s the part of life that I enjoy. It’s not to get more money, Mom. It’s just the challenge for me. I don’t know why you won’t let me give you any of it to go on a vacation or something. It would do you good to get away.”
&n
bsp; Dad’s mouth straightened stubbornly. I made the same expression sometimes. My friends told me so. I took after him a lot, but I had Mom’s smile.
“I don’t need anything,” he said. “I worked hard my entire life, and I can provide for your mother just fine.” His voice was on edge.
I sighed, knowing we were headed toward the same old argument. “How are you feeling these days, Dad?” I pressed gently, getting an eye roll for an answer.
Both my great grandpa and his father died from heart attacks at just a slightly older age, and he needed to watch it. Hell, I went in for regular checks, and I was only twenty-nine. I wasn’t going to fuck around with warnings that were clearly there.
“It was one goddamn heart attack. A small one at that. I went to the hospital, and I still see Doctor Green. I’m fine. I don’t know why everyone is fussing over me so damn much.” Dad scowled. “Your mother changed my diet, and she’s on me to go out and walk every morning and evening.”
Mom shot him a concerned smile.
“It’s a warning, Dad,” I said. “You know your family history.”
He wiped his mouth with a napkin. Dad looked great for sixty, but he needed to take care of what was inside. It probably added a lot of stress to his life to worry about money when he didn’t have to.
“Did you just come home to lecture me, Austin? Is this what I get to look forward to for the next month?” Dad grumbled.
Mom let out a breath and looked over at me. “I am so glad that you’re home this year, Austin.” I could tell she was trying to change the subject.
My phone chimed from the coffee table. I knew it was Preston from the personalized tone.
“Excuse me. It’s my assistant.” I stood to get the device so I could read the text. My parents still had their house phone and a dinosaur of a computer. That was beyond my comprehension as I scanned the screen of my brand-new Galaxy. “He’ll be here tomorrow.”
“I think he is the most adorable man with that accent,” Mom said. “But shouldn’t he be with his family? They’re so far away, Austin,” Mom fussed as I set the phone down on the worn kitchen table.
“He lives for the chase just like I do, Mom. You know that.” She’d met him several times when they came to visit me in New York and knew how good he was with organizing my business. “He’s looking forward to coming here to see what life is like.” I also paid him very well for all the things he did for me.
“He’ll see a true Texas Christmas here,” Mom said. “We’ll take him to get the tree day after tomorrow instead of having one delivered like you have the past few years.” Mom’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “I’ll make a special supper the night we decorate it and invite Bob and Kathy over. We’ll make a night of it.”
That was a big night? Oh, that’s right. I was in North Reed, not New York.
“What else do you have planned?” I asked dryly.
Mom grinned with excitement in her dark green eyes. “There are so many gatherings, Austin. People want to see you and ask you all about your life. There’s also the parade in town the day before Christmas, as well as the festival. It’s been so long since we’ve done that as a family.” She clapped her hands together, and Dad chuckled. “New York is beautiful at Christmas the first time, honey, but there’s so little tradition. It’s not like it is here. When you have your own baby, you’ll have to make sure and come here to show them what family is all about.”
I nearly choked on the water I was drinking. What baby? I was a workaholic who kicked women out of my bed after a few months at best. I wore condoms for a reason.
“I know there will be dinners that just happen over the course of a day, as well,” Mom said. “I love that about this town.” She smiled with contentment on her face. I fought the shiver that threatened to take over my body. “I don’t know why you can’t just let work go while you’re here. It’s Christmas.”
I wouldn’t know how to stop working if I tried. “Christmas is the twenty-fifth, Mom. Anything before that is merely December.” At home, I didn’t even take all the holidays off, and doubted that I would here, either. It wasn’t who I was.
She waved her hand in the air dismissively as if to shut me up. “Tell me about the new girl in your life. Is there one or are you seeing the beautiful girl from Estonia still? She’s so sweet.”
I swallowed the distaste in my mouth. Mia Laht had been my girlfriend for about six months. Part of that time was last Christmas when my parents met her. She was beautiful, with honey blonde hair and rare deep-set gray eyes that made every company want her for their ads. She was also fake as fuck, as I’d learned, manipulating people to fill her needs. I’d seen what she did to models who stood in her way, and short of harming them physically, she destroyed lives on a weekly basis.
Mia was an evil bitch, and I broke up with her three months ago. I told my mom as much, and she clucked at me.
“She was so pretty and sweet. You would have made beautiful babies.”
I pushed the thought out of my head. Mia would probably eat her young like animals did in the wild, just to get ahead. There was no future with her, but sex with a psychotic woman was fun sometimes. She was wild in bed.
Chapter Four
Rebecca
I was surprised it took a week for Kim to hear that Austin was back in town. I didn’t mention it, seeing no reason to do so. He was old news.
She dropped by the salon at closing time. I smiled when I saw her. She walked through the door with bags from our favorite deli.
“Hey, sis,” I said. “What brings you here?”
“I kept the library open late tonight so some kids could work on a project. I thought that you might be hungry.” Kim plopped the bag at my station and glanced around. We both looked a lot like Mom in the face, though she had Dad’s bright blue eyes. It was coming up on nine, and I had the keys in my hand to lock up.
“Can I help with anything?” Kim asked, seeming to notice I was here alone.
Stacy was supposed to close with me, but one of her kids was sick, so I told her to head out early. It was North Reed. What could happen?
“Sure,” I said. “Could you sweep the floor while I get the money in the safe for Barry?”
“On it,” Kim replied, showing more than just a willingness to help in her pretty face. She went to grab a large broom. I locked the door and turned out the lights in the waiting area of the salon. I went to the register and grabbed the blue bag that we put the earnings in. George Strait sang about all of his ex’s in Texas, on the radio, and Austin crossed my mind for a moment. Okay, maybe it was for the hundredth time since seeing him.
“So, dear sister of mine,” Kim said. “Why didn’t you tell me that Austin Harris was back in town? I already heard he was in here for you to cut his hair.”
“There was no real reason to,” I replied casually. I counted out the bills in the drawer. Barry liked to come in the morning and do the balancing, so I was just putting everything over fifty dollars into the bag. It was easy work, but the mere mention of Austin made my head start to ache. “He’s here to see his folks.”
“No reason? He was your high school sweetheart!”
I rolled my eyes. “That was over a decade ago, Kim. We were kids at best. We’ve gone in completely different directions since then, and it wasn’t even pleasant to talk to him.” I sifted the coins from the counter to get them where they needed to be, annoyed. “You know how he was in school, right? He was always so focused on leaving North Reed and cocky about it. Now he’s made it and is even worse. I couldn’t wait to get him out of here.” I sealed the coins in a small paper envelope and dropped it into the blue bag with the report from the day.
“That being so eloquently said, did he stir up any old feelings? He was your first real boyfriend, Becs. You were together for two years!” Kim loved a good romance novel, and there were times I thought she bought into them way too much. That was fiction, not reality.
I scoffed at her naïve excitement. “No, Kim. Why would
he? He’s an arrogant ass now. Besides, even if he did, you’ve seen the women he’s dated all over the magazines. Austin has moved far away from anything that he had here.”
“Come on, sis. He used to make your eyes sparkle. I haven’t seen that with any guy since.”
I secured the cash in the bag with a sigh. There hadn’t been a lot of men since then, being that I knew everyone here.
“He was the first man that you slept with, and practically the last,” Kim said. “That has to mean something.”
“It means we were in high school. Everyone slept with their first somewhere around then.” I zipped up the little bag. “He’s not the last.”
“I never thought that you were ever swept away by Liam,” Kim accused me as I rolled my head slowly. My neck always ached after a long day at the salon. It seemed to hurt a little more this past week, but I’d never tell my sister that.
“I wasn’t,” I admitted and looked at her as I locked the remaining money in the drawer with the key. I looked at the floor and realized that she did a great job cleaning up. “Looks good. Let me get this into the safe and we’ll eat.” I dropped the register key into the deposit bag and took it to the office, setting it inside the safe before I locked it.
I pulled the door closed and locked the office. I walked around to make sure that everything was set up for the following morning. I had the day off and looked forward to relaxing a bit and cleaning my house. Kim had already pulled out her sub and was eating in the seat at my station, careful to eat over her wrapper. She knew from experience that I didn’t want to clean up a second time.
I took a seat beside her and unwrapped my turkey sandwich, hearing my stomach growl. I sat down at Katie’s station and took a big bite.
“You do realize that Austin is hot as hell, right? Not to mention, he has a lot of money. He could give you a good life, sis.” Kim smiled at me. I chewed and swallowed.
“I'm happy with my life here. We both stayed when Mom and Dad left.” I sipped the soda that sat between us. “Look, I have good memories of Austin. We had a lot of fun in high school, Kim. I liked him a lot, probably more than I wanted to admit at the time, but the past is the past. We’ve both moved on, and it would be foolish to harbor feelings for him. Sure, he’s grown up into a gorgeous man, but he’s a man whore now, like all those guys in your books. I don’t want to be the girl he sleeps with over the holiday break. I don’t want to be another notch on his bedpost.”