Ten Million Fireflies (Band of Sisters)

by Marianne Rice

  Watching her interact with his princess niece nearly had him crossing the room and comforting her with a kiss. Foolish. What happened between them recently in this kitchen spoke promises of a pretty fabulous evening. While the interruption disappointed him—he and Brooke could be naked right now—seeing her genuine smile and laughter with his sister and niece was almost as satisfying.

  Satisfying in a different way.

  “Open it, Uncle Dew!” Toby demanded again.

  He shifted his attention from Brooke to the long box and slid the knife into the tape holding it together. Opening the flaps, he didn’t know whether to moan in embarrassment or laugh.

  If Brooke hadn’t been there, he’d laugh. What if she thought him a fool? No, she wouldn’t. From the little he’d learned about her, one thing he’d noticed was her desire to live life to the fullest. This could be one obsession she’d get behind.

  Unless it brought too many sad memories. Closing the box back up, he shifted his stance so he could glare at his sister without Brooke seeing.

  “Take it out,” Katie insisted.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “You’ve been wanting one forever.”

  “I have not.”

  “You’ve talked about it every year since you were ten.”

  Once again, Drew felt the burn of his cheeks. He glanced at Brooke then looked away before she could read his expression. Hell, he had no idea what emotions he showed. It was funny, if you were part of the family. If you had a family you watched holiday movies and made memories with.

  Brooke had neither, and he feared this gift, although hilariously sweet of his sister, would make Brooke see what she didn’t have. He didn’t want to cause her any pain.

  “I’ll help you take it out.” Glen had the box open and the monstrosity out before Drew could stop him.

  His brother-in-law placed it on the table and Toby fell to the floor in hysterical laughter, which made Katie laugh so hard tears streamed down her cheeks. Drew risked a peek at Brooke, afraid of her reaction.

  Stunned, he’d say. Her mouth agape, her eyebrows shot up as if saying what the hell? She blinked a few times and slowly turned her head until she was facing him.

  “Seriously?”

  “It wasn’t my idea,” he said in defense.

  “Your sister said you always wanted one.”

  “Not really. Just joking.”

  “Please.” Katie set Vanessa down and reached into the box and pulled out the lamp shade. “There. Now it’s complete. The iconic leg lamp. It’ll look great in your study.”

  “It’s from A Christmas Story,” he said.

  “Oh, I know.” Brooke chuckled. “Everyone knows. And you have one. A leg lamp.”

  He still couldn’t tell if she was mortified, disgusted, or humored by his sister’s gift. And then she snorted. And snorted again, and a row of uncontrollable laughter escaped her beautiful, kissable lips until she too, had tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “You’ve seriously been wanting one?”

  “It’s our family tradition. We don’t care what kind of deadline he’s under. The weekend after Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas trees and watch A Christmas Story. We start up here at the family camp, although Drew’s taken over the place and made it his year-round home. Then we get our tree and watch the movie while the kids decorate the bottom half, and the adults drink spiked eggnog and decorate the top half. And finally, a smaller tree at our parents’ house doing more of the same.”

  It was a ridiculous tradition of late. He’d told his sister and parents to forgo his place and focus on Katie and Glen’s since they had the kids, but they all insisted on starting with the tree at the lake.

  The lake house, they called it—even though it was a pond—had the most family memories. It first being a summer home for them, and often a winter getaway, until Drew quit his insurance job and wrote full-time. The house was still in his parents’ name. He’d paid off the mortgage a few years ago and took on the responsibility of keeping it running.

  The house would always belong to the entire family, though, and they knew they were welcome anytime without having to ask Drew permission to visit. If his sister’s family wanted to stay for a week or longer in the summer and he had a writing deadline, he’d rent a hotel room somewhere for a few days and nights of quiet, and still spend time with his niece and nephew.

  It was all about balance.

  Unfortunately, Brooke never had to worry about balancing family and work. Work was all she knew. Drew sat on the edge of the table and listened to the various levels of laughter erupting from his kitchen and then followed suit, chuckling alongside them.

  “While you all work on catching your breath, I’m going to move my very thoughtful gift to the study. Thanks, Katie.” He pecked her cheek as he breezed by, the plastic leg clad in a fishnet stocking in one hand and a cheesy, fringed lampshade in the other.

  When he returned a few minutes later, the kitchen lights were off and the kids were sitting on the stools at the counter, watching Katie light the candles on the cake.

  “Happy birthday to you,” Toby began and everyone else followed suit.

  Drew looped his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans and rocked back on his heels as everyone sang out of key. It was beautiful and touching, especially seeing the enjoyment on Brooke’s face.

  “Help me blow out the candles,” he told his niece and nephew and in no time, the thirty-five candles Katie had covered the cake with were nothing but little blue sticks of wax with a trailing line of smoke swirling from each.

  Glen turned the lights back on and for the next few minutes, it was loud chaos as the kids begged for dessert and Katie hollered over them for her husband’s help with the ice cream, while Brooke rummaged through all the cabinets looking for plates and spoons.

  This was nice—the loud family, the laughs. Brooke fit right in, and by the tickles and giggles she shared with Toby and Vanessa, and the joking she did with Katie, he’d say she was having a good time as well.

  “Because I’m his older, protective sister, I have to know...” Katie scooped up a mound of ice cream and plopped it on top of a slice of chocolate cake, pointing it at Brooke. “How did you two meet?”

  Brooke eyed Drew across the table and slowly brought her spoon to her lips, her top lip curving seductively over her vanilla bean ice cream until it disappeared into her mouth. Nice tactic, he said with his eyes.

  “She bought the Shermans’ camp, so we’re kind of neighbors now.”

  “No way.”

  “I can’t tell you how many stories Katie has told me over the years about that place. I’d always hoped it would be up and running by the time our kids were ready for overnight camps,” Glen said.

  Drew knew Katie had told him about the two deaths that occurred while he was there, but Drew had never told his sister—or anyone for that matter—the extent of how deeply troubled he was over Ryan’s death—the one he could have prevented if he hadn’t been a hormonal teen.

  “We still have a few years to go before Toby will be ready, but right next door to Uncle Drew? My overprotective mommy genes would feel much better knowing he was close by.”

  Brooke cocked her head, keeping her intense gaze on Drew. They hadn’t known each other very long and he could already read her thoughts. She wanted to know why Katie didn’t know about his feelings about the camp.

  “Thanks for the cake, guys. It’s awesome.” They all agreed, and Glen and Katie argued over their favorite flavor from Sweet Beginnings bakery. Leave it to cake to distract. Only it didn’t work on Brooke. She didn’t have a sweet tooth, so why would it?

  She didn’t bring up the camp or pursue a discussion about his nephew attending it anytime soon, and for that, he was grateful.

  “Your dad said you’ve had a breakthrough and pitched a new book series to your agent.” Glen had always been his number one fan. It helped that he enjoyed reading the genre. Sometimes he was a little too eager, wanting
to know all the twists and red herrings, but Drew only gave him enough information to keep him interested. He made his brother-in-law and his family read the finished product to get all the juicy bits.

  “Which one is your favorite?” Katie asked Brooke.

  “I haven’t read any yet.”

  “You haven’t? Come check out the library. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I loaned you the collection.” Katie’s chair scraped along the floor as she pushed it back and she led Brooke down the hallway.

  Drew couldn’t help himself from noticing the sway in Brooke’s hips and the extra little skip in her step she had tonight.

  For the next hour, he played ninjas with Toby and read Vanessa a book until Glen told both kids it was time for bed. After the ritual whining, they gave Drew a hug and toddled over to the corner where Brooke and Katie sat sipping wine to give them both a hug.

  It warmed him inside to see Brooke’s arms around the kids. She was a natural, giving them kisses and raspberries on their cheeks.

  “I should go home as well,” Brooke said when his sister and Glen disappeared downstairs with the kids.

  “Don’t go.” Drew crossed the room and pulled her close to his body. “Stay with me tonight.” He’d read all the signs right, he knew.

  “No.” She shook her head. “You have family here.”

  “They’re in their suite of rooms downstairs. You and I would be upstairs.”

  “You make a lot of noise, do ya?” She tossed him that familiar teasing grin.

  Drew dipped his head and trapped her mouth with his, kissing her laughter away until she was warm and soft and melting into his arms. “Stay,” he murmured into her mouth.

  “I want to.” Brooke broke the kiss and rested her head on his shoulder, her breath whispering against his neck. “Not tonight, though.”

  “Why?” He didn’t care if he sounded needy.

  She lifted her head, her smile reaching well past her eyes. “A few hours ago, you didn’t know how to tell a girl you were interested, and now look at you. I’m impressed.”

  “But not enough to spend the night.”

  “Oh, I’m plenty impressed to spend the night.” She pushed her body into his, her breasts full and soft against his chest. The lower halves of their bodies made enough friction to cause a stir. Hell, there’d been a stir in his pants long before Brooke’s body had pushed up against his. “We’ll have plenty of other nights. You hang out with your sis. I have a feeling your morning will come bright and early. She said the kids are up with the sun. My kind of people.”

  Brooke yawned, and he knew she was right. She was an early riser as well and needed the sleep to power through the projects she had at the camp.

  “I’ll bring you home.”

  “I drove, remember? Kind of silly it being less than a half mile. It’s actually a longer route to drive going down both our driveways. The path through the woods makes it like a quarter mile or so.”

  “I still want to bring you home.” He clasped his hands with hers and rested them on her lower back, not wanting to let her go at all.

  “It’s those sweet manners your parents instilled in you, isn’t it? I guess I can leave my car here and come over tomorrow if I need it.”

  “Thank you.”

  Brooke snorted. “Only a chivalrous man would thank a woman for inconveniencing him.”

  “You’re not an inconvenience.”

  “If you say so.” She sucked his bottom lip between her teeth before slipping away.

  Damn. The woman had him twisted into more knots than any book he’d read. Following her out the front door, he slipped his hand into hers, even though the walk to his car was less than twenty feet.

  The night was black, and the threat of a storm was on the radar for tomorrow. The weather was nearly impossible to forecast this close to the mountains. The track would either go south of the peaks, north, or right over.

  Tomorrow would be partly cloudy with a chance of showers, which meant a beautiful sunny day or downpours. He loved writing on rainy days. There was no temptation to go out on the water or go for a run, and he was forced to sit at his computer and be productive.

  Too soon, he turned into the long drive and stopped his car in front of the director’s cabin where Brooke was making her home for the summer.

  She got out of the car before he could suggest making out in the front seat. He joined her in the bright beams of the headlights and this time, she tugged him into a hug.

  “Thank you for dinner and for sharing your family with me. I like them. All of them.”

  “I’m pretty sure you made a good impression on them as well. Katie’s used to Glen and me taking off on hikes or kayaking and leaving her behind with the kids. She’ll be happy to have you around.”

  “No, she came here to visit you. I don’t want to intrude on family time. Besides, I have my work cut out for me here.”

  “You met my sister. First, if anyone intruded, it would her intruding on our evening.” He kissed her lightly. “Second,” he said between kisses, “if you don’t come over tomorrow to hang out with us, my sister will be over here getting under foot. Guaranteed. She’s like that.”

  “I can put her to work. There’s plenty to do.” That teasing gleam in her eyes made him want to scoop her up and keep her locked up in his house forever. Not in a dungeon or anything like she’d joked earlier. Brooke fit well into his life, too well, and it didn’t scare him in the least.

  “She’s not one for manual labor. She runs her mouth more than anything.”

  “Katie is adorable.”

  “Adorable? You’ll have to tell her that. It’ll make her day. She turned forty this winter and thinks she’s ancient.”

  “Really? Your family has good genes.” Brooke pinched his butt and nipped at his lips again.

  “You sure you want to stay here tonight?”

  “It’s not a matter of want.” She kissed him, deep this time, until their tongues played and stroked, satisfied sighs and groans filling the surrounding air. “We’ve got plenty of time to see where this leads,” she said after she pulled away.

  “It might rain tomorrow. You sure the roof doesn’t leak?” He peered over her head at the cabin, desperate for any excuse not to leave her.

  “I’m pretty sure. I haven’t seen signs of it. Besides, I won’t be in there much. Just to sleep.”

  “You can sleep at my house.” Now he knew he sounded whiny. He’d only mentioned this a thousand times in the last twenty minutes, and he’d come no closer to convincing her to stay.

  “If I stay at your house, sleep isn’t what I’ll be doing.”

  “You’re killing me.” He tapped his forehead to hers and dropped his hands, stepping out of her embrace. “I need to leave now before I make a fool of myself and beg you to stay one more time.”

  “I think it’s endearing.”

  Drew opened the door to the cabin and scanned the dark space for anything out of place. He took out his phone and turned on the flashlight. All clear.

  “You should get a lock for this door. I can pick one up tomorrow at the hardware store.”

  “I already did. I’ll install it tomorrow.”

  “I can do it now.” They stood in the cold, near-empty cabin, not wanting the evening to end.

  “Good night, Drew.” Brooke kissed him with a laugh.

  “Call me if you need anything.”

  “I don’t even have your number.”

  He scowled. No, they’d never exchanged numbers. He opened his texts. “What’s yours?” She rattled off numbers, and he typed them in, tapping in a message to her. “You have a text from me. Call if you need anything. Anything.”

  “Yes, sir.” She mock saluted him and he rolled his eyes, kissing her one more time before dragging himself back to the car.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The low-hung branches of the hemlocks blocked most of the sun’s rays from reaching the cabin, and the cloud cover added another layer of shade. Brooke us
ed a flashlight to inspect the corners where she’d heard all sorts of scurrying in the middle of the night.

  She’d been on too much of a lovesick high to really care, but now in the early shadows of the morning, she got the heebie-jeebies. Mice wouldn’t elicit a scream from her. She wouldn’t be jumping on a table to avoid the little buggers, but she didn’t want to encourage their hideaway either, especially if she’d be making the cabin her home for the next four months, with the occasional sleepovers in the fancy home on the other side of the trail.

  Drew made her feel weightless, like she was floating on air. Something of a challenge for a five-foot-ten woman. The text he sent her when giving her his number last night still made her giggle, and she wasn’t the giggling type.

  I’m more than interested.

  He put her at ease with the world, or more specifically, with Ike. The wealthy Beckett family was nothing like her birth father and for that, she was grateful.

  For too many years, she’d pegged all wealthy, famous people to be assholes, and she unfairly gave Drew the short end of the stick when she found out about his career. Brooke wasn’t above admitting when she was wrong—which wasn’t often—but when she was, she could be as humble as Fish.

  Tires coming down the dirt drive caused her hands to tingle, even though she figured if it was Drew, he’d walk over.

  Turning off the flashlight, she stepped outside and greeted the plumber.

  “Hi. I’m Brooke. You must be Craig?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Tall and lanky with a mop of curly brown hair, Craig sniffed and blew his nose in a tissue, stuffing it in the front of his jeans.

  She held back on the handshake and showed him to the rec hall. “The kitchen is my top priority and then the shower house. There are two on the property. I really only need one working this summer, but I will need both next year.”

  “Might as well turn them all on now. You’re running on a well and pulling water from the pond. Ain’t gonna cost you any more or any less in the long run. Not sure about the pipes, though. Some could be busted or leaking after being dry for so long.”