Finding Mr. Write (Business of Love Book 5)

by Ali Parker

  “I wouldn’t want you to feel like you were settling,” I said.

  “Settling?” Wes shook his head. “I wouldn’t feel that way. Do you feel that way?”

  I shrugged again. Being back here brought back a lot of feelings. “I don’t know. Up until two weeks ago, I’ve always felt like I was settling.”

  “The only settling you did out here was settling with those friends of yours.”

  I hadn’t expected that.

  Apparently, Wes hadn’t expected to say it, either. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”

  “But not untrue.”

  “Then why are you friends with them?”

  “There aren’t many people in this town, Wes. And I grew up with them. They just… they want me to be content where they are. And I’m not. They never wanted me to leave. I think they’re secretly happy that things didn’t work out for me and I came home.”

  Wes shook his head. “You’re made for more than this, Briar Sommerfield. I’m sure of it. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to make you realize that.”

  I grinned and bit my bottom lip. “I love when you say things like that to me.”

  “Then come here so I can say it a little closer to your ear.”

  I giggled, let him wrap me up in his arms, and let his kiss sweep me away.

  Chapter 34

  Wes

  Briar’s eyes were still closed when we broke apart from our kiss parked out front of her old family home. I took a moment to take a mental picture, capturing the way the street light above lit up her cheeks and cast shadows down her neck.

  Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at me. “Let’s go get my stuff and book a hotel for the night.”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. Briar and I put our seatbelts on and I wasted no time pulling away from the house. I caught her watching it disappear in her side mirror and slowed as I took the final corner so she could soak in another few seconds.

  Once we left her street, she reached over and took my hand in hers.

  We held hands for the duration of the drive, and unlike the drive from the apartment to the restaurant, this one was anything but quiet.

  Briar pointed out all the places in town where she had memories and I reveled in a chance to get to know more intimate parts of her.

  “You see that park bench there?” she asked as we stopped at a red light even though there were no other cars on the road.

  I spied the park bench she was talking about in a square to our right. It sat across from a fountain that wasn’t running.

  “I do,” I said.

  “That’s where I had my first kiss. His name was Robert Macintosh, but everyone in school called him Mac. He was one of the cool kids, you know? Good looking. Athletic. And way out of my league.” She giggled and I could tell she was remembering that moment on the bench with him. “I couldn’t figure out why on earth he wanted anything to do with me. I was such a nerd in school and he always had a cheerleader or two hanging off his arm. I never did riddle that one out. But he was a good first kiss.”

  We pulled away from the line. Up ahead, Briar pointed out an ice-cream parlor. “My friends and I used to walk here in the evenings during the summertime. I’d order pralines and cream. All my friends thought I was crazy. Nobody liked that flavor. Everyone always wanted chocolate or bubble gum.”

  “The basics,” I said.

  She nodded. “Exactly. But pralines and cream is my mom’s favorite and I grew up with it in the house, so it became my favorite too.”

  “I like pistachio,” I said.

  Briar’s head snapped to the side and she stared at me like I’d just slapped her. “No you don’t. No sane person would choose pistachio ice cream as their favorite. Take that back.”

  “It’s true. I like it.”

  Briar fake-gagged. “That’s such a turn off, Wes. Eww.”

  I snickered. “I used to get it for free at restaurants all the time when I was a kid. I don’t know. It tastes like nostalgia.”

  “I’m disappointed in you. You’re a cultured man. There has to be another flavor you like better.”

  “Is this a deal breaker for you?”

  Briar gave me a deadpan stare. “I didn’t realize it was until this moment.”

  I laughed.

  Briar cracked a smile.

  We reached her apartment and she took off her seatbelt. “You can stay here. I’ll go up and break the news to the girls. They’ve probably been sitting up there talking about me since I left, so I doubt this will go over well.”

  “Nonsense.” I got out of the car with her and straightened out my jacket. “I’ll be your backup. If they so much as look at me funny, I’ll—”

  “Keep your opinions to yourself and not make this any harder than it needs to be?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I was going to say.”

  She rolled her eyes and we went through the front doors and climbed the stairs to her floor. Briar knocked, not having a key, and we waited a beat before her friends opened the door. They smiled until they saw me standing around the corner beside Briar.

  “Hey,” Briar said, “can I talk to you guys?”

  The brunette sighed and leaned against the door. “You’re getting back together with him, aren’t you?”

  Briar nodded. “I am. We talked things through. Everything was a misunderstanding and we’re on the same page now. By the way, Wes? These are my friends.”

  The blonde girl, Madison, had a cat in her arms. She gave me a tight-lipped smile that felt forced and looked like it was causing her physical pain—like a recovering Botox client. Of course, it wasn’t the Botox giving her issues.

  It was me.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said, despite feeling the exact opposite of my words.

  “You too,” Riley said without bothering to look over at me. Her attention remained on Briar. “Shouldn’t we talk about this, babe? How are you going to make this work? Long distance doesn’t work for anybody and—”

  “I’m going with him back to New York,” Briar said.

  The two women stared at her like she’d just told them she was pregnant with octuplets.

  “You’re what?” Madison asked.

  Briar looked over at me and smiled. “I’m going back to New York and I’m going to move in with Wes. I know it’s soon, and I know it sounds crazy, but I know this is the right choice for us. He’s going to help me get on my feet and—”

  “Briar, this is insane!” Riley said sharply.

  “You hardly know him,” Madison added.

  “No,” Briar said. “You hardly know him.”

  Touché, I thought with a satisfied smirk I had to hide by looking at my feet.

  Riley planted her hands on her hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Briar sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Look, I’m not asking for your permission, guys. I’m not asking for anything actually. I’m telling you that I’m moving back. Now if you’d step aside, I’m going to grab my bags, and Wes and I are going to spend the night at a hotel.”

  Briar brushed between her friends and disappeared from view to get her bags, leaving me standing on the threshold with two sufficiently pissed off young women glaring daggers at me.

  I forced a smile. “Nice cat.”

  “He’s not nice.” Riley stepped closer and looked me up and down. “And I don’t think you’re very nice, either. I think you’re catering to Briar’s every whim and making it easier for her to get by in New York. She could never do it on her own and you know that as well as we do. Without you, she’d fall on her face. Is that how you get your kicks? Huh? You like to help girls who are in over their head?”

  “You have the wrong idea,” I said.

  Riley shook her head. “I don’t think I do. I think you’re a weasel. You heard me. A weasel. And I think Briar likes how easy you make things for her which is why she’s hanging off your arm like a lovesick puppy dog and—”

  Briar cleared her throat behind Riley, w
hose eyes widened with surprise. She plastered a fake smile on her face and spun to face Briar, her long dark hair nearly whipping me in the face as she turned.

  “Do you have everything, babe?” Riley asked, her voice three notes higher than it had been two seconds ago.

  “Is that what you think?” Briar asked softly.

  Riley played dumb. She grasped at straws. “Sorry?”

  “What you just said to him. Is that what you think about me? You think I’m that incapable?”

  “No, I don’t think that. I was just saying—what I meant to say was—”

  “Save it,” Briar said, holding up a hand and moving around her “friends” to stand with me in the hall.

  I took two of her suitcases off her hands as she turned back to them.

  “You know what?” Briar said. “I’m done listening to you two. You’ve never been in my corner. Not once. All either of you have ever wanted is for me to stay here in Waynesville and do the same things you do. You’ve never cared that this lifestyle never made me happy. So long as I was here to cook and clean for you guys, you didn’t give a shit about me.”

  “That’s not true, Briar,” Madison said.

  “I’m not done,” Briar snapped. “I finally found something that makes me feel happy. I found where I’m supposed to be and who I’m supposed to be with. And all you can think about is how inconvenient it is for you. I’m sorry that I’m bailing. And I’m sorry that it’s ending this way. But I have to go. And you two will be fine without me. I promise.” She turned to me. “Are you ready to get the hell out of here?”

  “After you.”

  Briar’s friends stared after us as we made our way down the hall. Briar walked with a confident purpose. She kept her chin up and her shoulders squared, and she didn’t deflate even as we made it down to the car and loaded her bags into the trunk.

  “Are you okay?” I asked. “That couldn’t have been easy, even though they were being jerks.”

  “It needed to be said a long time ago.”

  “Still doesn’t mean it’s easy.”

  She smiled at me. “No, it’s not. But it felt kind of good. Is that bad?”

  “Not at all.” We got in the car and I asked her what hotel we were staying at.

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “There aren’t a ton in town. We can just drive to the closest one. I’m sure they’d have a room open or—”

  “Hold up,” I said. “We’re not settling for the closest room. Is there anywhere you’ve always wanted to stay? Someplace special?”

  Briar laughed at me. “We’re in Waynesville, Wes. Not New York. The nicest hotel around here is the Hampton Inn. Otherwise, it’s all bed and breakfast places and those are definitely booked up by now.”

  “The Hampton Inn it is. Do they have a spa?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “A pool?”

  “Yes,” Briar said.

  “Room service?”

  “I would assume so?”

  “Then that’s all we need. We’ll make a night of it.”

  Briar settled into her seat and smiled out the windshield. “Pedal to the metal, Shakespeare. I’m ready to be swept off my feet by the causal mediocrity that is the Hampton Inn.”

  Chapter 35

  Briar

  We arrived at the Hampton Inn shortly before eleven o’clock at night. Wes steadfastly refused to let me leave any of my suitcases in the trunk of the car, claiming that was an invitation for theft, and hauled the two heaviest ones across the parking lot to the lobby while I followed along behind him with the smallest one. Inside, soft classical music played while the night clerk hummed quietly along. She greeted us cheerfully and with a big smile, and I didn’t blame her for not being able to take her eyes off Wes.

  He was probably the most attractive person she’d ever seen up close and personal.

  We collected our room keys, listened quietly to the speech about the buffet breakfast in the dining room, the in-room breakfast service option, the swimming pool hours, and the shuttle option into town should we need a lift, and began the journey through the lobby to the elevator and up to our room.

  Wes shouldered our hotel room door open ahead of me and kept it propped open so I could come through behind him. The room smelled like fresh linens and that familiar scent of someone having just gotten out of the shower.

  It had a cozy feeling with warm-colored walls that I couldn’t tell exactly what color they were. It was something between an orange, yellow, and beige. The king-sized bed sat right smack in the middle of the room. It was loaded down with pillows and heavy-looking blankets I couldn’t wait to curl up under.

  To the right were patio doors leading to a small balcony outside. On the left was the doorway into the bathroom.

  Wes left my suitcases against the wall at the end of the bed before going on the hunt for the mini fridge, which he found in one of the cupboard doors of the dresser. He crouched down and rummaged around until he found two small bottles of liquor.

  When he straightened up, he waggled them at me. “Pick your poison, vodka or rum?”

  “Rum,” I said. “Always rum.”

  He tossed me the tiny bottle of rum and twisted the cap off his vodka. “It’s been a long day.”

  I followed suit. As soon as the caps were off, we lifted the mini bottles in a toast, tilted our heads back, and took a couple of small mouthfuls. I grimaced and wiped the back of my mouth with my hand while Wes smacked his lips, put the cap back on, and tossed the bottle on the bed. He let himself fall onto the mattress too, and the bottle did a little bounce before rolling against his stomach.

  He patted the bed. “Join me.”

  I settled down onto the mattress and leaned back on my elbows with my legs still dangling off the end of the bed. Wes shifted closer and lay down. Once he was comfortable, I got comfortable and used his shoulder as a pillow. I let out a contented sigh and closed my eyes.

  Just hours ago, I’d believed I would never be able to do this again.

  It felt so damn good to be this close to him.

  Wes kissed the top of my head. “Are you tired?”

  “Not really.”

  “Want to do something crazy?”

  I opened my eyes and lifted my cheek from his shoulder to peer suspiciously up at him. “How crazy?”

  “We should go sneak into the pool.”

  I giggled. “The pool is closed, Wes. We could use it in the morning?”

  “When everyone else and their kids are there? Tell me, why would we do that when we could have the entire thing to ourselves tonight?” Wes had a dangerous edge to his gaze as his eyes raked up and down the length of my body.

  Suddenly, my whole body started to hum of its own volition, like it was matching his frequency. I swallowed. “I don’t know.”

  Wes got up from the bed. “Come on. Let’s do it. We’ll make even more memories tonight to laugh about later.”

  I propped myself up on my elbows once more and peered up at him from beneath my brows. “Memories of what? Swimming in a Hampton Inn swimming pool after closing?”

  “Woman, put your damn swimsuit on and live a little, will you?”

  Much to our surprise, the door to the swimming pool was unlocked. The lights were all off in the indoor pool, save for the ones actually in the pool, so the large indoor solarium glowed a pale blue color. Strange shadows danced along the walls as we crept barefoot across the cool tiles to the nearest bench, where we put down our towels and the two other mini bottles of liquor we’d taken from the mini fridge in our room. It was a little cool in here and my nipples showed through the thin fabric of my royal-blue bikini. Luckily, he had picked up a few items before he came after me since he didn’t have luggage.

  Wes nodded at the pool. “Shall we?”

  “You first.”

  Wes shrugged before rushing to the edge of the pool and not so gracefully chucking himself over the edge into the water. I held on to the delighted squeal that wanted to escape
me as cool water splashed all along my right side. Wes emerged, his hair completely slicked back, and gestured for me to join him.

  “What the hell,” I said before following suit and diving headfirst into the pool.

  When I emerged, Wes nodded approvingly. “Nice form.”

  “I took swimming lessons until I was twelve and then I competed for two years.”

  “What made you stop?”

  “I didn’t like the pressure of everyone watching me. I was more of a team sports kid rather than a solo sport.”

  “Makes sense.” He walked slowly toward me before reaching out and pulling me close to him. “I have an idea of a team sport we could play right now.”

  My eyes widened. “Wes! We can’t. Not here. It wouldn’t be—”

  “Appropriate?”

  “Exactly.”

  Wes frowned and gently swept two strands of wet hair that had gotten stuck to my cheeks away. “Well,” he said slowly, “how about you tell me when you want to stop and we can head back up to the room.”

  It wasn’t a question. I was certain of it. It was a statement.

  My breath hitched in my throat as Wes leaned in and kissed me. His lips were covered in droplets of water and his skin smelled ever so faintly of chlorine. He kissed me like he wanted to eat me whole as we backed slowly toward the shallowest end so he could lean up against the wall of the pool and I could wrap my legs around his waist. We stayed there, wrapped up in each other, tongues halfway down each other’s throats, until the ripples of water we’d made completely vanished and the pool grew still and acted like a mirror capturing the reflection of the ceiling above.

  Wes ran both hands down my sides until he gripped my ass. He squeezed hard and I smiled against his lips, willing him to do more. To take more. Sure, I’d talked a big game about how we shouldn’t be doing this in the hotel pool, but now that his hands were on me, I wanted nothing more than for them to be inside me.