by Karen Booth
Some parts of their shared past were less rosy however, like the car accident that drove a wedge between the three brothers. That night in Mack’s old truck had been truly terrible, dark and stormy chaos. Tempers were running high and in a moment of recklessness Grey hated to remember, he’d lost his cool and ripped into his brothers. Years of being the calm one—the peacemaker—had caught up with him. He completely let loose, saying ugly things that he wished he could take back. And then Mack misjudged the curve on that old logging road, the three went into the ravine, and their lives were changed forever.
They nearly lost Travis. And Grey vowed that night to never ever lose control again.
The thought made Grey’s throat grow tight. Despite the promise he’d made to himself, he might never get over the guilt. Then again, Mack and Travis were no angels. Mack had been the instigator, and Travis...well, they never would’ve been out there at all if he hadn’t been chasing a girl who didn’t want him. They might not be biological siblings, or even look alike, but the sheer strength of their bond had made them feel invincible. That night, their love for each other drove them apart. Grey wasn’t sure they’d ever be back together like they’d once been, but he and Mack were trying. Travis was a more difficult nut to crack, but he’d also lost the most.
At the top of the stairs were the bedrooms Mack, Travis and Grey had inhabited when they were growing up, none of which looked as they had all those years ago. After a decade of begging the brothers to visit at the same time—to finally reconcile—Jameson made a rather transparent play by gutting and renovating the entire second floor, turning each bedroom into an en suite. Plenty of room for any of you to bring a girlfriend along, he’d said. Or maybe someday, wives and grandchildren. Jameson would do anything to strip away their excuses. He was as sentimental and softhearted as they came. Stubborn and strong, too. As luck would have it, the renovations made it an easier sell when Mack hired Giada, Jameson’s live-in nurse. She’d been a housekeeper at Moonlight Ridge when the boys were young, before she went to nursing school. After several years as an ER nurse in Florida, she was back in Asheville to look after Jameson and was currently living in Mack’s old room.
At the end of the hall was Jameson’s home study. Light beamed out into the corridor, telling Grey exactly where Mack was. “Does Pops know you’re up here, digging around?” Grey inched his way inside. It looked like a tornado had ripped through an office supply factory. There were piles of paper, binders and ledgers everywhere.
“You’re back.” Mack dropped a banker’s file box on Jameson’s desk, then walked over to give Grey a hug. “How was your flight from New York?”
Grey clapped Mack on the back. Despite the embrace, it still felt as though there was a wall between them. Would that ever go away? “Fine. I had to transfer in Charlotte, but I got some work done.”
“How are the brewery plans coming?” Mack stood back and gave Grey half a smile, his intense eyes glinting.
“I’m nearly done.” Grey was currently working on the architectural plans for the brewery Mack planned to put in the abandoned stone barn on the property. Mack had become a true mogul in the beer world over the last decade, with twenty-five locations of his Corkscrew Craft Beer Brewery across the country. Mack had a staff architect, but he’d gone out of his way to ask Grey to design this one. It was an olive branch and Grey had been happy to take it.
“Fantastic. I’m excited to work on this together,” Mack said.
“Me too. We should walk the site together and talk through the details. I’m here until Labor Day, so sooner is better.” Grey could hardly believe that he was back in Asheville for an extended stay. When he’d left for New York and architecture school more than ten years ago, he’d never seen himself returning for more than a weekend. There were too many ghosts haunting him here. Too much potential for uncomfortable conversations and drama—Grey hated both.
“Absolutely. Moonlight Ridge is in dire straits financially so we have to open the brewery as soon as possible. There isn’t nearly enough revenue to sustain operations.”
“I’m aware.” Grey’s knack for numbers had prompted Mack to ask him to look at some of the inn’s financials after Jameson came home from the hospital. There were irregularities to say the least. Grey suspected someone had their hand in the cookie jar, but it would take a trained eye to find the culprit and learn how they were stealing. “I’ve hired the forensic accountant. Since so much of the business’s records are on paper, I asked her to come and stay. I booked her in one of the guest cottages.”
Mack peeked under the lid of the file box on the desk, then closed it, shaking his head in dismay. “That’s a relief. I have no idea where we would even start.”
“Since Pops is living down on the first floor while he recovers, we should be able to sneak up here and remove these extra files pretty easily.”
“We definitely don’t want him to know about this. He can’t be under any stress,” Mack said. “We should probably keep it a secret from Giada, too. I don’t know how much she tells him.”
“Where are those two, anyway?”
“Out for a walk with the dogs. You should see them together. It’s hilarious. She gripes at him, he grumbles back, and then they end up laughing. I think love might be in the air.”
Grey moved a stack of papers from the end of the leather tufted sofa and took a seat. “Love?” Grey didn’t want to sound so incredulous, but their Pops was recovering. Romance was messy. It should be the last thing on his mind.
Mack shrugged. “Molly and I picked up on it.”
Mack had not only rekindled his romance with his childhood sweetheart since his return, they were talking about building a house on the resort grounds. Mack, the man constantly on the move, had decided to stay in Asheville. Permanently. “How is Molly? Everything still good with you two?”
Mack looked out the window and a goofy smile spread across his face. He had to be thinking about her. Was he that happy? It confounded Grey. He’d never felt that way about anyone. “Can you keep a secret?” Mack asked.
Grey nearly laughed. “I’m not known for gossip.”
“I’m getting ready to propose to Molly. I got the ring. I want to set a date.”
Grey couldn’t fathom gathering so much enthusiasm for such a major life change, especially one that could end up being a mistake. But he also knew that once Mack decided to do something, it was going to happen, come hell or high water. “You must be nervous.”
“Amazingly, I’m not. I already told her that I wanted to get married. And build a house together, and have a family. So this is just a formality, really. I guess I’m tired of sitting around and waiting for life to happen.”
“You’ve hardly been sitting around. You’re crazy successful. You’ve built an amazing business.”
“It’s not the same. I know that now.”
Grey hoped his brother would still feel like that down the road. There were a lot of uncertainties at play. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to express his own doubts. He and Mack were trying to rebuild their relationship. “Congratulations. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks. I’d like to get married here on the property.”
“Makes perfect sense. It’ll make Pops happy for sure.”
“It could be good for Moonlight Ridge, too. Some positive publicity. The wedding business is falling off a bit, actually.”
“I noticed when I took a look at the numbers.” This was no small matter. The brothers had committed to bringing the family business back to its former glory and profitability. Weddings were a key component of that.
“Good. I was hoping you’d lend your critical eye to that aspect of the business. The same way you looked over the financials.”
Grey’s brain was ready to stomp on the brakes. “I know numbers and architecture. That’s it. I know nothing about weddings.”
“You don’t
need to. We just need someone to sort out how we turn around the financial side of it. We don’t know if it’s the source of the accounting irregularities, or if it’s that we aren’t keeping up with other venues because of being outdated. We’re already addressing that with the renovations. But maybe it’s not fast enough for the younger brides? Molly says the mothers tend to love Moonlight Ridge, but daughters want something modern. Then again the other possibility is that it’s our wedding planner, Autumn Kincaid. She’s gotten some negative press attention.”
“For what?”
“Her dad is Leo Kincaid, so she ends up on gossip websites every now and then. Her fiancé canceled their wedding at the last minute, so they’ve been having a field day with it.”
Grey didn’t follow entertainment closely, but he would’ve had to have been living under a rock to not know about Leo Kincaid. The man had been accused of sexually harassing dozens of women in Hollywood over the course of his career. “Wow.”
“I know. This is uncharted territory. We’ve never had a controversial employee like this. And we’re losing business because of the drama. A lot of these well-off families don’t want anything to do with the resort. We have to nip this in the bud.”
“You could suspend her contract.”
Mack shook his head. “I’m hoping you can save it before it comes to that. She’s Molly’s best friend. Dad really likes her. And we have several big weddings this summer that we need Autumn here for.”
Grey was still unsure of his ability to help with any of this, but weddings were important to Moonlight Ridge, and part of coming to Asheville for the summer was to be a better son and brother. He had to try. “Something tells me she’s not going to like my interfering. Especially since I know nothing about the topic.”
“It’s better that way. You can walk in with fresh eyes,” Mack said.
From downstairs, there were voices and a few barks. Giada and their dad were back from their walk with the two golden retrievers.
“Grey? Are you here? I saw a strange car out front.” Jameson’s voice boomed even at a distance.
“That’s my rental, Pops. Mack and I are on our way down.” Grey made for the door at the same time as his brother. “I feel like you’re trusting me with a lot right now,” he said to Mack.
Mack looked like he wanted to fling his arm over Grey’s shoulder, but wasn’t sure of Grey’s reaction. Instead he said, “It’s all hands on deck. We desperately need your help.”
Two
Autumn didn’t sleep at all Sunday night. Heck, she hadn’t slept much all weekend. Everything Molly had said was still echoing in her head. If I were you, I’d do everything you can to make the Holloway brothers happy. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do to please Grey Holloway, but she’d pinned everything on staying in Asheville. More than her career, she’d walked away from her family. And she’d let Jared saunter off out of her life as well. She was all-in on this town and on Moonlight Ridge. She had to make it work.
First thing Monday morning, Autumn decided to take the matter of Grey Holloway into her own hands. If he was going to nose around in her business, she wanted the first impression to be on her terms. Knowing her own weakness for coffee and baked goods, she decided to bring both by the cottage he was staying in for the summer. Grey might have a reputation for running cold, but surely he would warm to breakfast.
After gaining intel from Molly about which cottage Grey was staying in, Autumn headed off in a golf cart to one of the back corners of Moonlight Ridge. She enjoyed zipping away from the imposing presence of the main inn and into the quieter reaches of the property. Even though she had more than her share of solitude as a single woman and one-person wedding planning business, she still enjoyed having a quiet minute to think.
That stupid gossip website story was still hanging over her like a dark cloud, bringing up the events of the last four months—when she went from happy and hopeful to sad and beaten down. Despite her mostly sunny nature, the memories of that time still got to her, like the day Jared left, when she’d had to call their guest list and tell everyone not to come. That had been incredibly difficult, choking back tears and insisting that she was going to be fine. It was bad enough to hear the pity in the voices of her friends and loved ones, but worse was the irony of being the wedding planner dumped by her fiancé. It dinged her pride and shook her self-confidence. Since then, despite her efforts to move forward, reminders kept cropping up—an appearance in a tabloid. Another bride canceled.
She rolled up to Grey’s guesthouse and turned off the engine. She gathered the breakfast items and started up the winding path, which was lined with blooming perennials soaking up the morning sun. Her destination was the flagstone patio running the width of the house, and with every step of her ascent, more of the cottage came into view. Clad in natural stone with a gray slate roof and tall paned windows, she already knew it took good advantage of the beautiful mountain views.
But then a different kind of view entered her field of vision, making her come to a halt. Grey Holloway was doing push-ups on his patio. She stood there for a moment, just watching as his arms flexed with every rep. His biceps rounded, the contours of his muscles drew tighter, and beads of sweat glistened on his skin. Oh my. Yes, it was June, but the air around her suddenly felt unseasonably hot. Downright sticky. When her family vacationed at Moonlight Ridge when Autumn was younger, Autumn spent the whole time with Molly. She’d only seen Grey from a distance before, and only for a fleeting moment the last time he’d been at Moonlight Ridge. She’d had no idea he was hiding such a chiseled physique under his crisp dress shirts. Maybe working with Grey wouldn’t be half-bad after all.
She wasn’t quite sure how to interrupt his workout, but she also knew that it would be far worse for her if he were to stop, look up and see her standing in what was practically the bushes. Pondering her best approach, she cleared her throat. He just kept going. She tried a second time, louder, but he was laser-focused. Persistent. Up. Down. Up. Down. More glistening. Even more flexing. How many push-ups can one guy do? She decided she didn’t have time to find out.
“Hello,” she called, resuming her trip up the path. “Good morning. I’m sorry to interrupt you.”
Grey straightened his arms at the top of a rep and turned his head, glaring at her. It was her first glimpse of grumpy Grey. He scowled at her. Scowled.
Autumn second-guessed her decision to try this approach, but there was no turning back now. She was here and she had muffins. She’d just have to turn around Grey’s sour state. “I’m sorry for showing up unannounced, but I didn’t know the best way to reach you, so I thought I’d stop by.”
She reached the end of the path and the edge of the patio just as he popped back up to standing. He was...wow. Stunning was the first word that popped into her head as he grabbed a towel and wiped the perspiration from his face. He was tall and extremely fit with sculpted shoulders and a trim waist. His thick brown hair was shorter on the sides, pleasingly tousled on top and a bit damp with sweat, as was his T-shirt, which clung to his defined chest in all the right places. Even from where she stood, she could see how intense his blue eyes were—dark and stormy.
Or perhaps that was shock.
“Really. I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I should’ve found a way to let you know I was coming by.” Why do you do this? Think, Autumn. Think.
“You’re Autumn Kincaid.” His voice was deep and even, showing no emotion, which was actually a good sign. At least his tone didn’t suggest that he was downright angry. Still, there was very little that was welcoming in either his stance or his demeanor.
“That’s me. I understand we’re going to be working together.” She lifted up the bakery box she was carrying in one hand. “I brought breakfast.”
He narrowed his sights on the package. “I don’t usually eat before lunch.”
Now that she had not planned on. No wonder he
looked like solid muscle. “Maybe today’s the day you mix up your routine. I make a habit of doing new things as often as possible. It makes life much more interesting.”
He stared back at her, seeming utterly confused. “Life is plenty interesting without trying to make it more so.” He shook his head as if he was trying to rattle loose a few thoughts. It definitely made her curious about what might be going through his mind right now and how that might relate to her. Hopefully he didn’t think she had a screw loose, but if he did...well, he wouldn’t be the first.
She took the initiative and set her breakfast offerings down on the wood outdoor dining table where he had a water bottle sitting. With a cleansing breath, she offered her hand. “Let’s start over. I’m Autumn Kincaid. I specialize in wedding planning, delivering unwanted breakfasts and interrupting people while they’re exercising.”
A slight smile curved one corner of his mouth, which she not only took as encouragement, she found quite enticing. It certainly made her want to try to get him to do it as often as possible. He wiped his hands with the towel before hesitantly returning the handshake. “Grey Holloway. I specialize in push-ups and awkward greetings, apparently. I’m sorry, but you surprised me.”
This might not have been Autumn’s best idea, but she couldn’t exactly go back in time and try again. “Next time, I’ll call. Remind me to get your number.”
He smiled again, the expression in his eyes softening. “Will do.” He looked down at the table. “Please. Have a seat.”
“Thank you.” Autumn pulled out a patio chair and got situated. “Will you at least have some coffee?”
“Always.” Grey sat right next to her. “I apologize for my choice of attire. If I’d known we were going to have a business meeting, I would’ve dressed for it.”