“Hello, you.”
23
Her mother turned her face up to receive Mary’s kiss.
24
“Hey.” The huge puzzle on the table was nearly fi nished.
25
She’d taken up puzzles back when they were kids. Their dad had
26
told them she needed it to calm her nerves after parenting them
27
all day. Which was probably true.
S28
“He’s probably already eaten four of those salmon patties.”
N29
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01
Her mother spoke absently, her glasses perched on her nose as
02
she looked over the remaining puzzle pieces.
03
“Probably. But they’re good for him. I made a batch for Ryan
04
too, but took them to his house fi rst. I know they’d never get
05
out of here.”
06
Her mother laughed. “You’ve got your dad’s number. How’s
07
business?” She looked up, taking a sip of her tea. “There’s tea.
08
Freshly brewed.”
09
Mary got up to get herself a glass and to top off her mother’s.
10
Her father wandered into the room and began putting things in
11
the fridge.
12
“Good. I’ve got jobs for the next several months. I can pay
13
my staff without stress. An agent called me three days ago. Said
14
she thought I should put a cookbook together.”
15
“That’d be something now, wouldn’t it? Our Bess being a
16
published author? And why shouldn’t people want to buy a
17
cookbook with her recipes in it?”
18
She loved her parents more than anything. They were kooky,
19
no doubt. But they were good, solid people who’d raised her and
20
her siblings well. Always proud and supportive of them.
21
“I’m working up a proposal. We’ll see. I need to talk to Daisy
22
about doing the photography for it.”
23
“You have your own talent with a camera. You might be
24
stretched too thin though, so I’m sure Daisy would be a huge
25
help. How’s that boyfriend of hers?” Her mother shot a glance
26
in her dad’s direction as he opened up the second container of
27
the salmon patties. “At least use a fork.”
28S
“He digs her. She’s not quite sure what to do with him.”
29N
Mary snorted. “He’s big and bossy and handsome and sort of
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overwhelming. But he adores her. He buys her things. Takes her
01
places.”
02
“She’d be bored shitless with a man who wasn’t like that.
03
Girl’d run right over a lesser man.” Her mother had a way about
04
her. Always seeing to the heart of things. It was sort of scary,
05
and yet Mary admired it all the same and hoped the best parts
06
rubbed off on her.
07
“Probably.”
08
“And why shouldn’t he buy her things? It’s not like she
09
expects it. But he’s got the money and wants to treat her. I hope
10
I raised you well enough not to turn down gifts from people
11
when they want to do for you.”
12
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to land a rich older boyfriend
13
to know for sure.” She winked at her dad, who glowered for a
14
moment.
15
“Jeanne, you stop it now. Bess makes her own way.”
16
Her mother sighed. “Of course she does. She’s not a whore.
17
I’m saying that people should be able to do for others. Mary
18
brings us food how many days a week? We never pay her for it
19
because it’s her way of taking care of us. She does it for every-
20
one. Levi does for Daisy because he can. I bet you the girl makes
21
amazing art for him and gives it to him as a gift. Given her tal-
22
ent, that’s sort of the equivalent of jewelry or a trip. Generosity 23
is important. “
24
25
26
She was tucked into bed with a book hours later when her phone
27
buzzed with an incoming text.
S28
Damien.
N29
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01
Sitting here drinking an excellent glass of red wine after an
02
awesome steak. Was thinking you’d probably have something
03
far more tasty to accompany it than the plain old potato
04
they served.
05
06
She picked her phone up and started to type.
07
08
Probably. But I’m gifted that way. What city are you in?
09
10
Her phone rang.
11
“I’m in St. Louis.”
12
There was a lot of noise in the background.
13
“Sounds like it’s busy where you are.”
14
“I’m in my hotel room. Well, actually, Paddy’s room. They’re
15
blowing off steam. Big show tonight.”
16
She blew off steam in really different ways apparently. It
17
sounded loud and wild and she was glad she wasn’t there. Well,
18
mostly though she wouldn’t mind jumping on Damien if she had
19
him in the fl esh.
20
“Ah.”
21
“Little word for all you’re feeling.”
22
She laughed. “Just thinking that my blowing off steam usu-
23
ally means I make ice cream or go for a bike ride or hike. But I
24
remember the last story I saw about you guys, so . . . ”
25
“Don’t believe everything you read.”
26
He didn’t sound amused.
27
“I didn’t mean to offend you.”
28S
“I’m sorry. You didn’t. It’s just . . . it gets old having the tab-29N
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loids follow you around and make stuff up. You never know
01
who’s gonna say what.”
02
She got that part. Knew Gillian had to deal with it now. But
03
at the same time, what she heard in the background didn’t sound
04
like they were playing backgammon.
05
“Adrian said you guys were coming out to MSG next month.”
06
He wished he hadn’t snapped at her. Their ease had stiffened
07
up a little. And god knew she was mainly right.
08
She answered, not sounding angry or hurt at least. “Yeah.
09
Looking forward to it. Adrian even managed to get me some really
10
wonderful reservations at my coveted restaurants. Be nice to
11
me and I might let you be my plus one.”
12
He realized he wanted to see her enjoying food from the
13
standpoint of the consumer, not the producer. What would
14
she be like in a restaurant? He knew she wholeheartedly em -
15
braced enjoying sex; he bet she was like that when she ate
16
out too.
17
He found himself smiling, really smiling, for the fi rst time in
18
a few days. “Yeah?”
19
“Yeah. If you’re not busy you can come along. That way I
20
can try more things off the menu and no one will think I’m
21
a hog.”
22
She made him smile. A lot. “You have an ulterior motive?
23
I’m scandalized.” He had no plans. Once he heard from Adrian
24
that she’d be there, he’d kept his schedule clear during non- show 25
hours so he could be with her.
26
“I do. I’m sneaky that way.”
27
He grinned, though she couldn’t see it. “Okay then. Good
S28
N29
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01
to know that in addition to all your other . . . talents, you’re also 02
sneaky. It’s a good quality.”
03
They spoke for a little while longer before he hung up and
04
went back into the main room where his brothers drank, smoked
05
and shot the shit about the day’s events. A few women lounged
06
around and he couldn’t fi nd it in him to invite anyone back to
07
his room.
08
He told himself it was that he was tired. But really, he knew
09
on some level that Mary would disapprove if he was fucking
10
other women right before he fucked her when she visited New
11
York in a few weeks. And to be truthful, he wanted her to think
12
well of him.
13
The specter of his past rose. He wasn’t ashamed of his hard
14
living. But because he’d been that way and openly so, it had
15
played in the media. He wasn’t just the drummer of Sweet Hol-
16
low Ranch. He was the party- boy, sex- hungry, hard- drinking
17
drummer.
18
From the outside, he could see it all bringing pause to Mary.
19
He liked her. He wanted to know her better. And he wanted
20
very much for that reputation to not get in the way.
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28S
29N
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01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
5
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
J
16
eez, a private plane too?” Jules waggled her brows as they
17
got settled in for their fl ight to New York.
18
“Erin, I wager. She loves to give presents.” Daisy said.
19
Levi sat next to her, his hand in hers.
20
“I bet you Levi is no stranger to private planes. Look at him.”
21
Mary winked at him and he snorted. They had a good back and
22
forth. Once she accepted that he was good for Daisy and would
23
continue to be so. She also liked that Levi had wanted her to
24
approve. Some guys wouldn’t have cared.
25
“I did my time in coach.”
26
“You make it sound like prison,” Daisy scoffed.
27
Mary laughed. “It is! If I could do this every time you’d never
S28
see me in coach ever again jammed in the center seat for seven
N29
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01
hours while I begged for peanuts after having to take my shoes
02
off in an airport.” She shuddered.
03
“Jules says you’re doing a food- truck tour tomorrow. Is there
04
room for me?” Gideon Carter, Jules’s other man, looked at her
05
hopefully.
06
“Defi nitely.”
07
“Is the rock star coming?” Cal asked, trying to be casual.
08
Ryan, their brother, groaned. “You have no fi nesse at all.”
09
“And you do?” Cal tossed back. The two of them bickered a
10
lot, but it was a front. They were, as her mother often said, thick 11
as thieves. But they did love to poke each other.
12
“I could have found out if Damien Hurley was coming along
13
way smoother than you. And I wouldn’t have agitated her in
14
fi nding out.” Ryan shrugged.
15
She snorted. “Boys, please. Yes, he’s coming along. I think
16
he is, anyway. I think one of his other brothers is coming too.”
17
She was admittedly a little nervous about that. Sure, they
18
were just having fun and all, but she knew he was tight with his
19
family. Didn’t want them to think ill of her.
20
“So what do you envision this thing between you being any-
21
way?” They took off easily as she sat back and let Ryan pepper
22
her with questions. She’d probably want to know if their situa-
23
tions were reversed so she’d answer until she thought he went
24
too far.
25
“Look. He’s an adult male with a busy schedule. I’m an adult
26
female with a busy schedule. Occasionally, for however long
27
this works, we meet up and hang out awhile and then go back