“I’ll drive you.”
“What?”
“I’ll drive you home. When do you want to leave? Tonight? Tomorrow?”
Rocky shot to her sneakered feet. “You’re offering to drive me from New York City to Sugar Creek, Vermont? That’s gotta be…”
“Six, seven hours.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I want to and because it’s on my way.”
Rocky stared; her mind spun. “You were planning another trip home?”
“As a matter of fact … yes.”
“Something to do with the sale of your parents’ house?”
“You could say that.”
“Don’t you think it would be a little awkward? Seeing Dev so soon after we…” She gestured to the rumpled bed. “I assumed you wouldn’t make it back to Sugar Creek for another, I don’t know, few months. If that. There have been times where you’ve gone a year or two without visiting. It would be easier to pretend—”
“I’m done pretending.”
Her insides twisted.
“I’m moving home, Rocky. For good.”
She didn’t react at first. She was too stunned. Her vision blurred and her hearing buzzed. Her brain slowed, then raced. Jayce living in Sugar Creek. How would that work exactly? Obvious answer: It wouldn’t.
“I’ve been fighting the inclination for months,” he said, addressing her wide-eyed silence. “Out of respect for you and our secret. In deference to my friendship with Dev and the sincere fondness I feel for your parents. Thing is, I’m no longer content living a lie.”
The buzz in her ears grew louder. Rocky gripped the edge of the desk to stabilize her wobbly legs.
Jayce moved toward her.
“Don’t,” she choked out. She couldn’t think straight as it was. If he touched her … “Why?”
“The life I’ve built in Brooklyn isn’t the life I want.”
“But you could go anywhere, live anywhere.”
“I know.”
“But Sugar Creek—”
“Done deal, Rocky. Shipped my belongings yesterday morning.”
A slow, furious burn started at her toes and sizzled throughout her body. The buzz in her ears intensified to a roar. “You knew and you let me … let us…”
“Don’t argue the inevitable.”
“But it wasn’t inevitable!” Rocky threw her arms wide, gestured to the bed. “I never would have … If I’d known you were moving home … Bastard!”
“So you just planned on having a weekend fling and then blowing me off? Again?”
She blinked. “If you’re referring to that morning thirteen years ago—”
“I am.” Jayce stood his ground, crossed his arms. “The morning I asked you to marry me. To which you replied,
Piss off.
”
Rocky marveled at the subtle resentment in his tone. “You didn’t
ask
me anything. You
told
me we should get married. ‘Should’ as in it was the right thing to do. ‘Should’ as in it was your duty as a stand-up guy to make an honest woman out of the virgin seducer who also happened to be
jailbait!
”
“You blew me off and harbored a grudge all these years over semantics?”
“I
loved
you. I … I worshiped you for
years.
Every day you didn’t touch me, I died. When you went away to go to college, I was miserable. Then I thought, if we could just be together, if you could just be my first, and then it happened! It was wonderful and romantic and perfect. I had no expectations, just this wonderful sense of loving and being loved—even if only for that one perfect moment. Then you
ruined
it!”
“
This
is what’s been festering inside you all these years?”
He was angry. No, he was furious. He didn’t move. He didn’t blink, but Rocky felt a shift in Jayce that muted her own temper and filled her with confusion and dread.
“Do you or don’t you want me to drive you home?”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Not because she was wary of his anger, but because she couldn’t get past her own stupidity. Scratching the itch had only aggravated the constant craving. How was she supposed to co-exist with Jayce in Sugar Creek without wanting to jump his bones every time they crossed paths? That she was still attracted to him boggled her mind. She’d just poured out her heart, shared her deepest feelings, her longtime affection, and he made it sound so insignificant.
This
is what’s been festering inside you all these years?
As if it were no big deal! She folded her own arms, hiked her chin. “You need to leave. I’ll find my own way home.”
Without a word, he gathered his things.
Rocky’s blood pressure spiked to the moon and back. “If you tell Dev about that night just to clear your conscience—”
“I was thinking more about Dev’s peace of mind. Do you have any idea how much he’s struggled with the tension between us?”
“Of course I know.” Her brother had been pressing her to confide in him for years.
“Yet you’d leave him puzzling rather than risk an uncomfortable confrontation.”
“Uncomfortable?”
“Knowing Dev, he’ll be shocked and pissed. But he’ll get over it. Your dad’s not going to hunt me down and shoot me and he’s sure as hell not going to disown you.” Eyes sparking with fury, Jayce snatched up his duffel. “I can’t believe I let this drag out for so long.”
“You speak as if we broke curfew or filched a couple of beers from Gram’s fridge,” Rocky ranted. “We had
sex.
I was barely seventeen, Jayce. You were
twenty-two.
A trusted member of the family. Mom and Dad will never look at you the same way. Or me for that matter.” His silence incited panic and fury. Trembling, Rocky held her ground rather than pounce and pummel. “How can you be so selfish?”
“I could ask you the same.” He spared her a glance while walking out the door. “That bit about you growing up while I wasn’t looking? You were wrong.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sugar Creek, Vermont
Good food, good drink, good vibes.
Luke scanned the lively crowd, his heart full and his hands busy as he opened a fifth bottle of champagne—on the house.
This
was why he’d been inspired to buy the Sugar Shack. He loved the rush of fostering a business that inspired good times and the occasional celebration. Celebrations involving friends and family were a special bonus. Like this impromptu gathering following the first day of business for Gram’s and Chloe’s new café.
Even though it was only 4:45, the Shack was fairly crowded. Luke’s chef, Anna, and her team were in the kitchen preparing for the dinner rush. In the pub, a fire crackled in the cobblestone hearth and a melodic mix of classic rock provided unobtrusive atmosphere. Some patrons nibbled on party mix while watching the televised college football game. Others were engrossed in conversation. Several ladies from the Cupcake Lovers sat around one table chatting about their special display at Moose-a-lotta, while the owners and staff of said café had crowded into a nearby window booth. On one side—Gram, Chloe, and Dev. On the other—Ethel, Monica, and her husband, Leo.
Once Luke and Nell—the only waitress on the clock for the next half hour thanks to Connie quitting—distributed glasses to one and all, Luke raised his sparkling flute in a toast. “To Moose-a-lotta!”
“Moose-a-lotta!” Everyone drank to the café, then resumed their personal conversations.
“I’ll watch the bar,” Nell said to Luke. “You celebrate with your family.”
Luke smiled at the woman, a pretty thing, although a bit shy for his personal taste. “Thanks, hon. I’ll just be a minute or two.” He pulled up a chair and felt a kick in the shin.
“Don’t go there,” Chloe warned Luke as Nell hustled toward the bar. “You can’t afford to lose another waitress.”
Gram squinted at Luke as though he were a dim bulb. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s bad business to mattress dance with the help?”
Mattress dance?
“Yeah,” Dev said. “Me.”
“Sometimes big brother knows best,” Monica said.
“Hell hath no fury,” Leo said
Gram turned to Chloe. “I think we should hire Connie to work at Moose-a-lotta.”
Like everything else in Sugar Creek, news that Lizzie and Connie had given Luke the royal kiss-off had spread like wildfire within moments of the unfortunate double whammy.
“Always liked that girl,” Ethel said. “Smart and fast. Pleasant, too.”
“I’m hoping Connie will come back to the Shack once she cools off,” Luke said.
“Then why did you post the
Help Wanted
sign?” Dev asked.
“Because we lost Marla last week and if Connie doesn’t come back that means I’m down two waitresses. Nell’s sweet, but she’s been a little unreliable lately, and Sadie just informed me she’s pregnant, so—”
“Sadie Thompson is pregnant?” Monica asked.
Luke froze at the woman’s stricken expression. Everyone in the booth shot Luke a not-so-subtle death glare.
Nice going, Monroe.
Common knowledge: Monica and Leo had been trying to have a baby for months. So far, no luck, and according to gossip, their marriage was feeling the strain. “Uh … yeah,” Luke said. “Sorry. Thought everyone knew.”
“Not everyone,” Leo said.
“I’m thrilled for Sadie and Paul,” Monica said. “Just married and newly pregnant. They must be over the moon.”
“I think they’re in shock,” Luke said. “It was an—”
Someone gave him a hard kick.
Leo glared.
“An accident.” Monica jammed her hand though her spiky short hair. “Huh.”
“I need something stronger.” Leo pushed aside his champagne glass. “Anyone else?”
Gram raised her hand. “I’ll take a Blue Hawaiian!”
“Nell wouldn’t know how to make that, Gram,” Luke said.
“Then I’ll have glass of chardonnay. Thank you, Leo. And stop frowning at me, Devlin Monroe. Vincent has been monitoring my medication. I’m fine.”
Vince Redding. Proprietor of Oslow’s General Store and Gram’s devoted friend. If the bearded old guy had his way, he and Gram (both widowed) would be more than friends, which struck Luke as cool and weird at the same time.
Dev, who had yet to fully forgive Vince for keeping him in the dark about Gram’s heart condition, frowned. Then he turned that frown on Luke. “About the staffing situation—”
“Can we talk about this later?” Luke glanced at Monica, who was looking across the bar at Leo, who was smiling at Nell.
Oh, Christ.
“This moment’s about Moose-a-lotta,” Luke said, trying to draw the attention to something positive. “Can I just say that was the best Mocha Latte I’ve ever had? You’ve got a magic touch, Monica.”
“It was the Café Latte Maker. All I did was push a button.”
“You did more than that,” Chloe said. “You and Ethel were amazing today.”
“Can’t thank you ladies enough for filling in until we know exactly how much help we’ll need on a steady basis,” Gram said.
“And how much we can afford to pay on a steady basis,” Chloe added. “Although if today was any indication…” She beamed a thousand-watt smile. “I can’t believe how many people dropped in and how many vowed to return!”
“I can,” Dev said. “Never had a doubt.”
“Me neither,” Gram said. “Although I do believe I enticed more than a few oblivious passersby with my moose antics.”
Chloe smiled. “You were adorable, Daisy, and I agree, Millie Moose is a valuable marketing tool. But to optimize the effect I think we should reserve her presence for special occasions.”
“Yeah,” Monica chimed in. “Makes Millie all the more special. Like a reclusive celebrity.”
“I see your point,” Gram said. “Speaking of special occasions, I have an idea that will benefit both Moose-a-lotta and the Cupcake Lovers booth during the Spookytown Spectacular.”
The women sipped champagne while Gram launched into a vibrant pitch.
Luke took the opportunity to grab his brother’s attention. “Talk to you for a minute?”
Dev brushed a kiss over Chloe’s cheek. “Be right back.”
The dark-haired beauty smiled at Dev, and Luke’s heart gave a funny jerk. Women smiled at him all the time but not like
that.
He couldn’t pinpoint the difference, but it was sun and moon, worlds apart.
Huh
. One thing was certain: Luke liked Chloe a lot. She loved his brother, good and true, faults and all. Not for his bank account or what he could do for her. As smart as Dev was, over the years he’d made some dumb-ass choices in women. Especially and foremost his ex-wife—not that anybody in the family ever mentioned Janna. Talk about a sore spot.
“Is this about the staffing problem?” Dev asked as Luke shut them inside his small office.
“No. It’s about our sister. Nash called.”
“Shot me a text an hour ago.”
“So you know he flew down to New York to bring Rocky home.”
“I know.”
“Why isn’t she flying back with Tasha? I phoned and left Rocky a message, but she didn’t return my call. Just texted:
Business concluded
.
New York sucks
.
Coming home.
” Luke dropped into his desk chair. “I hate texts.”
Dev crooked a smile. “And e-mails.”
“I just happen to like the personal connection of a phone call.” Luke had been accused of being a Luddite for years. It was not that he was adverse to technological change. It was that technology proposed a special challenge that taxed his patience.
“For what it’s worth,” Dev said, “Rocky didn’t return my call either and the text she sent me was similar to the one you got. I did, however, get the scoop from Jayce.”
Luke listened as Dev relayed news about a glitch with the publisher and about Tasha staying on through Tuesday. When Dev segued into announcing Jayce was moving home, Luke pretended to be surprised so as not to rat out Chloe.
“When Rocky mentioned she wanted to return home today,” Dev went on, “Jayce broke his news and offered to drive her back to Sugar Creek.”
“Let me guess: Rocky freaked out about Jayce moving home and they ended up having a fight.”
Forearms braced on knees, Dev leaned forward and regarded Luke with a raised brow. “You once said you suspected the cause of the rift between those two.”
And now Luke knew for sure. “Not my story to tell.”
“Someone’s going to talk. I don’t intend to spend every day of the next several years playing mediator between my sister and best friend at family and social gatherings. Whatever it is, it can’t be that damn bad.”