Chapter 6
How could she think that she’s repulsive? What kind of a complete fucking asshole would have put that thought in her gorgeous little head? Because Summer Quinn is anything but repulsive. Jesus, she stars in all of my fantasies, whether I’m sleeping or awake.
I left here hard as fuck last night, and thanks to the conversation on her porch, I’m leaving in the same condition tonight. I glance over to her front porch and watch her open the door and stumble inside, closing it behind her after she blows me a big kiss.
Summer’s funny when she’s a little tipsy. I like that she’s more outspoken and comfortable talking to me, even if it took a little liquid courage to get us there. I hope that we’ve crossed a line tonight and that she stays comfortable with me.
I start the engine, but before I can pull away from the curb, my baby sister texts me.
Millie: Whatcha doing?
I grin and call her.
“Why are you calling me?” she asks. “You’re supposed to text.”
“I’m driving,” I reply easily. “What’s up?”
“I was bored and thought I’d come hang at your pad for a while, but if you’re out and about, it’s all good.”
“I’m headed home now.” I can hear something in her voice that isn’t usually there, and it has me curious. “Meet me there. I’m two minutes out.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
She hangs up, and I drive home, park in the driveway, and walk inside. My rental is bigger than I need, and I don’t have a ton of furniture, so I’ve closed off the rooms I don’t use. I’ve just kicked my boots off when there’s a quick knock on the door, and then Millie strides right in, grinning at me.
“Hey,” she says. “Where were you tonight?”
“I had a date,” I reply easily. I know that she’s going to dig for information, and she’ll likely tease me about this for the foreseeable future, but I don’t really give a shit. “With Summer Quinn.”
Millie stops in her tracks and stares at me. “Seriously? You finally asked her out?”
“And she actually said yes.” I offer her a bottle of water, toss it to her when she nods, and join her in the living room. Millie stretches out on my couch, so I sit on the floor on the other side of the coffee table with my back against a chair.
“And how did it go?” Millie asks with a sly smile. “I like her a lot, by the way.”
“I do, too. It was great. The conversation is easy, and I like being around her. It doesn’t hurt that she’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”
“Well, cheers to that.” She holds the bottle up and then takes a drink. “Good for you. Will you see her again?”
“That’s the plan.” I stretch my legs out and cross them at the ankles. “What’s going on, Mill? You don’t usually want to just hang out and chat.”
“Maybe I should want to,” she says. “I mean, you’re my brother, and we’re friends. We can hang.”
“Okay, sure.” I watch her quietly, patiently waiting for her to get around to what brought her over here. Millie’s close to all of us brothers, but she and I have always had a special connection. And I know that it takes her a while to speak about what’s on her mind, so I’m patient.
“Where did you and Summer go?” she asks.
“The Wolf Den.”
She nods, as if she’s thinking that over. “Cool, cool. No sexy time?”
“I absolutely refuse to speak to my baby sister about my sex life.”
Millie rolls her eyes at that. “Oh, come on. If Brady asked, you’d tell him.”
“No, I don’t think I would.” I lean back on my hands. “How’s work going at the coffee shop?”
“I’ve been there for a long time,” she says and plucks at her lower lip. “Five years this week. I love it there, Chase.”
“I know you do. And you’re damn good at what you do.”
“It’s just making coffee. I’m not saving lives or anything.”
“It isn’t just anything. I can’t make coffee with that monster you use there, and it’s more than that. You’re good with the customers. You’re excellent at banter, and if someone’s giving you a hard time, you can stick up for yourself and diffuse a situation.”
“It doesn’t hurt that my brother is a cop and only a phone call away.”
“If that makes you feel better, I’m glad, but don’t sell yourself short, cupcake. You don’t take shit from anyone.”
“It comes with the territory when you have four older brothers.” She grins over at me, but then the smile falls, and she looks worried. “Marion wants to sell me the business.”
And there it is. The reason she’s here.
“Owning the coffee shop and working there are two very different things,” she continues. “And I have to wonder if it’s financially feasible.”
“You know you can take a loan from the ranch. Remington would back you in a heartbeat. Hell, Ryan would give you the money without a thought.”
“I know.” Tears spring to her eyes, and before I can jump up to hug her, she holds her hand up to stop me. “I’m okay. I think I’m just tired. I haven’t slept in a few days because all I can think about is this. I mean, I’m honored that Marion came to me and asked me if I wanted the opportunity.”
“Marion seems too young to retire,” I reply, frowning. “Why does she want to sell?”
“She wants to open a catering business and doesn’t feel like she can do both. I understand that. Passions change with time. She opened Bitterroot Valley Coffee Co, so she’s owned it for a long time.”
“I guess what it boils down to is, do you want it?”
“Yeah.” Her pretty hazel eyes find mine, lighting up with excitement. “Yeah, I do. Am I too young to own a business?”
“You’re almost twenty-six,” I remind her.
“Am I smart enough?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Start saying shit about my sister and I’ll kick your ass.”
That makes her snort out a laugh. “You know what I mean. I can’t do taxes and bookkeeping and stuff. Payroll scares me.”
“Honey, you hire a bookkeeper for that. Erin took over the ranch’s books, and I bet she’d do yours, too. Or use whomever Marion has used all these years.”
“Marion likes math,” Millie says, wrinkling her nose. “She does her own books. But you’re right, I could talk to Erin about it, but not until after the wedding and their honeymoon. I don’t want to add any more to her plate.”
“You know, it occurs to me that we’ve all been so careful not to add more to Erin’s plate lately, but she’s a tough woman. Talk to her about it now, before you decide to buy the business, so she can get it on her radar for after the wedding.”
“That’s a good idea,” Millie says with a nod. “Do you really think Rem or Ryan would back the loan? I mean, I can go to the bank, but I’d rather keep it in the family if I can.”
“Absolutely. Hell, we’ll all back you.”
“You can’t afford that on a cop’s salary.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “I do just fine, thank you very much.”
“Hey, no offense. I’ll go see Rem and Erin tomorrow. Hell, I’ll have Ryan meet with us, too,” she says with a sigh. “I should have just come to see you the other day, after Marion brought it up, rather than being a nervous wreck about it the last few days. It’s been exhausting. And then Holden showed up at the coffee shop today, and he always makes my brain want to bleed out of my ears.”
“What did you just say?”
That makes her blink and swallow hard, then she shrugs a shoulder. “Nothing. I’m obviously so tired, I’m delirious.”
“You’re talking about Holden Lexington, right?”
She sighs and rubs her fingers over her forehead. “I can’t believe I freaking said that. I’m such an idiot.”
“Answer the question, Mill.”
“Yeah, Holden Lexington. And you can forget I said anything because it doesn’t matter. So what if he’s hot? So what if he’s good in bed? I don’t care.”
“You think Holden Lexington, the son of the arch nemesis of our family, the one who’s at least ten years older than you, is hot? And, as if that’s not bad enough, he’s had his motherfucking hands on you?” I run my tongue over my teeth and try to decide if I should hunt the man down and kick his ass tonight or wait for morning. Just out of principle.
“Jesus Christ, I have to leave,” Millie says, sitting up. “My mouth won’t shut the hell up.”
“Millie, you slept with Holden Lexington?”
“Forget I said that, Chase.” She shakes her head, blowing out a gust of breath. “Seriously, wipe it from your memory banks. It was a long time ago, and it won’t happen again. He didn’t hurt me. It was consensual?—”
“For fuck’s sake.” I drag my hand down my face.
“And it’s done. When he’s around, he scrambles my brain a bit, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Now, let’s get back to the topic at hand.”
“Millie, Dad would never be okay with you being with him.”
“I’m not with him!” she yells back and stands to pace the room. “I can’t believe I even said anything. I guess I was just dumping all my secrets out, and that came tumbling with them. And trust me, I regret it. I am not now, nor will I ever be, with Holden. Trust me on that.”
But I see the look in her eyes, and I know that she wishes things were different.
Personally? I don’t have an issue with the man. But I’m not lying when I say that Dad would never be okay with any of us marrying into that family.
Hell, Remington would blow a gasket if he knew.
“You can’t tell anyone,” she says, as if she’s reading my mind. “Promise me, Chase.”
“I won’t speak of it,” I reply evenly.
“And you won’t go talk to Holden or rough him up.”
I take a deep breath. “I don’t want to promise that.”
She just lifts an eyebrow, and I let out the breath.
“Fine. I won’t say anything to him, either.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Her shoulders fall in relief. “So, Summer Quinn, huh?”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“You bet your ass I am.”
“Chase, you’re seriously so talented.”Erin runs her hand lovingly over the top of the bar that I’ve just finished for her. “If the police thing doesn’t work out, you can make a good living making things like this.”
“It’s always good to have something to fall back on,” I reply with a grin. “I’m glad you like it. Send me a list of the other things you need to have done before the wedding.”
“It’s in two weeks,” she reminds me, and just saying that out loud has worry filling her eyes. “And I need something big.”
“How big?”
“Well, I’d like a stage.”
I stare at her, shuffling my feet. “You want a stage? How big?”
“Big enough for a band?” She bites her lip. “We’ve hired a band for the reception, and I know that my uncle Leo and Sidney will want to sing. I can’t have all of that in the grass.”
“Hold on.” I shake my head and let out a laugh. “You’re telling me that Leo fucking Nash is going to sing at your reception?”
“He’s my uncle.”
“He’s a freaking superstar.”
“He’s my uncle,” she stresses. “And he and my mom usually sing something together. Now we have Sidney in the family, too, so she’ll want in on the action. You don’t understand. This is what we do at family gatherings.”
“Leo performs at your family gatherings?”
“Yes.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “Okay, well, that actually sounds awesome, but I can’t build something like that in two weeks, sweetheart. You’re going to have to rent it.”
“I was afraid of that,” she says. “Okay, I can rent it. I just thought it would be nice to have something permanent out here that we can use for future events.”
“We can discuss that later.” I grin at her. “I know that my brothers geeked out about who your dad is, and don’t get me wrong, I loved watching him play ball when I was a kid, but the fact that Leo Nash is going to sing at my brother’s wedding is kind of mind-blowing.”
“He’s a lot of fun,” she says with a grin. “And he takes requests.”
“He and your mom sing together?”
“Sure. They used to be in a band together, long before Nash was famous, but then Mom went to nursing school, and Leo went off to be rich and famous. They grew up as siblings. They were in foster homes together.”
I tip my head, listening raptly. “That’s fascinating.”
“We have all kinds of interesting stories in our family.” She laughs and pushes her hand through her hair. “Okay, I’ll get that list to you, but there isn’t much left to do. Oh, and I went ahead and hired Charlie Lexington.”
I quirk a brow at that. “Really? How did you manage that?”
“I told Remington and your father to get over themselves and to let me have this so I didn’t go insane, and they stopped grumbling about it.”
I laugh and reach over to pat her on the shoulder. “You’re good for this family.”
“Damn right, I am. Now, tell me, how are things with Summer? It’s all over town that you two went on a date.”
“Yeah, two weeks ago.” I rub the back of my neck as I scowl. I haven’t seen in her two fucking weeks, and it’s driving me nuts. “We’ve been too busy to see each other since. I’ve been working a lot of night shifts and helping out here at the ranch, and life is crazy, you know?”
“Did the date not go well?” Erin frowns at me.
“It was great. I’m crazy about her. I’ve been sending her lunch every day. All the delivery kids in town are going to college on what I tip them.”
“You send her lunch?” Her face goes all gooey. “That’s so romantic.”
“It would be more romantic if I could just see her myself.”
“I’m sorry. I know part of that is because you’ve been doing so much work for the wedding. What time is she done at the shop today?”
I check the time. “In about an hour, I’d say, give or take.”
“You need to get out of here and go spoil her tonight. If she’s been as slammed as you say, then she’s likely exhausted and could use some pampering.”
With a frown, I push my hands into my pockets. “How, exactly, do I go about that?”
“Cook her dinner, or order in, and put her in a hot bath. Rub her feet. Snuggle with her. Be nice to her, Chase. You’re good at that.”
“I don’t have anything?—”
“I swear, I have to do everything around here.” Erin rolls her eyes and takes my hand and drags me into the house behind her. She grabs a basket out of the mudroom and then scurries through the house, filling it up. A jar of sauce and noodles go in the basket. “Make her spaghetti. It’s easy and delicious. I even have some French bread you can take.”
After the kitchen, we climb the stairs to the main suite and through to the bathroom.
“Here are Epsom salts for a hot bath. Bubbles are romantic, but these salts will help with sore muscles. It’ll feel better, and they don’t cause…girl trouble.”
“Girl trouble?”
“Trust me on this,” she says, shaking her head. “I’m tossing in some really nice lotion for her feet and hands. You can rub her back, too, but don’t do that just to lead to sex.”
“I—”
“Men do that all the time and think we don’t know what they’re up to. Trust me, we know. Rub her feet and hands, put on her favorite movie to watch, and snuggle with her or talk with her. Or, if she doesn’t want to talk, just relax. You know, pamper the woman.”
“I really like this idea.” I grin at Erin as she passes me the basket.
“So will she.”
On my way back to town, I call Summer at the flower shop.
“This is Summer,” she says when she picks up.
“Hey, it’s Chase. Remember me?”
“Are you the tall, dark, and handsome guy that I went out to dinner with a few weeks ago?”
“That’s me.”
“It’s coming back to me.” I can hear the smile in her voice. “What are you up to?”
“Well, I’m wondering when you’re getting off work.”
“I’m just finishing up here, actually. Why? What’s up?”
“Would you and Lily like to meet me at my house for the evening? As you pointed out, I haven’t seen you in way too long, and we need to rectify that. Lily’s welcome at my place.”
“We’d like that. When should we get there?”
“You can come straight over after work.”
“Great, we’ll see you soon.”
More than satisfied with the way this evening is shaping up, I get home, run upstairs for a quick shower to clean off the sawdust, and then pull on some jeans and a Fall Out Boy T-shirt. The doorbell rings as I’m walking downstairs.
She has perfect timing.
“Hey,” I say with a grin when I open the door and see Summer, along with Lily on a pink leash, standing on the porch. She’s holding a tote bag full of Lily’s things. “You are a sight for sore eyes.”
She smiles back at me, but I can see the fatigue in her beautiful blue eyes, and I know without a doubt that Erin hit it right on the head with this idea.
“Come on in.” I hold the door for them, take the bag from Summer, and then close the door behind them. Summer takes Lily off of the leash and collar, letting her loose in the house.
“She’s good about not chewing or peeing on things,” she assures me. “And I brought her bed from the shop. It’s in the car.”
“I’m not worried about any of that.” Unable to resist, I tug her into my arms and hug her for a solid ten seconds. Just like the last time, it takes her a moment to wrap her arms around me, but when she does, she hugs me tightly. “How are you, Blondie?”
“I’m good. I have no complaints.”
“We’re going to keep the no-complaint trend going through the night,” I inform her. “I’m going to cook us some dinner, and while I do that, I’m going to draw you a bath upstairs.”
She pulls back and stares at me with wide, blue eyes. “Really?”
“Really. I have a huge tub up there that I’ve never used, but don’t worry, it’s clean.”
Her lips tip up in a grin. “I’m game for that. Do you want me to take Lily home?”
“No way. She’s going to hang with me. Do you prefer white or red wine?”
“White,” she decides. “Wow, this is a fun surprise. Thank you.”
“I’ve missed you,” I admit, not embarrassed in the least to admit it. “Two weeks is a long damn time.”
“I missed you, too.” She reaches up and cups my cheek in her hand, surprising us both. “But thank you for having lunch delivered every single day. That was uncalled for and appreciated.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I have to admit, though, this is better.” She grins down at Lily, who has decided to lie across both of our feet. “Someone’s jealous.”
“Well, she’ll have to get over it.” I press my lips to her forehead, breathing her in, and then lead her to the stairs, disrupting Lily, who follows us. “Come on, I’m putting you into a hot bath.”
“I won’t disagree. I know that I said the last time I saw you that I wasn’t going to complain about my job anymore, and I’m not complaining because I love it, but my feet are killing me. I always forget how exhausting the summers are until I’m smack dab in the middle of it.”
“Let’s see if we can help with that a little.”
With Lily watching, and sniffing out every inch of the bathroom, I start the hot water running in the bathtub and pour in the amount of Epsom salts that Erin told me to.
“I have a robe on the back of the door,” I say as I gesture behind me. “And I have a T-shirt and some shorts there, that will absolutely be too big for you, but they’re clean.”
“And red is my color,” she says as she picks up the T-shirt and buries her nose in it. “Thank you for all of this.”
“We haven’t even done anything yet.” I grin at her and reach out to rub the pad of my thumb over her cheek, needing to feel her skin. “I’ll be right back with your wine.”
Not to be left behind, Lily follows me downstairs and watches with her head tilted as I pour a glass. She’s right on my heels, as if we’re playing a game, as I climb the stairs once more.
“I’ve got a new shadow,” I inform Summer as I pass her the glass. “I think she likes me.”
“She definitely does, because if she didn’t, she would be stuck to my side.” Summer sips her wine and nods with approval as I light the candle on the vanity. “This is great.”
“Good. You get cozy, and I’ll be downstairs in the kitchen if you need anything.”
“You never mentioned before that you can cook,” she says before I can walk out.
“Oh, I suspect there are all kinds of things we’ll learn about each other.” I wink at her, gesture for Lily to follow me, and close the door behind us. “We’re going to give your mom some alone time.”
Lily smiles up at me, and we head back downstairs.
As I brown the ground beef for the sauce, I hear music come on upstairs and grin. Glad that she’s comfortable up there, I add the beef to the sauce and set the stove on low so it can simmer.
I won’t boil the pasta or put the bread in the oven until she’s done with the bath so everything is fresh, so, for now, it looks like things are on autopilot. Just when I’ve loaded the last dirty dish into the dishwasher, I hear a crash from above and take off at a sprint through the house and up the stairs. I push through the bathroom door without even thinking about it and stop dead in my tracks as I take in the scene before me.
“Holy shit.”