Chapter Three #3
Putting down the glasses, Aurelie snuck to the edge of the doorway and eavesdropped, feeling silly and furious at the same time.
That damned actor.
That damned cute actor, her subconscious snuck in, to her further frustration.
“Ha! Jace Michaels as we live and breathe. Nice to see you, man. I think I vaguely recall you saying you’d die before coming back here,” Brad said.
“Nah. Just my dad.” The room got quiet until Jace laughed. “Sorry. Bad joke. But yeah, for what it’s worth, I’m glad to be back.”
“I know my sister always hoped you’d come back, seeing as how she’s the first in line every time one of your films makes it to our theater.”
Paige turned bright red and thwacked her brother on the shoulder.
“I can’t believe you’re back in Banberry, Jace,” Paige said, her voice light and airy. “And please ignore my idiot brother. He hasn’t matured since you left.”
Back? Aurelie’s chest roiled; they knew this man was here and didn’t see the threat he posed?
At least you have a name now.
Who cares if she had a name? She didn’t need to know what to call him when she asked him to get the hell away from her friends.
But no, he was making his way around her family, ingratiating himself with them one by one so maybe they wouldn’t notice when he snatched their property out from under them to build his horrific hotel chain.
“I’m mature, just not starstruck like you, Paige. Our famous neighbor is in your living room.” Brad winked at her. “Sorry, Owen, but this is her first crush.”
“Well, if it eases the tension, I’m just as impressed to be in the same room as Bradley Connors,” Jace said. “I never thought I’d be jealous of another guy from Banberry, but you’ve been kicking ass, bud.”
Brad had the audacity to laugh, as if this stranger hadn’t just insulted him in front of his family.
“Thanks. Means a lot coming from you. Still surprised to see you around these parts again, though. You’ve been doing some good things down south, huh?”
It seemed as if her family hadn’t seen the news yet. When they did, their reception wouldn’t be as warm.
“I’m doing okay. Thinking about making a change, but not sure to what. Anyway, congrats on the series. Jewel Thief was one of my favorite book series since Jack Ryan came out. I can’t believe Jones got hold of it before I could. And no offense about the Banberry thing.”
“None taken. At some point, we all hoped we’d get to kick this place and not look back. Just glad you finally did.”
Aurelie watched the exchange with trepidation and awe from the doorway, having not been noticed yet.
The man who’d run her off the road had been cold, almost clinical when she’d spoken with him afterward.
This version of Jace looked at home in her family’s space, leaning against the bar like he was holding it up, a gentle smile on his face.
At some point, he’d been handed a beer. Aurelie’s fingertips tingled, watching him put the glass to his lips and draw from the bottle.
Why did the man have to be so damned attractive?
She wanted to interject, to wipe what she assumed was a smug smile off his face, but her family wasn’t paying any attention to her.
No, she was invisible now that the interloper had joined them.
To make matters worse, Paige looked relaxed and happy with the stranger in a way she hadn’t been with Aurelie in some time.
She nudged Jace with her hip, and he cooed over Maddie.
It made Aurelie sick. But she’d be patient, listen to what she could so she could tell them what she’d learned when the time was right.
“Well, the fourth installment is coming up, and we don’t have anyone locked in,” Brad said, hope lining his voice. Anger boiled in her bloodstream as she imagined Brad trusting this guy with his work, only to be stabbed in the back when the freeloader took his farm from underneath him.
She stormed up to him, her cheeks and blood on fire. Forget waiting. This man needed to leave. Now.
“Who do you think you are, acting like you care about these people! You just got here, and you’ve already done enough, haven’t you?” Maddie screeched in Paige’s arms. Aurelie hadn’t meant to yell, but damned if this man didn’t make her feel everything on a heightened level, anger notwithstanding.
“Aurelie!” Paige hissed at her, shushing and rocking Maddie.
“It’s you,” Jace said, a smug smile tugging at his full, pink lips in a way that only served to enrage Aurelie further. “I thought you must live around here.”
When his gaze traveled down her body, Aurelie almost tossed the remainder of the wine on his expensive, white, button-down shirt. Like the rest of him, it didn’t fit in with the ruggedness of the place.
That’s not true. He looks like he belongs more than you do. Look.
Aurelie ignored her subconscious but couldn’t deny the fact that it was right.
In fact, Brad and Owen had almost-matching shirts—albeit in different colors—and worn-in blue jeans on for dinner, as if the three men had collaborated on “rustic chic” outfits.
Paige appeared cut from a Magnolia catalog, in white linen pants and a teal top, and even Sophie had donned a spring sundress with blue and violet flowers.
Only Aurelie was in a red and yellow island getup that was too bright, too much for this place. She just should have stayed in her jeans; maybe then she’d fit in better. How hadn’t she noticed that before?
The room went silent, the only sounds those of the ambient music still playing overhead and Maddie’s muffled cries at Paige’s breast. Aurelie felt her friends’ gazes on her and turned to Paige, who looked disappointed.
“You don’t understand who this is. This, this—” she started, her voice shrill. She waved her hand frantically at him.
The actor extended his hand, took a step toward her.
Her pulse sped up, and her stomach did the flippy thing again as she caught a whiff of his cologne that exuded wealth and masculinity.
She shoved down the heat that rose from her stomach, wanting to simultaneously grasp the strong, soft hand in front of her, examine it, let it touch her…
And slap it away at the same time. He unnerved her, unraveled her senses in a way that worried her more than her visa status or her father’s release.
“Jace Michaels,” he said, his smile now showing off a set of perfectly white, straight teeth with a small gap between the front two.
“Michaels? As in—” Aurelie was rarely surprised, but to find out that sweet Mr. Michaels was this guy’s father left so many questions unanswered.
“As in the owner of the ranch next door, the former Banberry neighbor, and the first guy Paige kissed in kindergarten.”
“To be fair, I only kissed you so you’d give me my doll back.”
“Oh, don’t think I wasn’t aware.”
“Ah, you’re that Jace,” Owen said. “Nice to meet you, man. You’re famous in our house for more reasons than your latest release.”
They all laughed, and Aurelie felt like she’d missed something vital, something that would let the final puzzle piece fall into place.
In any other circumstance, Aurelie would be impressed by the kindness of this stranger and the easy way he fell into step with her family. But knowing what she did…
“Nice to meet you, too. You’ve joined a helluva family. The Connors are pretty special.”
Aurelie agreed. Not that she’d give him the satisfaction.
Ugh, he’s so…
Adorable, she thought before she could help herself.
“I don’t care who you kissed or when,” Aurelie interjected, though as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she found she did indeed care. Or at least her blood pressure indicated as much. She shook it off. “You need to tell them why you’re really here. Now, or I will.”
Paige and Sophie balked, but she didn’t care. They’d understand soon enough. This wolf in a Chris Hemsworth sheepskin was here to destroy the lives they’d all worked so hard to build. She’d be damned if she was going to be nice to the man.
Paige stood, handed Maddie to Owen, and stormed over. Aurelie had never been at the receiving end of that look, but she’d always understood how formidable Paige was when she wanted something.
“I’m sorry for my friend, though I’m happy to see you’ve already met Aurelie,” she said, burning Aurelie with a scalding look from beneath furrowed eyebrows. “She’s not normally so rude. Speaking of, we’re so sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks. My dad was a…” Jace seemed lost for words.
“Damn good rancher,” Brad offered.
“Kind soul,” Paige chimed in. Jace nodded to both, but Aurelie prided herself on her ability to see through patients’ words and to the heart of what brewed beneath the surface. There was something else there.
“Jace, why don’t you join us for dinner? We’ve got a lot to catch up on,” Paige said. She snatched the two glasses from Aurelie and spun on her heels, nodding to Jace to follow.
Aurelie couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her, the audible shock that her friend could disregard her feelings so completely. And for a man who hadn’t looked back when he left the first time.
“I’d love to,” he said, turning back and throwing Aurelie a wink. This wasn’t the cold, unfeeling man she’d met on the roadside, nor the easygoing one perched against the counter moments ago like he was part of their crew. No, this look was all danger and teasing.
And her heart had the damned audacity to scream with desire.
Ooh, she wanted to strangle this man. Her fists balled up at her sides, and she fought every urge to pelt him one on the shoulder, maybe across that chiseled jaw.
That fleeting thought surprised her as much as the bizarre attraction for him that brewed beneath her furious exterior, both so unlike her.
She wasn’t violent, nor prone to hook-ups, but at different moments the past couple hours, she’d considered both with this infuriating man.
It made her wonder about her sanity. Was losing her mom, combined with the prospect of losing her job and home, finally causing her to lose her mind?