Moment Of Truth
Esme wanted to stop time and savor.
The soft brush of Wyatt’s lips over hers sent sensations flooding through her body, maybe even her heart.
How could a simple touch of skin to skin consume her? She wanted to do it again, but he’d stepped back.
He’d meant it as an act of gratitude. Not unlike the air kisses people involved in her modeling career had loved. Except this hadn’t felt anything like those.
Those were fake, practiced gestures that meant nothing. Performed for an audience. Or worse, used as an opportunity to show off. She’d heard more than one quiet insult muttered her way under the guise of an air kiss.
Wyatt’s kiss was different. Unlike those air kisses, this had meant something. Anything that rocketed straight to her heart and had her skin reacting from head to toe had to mean something, at least to her.
Esme dug deep to keep her demeanor natural. She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him again. More thoroughly and with more emotions than gratitude.
Thankfully, modeling had taught her a few acting skills. From those awful air kisses to keeping boredom off her face and out of her body language. She should be able to hide how deeply that soft brush of lips had affected her.
From the first moment, her body had been aware of Wyatt. The man was impossible to ignore, and alluring in all the best ways. Now that she’d had that brief taste, she wanted more. So much more.
And she wasn’t helping herself. Yanking her mind from that elusive more, Esme forced out a slow breath.
Looking around, she scrambled for a topic and remembered they’d found a spot for his greenhouse. And a cabin that might have a nice soft bed.
Stop it.
Focus.
Not on the bed or the touch of Wyatt’s lips.
After another deep breath, she let her eyes drift back to Wyatt, who was staring at the greenhouse space, body language stilted.
She’d made the simple gesture awkward. Not her first time doing that. A girl who’d grown up with an addict of a mother hadn’t learned to be smooth, especially with physical affection.
Even Nans and her career hadn’t solved that. She was fine on camera, but real-life interactions were often a challenge. On the job, she knew what she was expected to do, how she was expected to act.
In real life, she’d only been able to relax fully with Nans and Claudia. With everyone else, she felt like she needed to meet a standard, and she didn’t know the details of what that meant.
Shaking it all off, Esme took a step closer to Wyatt. “Tell me more about the perfect greenhouse. Is it made of glass, or would it be one of those big plastic domes I’ve seen online?”
Wyatt appeared to do his own mental shake. “The plastic ones are cheaper and much easier to set up. I’ll have to research to see whether they can withstand a Vermont winter. I’m guessing I might need something sturdier.”
She grinned at that. “I’ve never lived through an actual winter before. It’s difficult to imagine this entire landscape filled with snow.”
“Me neither. They tell me the snow is several feet deep across the entire orchard.”
They both looked back over the area they’d traversed. “That’s wild, difficult to imagine.”
“Have you ever made a snowman?”
She laughed as she shook her head. “No. I’ve seen snow, but not enough to make a snowman.”
While many of the winter shoots she’d done had involved fake snow, she’d been in several locations with the real stuff. But only for the time it took to do the shoot, then she’d hurried to the next location, the next job.
It had been a long time since she’d stayed anywhere for more than a week. Years. Since Giblet?
Esme’s heart yearned for a place to stay. A place that felt like home. With people who saw her and liked her anyway. A place where she could contribute and be part of things.
Was this the place? Could it be hers, too?
“Maybe you should stick around. We could try to make it through one together.”
Esme’s heart actually shivered at the suggestion. She had to blink back the tears. When was the last time anyone had asked to stay? Wanted her to stay?
Not for money or a job, but for her.
She nodded without consciously choosing to do so. “I might just do that.”
Wyatt’s eyes warmed as he nodded. “I’d like that.”
So would she. Should she? It wasn’t like she had to decide at this very moment. But she could speak to Amber, find out if she could extend her stay. The inn was probably booked up once the leaves exploded around them. Maybe there wouldn’t be room for her.
Her traitorous mind suggested that there might be room in Wyatt’s bed.
Her cheeks flushed, and her heart raced at the thought. A simple kiss had sent her mind spiralling to create an entire future.
She was acting like a love-struck teenager. Not that she’d ever experienced that herself, but she knew the stereotype.
Her own teen years had been full in other ways. After moving in with Nans, it had taken her years to truly believe she was safe. The fear that her mother might return to force her away from Nans hadn’t dissipated until she’d turned eighteen.
She’d split her time between school, part-time jobs, and helping Nans.
There hadn’t been much money, so Esme had worked hard to ensure her grades were high enough to get scholarships.
She’d also taken on as much of running the household as she could.
Cancer had made it tough for Nans to do much of the physical work.
Esme had taken to rising early to do the cleaning before Nans could protest.
The one skill she’d never mastered had been cooking anything beyond the basics, which had made Nans laugh.
Her grandmother had loved cooking. Returning from school and her part-time job at the local café to the scent of dinner filling their little cottage was one of her favorite memories.
Along with Nans smiling at her from her spot at the kitchen table.
“You okay, there?”
Wyatt’s soft voice cut into her thoughts, bringing her back to the present. “I am. Just thinking about my Nans. She would like this place and these people.”
Wyatt nodded, eyes studying her seriously. “My folks, too. It’s good to be in a place they would like, working with good people.”
Esme nodded slowly. He was right. While Nans would approve of the adventures Esme had experienced while exploring her small towns, she would want her to find a home.
A home filled with friends who helped each other. A home filled with love.
Was it here in Vermont?
Wyatt wanted to know more about Esme’s past. Wanted to know more about her Nans and why she’d chosen to showcase small towns on her own, why she didn’t have a home of her own.
She hadn’t shot down his impulsive suggestion that she stay for the winter. The look in her eyes wasn’t one he could name. Something close to wanting, he supposed.
He figured she’d be more open to revealing her past if she spoke about someone else. “Tell me more about your Nans.”
Surprise filled her face, along with an instinctive smile that proved to him he’d been right to focus on someone other than Esme.
“Nans was my grandmother. She was a strong, incredible woman. She raised me.”
There was a story there, one she wasn’t ready to reveal. Had her parents died tragically like the Malssums?
“We lived in a cottage in the town of Giblet, California. The people were friendly and willing to help. Nans was battling cancer when she took me in.”
Unable to help himself, Wyatt reached out to squeeze her hand. “I’m sorry. Cancer is insidious.”
She squeezed his hand back and didn’t release it. “It is. She lived with it for more than a decade before it took her. Nans never let the struggle show. She remained upbeat and strong the whole time.”
“And she passed those strengths onto you.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Wow. Thank you. That’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
He doubted that, but he was glad to put that smile on her face.
“Nans did everything she could to ensure I would have a solid base to live a good life once she was gone. She helped me get started in a career, so I wouldn’t be left adrift.”
“She sounds like an amazing lady.”
“She was the best person I’ve ever known.”
“What career did you start in? Have you always promoted small towns?”
Shock rippled across her face, along with a healthy dose of fear. Shit. He hadn’t meant to scare her, but her reaction made him want to know more, even though it was none of his business. “Never mind. You don’t have to answer that. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
She rolled her lips together and closed her eyes briefly. “It’s okay. There are some tough memories, but mostly my career was good.”
He would have left it at that, but she looked him in the eyes, and the seriousness in her gaze stopped him from speaking.
“I was a model for more than a decade, but that’s in the past, and I’m focusing on my small-town posts now.”
His body reacted automatically to her words. A model. She was a model, just like Genn.
Her eyes widened, making him realize he’d dropped her hand and retreated a step. He tried to cover his movements with a smile, but he couldn’t do it.
A model.
She was trained in pretence, in portraying an image to the camera.
How much of what he’d seen and heard was real? Was she another woman who was all about the surface?
That wasn’t what he’d seen so far. It wasn’t what he felt. But he’d already proven once that he wasn’t a great judge of character when it came to judging women who put on facades for their careers.
He probably should have guessed that had been her career. The long legs, subtle curves, and her height. All of it echoed Genn’s look.
He reminded himself that was only the surface.
While he worked to control his reactions, Esme changed before of him. Her face shuttered, and the free expressions he’d become used to seeing disappeared beneath a mask of politeness.
Shit, his reaction had hurt her.
She took a step backward and aimed a polite smile at him. Not a real one. He hadn’t known her long, but it had been long enough for him to tell the difference between her smiles. He hated seeing this one.
With another step away, she nodded. “Thanks for your time, Wyatt. I’ll leave you to work on your greenhouse plans. Thank you for taking time out of your day to show me the farm.”
Then she turned and strode into the orchard.
He almost called out to stop her, but it was probably for the best. He needed time to regroup.
As he watched her retreat, she reached up to touch her face. Her scar. Did she think his reaction had something to do with it? Nothing had been further from his intent.
Hell, he didn’t know his intent.
He had to deal with the similarities between her and Genn before he approached her again. An apology was in order. That would entail discussing his ex, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He’d have to admit aloud that he’d been a fool.
When he’d heard Esme was a model, he’d automatically thought she might be the same kind of woman as the one who’d cheated on him. Was she?
She disappeared into the orchard, but he remained frozen.
He’d hurt her. Unintentionally, but he’d done it.
It had taken Esme some effort to reveal her career, and then he’d reacted like she’d told him she’d trained with terrorist groups and assassinated good people for money.
Ass.
He had to talk to her and make it clear that the issues were his own, not about her.
Which made him stop the pacing he hadn’t realized he’d started.
If he wanted to apologize, it meant he already believed she wasn’t the same kind of person as Genn. His instincts had served him well over his lifetime.
In his missions overseas, his instincts had saved him and his teammates on several occasions. Even in the labs, his instincts for which plants would work well together had been strong. He rarely made a misstep there.
He’d made a hell of a one today.
The fact that Genn’s betrayal continued to control him pissed him off. After all these months, he should be better than that.
Esme had given no indications that she was duplicitous. Had he seen signs of duplicity in Genn before he’d discovered her betrayal?
Sure. She’d put on the fake face and demeanour every time they were in public, especially when she spotted photographers or people she deemed important, people who could enhance her career. She loved to see and be seen.
Esme had shown she was the opposite. He hadn’t seen her reveal her face in any videos yet. There was no reason for her to have done that for his benefit, especially the videos she’d taken before they met.
Wyatt wasn’t in the modeling business or anything adjacent to it. He wasn’t someone who could help her career. His bank account was healthy, but he wasn’t a rich guy who could introduce her to other rich people with opportunities, especially in rural Vermont.
The only time she’d changed her face and manner had been after he’d reacted negatively to her career.
That mask was probably to protect herself. Genn’s mask had always been about self-promotion and getting something.
They weren’t alike.
He’d hurt Esme because he hadn’t dealt properly with Genn’s betrayal. He’d been pissed about her and Rob. Angry that he hadn’t seen beyond her mask. Rob’s, too.
He’d also been hurt because Genn’s cheating showed Wyatt hadn’t been enough. Those feelings of insecurity had caused him to hurt Esme because her former career echoed Genn’s.
He was an ass.
Now, he needed a plan to fix it.