Chapter Forty-one
Martina
When we enter the party at a place called Donovan’s Pub, people immediately swarm to meet the strangers. We’re introduced to Lucas, Blake and his wife, then Allie’s aunt, uncle, and cousins, and so many Calloways I can’t keep them all straight. And every single one of them is warm and welcoming.
I feel like I’m in the twilight zone.
There are several children here, but Charlie is particularly fascinated by Maisy, Dallas’s deaf niece. He doesn’t fully understand that she can’t hear him, so he talks to her normally, which Allie informs me is just how he should.
“This is Cooper and Serenity,” Allie says when an attractive couple walk over. “They run the place. Ren and I have been friends since we were kids.”
They both shake my hand.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” I say, caught up in the surreal experience of meeting what seems like everyone in Dallas’s world. Or his old world anyway.
Cooper says, “We’re peanut-free here. Have been since a friend of our son had a bad reaction a few years ago. We do cook with peanut oil, but I’m told that’s okay.”
I nod and smile, curious as to how they even know about Charlie’s allergy. “Yes, that’s okay. And thank you, that’s good to know.”
Allie elbows me like an old friend. “One anaphylactic reaction this week is enough, eh?”
I’m positive my shock is written all over me. “He told you?”
“Yeah. Pretty crazy, right? Not about the peanuts, but about Dallas actually revealing something personal about his life.” She gets a look on her face. “I’m telling you…”
Arms wrap around her. She turns and squeals as she and another beautiful woman embrace.
“Is this her?” the woman asks when she sees me.
“Marti, this is my other friend, Mia.”
“It’s a pleasure,” I say. “Are you a Montana or a Calloway?”
“Neither,” she laughs. “I’m a Cruz.” A finger settles in front of her lips. “Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I’m the enemy in this territory.”
I narrow my eyes.
“There are a lot of family rivalries in this town,” Allie explains. “The McQuaids hate the Calloways. The Cruzes hate the Montanas. And the list goes on.”
“So how did you and Mia and Serenity end up friends?”
“Because men are stupid,” Allie says. “And we’re so much smarter. They’re the ones who hold the grudges.”
We sit in a booth, me keeping an eye on Charlie as Sarah supervises him and Maisy at a table with some coloring books. Drinks get delivered to the table and I hear the abridged story of this town, right down to how it got its name and why there are so many feuding families.
“So you’re a single mom?” Mia asks.
“I am.” I glance at Charlie, still thinking how unbelievable it is that I’ll be his sole parent from here on out.
“And you have a little boy?”
I point to him. “Charlie is three.”
“Does he have any brothers or sisters?”
Sorrow blazes a trail to my heart. “I had a daughter, but she passed away when she was a week old.”
Instantly, Allie’s eyes fill with tears as she has some sort of visceral reaction to my admission. Mia takes her hand and I swear something passes between them. Both seem very empathetic. I can’t help thinking the three of us would be great friends. If circumstances were different, that is.
“I’m so sorry,” Mia says, reaching over to put her other hand on mine.
“I’ve made my peace with it. But I still miss her every day.”
Allie stares at me, wiping a tear. “You’re even more perfect for Dallas than I thought.”
I sigh. “Would you mind if we don’t talk about him?”
“Hold the fucking phone,” Mia exclaims, digging her fingers into Allie’s forearm. “Who in the ever-loving hotness is that?”
Allie’s and my eyes follow the direction of her gaze to where Asher is standing at the bar talking to Lucas and one of the Calloway brothers, cousins, or… I don’t even know.
“Don’t even think about it,” Allie says. “I saw him first.”
“Really?” I say, giving them both a look.
“It’s a small town,” Allie says. “It’s not often we get fresh meat here.”
I almost choke on my lemonade. “Oh my god, can you please not refer to my brother as fresh meat?”
“Your brother?” Mia asks, her eyes finally back inside her head and looking at me now.
“Okay, Marti, give us the rundown,” Allie says. “I didn’t see a ring. And based on the look he gave me in the car earlier, he’s either totally eligible, or he’s a cheating snake.”
Mia bounces excitedly in her seat. “Did he give you fuck-me eyes? Oh, please tell me you’re going to have a hot one-nighter with the gorgeous older stranger.” She turns to me. “How old is he anyway?”
I shake my head. My brother is handsome—that I know. And more times than I can count, I’ve been asked to facilitate an introduction or even a blind date. But come on, he’s not that hot. Not Dallas hot.
Is he?
Ewwww… just no. I can’t even look at him that way. He’s the guy who used to hold me down and fart on my face. But that was back when times were easier, long before Dad died and Asher became much more than my brother. He became my guardian. My protector.
And now I’m thinking of the other man who has taken on that title. Geesh, can I not go two minutes without thinking of Dallas Montana?
“Asher is thirty-nine,” I say. “He’s not married. He has a daughter.”
“This keeps getting better and better,” Allie says. “Hot single dad. Older guy. And very eligible.”
I rub and hand across my brow because I so do not want to be talking about this.
“Widowed or divorced?” Mia asks.
“Neither. Bug—that’s what we call her, her real name is Darla—never had a mom in the picture. The woman who gave birth to her didn’t want her and signed away her rights. Asher had a real battle on his hands trying to keep her from terminating the pregnancy.”
The two women across from me each put a hand to their hearts.
I roll my eyes at all the swooning. “He was married once, though. But she had five miscarriages, and it really did a number on both of them, so much so that they couldn’t make it work.”
Mia frowns. “How sad. So he lives in Florida, too?”
It surprises me how much people seem to know about me when Dallas isn’t one to talk. “Just outside of Orlando.”
It hits me that Allie hasn’t stopped drooling over Asher since the moment they met in the car. “How old is your niece?” she asks.
“She’s twelve.”
Allie sighs. Hard. “And he raised her almost all by himself? Impressive.”
“He basically raised me too.” I go on to tell them about how my dad died and he became my guardian.
“Wow, he really is the whole package, isn’t he?” Allie says. “I think I love him already.”
I want to scold her. Tell her it’s impossible to fall for someone you don’t even know. But really, who am I to talk? Not after how hard I’ve fallen for her brother.
“Oh my god, here he comes,” Mia shrieks like we’re freshmen in the school cafeteria and the varsity quarterback is on his way to our table.
“Ladies,” he says to them then turns to me. “Lucas was wondering if he could have a word.”
I point to myself. “With me?”
“That’s what he said. Why don’t I keep these lovely women company while you go talk to him?”
Allie and Mia look more than a little ecstatic at his offer.
I find Lucas perched on a barstool and take the empty one to his left. “Asher said you wanted to talk to me?”
“I did. I like what I’ve seen and I’d like to make you an offer.”
“Um… what kind of offer?” I ask hesitantly, considering what I know about this guy’s history with women.
He laughs heartily. “I guess I should have started with the fact that what I’ve seen refers to your profession.”
“Oh.” I feel my cheeks redden with embarrassment.
“But it’s nice to know my reputation precedes me.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware Dallas had shown you anything.”
“He showed me all right, and I think they’re fantastic. In fact, I believe it’s exactly what we need to take us to the next level. I’ve been wanting to shake things up for a while now. See if we can compete with the big dogs like Mondavi, Gallo, and Frères. With your incredible vision for our branding, I think we’ll be off to a good start.”
I’m sure my mouth is hanging open, but I can’t seem to close it. I’m trying to wrap my mind around what he’s saying.
“Marti?”
“Yeah, I… um, so you want to buy those graphics? I was just fooling around, Lucas. If you’re serious, I’m sure I can do much better.”
He chuckles. “If that was you fooling around, I can’t wait to see what else you come up with. And, Marti, I want to do more than buy the graphics. I want to commission you for a total rebrand including website, on-site signage, label design, and ongoing advertising.”
My momentary feeling of jubilance wanes. “I’m not going to be anyone’s charity case, Lucas.”
“You think I’m taking pity on you because my brother is a total twat bag who doesn’t know a good thing when it’s standing right in front of him?” He laughs sadly. “I’m all too familiar with that, Marti. But, no, that’s not why I’m interested. I’m interested because you’ve impressed the hell out of me. I’ve spent a few days getting my hands on everything I can find out there with your name on it. I’m interested because I’m quite sure if I don’t snag you, it won’t be long before you’re so busy, you won’t have time for any new clients. I’m interested because no matter what happens between you and my brother, I think your designs are fucking amazing.”
“Stop it.” I blush. “You’ll give me a big head.”
He laughs and calls over the bartender. “So what’s it going to be, Marti? Are we ordering celebratory shots or aren’t we?”
I look into his eyes, eyes that are similar to those of the man I love, and try to assess the genuineness of his offer. I haven’t heard a lot about Lucas from his brother, but the one thing I did pick up on is that Lucas is one hell of a businessman. It makes me relatively confident he wouldn’t do this because he feels sorry for me, or as some kind of favor to Dallas.
“Tequila,” I say. “I’m a big fan.”
Lucas slaps the bar happily then turns to the bartender. “Two shots of Don Julio 1942 please.”
The bartender unlocks a cabinet, retrieves the tall brown bottle, and pours us each a shot.
Lucas raises his glass. “I’ll email you the details of our offer on Monday.”
“Monday?” I put down the glass. “Lucas, I have a lot going on right now. I just became a full-time single mom. I’ve been asked to take care of my ex’s things down in Orlando since his widow doesn’t want to deal with it. My plate is about to be pretty full, and it’s a lot to process. I’m not sure I’d be any good working for anyone right now.”
He shrugs nonchalantly, like nothing I said matters whatsoever. “I’ll wait a week or two then. Give you time to acclimate to your new life. But just so you know, whatever we offer—you should ask for more.”
I smile, clink my glass to his, and take a shot of the best tequila that has ever crossed these lips.
~ ~ ~
When I wake up, I’m disoriented. I’ve been so many different places over the past few weeks, it takes me a minute to recognize where I am.
My eyes come to rest on a Montana family photo on the desk and my heart flutters. Then it falls when reality assures me I’ll never be in a picture like that one.
Turning over, I reach out and discover the other side of the bed is empty. “Charlie?”
When I don’t get a response, I pull on a hoodie and pad out to the living room. It’s not long before I hear Charlie’s laughter. I make a right turn and head for the kitchen.
Standing in the doorway, I like what I see. Charlie is sitting on a barstool ‘helping’ Sarah make breakfast. He’s making more of a mess of it than actually providing help, but Sarah doesn’t seem to mind in the least.
“Mommy!” he calls out when he notices me. “Pancakes and eggs.”
“Yummy. I can’t wait.” I walk to the counter. “How can I help?”
“Charlie and I have everything covered.” She nods to another long counter at the other side of the gigantic kitchen. “There’s fresh coffee.”
“Perfect.”
I pour myself a cup then top off Sarah’s. I sit on the barstool next to Charlie and watch, holding back tears because he never got to do such things with my mother. Heck, I never got to do such things with my mother. And Charles’s mom—a widow now—is always traveling. It’s a rare occasion when Charlie sees her and, as such, he never remembers who she is. It’s always made me so sad that my son hasn’t grown up with a big family. I’ve always wished for him to have more than I had. But maybe it’s just not going to happen.
A noise behind me has me turning.
Asher is coming down the back staircase. The one I know is the rear entrance to the apartment over the garage.
“Good morning, everyone,” he says, reaching into a bowl of blueberries then popping one into his mouth. “We should try to hit the road by nine if we want to make up for lost time.”
I’m mortified that he’s doing the walk of shame right here in front of Sarah.
“Of course,” I say. “I’ll save you some breakfast if you want to go shower.”
I shoot him a hard stare. The last thing Allie’s mother needs is to eat breakfast with a guy who smells like sex after being with her one and only daughter.
He ruffles Charlie’s hair then shoots me a half-smile over his shoulder on his way out.
“It seems your brother and my daughter got along quite well last night,” Sarah says, not even missing a beat cracking eggs into a bowl.
I cover my face, embarrassed to high heaven. “Sarah, I’m so sorry you had to see that. I apologize on behalf of my insensitive brother. He had no right to disrespect you in your own home.”
“It’s okay, Marti. Allie is a grown woman. It’s her house, too. And she’s got a good head on her shoulders, which means your brother must be a decent man.”
“He is. In fact it’s very unlike him to—” My eyes flit to the back stairway.
She chuckles. “As far as I know, it’s very unlike my daughter to—” She swings a hand at the ceiling. “I have to say I see the appeal. He’s quite charming.”
Allie comes bounding down the stairs, hair wet from a shower, sporting a smile a mile wide.
“Sleep well, honey?” Sarah asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Allie giggles. “If you call what I did sleeping, then yes, I did it very well.”
Sarah stops what she’s doing. “Must you?”
“Sorry.” She ruffles Charlie’s hair just like Asher did. “Hey, sport. Looks like you’re being a big help.”
“Makin’ eggs and pancakes,” he says with a full-on grin that reminds me of Charles.
“Sounds heavenly. I’m super hungry.” Allie winks at me. “Really worked up an appetite.”
She giggles again as Sarah scolds her with her eyes.
How I envy the two of them, having such a close relationship.
Chris joins us for breakfast and tells me how excited he is for me to be joining their team. The five of us sit and eat like this isn’t anything special. Like they have big family breakfasts every morning. I can’t keep the longing from my thoughts. Maybe they do.
I plate some food for Asher and help Sarah clean the kitchen while Allie lets Charlie play in the elevator.
Thirty minutes later, we’re rolling our suitcases out the front door.
“Chris, Sarah, I can’t thank you enough for being such gracious hosts. I’ll never forget your hospitality.”
Sarah wraps me in a hug. “You’re always welcome here.” She crouches down. “You too, Charlie. You’re the best pancake maker I’ve ever seen. Nobody can put in blueberries like you can.”
Charlie’s face breaks into a glowing smile.
Asher pulls Allie to the side, and they speak quietly, still flirting and laughing. I’m sure I’ll get the whole story later. Asher and I have always been pretty open when it comes to each other’s business.
With the suitcases in the trunk, and Charlie strapped in the back, we say our goodbyes.
Allie surprises me by coming over to my window instead of Asher’s.
“Just to let you know, Dallas wasn’t just coming back for the party. He was coming back to Calloway Creek for good.”
My jaw goes slack.
“He’s an idiot for running away like he did, Marti. You’re an amazing person. And Charlie— Gah! —I could just eat him up.”
I’m still wrapping my head around what she said. “He’s moving back here? Out of the cabin?”
“He’s changed. You changed him. Don’t give up on him quite yet.”
“I’ll be two thousand miles away, Allie. Not much I can do from there. But I’m glad he’s going to be around his family. I hope he gets everything he wants.” I try not to choke up. “He deserves it.”
She leans through the window and gives me a hug. “He’s not the only one.”
When Allie pulls away, she shares a long, intense look with Asher. Then she waves, and we’re gone.
I look behind us, watching the three Montanas get smaller and smaller, sad beyond belief that I’ll never see them again. But then I think of Lucas and what his offer might entail. Will he want me to come to the winery?
My stomach tightens at the possibility of seeing Dallas again.
It wouldn’t feel right, however, showing up in a professional manner when we’re not together. What if he has a girlfriend by then? He’s moving back to Calloway Creek. That must mean he’s ready to get on with his life. Meeting someone new would be a natural part of that. I’m not sure I could bear it.
I slump down in my seat, thinking about how happy I was to be getting an offer from such a prestigious company. Now, however, I believe the only right move is turning it down.
On the way out of town, we pass Donovan’s Pub. All the memories of the party come rushing back. The people here, they’re all so nice.
I’ve always thought living in a small town would be boring. Now it’s something I crave.
I turn one last time as we head out onto the road that leads back to I-95, and I say a silent goodbye to what must certainly be the best place anyone could ever live.