Susan Mallery, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fool’s Gold romances, proves there’s nowhere better than Happily Inc to rekindle first love.

Silver Tesdal has a head for business and a mouth made for kissing, and banker Drew Lovato has his eye on both. But ever since he was dumb enough to let her go, she’s kept him at a distance. When the bank turns her down for a loan, Drew sees a double opportunity—he can finance her brilliant, unique idea to rock Happily Inc’s wedding industry and win back her trust.

Despite her reputation, Silver’s not as tough as she seems. Losing Drew nearly destroyed her. Still, his kisses are as tempting as his offer to invest in her business. If she can’t quite get over him, maybe she should get under him and knock him out of her system once and for all.

But her best laid plans begin to unravel as Silver finds herself falling even harder than when they were high school sweethearts. Which means that she’ll have to come clean about the secret she’s been hiding from him for years—and risk losing him forever.

Also By Susan Mallery

When We Found Home

Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

Daughters of the Bride

Happily Inc

Not Quite Over You

Why Not Tonight

Second Chance Girl

You Say It First

Mischief Bay

Sisters Like Us

A Million Little Things

The Friends We Keep

The Girls of Mischief Bay

Fool’s Gold

Best of My Love

Marry Me at Christmas

Thrill Me

Kiss Me

Hold Me

Until We Touch

Before We Kiss

When We Met

Christmas on 4th Street

Three Little Words

Two of a Kind

Just One Kiss

A Fool’s Gold Christmas

All Summer Long

Summer Nights

Summer Days

Only His

Only Yours

Only Mine

Finding Perfect

Almost Perfect

Chasing Perfect

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Not Quite Over You

Susan Mallery

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08857-2

NOT QUITE OVER YOU

© 2018 Susan Mallery, Inc.

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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Everyone’s falling in love with Happily Inc!

You Say It First

~ An Amazon.com Best Book of 2017 in Romance ~

“Delightfully flirtatious and deceptively easy dialogue... Mallery excels at creating protagonists who grow individually as well as together on the way to their destined happy ending.”

—Publishers Weekly

“The first in ever-popular Mallery’s new Happily Inc series has the author’s signature blend of humor, poignancy, and small-town charm.”

—Booklist

“There’s a lot to like about this first book in Mallery’s new series, Happily Inc, about a California desert town that’s known as a wedding destination. The romance is sweet and hot, the writing is quick and easy... A great choice for a weekend read.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Verdict: An inventive heroine who comes into her own and a caring hero who figures out what’s important give in to love in this lighthearted romance.”

—Library Journal

Second Chance Girl

“A heartfelt and genuine friends-to-lovers story fraught with emotional trauma that makes the happily-ever-after satisfyingly sweet.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Mallery’s second title in the new Happily Inc series features her typical mastery of the romance format, with another quirky small town and a set of characters for her fans to love, complete with a mascot animal. The potent and prolific Mallery delivers again.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“You can always count on Mallery to deliver warm-hearted and quirky stories featuring emotionally dented individuals doing their best to survive and hopefully thrive.... A truly unforgettable read! Mallery is one of a kind!”

—RT Book Reviews, Top Pick!

To Shari—you are a delight and an unexpected bonus in my life. Thank you for being so kind and generous and just plain fun to be around. This one is for you. Well, honestly, you’re going to have to share Mr. Whiskers with the whole group, but the rest of it is yours!!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Praise

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

LOVE AT FIRST sight was never a wise decision, but Silver Tesdal couldn’t help herself. Sure, the Airstream was a few years old, with a couple of exterior dents and a messed-up interior in need of complete refurbishing, but still, the lines, the space. It was everything she’d wished for. She would need a three-quarter-ton truck to tow it and more staff, but she could make that happen—at least in her dreams.

There was a second, smaller Airstream in even worse condition, but the twenty-three-foot length would be perfect for low-key affairs. She could already picture what the two would look like refurbished and sporting her AlcoHaul company logo.

She leaned back in her desk chair and smiled. Right now her “company” had exactly one full-time employee—her. She hired any staff she needed on a per-job basis. But, she thought longingly as she looked at the For Sale listings on her computer, with the Airstreams, all that would change. She would need someone to run each of the new trailers, which meant a second and third employee, and hey, the money to meet payroll.

But first she had to buy the trailers, fix them up, get a couple of trucks to tow them from venue to venue and make sure she had enough bookings to make it all worthwhile. She’d run the numbers and she could do it and still turn a profit... In time. As for making it all happen now, when the trailers were available, for that she needed a loan. And while she loved her some Airstreams, she was less excited about dealing with banks.

Silver shut down her browser and picked up the slim, black leather briefcase she’d bought for eight dollars at an estate sale a couple of years ago. She wasn’t the briefcase type, but since starting her business, she’d realized there were times she had to fit in with the conventional world. The briefcase helped her fool those who would otherwise judge.

She slipped in her wallet and her phone, then smoothed the front of her black pencil skirt before heading to the door to her loft. Today and today only, she’d traded in jeans and a tank top for a skirt, silk shell and cropped black blazer. She had applied conservative makeup and had pulled her long blond hair back into a French braid. Faux gold studs and black pumps with three-inch heels completed her transformation. She felt stupid, but knew appearances mattered. Dumb but true.

Ten minutes later, she pulled her truck into the parking lot of California First Savings and Loan. She had already been turned down by three other banks. If California First didn’t give her a loan, then she was screwed.

“Not screwed,” she murmured to herself. “If I don’t get the loan, I will go on as before. I’m doing great and whatever the outcome, I’m going to be completely and totally fine.”

Only she wanted the Airstreams. She wanted to grow her business and be more than anyone had assumed was possible. She was just a nobody from the wrong side of the tracks who had made a lot of stupid decisions along the way. Being able to expand her business meant proving to herself that she’d left all that behind. And yes, there might be a bit of neener-neener to those who had told her she would never amount to anything, but that was just a bonus.

She walked into the bank and headed directly to the executive offices. Her appointment was with Libby Saunders, the vice president in charge of commercial lending. Silver had met with her once before, when she’d applied for the loan, and today they were to discuss the outcome of the loan committee meeting. Despite Libby being the mother of one of Silver’s closest friends, the thirty minutes with Libby had been tense and awkward.

Libby couldn’t have made it more clear she disapproved of Silver, of her business and the viability of her business plan. Silver had been determined to defy the odds. She’d rerun the numbers, had lowered the amount she’d wanted to borrow and had instructed all her friends to pray, burn sage or sacrifice to create good karma.

She knocked once on Libby’s open office door. The older woman looked up from her computer.

Libby was in her fifties and nearly a caricature of what people assumed a woman in banking management should look like. She wore dark suits, pearls and always had her hair up in a tight bun. She looked disapproving, with a perpetual almost-frown knitting her eyebrows together. Silver tried to remember if she’d ever seen Libby smile and couldn’t. Not that she was around her that much, but on the surface, the banker was not a happy person.

“Silver,” she said, the corners of her mouth nearly but not quite lifting in a smile. “How nice of you to be on time.” She motioned to the chair opposite her desk.

“Libby.”

Silver sat down and did her best to look confident and professional. She set her briefcase where Libby could see it and be impressed.

The other woman barely glanced at her estate sale find. “You did an excellent job revising your business plan. The numbers look good.”

Silver allowed herself an internal fist bump, but kept her expression neutral.

“Having said that, I’m sorry to tell you that we won’t be giving you the loan. You were right on the edge of being approved, but given the nature of your business—with the potential for liability and lack of steady customers—the committee simply couldn’t come to an agreement.”

A committee of one, Silver thought, determined not to let her disappointment and bitterness show. Libby had been her last hope. Okay, not Libby but the bank. Silver had already been to every other one in town. There was no point in trying out of the area. Happily Inc was a quirky destination wedding town. Things here moved to their own rhythm. Explaining to a banker outside Happily Inc that she wanted to buy trailers to fix up to be traveling bars for weddings would make her sound like an idiot—despite her excellent business plan.

“I am sorry,” Libby added, her eyes bright with something that looked a whole lot more like satisfaction than regret.

She should have known, Silver told herself. There was no escaping her past—not in this town. Not with people like Libby around.

Silver knew the polite thing to do was to thank the other woman or offer to shake her hand or something socially acceptable. But she couldn’t do it. Instead, she nodded before standing and made her way out of the suddenly too-warm office.

She felt ridiculous in her business clothes, as if she were a child at Halloween. No one was fooled. She was who she had always been—wild Silver Tesdal, the woman who owned a bar and didn’t give a damn about what anyone thought of her.

She held on to her stupid briefcase as she crossed the lobby, her heels clicking on the marble floor.

“Silver?”

The voice came from behind her. She didn’t have to turn around to know who was calling her name. She did her best not to hunch like a cat in the rain, even as she faked a smile.

“Drew. Fancy seeing you here.”

She didn’t express surprise at seeing him—Drew also worked at the bank. He was, in fact, heir apparent to the glory that was California First Savings and Loan. A fact that was no doubt thrilling to him, annoying to her and completely irrelevant when it came to her loan.

His dark gaze swept over her, taking in the skirt, the heels and the briefcase. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting an old friend.”

“You don’t have any friends here,” he told her.

“Yes, I’m aware of that.” More so now than ever.

Unfortunately, Drew wasn’t an idiot. He looked from her back to the executive offices.

“You had a meeting with Libby.”

“She is in charge of commercial loans.” She began walking toward the exit.

All she had to do was get in her truck, then get home. She would go for a four-mile run, take a shower, scream into a pillow, and then mask her disappointment with a bottle of red wine and a burger. Tomorrow she would be strong and determined, but tonight there would be wine.

“Your loan application for the Airstreams,” he said, as if putting the pieces together. “The loan committee isn’t supposed to meet until tomorrow.”

“They decided to meet early.”

She could see the glass door leading to the parking lot, could almost touch it. Freedom was just. So. Close.

He stepped between her and the door. “She turned you down.”

Not a question and not anything she wanted to talk about.

Sarcasm would be easy. There were a thousand choices, each of them more biting than the one before. Sarcasm could be a weapon, as were lies and the act of simply ignoring him and walking away. They were also proof that she felt the need to protect herself, as if Drew could still hurt her. Twelve years after the fact, shouldn’t she not care in the least? Wouldn’t that be the real victory?

She summoned a genuine smile. One that made her seem smart and confident and more than capable—or so she hoped. Because to her at least, the truth was just so obvious.

“Drew, there was no way Libby was going to be anything but a long shot. I did my best and I wouldn’t change anything.” Not even falling in love with you all those years ago. Even if you were an immature jerk who didn’t know what he’d lost until it was too late.

Okay, that last bit might have taken away her claim to the high ground, but at least she’d only thought it rather than saying it.

“Let me talk to her,” he began.

“No. It’s done. Let it go. I’m going to.”

Even if letting it go meant not having two beautiful Airstreams to remodel. There would be other used trailers when she could save enough cash to buy them, refurbish them and gift them with trucks to tow them. She hadn’t done the math, but she would guess her time frame would be two years. Maybe three.

The thought of waiting all that time was too depressing for words, but hey, that was why there was going to be wine later.

“It’s not right,” he told her. “I saw your business plan. You’re an excellent risk.”

“According to Libby, I was right on the margin. Hardly an excellent risk.”

His gaze flickered. Ah, she thought. Some things never changed. Drew had never been a very good liar.

“We’re done,” she said, heading for the door.

Not just with the loan process, she thought, but with whatever had ever been between them all those years ago. She’d processed the anger, hurt, sadness, resentment and nearly every emotion in between. Facing him like this in a moment of disappointment and shame, she was happy to admit she felt almost nothing. Finally. Finally Drew was just some guy she used to know. Talk about a miracle.

She reached her truck, slid onto the seat and reviewed her plan. A run, a shower, wine and a burger. Celebrating the loan would have been a whole lot better, but that hadn’t happened so she’d earned a night to mourn. First thing tomorrow, she would get her butt in gear and start a new plan. One that didn’t involve banks or loans. She would be self-sufficient, she would be victorious and, truth be told, she would probably be a little hung over. But no matter what, she would be fine.

* * *

DREW LOVATO TOOK a couple of days to consider his options. Calling a special meeting of the commercial loan committee was one, only he’d checked the records of the last meeting and Silver’s loan application had been shot down 7–2. He doubted any impassioned plea on his part would make a difference. Libby had made her case first, and apparently it had been a good one. A single swing vote he could probably manage, but finding three people willing to vote yes instead of no seemed unlikely.

He didn’t know what his aunt had against Silver, but there was something, he thought grimly. Regardless, Silver still needed the money to expand her business.

Soon, he promised himself. When his grandfather retired and Drew took over the bank, policies would change. He wanted to support local businesses and help the community grow. That meant loaning money to entrepreneurs like Silver.

His second thought had been to set up a fake loan through the bank—using his own money. However, violating federal banking statutes was never a good idea. He doubted he would enjoy prison.

He could simply give her what she needed to buy the trailers. He smiled as he imagined how that conversation would go. Would she tear him a new one before or after she backed her truck over him? Silver was many things—beautiful, smart, determined. She was also proud as hell, highly verbal and occasionally impulsive. The combination made life with her interesting, to say the least, and sometimes it came with an unexpected thrown object.

Alternatively, he could offer to loan her the money, using the same terms as the banks. Whatever risk the loan committee might have worried about wouldn’t exist for him. He knew she would sell a kidney before defaulting on him of all people. Which meant she would probably say no. Or several versions of no, some of which would question his masculinity, his humanity and his relationship with everyone’s mother.

The last option, and to be honest, the one he liked the best, was for him to buy into her business as a minority partner. He would supply cash and together they would grow the business.

There were several advantages on his end. While he’d thought he was over Silver, in the past few months, he’d found himself thinking about her more than was healthy. There was something about her—some combination of determination and sass—that he found difficult to ignore.

He knew he would enjoy spending time with her and even if close proximity didn’t lead to them rekindling their attraction, he liked the idea of adding value to her small company. He was a banker by birth and by trade—his world was a happier place when those who depended on him did well. Improving the community was part of his job description, so he would start with Silver. The question was how to convince her?

After discarding the idea of asking her friends to help with an intervention, which they would all likely refuse, and drugging her and forcing her to sign the paperwork—a little too much like a Jasper Dembenski novel for a guy who basically worked in a bank—he came up with what he thought was the perfect solution. He would use Silver’s pride against her.

Smug in his brilliance, Drew purchased the two Airstreams and arranged to have them transported to Silver. He knew she kept her current trailer in the huge, fenced lot behind the graphic design and printing store. On the morning of, the trucker dropping off the trailers texted Silver that her delivery was thirty minutes out. He also gave Drew a heads-up. Drew arrived just as the delivery did and told himself the fireworks would be worth it. That or he would be dead, and hey, then he wouldn’t care.

Silver stood in the middle of the paved lot, frowning mightily, with her hands on her hips. Drew pulled up just as she started explaining to the delivery guy that she hadn’t bought the trailers.

“I wanted to,” she said, looking adorably confused. “I’ve been by to look at them a half-dozen times, but I never...”

Her voice trailed off when she spotted Drew walking toward her. He figured confusion would quickly spiral into good, old-fashioned rage any second now. Three, two...

“Did you have something to do with this?” she demanded, glaring at him. “What is going on? Why are you here? Why do I have trailers? Dammit, Drew, what have you done?”

He motioned to the delivery driver, who was surreptitiously inching backward toward the safety of his cab.

“Sign the paperwork, Silver.”

“I will not. These are not my trailers.” She folded her arms across her chest. “And you can’t make me.”

Drew told himself he would admire the way she looked in tight jeans and tank top, with her long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, later. After all this was settled, he would try to figure out if the tattoo on her left arm was new, because he sure didn’t remember it and he’d seen every inch of her.

“I can’t make you? That’s mature.” He motioned for the driver to give him the clipboard. “I’ll sign for them. Let’s get them unloaded.”

“No,” Silver said forcefully. “I will not let you put them here. This is my property.” She hesitated. “I rent this space.”

“I really have a schedule to keep,” the driver said, looking anxious.

“Leave ’em by the curb.” Drew grinned. “There’s plenty of room and that’s public property.”

“The Happily Inc police department won’t let you park them there indefinitely,” Silver told him. “It’s a violation of code.”

“Or so you hope.”

Drew wasn’t concerned. There was no way Silver would leave her precious trailers unprotected for more than a day or two. She might take a while to come around but he was confident she would see the beauty of his plan. And if she didn’t, well, he could take a nice long trip and see the country in one of his two Airstreams.

The trailers were unhitched and backed into place in a matter of minutes. Drew pocketed a copy of the paperwork and the driver took off, nearly burning rubber in his haste to get away. Silver waited until he was gone before approaching Drew. Her pale blue eyes filled with icy rage while her whole body stiffened, as if she were doing her best not to kill him.

“Whatever you’ve done, I don’t want any part of it,” she said, poking him in the chest hard enough to bruise. “You think you’re so slick and that you can manipulate me, but you’re wrong. I don’t care why you did this or what you think is going to happen, but you are the wrongest kind of wrong there is. You don’t get to dictate my life.”

He’d been hoping they’d moved past politely acknowledging each other to being something closer to friends, but based on her behavior, he’d been a little too optimistic. Or maybe her anger was about something else, he thought. Maybe it was about not being sure what he expected from her in return. Maybe she was worried he was dangling an Airstream-sized carrot and she was going to have to make a choice she wouldn’t like to get it.

He had assumed enough time had passed for her to think better of him, but now he wasn’t sure. As to the trailers, he was simply going to wait her out.

“I’m not dictating anything,” he told her, careful to keep his voice neutral. “I have an idea I hope you’ll find interesting. When you’re ready to talk.”

The glare turned into a glower. “I’ll never be ready to talk to you.”

With that, she turned her back on him and walked away. Drew took a few minutes to inspect the interiors before locking up both trailers. He’d taken the day off work, so didn’t have to worry about getting back to the bank. He would run some errands, grab a couple of sandwiches for lunch, then return to the trailers and wait. He had a feeling it wouldn’t take long to lure out Silver.

As he walked to his car, he wondered if he’d made a massive miscalculation. Maybe she wouldn’t come around. Maybe she really did hate him. Regardless, he had to try. Doing the right thing was part of his DNA and how he tried to live his life. Whenever he’d stepped away from that path, he’d been overwhelmed with regrets. Maybe not at the time, but later and permanently. Not marrying Silver Tesdal when she’d been pregnant with their child was the biggest regret of all.

CHAPTER TWO

“EITHER TALK TO him or I’m calling the police,” Wynn said as she checked a printed wedding invitation against the approved proof.

“He’s not breaking the law.” Silver did her best to look out the window without being seen by anyone outside the building—namely a tall, possibly good-looking guy sitting in an Airstream.

“Drew’s not the one I’m going to have arrested,” her friend murmured without looking up. She held her long, dark curly hair out of her way as she turned her head to study the invitation from every angle.

“You wouldn’t!”

Wynn looked up from the proof. “I wouldn’t,” she agreed, “but you are starting to get on my nerves. Come on, Silver. This isn’t like you. Grow a pair and deal with Drew or take a baseball bat to his head, but don’t dither. It’s freaking me out.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Silver admitted.

“You know exactly what to do. The problem is much more that you don’t want to do it.” Wynn nodded at her assistant. “They’re perfect. Print them. The bride wants two hundred. Let’s do a run of two-fifty, just in case.”

“You got it, boss.”

Wynn returned her attention to Silver. “You need trailers—he has trailers. Yes, he’s going to want something in exchange. So go find out what it is.” She shrugged. “I doubt it’s sex. No sex is worth two of those.” She pointed toward the trailers. “Not even sex with you.”

“Maybe I’m amazing.”

“No one is that amazing.”

Silver had to agree with her. The trailers were so wonderful. She was desperate to go explore them, to touch every surface and imagine the possibilities, only she couldn’t give in. Whatever Drew had planned, it was going to be bad for her.

“He’s trying to lure me,” Silver said, looking out the window again.

“And it’s working. Now get on out there and find out what he wants. I think Hunter left some sports equipment in the back room. You can go see if there’s a baseball bat for you to borrow if that makes you feel better.”

“I don’t need a baseball bat.”

Maybe a little courage and some backbone, she thought as she straightened her shoulders. Dammit, why did this always happen? In every other situation in life she was strong and powerful, but when it came to Drew she was little more than a whimpering mess.

“Okay, I’m going out there to confront him.”

“Good luck.”

Silver nodded. She could do this, she told herself. She’d handled much-tougher situations when it came to Drew. For ninety-one magical days the summer she’d turned eighteen, she’d loved him with every fiber of her being. She’d given herself to him, heart and soul, and then she’d pretended she was totally fine when he went off to college. She’d even had the smarts to break up with him so that he could go live his life without her. She’d told him that they were never meant to be and that he should simply move on.

She’d done the right thing and she could always be proud of herself for that. But it had been so incredibly hard. She’d loved him more than she’d thought it was possible to love anyone. She’d loved him knowing that loving a man turned a woman into a fool. She’d been a willing fool and she’d gotten her heart ripped out and chopped with a meat cleaver.

“All in the past,” she whispered to herself as she crossed the sidewalk. “All in the past.”

The door to the largest trailer was open, as if in invitation. She felt herself starting to hunch again, then forced herself to stand tall. Lured or not, she would walk in proud and strong. Whatever was going on, she could handle it. She’d been through a whole lot worse with Drew.

She stepped into the trailer. Drew sat at the long sofa, an e-reader in his hands. He glanced up and smiled.

“Hi. How’s it going?”

She ignored his questions and asked one of her own. “What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you. I have lunch, if you’re hungry.”

He motioned to the built-in table and benches, as if expecting her to sit down. What was with him having lunch ready for the two of them? This wasn’t a social visit. Ack, she should have taken Wynn up on her offer of a baseball bat.

Silver sank onto the padded bench. She put her hands on the table, then shoved them onto her lap only to put them back on the table. Everything about this felt weird and awkward and just plain uncomfortable. She wanted to run and scream, only before she could do either, she couldn’t help noticing the perfect lines of the trailer. The size was just right and with a little refurbishing, there could be so much storage. She would have room for a long bar and beer on tap and—

“Turkey okay?” he asked, holding out two sandwiches. “Or ham?”

“Turkey.”

He passed it over, then grabbed them each a can of diet soda along with a pile of napkins before sitting across from her. He nodded at the interior of the trailer.

“Needs a lot of work, but I see the potential.”

“You see it?” She rolled her eyes. “You have no idea what this could be. To you it’s just some old trailer, but to me, it’s the next phase of my business. I’ve put thought into what I’m doing, Drew. I didn’t just write a check.”

“Contempt for the very money you wanted to borrow for yourself.” His tone was mild, his expression more amused than offended. He took a bite of his sandwich. “Without the check you’re so willing to deride, there would be no trailers. At least not now.”

He had a point, which really annoyed her.

“Fine,” she grumbled as she unwrapped her sandwich. “Why are you here?”

“I’m living the dream. Why are you here?”

She wondered if it would be wrong to kick him right in the shin. So much violence, she thought with a sigh. Her visceral reaction to Drew was because she knew he had all the power and she had none. Not a situation she enjoyed, ever.

Instead of answering, she started eating her sandwich. He continued with his and they had lunch in complete silence. He finished first. He opened a bag of chips, offered it to her, then spoke.

“So here’s the thing,” he began. “My grandfather is thinking of retiring.”

“Okay.” Hardly news. Grandpa Frank wasn’t a young man. He was charming and vibrant but well past the age of retirement.

“There are complications,” he continued. “Namely who is going to be chairman of the board when that happens.”

“Why is there a question? You’re the heir apparent, aren’t you?” Drew had been the firstborn of the firstborn. With great power and all that. He had been destined to run the bank since before he’d started kindergarten. Back when they’d been dating, he’d talked about his future with excitement and anticipation. Drew had actually liked the idea of being in banking. Crazy, but that was Drew.

“Libby wants to throw her hat in the ring.”

“I wish you’d told me that before I ate my sandwich,” she said, pushing away the second half. “Why is she even in contention?”

“Technically anyone can throw his or her hat in the ring. I’m the obvious choice, but that doesn’t mean the bank is my only interest.”

“I thought that was all you’d been trained to do. Isn’t that the point of your entire existence? You love the bank. Don’t tell me you don’t want to be the bank king right here in town. As if.”

He smiled at her. “Silver, we all grow and change. I have. Every now and then I like to do something unexpected, just to see who’s paying attention.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

“Me either but it sounds good.” He leaned back against the bench. “So here’s the thing. I have these two trailers.”

She’d just started to relax, she thought as her entire body stiffened. She had no idea what was going on, but she had a bad feeling this might be a game to him. A cruel game with her as the target.

She remembered when they’d played different types of games, when their sport had been about pleasing each other. They’d been so desperately in love—or at least she had been. She was less sure about him. Despite his protestations at the time, in the end, he’d left her without a backward glance.

Not anything she needed to deal with right now, she told herself. She had to focus on the problem at hand—namely what did he want in return for the two Airstreams?

He put his large hands on the table and leaned toward her. “I’d appreciate it if you’d just listen to what I have to say, and then we’ll discuss it.”

She had no idea what “it” was, nor did she want to promise to not interrupt, or scream or hit him with something. But if she did anything but nod, he would suspect she was more upset than she should be.

“Fine,” she said. “Talk.”

“I want to buy into your business as a minority partner.”

“What? Are you insane? Did you fall and hit your head? A minority partner? A partner? Of my business? The one I conceived of and saved for and started and have made successful all on my own?” She glared at him. “By. My. Self. There’s only been me, Drew. Just me. A partner. Are you on crack?”

He smiled. “As long as you’re willing to listen.”

She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Go ahead.”

“I want to start building my personal portfolio. I’ve been thinking of buying into several businesses around town. If that works out, I’ll expand my empire, so to speak, and look for opportunities in Palm Springs, maybe Riverside or San Diego. When Libby turned down your loan I realized that I had a chance to act.” One shoulder rose. “I’ll admit I was impulsive, buying the trailers, but I could see what you wanted to do. I like your business plan. You’ve thought it all through.”

She told herself the compliment didn’t matter. She didn’t need or want his approval. He was giving her an opportunity to expand—that was what was important.

“How do you see this working?” she asked, relaxing only slightly.

“I would want to be a real partner. I’d want to help with future planning and really be involved. Obviously I have a full-time job, but I could help out when you’re shorthanded. Your work is mostly on the weekends, when I’m off.”

She snorted. “You’d work parties?”

“Why not?”

“Gee, I don’t know. Have you ever been a professional bartender? Or even an amateur one? Do you have the slightest idea what it’s like to serve drinks to two or three hundred people in a very short period of time? Do you have a bartender’s license? Do you know the difference between a mojito and a margarita?”

“Tequila.” He chuckled. “Okay, I’d have to learn to be a bartender. I’m saying I’m willing to do that. I want to do that. I want to be more than the guy with a check. I want to be invested.”

Her stomach clenched. Nerves, she told herself. Just nerves and a dose of apprehension. “Are you going to bartending school?”

“I was hoping I could learn some online and you’d teach me the rest. Silver, I’m a hard worker, I’m available nights and weekends and I’m not going to run off with the tip money.”

“You couldn’t just loan me the money to buy the trailers?” she asked before she could stop herself. While she never thought she would even think the question, let alone say it, the truth was owing him money would be way better than giving up part of her business.

“I could, but I’d rather do this.”

Typical. Men wanted what they wanted and the rest of the world didn’t matter at all. “Maybe the hardware store in town would like a buy-in.”

“Maybe they would, but your business is more fun.”

“Oh, I don’t know. All those power tools, the lumber section. It’s a man’s playhouse.” She pressed her lips together. “How minority of a partner would you want to be?” Ninety-ten would be great, she thought. Wishful thinking but still great.

“Fifty-two–forty-eight.”

She tried not to wince. That was nearly as close to fifty-fifty as they could get.

“I’m buying in with two trailers,” he pointed out, as if he could read her mind. “I’ll also invest twenty grand to cover refurbishing them. Hopefully there will be a few dollars left to put toward the trucks to tow them.”

“I have savings,” she said, trying to do the math in her head. “Enough to cover the trucks.” Especially if she didn’t have to buy the trailers or pay for refurbishing them. In fact there would be enough left over for her to explore some other ideas she had.

Agreeing to his deal meant she could move forward with her plans. AlcoHaul could grow and she could stop turning down business every week. But that came at a hefty price—working closely with Drew. Could she do that?

“I just don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m not sure we can work together.”

“We always did fine together before.”

“We were dating, and then we broke up.”

“But we got along. Besides, I’m more mature now.”

“Oh please.”

“I’m saying I think we’d be good together.”

In business, she reminded herself. He was talking business and only business. If she wanted anything else, she was a complete fool. And she wasn’t ever going to be a fool for a man again—certainly not for Drew.

“I need to think about this,” she told him. “Give me a few days to consider the offer, and then we’ll talk.”

“Sure.” He looked at the print shop. “Is Wynn going to be okay with the trailers parked out here?”

He was manipulating her, she told herself. Trying to get her to offer to store them in the lot with her other trailer, knowing full well if she took that much ownership it would be harder to walk away.

“I’ll talk to her,” she said instead. “Wynn’s pretty easygoing and if these are parked on a side street, I doubt she’ll care.” She flashed him a smile. “I think your bigger concern is the police. I’m fairly sure there are zoning laws and you’re violating them.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

Why wouldn’t he? Given his family connections, he would likely get special consideration from most city officials, including the police.

She stood and picked up the rest of her sandwich. “Thanks for lunch. I’ll be in touch.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

He stood, as well. In the small trailer, that put them far too close together. She could see the flecks of gold in his dark irises and the faint scar by the corner of his mouth. He wasn’t the only one invading her space—the past was there as well, threatening to overwhelm her.

“Silver, I hope you’ll agree to this. You’ve done really well with your business. With a little help, I think you can take things to the next level.”

She wanted to ask if he ever had regrets about how things had ended. She wanted to know how long it had taken him to forget her and move on to the next woman and the next. She was desperate to find out if he ever thought of the child they’d made, then had given away.

What she said instead was, “Let me think about it.”

“You know where to find me.”

“I always have.”

* * *

DREW WATCHED CAREFULLY as Jasper stepped close. His friend moved as fast as a snake, striking out when Drew least expected it. He’d learned the hard way not to relax when Jasper spun away. More times than not, he came back harder, faster and ready to win.

The workout room was silent except for the sound of their breathing and the crack of the sticks connecting. Usually music pounded but not when they worked with fighting sticks. Concentration was required.

A couple of years ago, Jasper had wanted to use fighting sticks in one of his novels. He’d hired a trainer to spend a week in Happily Inc, teaching him. His friends had been invited to the intense classes, as had a few of the local fitness trainers. As far as Drew knew, the book was finished and sent off to the publisher, but Jasper continued to train with sticks because he liked it.

Drew’s cousin Cade sat on the mat, out of range of their combat, calling out advice, praise and slurs.

“Duck, Drew. Watch that left arm of his. Jasper, my mama hits harder than that. Oh, good one. Get ’em.”

Jasper advanced, forcing Drew to retreat. Drew sidestepped, faked a slash, then came in hard. Jasper slipped on the mat and went down on one knee just as the timer dinged.

“Well done,” Cade called as he scrambled to his feet. “We got off lucky today. Only a handful of bruises and no broken bones.”

The sticks were solid wood and struck hard. Getting hurt came with the territory. None of them had more than bruises, but they were often impressive and took a while to heal.

Jasper tossed Drew a towel, then took one for himself. They all walked to the stools in the corner. On the way, they grabbed water from the refrigerator against the wall.

Jasper’s house was high enough in the mountains to be surrounded by trees. In the summer, the temperature was a good twenty or thirty degrees cooler than in town, and every now and then there was winter snow.

His place had started as a two-room cabin maybe eighty years ago. It had been added onto at least a dozen times. The house was a hodgepodge of styles and materials. Some of the rooms were large and stately and others were oddly shaped and poorly constructed.

When Jasper had bought the house, he’d built an office and the workout room. The latter had the traditional array of equipment found in a home gym, along with a big open area and a wall of mirrors. From what Drew could tell, Jasper was a “method” writer. He liked to physically work through any action scenes. He often had friends over to block out fight scenes and a couple of summers ago, he’d spent six weeks getting familiar with a hunting bow.

When they were seated, Cade unscrewed the top on his water. “So, Drew. Buying trailers?”

Jasper raised his eyebrows. “You bought trailers?”

“They’re not for me.”

“He’s trying to bribe Silver into sleeping with him,” Cade said with a chuckle. “I’m not sure that’s the best way to get her attention, but if you don’t have the goods personally then hey, whatever works.”

“Shut up.” Drew’s tone was mild. He was used to his cousin’s teasing. They’d been tight since birth.

“Why trailers?” Jasper asked. “And you did use the plural version of the word so there’s more than one?”

“I want to buy into her business.” He thought about mentioning the trouble with the bank loan but not only was the information personal, Libby was Cade’s mother. The two weren’t close but he doubted Cade would appreciate him dissing his mom.

He also wasn’t going tell them that he’d flat-out lied to Silver. Yes, he wanted to be involved in her business, but not because he was “building his personal portfolio” or whatever other crap he’d told her. He was a bank guy, through and through. He had no more interest in buying into other businesses than sprouting wings, but the fib had been necessary to get her to agree.

As to the why—as in why was he working so hard?—that was harder to define. He just couldn’t get her out of his head. Given their past, simply asking her out seemed fraught with peril. But this way, he could get to know her again while doing something interesting. Should things work out, then great. Should they not, he would loan her the money to buy him out—no harm done.

“The trailers were for sale, so I bought them. I’m hoping Silver lets me be a minority partner.”

“She strikes me as the kind of person who prefers to be in charge.” Jasper chugged more water. “Why that business?”

“Silver and I go way back. I’m helping an old friend.”

Cade snorted. “Is that what we’re calling it?” He turned to Jasper. “Drew and Silver have a past. The summer before Drew here took off for college, he and Silver had a thing. It was a hell of a summer. I still remember that party before Labor Day.”

“Silver and I threw a big party by the falls,” Drew explained to Jasper. “Underage teens, a lot of drinking.”

Cade touched his water bottle to Drew’s. “My first time getting drunk. I paid for it the next day, but the party was killer.” He chuckled.

Jasper studied Drew. “So you and Silver were an item? Then what?”

“I went off to college.” He hesitated. “Silver insisted we break up before I left. I didn’t want to, but she was determined.”

“She can be stubborn that way,” Cade told him.

“She can. Then I left.” There was more. So much more. Before he could decide what he should and shouldn’t say, he found himself blurting, “She was pregnant.”

Both Cade and Jasper stared at him.

“Seriously?” Cade asked. “What happened?”

“She came to visit me at college. I was well into my freshman year and had moved on. I didn’t want to believe her, but I knew what we’d been doing. I proposed, she said no. We agreed to give up the baby for adoption.”

Jasper and Cade exchanged a look.

“So you have a kid out there,” Jasper said. “How old is he? Or she?”

“Nearly twelve. I never asked what she had. I assumed a boy.” He’d always pictured a son, one who looked just like him. Ego, he supposed. And a lack of any other input. Of course, if they’d had a girl, he would have assumed she looked exactly like Silver.

“A kid,” Cade said quietly. “Bethany and I want kids. The sooner the better, but you beat us all.”

“We were young and foolish.” They’d been passionately in love, he thought. That part had been about as real as it got.

“Is the baby why you want to go into business with her?” Jasper asked. “Out of guilt?”

“I don’t feel guilty.” Drew paused. “We were kids ourselves. We couldn’t have been decent parents. I want to invest in Silver’s company because I think it’s the smart thing to do. I’ve run the numbers. She works hard, makes a good profit and is turning business away every week. It’s a sound business decision.”

“Uh-huh.” Jasper didn’t look convinced. “What did she say?”

“I think the real question is what did she hit you with when you told her what you’d done?” Cade chuckled.

“She’s thinking about it.” Drew grinned. “She was fine with it.”

“Liar.”

“Okay, but she really did listen.”

Jasper finished his water and tossed the bottle into the recycling bin in the corner. “So you’re going to invest in Silver’s company, and then what? Are you going to help her manage the other trailers?”

“We’re still discussing the details.”

“The bank getting to you?” Cade sounded sympathetic. “I don’t know how you stand it, being there all day. It’s like a big, brick trap.”

Drew knew the bank wasn’t a trap—it was a living, breathing creature tied to the community. The bank was possibilities and he had a million ideas about how he was going to make it better.

“The bank is the least of it,” he said, avoiding the question.

Cade shook his head. “Your folks still on you?” He turned to Jasper. “Drew’s parents are...unusual. Happily Inc was never big enough for them. They always wanted to be somewhere else, doing something else. Howard, Drew’s dad, got involved politically and got an ambassadorship when Drew was still in school. Where was it again?”

“Andorra,” Drew said, remembering the thrill of having his parents leave town while he was in high school. He’d moved in with Grandpa Frank and life had gotten a whole lot easier. “It’s near Spain.”

“Never heard of it,” Jasper said. “Maybe I should do some research and set a book there.”

Cade grinned. “You should. Anyway, Howard had a couple more ambassadorships after that, then left the diplomatic corps to join a lobbying firm.”

“They’re still there,” Drew admitted grimly. “Growing the company and making room for their firstborn.”

Their only born, he added silently. Nothing would make his parents—mostly his mother—happier than having him take over the family bank for a couple of years, and then join his parents’ lobbying firm. While he was all over the first half, he had no interest in being a lobbyist.

“Not your dream job?” Jasper asked.

“Not even close.”

Jasper grinned at Cade. “Too bad they’re not your parents. Imagine how happy they’d be to know their son was marrying a genuine princess.”

“I don’t know where to start with that,” Cade admitted, then looked at Drew. “Have you told your mom about the engagement?”

“No, and I don’t plan to. The last thing any of us want is my mother camping out in town so she can go to your wedding or whatever it turns out to be.”

Cade had bought a stallion from the king of El Bahar. The “stable girl” who had delivered the stallion had turned out to be a royal princess in disguise. Cade and Bethany had fallen in love and were getting married. While the details hadn’t been worked out, there would be some kind of event or celebration locally, complete with the royal family attending.

“Your mom is going to find out.”

“Not from me.” Drew wouldn’t do that to someone he didn’t like, let alone a cousin.

“Have you two decided on your wedding plans?” Jasper asked. “You could always elope.”

Cade grimaced. “We’ve talked about it, but Bethany doesn’t want to disappoint her parents. We’re definitely holding the ceremony in El Bahar, but we’re going to do something here, too. The details are being worked out.”

Drew supposed that the logistics of marrying into a royal family put his life questions in perspective.

“Let me know if there’s going to be a party,” Jasper told him. “I’m heading to New York in a couple of weeks. I can rearrange things if it means hanging out with royals.”

Cade didn’t look convinced. “You’re like Drew. You don’t care anything about someone being royal or important.”

Jasper grinned. “That is true, but I’m always looking for ideas for the next book. Plus, you’re a friend. Someone has to be around to keep the crazies off your back.”

Drew nodded. “Jasper will handle them and I’ll run interference with my mother if she shows up.”

Cade winced. “Thanks, Drew. You’re a good friend.”

“You know it.”

CHAPTER THREE

SILVER LAY ON the carpet, her feet propped up on the sofa. She rested her cell phone on her stomach and adjusted her earbuds.

Leigh was due to call in about three minutes and her friend was nothing if not prompt. While she waited, Silver thought about all that had happened in the past few days and wondered if she had an answer to the obvious question—what was she going to do about the trailers?

She was tempted. Very tempted. They were exactly what she wanted and with them she would have a chance to expand her business. Between the extra twenty grand Drew was throwing in on top of her own savings, she could refurbish both of them, buy the trucks needed to pull them, have enough left over for an emergency fund and have some work done downstairs.

Her second-floor loft apartment sat above retail space. Currently, Silver used the downstairs as a showroom, with large posters showing her trailer at a variety of venues and a couple of tables set up like a party. There was a place to go over drinks menus and discuss specifics. But she kept thinking she should do something to monetize the square footage. Right now it was just deadweight.

Again, with Drew’s help, all that could change. The price would be both working with him and having to share the profits. He wasn’t buying into her business for the thrill of it. She had so much to think about.

She picked up her phone and smiled. One minute to go. While she was waiting, she touched the screen to display her photos. She went right to the folder that held the pictures of Autumn, then scrolled through a half dozen.

Autumn was eleven, with dark hair and deep blue eyes and looked a lot like her dad. She was smart, pretty and kind. Okay, and yes, she had a bit of the devil in her, but she wasn’t mean—just adventurous.

Silver studied the child she and Drew had created and knew that at some point she was going to have to come clean. Especially if they were going to work together. Not that she’d done anything wrong. She’d gotten pregnant and she’d told Drew. They’d agreed on adoption and Silver had returned home to find the right family.

What Drew didn’t know was that while pregnant, Silver had gotten close to the adopting couple. That she’d ended up living with them the last few months of her pregnancy and that she and Leigh had formed a tight bond that still existed today. Drew didn’t know that after Autumn’s birth, when Silver had felt confused and uncertain about her future, she’d gone back to Los Angeles and had lived with Leigh and her husband. Although the two of them had eventually divorced, Silver, Leigh and Autumn were family. They talked all the time, visited a lot, and Silver regularly took Autumn for a weekend or two every year.

The familiar guilt returned. Silver pushed it away, telling herself that it wasn’t as if she’d lied to Drew. He’d never once asked. For all he knew, she could have lost the baby. For him, once the decision had been made, he’d totally forgotten about the pregnancy, while she’d had to live it for the next six months. And beyond.

Her phone rang. She pushed the talk button and smiled. “Hey, you.”

“Hey, yourself.”

Leigh’s voice was happy and filled with affection. They were only twelve years apart in age, so more like sisters than mother and daughter.

“I got your text about the trailers,” Leigh continued. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m still thinking.”

“It seems like a good opportunity.”

“You think I should work with Drew?”

“If he’s going to be a minority partner, then why not? You get the trailers, you don’t have to worry about a bank loan and you can grow the business how you want to.”

“But it’s Drew.”

“At least you know him and he has a strong business background.”

“Maybe knowing him is the problem,” she grumbled. “I don’t know if we can work together or not.”

At one time, she’d been wildly in love with him, but they’d both been young and that was so different from a business relationship.

“Could you trust him?” Leigh asked. “Because without trust, there isn’t anything.”

“I have to think about that, too,” Silver told her. “I would need to get to know him again.”

Leigh laughed. “Good thing he’s already committed to the trailers. It means he’s stuck with your timetable.”

“I hadn’t thought about it that way, but you’re right. So what’s new with you?”

“I do have some exciting news. At least I hope you’ll think it’s exciting.”

“Yes?”

“Denton has decided he really wants a wedding.”

Silver smiled. Leigh’s fiancé had been all in on a big wedding, then had wanted an elopement and was, apparently, back on with a wedding.

“That man. He needs to make up his mind.”

“I agree. The thing is, I told him it doesn’t matter to me, but I’d really prefer a wedding. Some for me but mostly for Autumn. She is desperate to be a bridesmaid.”

Silver felt her chest tighten a little at the thought of Autumn in a beautiful dress, walking down the aisle in front of her mother.

“Have you two figured out when? Or where, for that matter? Just say the word and I’ll clear my calendar.”

Silver would be at the wedding, but just as important, she would stay with Autumn while Leigh and Denton went off on their honeymoon.

“It’s funny you should ask that. We have set the date. It’s in a couple of months.”

“Oh?” Silver swung her feet to the ground and sat up. “Won’t Autumn be in school? Are you going to delay your honeymoon?”

“I know, I know. So many details. And here’s the thing.” Leigh hesitated. “Gosh, I hope you’re going to be okay with this.”

Silver frowned. What wouldn’t she understand? “You’re marrying a great guy. Of course I’m good with it.”

“It’s not the who—it’s the where. Now hear me out. Once Denton said he wanted a wedding rather than us just eloping or getting it done at City Hall, things kind of snowballed. We were talking locations and on a whim, I called around in Happily Inc. You’ll never guess!”

Silver felt her breath catch in her throat. Happily Inc, as in the town where she lived? Where Drew lived?

“Tell me,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound the least bit worried.

“I spoke to this wonderful woman—Pallas. Do you know her?”

Silver told herself to stay totally calm. That everything was going to be fine. “Uh-huh. She owns Weddings Out of the Box.”

“Yes, that’s her. She’d just had a cancellation for a theme wedding. The bride and groom couldn’t stand waiting and eloped, but everything had already been ordered, so it was just there if I wanted to claim it. I’d never thought about doing anything like that, but it’s a Great Gatsby theme. The time period is so fun and the ideas they had were just charming. My dress is going to work and I’ve been looking online and I’ve found the best dress for you and another one for Autumn and well, Denton and I want to get married in Happily Inc and then have Autumn stay with you while we go on our honeymoon. Is that okay?”

Silver was grateful to be sitting on the floor so she didn’t have to worry about freaking out and fainting. Autumn here? Leigh getting married here? No. No! They couldn’t. She couldn’t. There was no way to keep Drew from finding out about their daughter if Autumn was in town for a week or two.

“I could take care of Autumn at your place,” Silver offered, thinking that if she limited the amount of Happily Inc time then...

“Funny story.” Leigh laughed. “You know Denton and I each listed our condos and we’re building a house together?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, our condos have sold and are closing right before the wedding, but we can’t get into our new place until after the honeymoon. We’re moving everything into storage. I guess technically we’re between homes. Or we will be.”

Silver pulled her legs to her chest and rested her head on her knees. She told herself to breathe, that everything would be just fine.

“Silver? Is this okay?”

“Of course it is,” she lied. “Yes, and yes. I’m thrilled you’re getting married here, and of course Autumn can stay with me while you and Denton are on your honeymoon. It will be fun.”

She hoped she sounded perfectly happy and excited and did she mention happy? “What about Autumn’s schoolwork?”

“I’ve taken care of that. Her teachers are giving her the assignments ahead of time. There’s a homeschooling kind of internet lab in town and I’ve already checked with them. Autumn will be there for six hours a day, Monday through Friday, just like regular school.” Leigh laughed. “It’s all coming together, just like it was meant to be.”

“Just like.” Silver’s voice was faint.

She was well and truly trapped. She loved Leigh and couldn’t be anything but happy for her. Being with Autumn was always fun and she looked forward to their one-on-one girl time. The only problem was, of course, Drew. There was no way Silver could explain away a kid who looked like him, who was the exact age their child would have been. He wasn’t stupid—he would put the pieces together. And not just him. Anyone who saw Autumn and Drew within twenty feet of each other would have questions.

“I’m going to have to come clean with him,” Silver said. “Tell Drew about Autumn.”

“There is that.” Leigh’s voice softened. “I’m a little worried about it. Am I pushing you?”

“No, of course not. You’re getting married and I’m so happy. I’ll get together with Pallas and talk to her about how things are going. You’re going to love how she handles things. I’ll create the perfect signature cocktail for your reception. Leigh, this is going to be the wedding of your dreams.”

“Oh, sweetie, thank you. I appreciate what you’re saying so much. Autumn is super excited about everything. Okay, I need to run but we’ll talk soon.”

“Of course. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Bye.”

They hung up. Silver pulled the earbuds from her ears and closed her eyes. Too much had happened too quickly and she was going to need a minute to process everything.

Leigh’s wedding was going to be its own kind of mess. Not the logistics—Pallas knew exactly how to throw the perfect event. It was more that Silver was going to have to explain her relationship to Leigh. Which meant telling people about Autumn. She was fairly confident her friends would be totally on board but she was less sure about how Drew would accept the information. Yes, he knew about their child, but nothing else.

Guilt tapped on her shoulder, but she ignored it. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She wasn’t the bad guy. She’d been up-front from the beginning. Her relationship with Autumn was her business. If he’d cared, he could have asked what had happened, but instead he’d gone on with his life without so much as a backward glance. Which all sounded really good, but did nothing to take away her growing sense of dread and discomfort.

A reckoning was coming—she could feel it.

* * *

“SILVER, I’M REALLY SORRY. I kept hoping I would get better.”

Silver told herself it would be wrong to respond with anything but sympathy. Georgiana was a steady, dependable worker and she’d never once flaked out on an event.

“It’s okay. You go take care of yourself. I’ll be fine.”

“You won’t be fine.” Georgiana groaned. “I gotta throw up, and then I’ll call you—”

Conversation ended with a gagging sound followed by a noise Silver didn’t want to identify. It took her a second to keep from throwing up herself. She ended the call and tucked her phone into her jeans pocket, then tried to figure out what on earth she was going to do. In less than four hours, there was a wedding for three hundred and twenty people at Weddings Out of the Box. The bride and groom were expecting her to handle all their beverage needs and as of ten seconds ago, she had no staff.

She got out her tablet and double-checked the drinks menu for the night. The theme was a casual beach wedding. In order to keep costs down, the couple had chosen two signature drinks, along with beer and wine. In a pinch, Silver could get by with minimal help, but she absolutely needed at least one other person around.

All the usual suspects were unavailable for the same reason Georgiana wouldn’t be in. That left friends, most of whom worked in the wedding business, so would be busy on a Saturday night with minimal notice. She tried Carol, but the call went directly to voice mail. Wynn’s did the same, leaving Silver cursing under her breath. A name occurred to her, but she ignored it until there were no other options.

“Hey,” Drew said when he answered. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so quickly. What have you decided?”

“I haven’t. I’m still considering.” More things than he knew about, she thought. Not just the business proposition but how she was ever going to tell him about Autumn. Neither of which concerned her now.

“Did you mean what you said about helping me with events?” she asked. “That you’d be a real working partner?”

“I did. Why?”

“I want to give you a trial run. It will help me decide.”

She knew she was assuming a lot—for one thing, that Drew would be available on a night when most single, good-looking guys had plans. Not that she’d heard of him dating anyone, but he often kept his romantic relationships private. For all she knew, he was practically engaged, something she found herself not wanting to think about.

“You want me to work a wedding?” he asked. “Tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Is the last-minute thing a test or desperation?”

She sighed. “Mostly desperation. My regular hires called in sick. They worked a party at the Chapel on the Green. Someone brought in some bad shrimp and they all have food poisoning.” Silver shuddered. “Based on what I heard, it’s really awful.”

“I don’t need any details,” he said quickly. “I’m happy to help. Just tell me when and where.”

“Weddings Out of the Box in an hour. Wear khakis and a Hawaiian shirt. That’s what all the servers are wearing.”

“Should I bring anything?”

“I’ve got that handled.” She hesitated. “Thanks, Drew. You’re helping me out of a jam.”

“Glad to do it. See you in an hour.”

Silver hung up. She’d already changed into khaki shorts, a red bikini top with an open red Hawaiian shirt tied at the waist. Her hair was pulled back in a simple braid with a silk hibiscus clipped to the end. Her makeup was light, her earrings simple gold hoops. Her job was to provide bar service and otherwise blend in with the background. In a perfect world, she wouldn’t be noticed at all.

She drove over to Weddings Out of the Box and backed the trailer into place. Once it was in position, she unhitched it and drove the truck around to the far end of the parking lot, then returned to her Airstream to start setting up. That morning she’d collected all the supplies she would need for the drinks. The decorations had been finalized and delivered at the last prep meeting on Thursday. Except for additional manpower, she was good to go.

She’d barely unlocked the trailer when she heard the sound of rapid footsteps on the walkway. She turned and saw Renee Grothen scurrying toward her.

The petite redheaded wedding coordinator had a tablet in one hand, a clipboard in the other and an air of concern pulling her eyebrows together. Looking at her, one would assume the sky was falling, but Silver had done enough weddings with Renee to know that the woman was always in full-on freak-out mode right up until the wedding started. Once the happy couple were safely married, she slowly relaxed. As the reception transitioned from appetizers to entrées to cake-cutting with nary a disaster, she relaxed a little more and the frown went away. Renee knew her stuff, but she was a little on the tightly wound side.

“I’m fine,” Silver said before Renee could ask.

Renee’s green eyes widened. “I heard there was food poisoning and that everyone was vomiting.”

“They are, but I wasn’t there and I’m fine.”

Renee’s hands trembled. “You can’t handle the bar yourself. It’s too much. Even with the limited drink menu there is simply no way—”

Silver smiled. “Renee, trust me. I have it under control. Help is on the way. This part of the wedding is totally taken care of.”

Before Renee could start keening or whatever it was she did when she was really upset, Pallas, the owner of Weddings Out of the Box, joined them. Silver and Pallas had been friends for years. When Pallas had started working at Weddings Out of the Box and Silver had opened AlcoHaul, they’d begun working together on a regular basis.

The previous year Pallas had fallen madly in love with artist Nick Mitchell. They’d married and were expecting their first baby. Silver glanced at her friend’s still almost-flat stomach.

“How are you feeling?”

Pallas’s first trimester had been a nightmare of morning sickness.

“Better,” her friend said. “I’m only occasionally queasy and it passes quickly. What a relief!” She turned to Renee. “If Silver says she has it covered, she has it covered. You can let it go.” She smiled. “I mean that.”

Renee’s nod was reluctant. She’d only been working for Pallas for a month or so and was still in triple-checking mode. Or maybe she was always like that, Silver thought. It would be a tough way to live but she would guess it meant all the details were managed.

Pallas led Renee away and Silver finished opening up the large double doors on the side of the trailer. She connected two power cords, then turned on the lights inside. She pulled out boxes of decorations and set them aside. The folding tables and chairs came next. They were stacked together to be assembled later. The large easel and chalkboard were in the back. She got them out, along with a box of chalk.

Drew walked up, dressed as she’d requested. He looked good. Calm and capable and just a little bit sexy. When he spotted her, he frowned.

“Hey, you’ve already unloaded. Did you leave anything for me to do?”

“Plenty,” she said, trying not to let her relief show. Of course, she’d known he would be here, but having him actually present made her feel better about everything. Despite her promises to Renee, she was a little concerned about getting everything set up in time. Even with Drew around, she was short a body and both her helpers had known what to do. Drew was a novice.

Still, he’d always come through in a pinch. Back when she’d told him she was pregnant, the first thing he’d done was propose. Compared to that, tonight should be a snap.

She had him hook up the hose that would keep the water tanks full, then wash his hands.

“Your first job is to cut up honeydew melon,” she told him. “It’s messy so you’ll want to wear an apron.”

She half expected him to protest the coated cotton apron covered with drawings of landmarks of downtown London, but he only settled it over his head, then tied the strings behind his waist.

“Cut up how?” he asked. “Big chunks? Little chunks?”

She got out a massive cutting board, a serving spoon and large knife. “I keep it sharp, so be careful.” She set two bowls in front of him. “The bigger one is for the melon. The smaller one is for the seeds. The fastest way to do this is to cut the melon in half, then seed it.”

She demonstrated. She placed the flat side down on the cutting board and cut it into two-inch slices. “Cut off the rind then chop the slices into big cubes. Those go in the bowl.”

“Got it,” Drew said. “How much do you want me to do?”

She showed him the case of honeydews. “All of them. There are more bowls in the cupboard by your feet. When you have five full bowls, come get me.”

“Will do.” He winked.

The unexpected movement caught her off guard. She felt a flash of heat low in her belly. No, no and no, she told herself. She wasn’t going down the Drew is the sexiest man I’ve ever known path. Not now, not ever. This was work only. Work and maybe an awkward conversation about the child they’d given up. There would be no funny business, regardless of how he winked at her.

Drew went right to work. He cut and chopped deliberately, being careful to keep his fingers away from the blade. After a couple of seconds, she realized she couldn’t monitor him—not if everything else was going to be ready on time.

She left him in the trailer and went outside. She pulled the portable, custom-built bar from its storage hatch at the back of the trailer and carefully lowered it to the ground, then wheeled it into place. She locked the wheels, then began stacking the plastic racks that held the glasses. Beer would be served in the bottle, so no glasses needed there. She had wineglasses for the Sangria, champagne flutes for the mimosas and highball glasses for those who only wanted water. The soda/coffee/tea station was self-serve and across the way, so not her problem today.

She put out two small squat tables and set a big galvanized steel beverage tub on each. The beer was in the refrigerator and there was plenty of ice in the freezer. She would put out both right before the ceremony started. The placement—behind the bar—would keep the beer handy, but not available for guests to simply grab and run. Silver liked to know who was drinking what. Part of her job was to make sure no one got too drunk and ruined the event.

She set up the folding tables and chairs. The ones she used were slatted black faux wood. They were lightweight, durable and could fit into nearly any theme.

She only put out six tables with four chairs each. They were there for quick conversations, not to be a gathering place away from the main party. Silver placed them on the far side of the bar so they wouldn’t impede the flow of traffic, then opened the boxes of decorations.

The casual beach wedding theme was easy. She put woven mats on the grass by the trailer. There was a mason jar candle in the bride’s colors for every table. She placed faux coral around the mason jars and made sure there were a couple of long gas lighters behind the bar. Once the wedding had started, she and Drew would light all the candles so they would be burning nicely by the time the guests came out for the reception.

She stacked driftwood by the bar and strung twinkle lights around the entrance to the trailer before stepping inside to check on Drew.

“How’s it going?” she asked, moving beside him to inspect his work.

“Great.”

He’d filled four bowls with cut-up honeydew and was working on the fifth.

“You work fast,” she said.

“Speed isn’t always important but today I want to impress the boss.”

She ignored the speed comment, not sure exactly how he meant it. Regardless, she had to stay focused on the job at hand. “So far, I’m impressed.”

“Good to know.”

She had to reach around him to pull glass pitchers from an overhead cupboard. Despite her best efforts, she brushed against him. It was worse with the stainless steel beverage dispenser. She had to shimmy and bend down, only to end up rubbing her butt against his.

“Sorry,” she said, avoiding his gaze. “Small space.”

“I don’t mind.”

She didn’t mind, exactly, either; it was just so unnecessary. They were working. Focus, she told herself. Be strong. Businesslike. Pretend he’s Georgiana. Because with Georgiana, she never noticed the tight space. They just did what had to be done without any fuss.

“Done,” Drew said.

“Good. Rinse your hands, then get out the Vitamix. We’ll work in small batches.”

She showed him how to fill the container with ice, sugar and honeydew.

“You want to make sure the mixture is completely liquefied. No lumps. Then you’ll taste each batch to make sure it’s sweet enough.”

“How will I know?”

“I’ll taste the first couple with you so you can learn what we need.”

He looked at her. “You’re good at this.”

“It’s my job.”

“No, it’s more than that. You like this and it shows. The people who hire you are lucky to have your expertise and dedication.”

The unexpected compliment left her flustered. What on earth was wrong with her?

“Thank you.”

“Welcome. Now I’m going to master the Vitamix.”

While he worked, she pulled out a three-gallon open container and poured in rosé, Burgundy, pineapple juice and fruit punch, along with the juice of both lemons and limes. She used a big, long-handled spoon to mix everything together, then tasted its result. Not her thing, but good, she thought. She’d started with chilled ingredients, so the Sangria was already cold.

The large container went into the industrial refrigerator that took up nearly a quarter of the trailer. She would fill the beverage dispenser right before the wedding started and set it outside on the bar. There was a built-in compartment for ice, which kept the drink cold without diluting it.

As she worked, Drew liquefied batch after batch of honeydew. She made random checks on the sweetness, then put the filled pitchers into the refrigerator. The mimosas were a combination of the honeydew mix and champagne. She would pour into the glass from each hand, creating a bit of entertainment along with the cocktail.

A smooth event was all about prep work, she thought as she grabbed both a champagne flute and a wineglass. She poured water into each, added a drop of purple food color from the bottle she kept tucked in a drawer and left the glasses on the counter.

“If you have to pour, that’s how much,” she told him, pointing to the glasses. “Sangria in the wineglass, mimosas in the champagne flute. If they ask for you to add more, tell them we’ll be here all night.”

Renee hurried over, clipboard and tablet in hand. “We’re nearly ready. Are you ready? Is everything okay?”

Silver waved to the tables, the decorations, then opened the refrigerator to show her the pitchers filled with liquefied honeydew and the giant container of Sangria.

Renee visibly relaxed. “Thank you. I can always count on you to give me one thing to check off my list. You’re the best, Silver. Have a good wedding.”

“You, too. Good wedding.”

When she’d scurried away to check on yet another detail, Drew finished filling the last pitcher.

“She’s a little tense,” he said.

“Weddings are a big deal for the entire wedding party. There’s rarely a chance to get a do-over so it has to be perfect the first time. Plus the whole getting married thing is always stressful. That’s a lot of pressure. Renee wants each bride and groom to have exactly what they want.”

“You like her.”

“She’s growing on me. I can respect someone who always gives their best.”

He looked at her. “Was that a general comment or were you specifically aiming it at me?”

She frowned. “Why would you ask that? We weren’t talking about you.”

“Just checking.”

“You thought I was taking a dig at you? Why? You earn a living.”

“In a bank, and I suspect you have no idea if there’s actual work involved.”

He was right about that. What did he do to fill his day? Meetings? Reading reports? Telling others what to do?

That summer they’d dated, he’d always been so physical—going and doing. She couldn’t imagine him sitting behind a desk all day.

“Point taken,” she said, then smiled. “But I wasn’t talking about you at all.”

“Good to know.”

They looked at each other. Silver felt something grow between them. More than awareness, although that was there. Maybe it was the past, she thought, reminding herself she was over him and not interested in starting something up again. That would be stupid. Only he’d always appealed to her and—

“I think the guests are starting to arrive,” he said, distracting her.

She turned and saw that people were making their way inside. She watched for wayward invitees. The bride and groom didn’t want beverage service before the wedding, so when people approached, Silver guided them toward the building where the ceremony would take place.

“Do you always have to do that?” Drew asked. “Fend off those looking to get drunk early?”

“Not all the time, but it happens. As for getting drunk, we do our best to prevent that. There are things to look for.”

“I know. I’ve been reading up on being a bartender.” He ticked off points on his fingers. “No doubles, no two drinks at a time. If you think someone’s having too much, give them water and suggest they eat. At an event like this where there are likely to be parents paying or at least contributing, getting help can be useful, unless the person drinking too much is the parent.”

Silver raised her eyebrows. “You have been doing your homework.”

“I told you I would.” He moved toward her. “Silver, I’m serious about being a partner in the company. I don’t want to take over and I don’t want to run things. I want to be a part of the business. A minority partner.”

“Barely,” she grumbled, trying to ignore the faint hunger that seemed to be growing inside of her. “You want a practically even split.”

“What do you want?”

To have enough money that she didn’t need anyone—not even Drew. But as that was unlikely to happen...

She thought about what he was offering her and how much she wanted to grow the business. She thought about all the weddings and parties she had to turn down and how much she really liked what she did.

“I want a sixty-forty split,” she said, bracing herself for instant regret. There wasn’t any. Instead she felt a sense of relief and anticipation. Drew had him some fine-looking trailers.

For a second he didn’t say anything, then slowly, he started to smile. “Sixty-forty. I’m assuming you’re the sixty.”

“You would be correct.”

Their gazes locked. For a second she felt the same flutter in her stomach that had always accompanied her Drew-time. She firmly squashed the sensation, reminding herself that had been a million years ago. They were totally different people now.

He flashed her a grin, then held out his hand. “Done. I’ll have my lawyer draw up the paperwork and get it to you this week. We need to figure out what we want to do with the trailers. They’re in great shape and have so much potential.”

They shook hands. She ignored the tingles when they touched.

“I already have plans,” she told him. “I’ve been working on them for a while. You can look them over and we can talk about them.”

“This is going to be great,” he told her. “You have a strong business plan and plenty of experience. I have a fresh eye and lots of contacts. We’re going to be a good team.”

“We are.”

Renee hurried out of the building and waved at her. Silver waved back.

“That means the ceremony is nearly over,” Silver told Drew. “Get ready for the crowd. The first rush is always the big one.”

While Drew opened bottles of champagne, she filled the stainless core of the beverage dispenser with ice and put on the cap. Once it was secure, she set the beverage dispenser on the cart by the bar before carefully pouring in the Sangria mixture. She poured ice into the galvanized tubs and added bottles of beer. Drew had already brought out three pitchers of the honeydew mixture.

She set two large trays on top of the bar. “You start filling the wineglasses with Sangria,” she told him. “I’ll take care of the mimosas.”

After filling one tray with champagne flutes, she poured in the honeydew mixture and topped it with champagne. By the time they’d filled a tray with each drink, there was a crowd of people walking toward them.

Silver smiled as the first guests approached. “Good evening. We have two signature drinks today, along with beer. The honeydew mimosa is really delicious, if you’d like to try that.”

“I’ll take a beer,” the man said.

“I want the mimosa.”

Drew pulled a beer out of the ice, wiped the bottle, then used a bottle opener to pop off the cap. Silver handed a flute to the woman and the beer to the man before turning to the next couple.

She calculated the number of people waiting and figured they would have a twenty-minute rush then a steady stream for the next two hours. Things would slow down after that.

She and Drew worked well together. When the mimosas got low, he handled the guests while she poured more. It was only when the initial crowd had dwindled that she realized she’d forgotten to tell Drew one very important thing—that she had a relationship with their daughter and that Autumn would be coming to town.

CHAPTER FOUR

MONDAY MORNINGS SILVER usually slept in late. Weekends were always busy with two or three bookings. This past weekend, there had been a wedding Sunday afternoon—this after the Saturday night event. The beach wedding had gone until two in the morning while the Sunday afternoon wedding hadn’t ended until nearly ten at night. But despite the opportunity to stay in bed, she’d awakened at dawn.

She knew that Drew was the reason she hadn’t been able to indulge in her Monday morning ritual. Between the new partnership, Leigh’s upcoming wedding and the reality of Autumn, she had too much on her mind.

She got up and decided to take advantage of her extra time by cleaning her loft apartment. Then she placed her orders for the upcoming weekend and tried to figure out what to take to the girlfriend lunch.

Nearly every Monday or Tuesday she and her friends met for lunch. In a town where weddings dominated the calendar, the locals treated Monday and Tuesday as their weekend. Silver and her friends rotated hosting duties for their lunch. Whoever hosted provided the entrée while everyone else brought another dish. Silver was toying with the idea of making a salad when she realized she had a couple of leftover honeydew melons.

She cut them up, then pureed them with ice but didn’t add any sugar. She put the sealed container into a cooler along with a few cans of lemon-lime soda, plastic glasses and spoons. Before she left for the lunch, she called in an order to her favorite Mexican restaurant. She picked up chips, salsa, guacamole and a dozen chicken taquitos, then drove out to the animal preserve.

In addition to being a wedding destination town, Happily Inc was the proud home of one of the most awarded recycling centers in the country. Theirs was a town that recycled and composted in earnest. There were even competitions where residents on different blocks tried to have the least amount of trash each week.

The owners of the Happily Inc Landfill and Recycling Center had also purchased hundreds of adjoining acres where they’d started an animal preserve. The nonpredatory residents—zebras, gazelles, a water buffalo and a new-to-them herd of giraffes grazed, played and added a charming element to the already-quirky town.

Carol Lund-Mitchell ran the animal preserve. Her father and uncle owned the landfill and the surrounding land, and she took care of the animals. When it was Carol’s turn to host and the weather was nice, they ate outside in the preserve.

Silver followed another small pickup into the parking area by the main office, then waved as Bethany climbed out.

“Tell me you didn’t bring salad,” the pretty blonde called as she lifted a bakery bag off the seat next to her. “I’m very stressed these days and in desperate need of sugar and carbs.”

“I brought both.”

“That’s why I love you.” Bethany laughed. “Pallas texted to say she was bringing Renee to lunch today.”

“I know. I heard from her, too.”

Renee had moved to town a few months ago. Pallas had talked to Silver about adding her new employee to the girlfriend lunch. Given how tense Renee could be, Pallas hadn’t been sure, but Silver had given her a thumbs-up. Renee had loosened up in recent weeks and there had been hints of a wicked sense of humor.

“I’m excited not to be the new girl,” Bethany confessed.

“We can’t all have been born here,” Silver teased. “Some of us got lucky and some of us didn’t. But even us transplants become family.”

They walked onto the path leading into the preserve. After passing through a double set of gates, they made their way to the big tree where Carol usually set up lunch. She’d spread out a half dozen blankets and brought in big pillows for lounging.

Silver stared at the familiar arrangement. Carol, a sensible-looking redhead wearing khakis and work boots, looked at her.

“What? Did I forget something?”

Silver smiled. “I was just wondering how much longer we can have lunch out here. We try to get together at least three times a month and with us rotating the location through all six or seven of us, we won’t be back here for at least two months.” She eyed her friend’s rounded belly. “I’m not sure you and Pallas will be physically capable of sprawling on the ground then.”

Carol and Pallas were both pregnant. They were married to brothers, and Natalie, newly engaged to yet another Mitchell brother, had confessed to being incredibly vigilant when it came to birth control. She didn’t want any surprises until after the wedding.

Carol lightly touched her stomach. “We’ll move to the house when that happens. I’m not giving up my girlfriend lunches for anything.”

“Labor,” Bethany teased. “You might have to give up one or two when you have the baby.”

“We’ll see.”

Wynn and Natalie arrived, followed by Pallas and Renee. Everyone settled on the blankets.

“I have chicken salad sandwiches,” Carol said, pointing to a pink bakery box. “On croissants.”

Pallas moaned. “Sounds delicious.”

Silver explained about her wedding cocktail and how she had modified a nonalcoholic version for the lunch. Everyone helped themselves to food and Silver poured drinks. Bethany filled her plate, and then looked at Pallas.

“Thank you for still being my friend.”

Pallas rolled her eyes. “You’re marrying my brother. I don’t really have a choice in the matter, but even if I did, I would still like you. I swear.”

Bethany hung her head and sighed. “I hate my life.”

“You don’t,” Wynn told her. “You’re in love with a great guy.”

“There is that, but everything else.” She turned to Renee. “Do you know who I am?”

Renee put down her sandwich and cleared her throat. “Bethany Archer?”

Everyone laughed.

Pallas hugged Renee. “I think what Bethany is means is do you—” she made air quotes “—know who she is, as in her parents are the king and queen of El Bahar.”

Renee’s green eyes widened. “I didn’t know that. Am I supposed to call you something like ma’am or Your Highness?”

“No. Just Bethany.” She groaned and explained how her mother, an American schoolteacher, had gone to El Bahar to teach at the international school and had met and fallen in love with then–Crown Prince Malik.

“When my dad died, Malik adopted me,” she continued. “So while I have El Baharian citizenship, I was born in Riverside, California.”

Pallas smiled. “She brought over a stallion that my brother bought and they fell madly in love and now they’re getting married.”

“Maybe,” Bethany grumbled.

Silver stared at her. “What? No! What happened to madly in love? Why didn’t anyone say anything?” Silver might not be looking for love herself, but she very much wanted her friends to be happy.

“We’re fine,” Bethany said hastily. “It’s not us, it’s tradition.” She drew in a breath. “My parents really want me to get married in El Bahar. They want to do the big royal wedding. But that means not having the wedding here, where Cade grew up. We’re still working it all out.”

Natalie leaned toward Renee. “Apparently marrying a princess can be complicated.”

“It was never on my to-do list,” Renee murmured. “But I will keep it in mind.”

Everyone laughed.

“We’ll figure it out,” Pallas told her future sister-in-law. “I promise. You, me and your mom are still talking options.”

No one knew weddings better than Pallas, Silver thought fondly, but before she could say anything, she heard an odd rustling sound in the bushes on the other side of the tree. One of the zebras stepped out into the clearing and eyed them.

“That’s strange,” Natalie said, pointing to the handsome boy. “I thought the zebras pretty much kept to themselves.”

“They do.” Carol smiled. “Don’t worry—they’re perfectly safe.”

“Maybe they like taquitos,” Pallas said, waving one. “I know I do.”

Conversation shifted to Natalie’s recent success at the gallery where she worked part-time and showed her art. She’d been featured in a show and had sold everything. Wynn talked about how her son, Hunter, was doing in school this year.

Silver looked around at her friends. They were an interesting mix. Only Pallas had been born in Happily Inc. Natalie, Bethany and Renee were the most recent transplants. Carol had moved here a few years before that and Wynn had arrived maybe ten years ago. Silver couldn’t remember exactly. One day Wynn had arrived with a baby and enough cash to buy a print shop. There’d been no husband/father or other family. Wynn never talked about her past. She had secrets, but then who didn’t. Silver had moved to Happily Inc when she’d been fifteen.

“What are you thinking?” Natalie asked her. “You have the strangest look on your face.”

“Nothing specific,” Silver said with a laugh. “Just enjoying time with my friends.”

“Not me, though, right?” Pallas groaned. “You hate me. You have to.”

“I could never hate you.”

“Okay, but you hate my mother.” She sighed. “I really can’t blame you for that.” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “Crap. I shouldn’t have said that, should I? Now we have to talk about it. I’m sorry. It was private.”

Silver smiled, knowing Pallas would never deliberately say anything hurtful. Plus, she was going to tell everyone everything anyway. Once she started working with Drew, the truth would come out.

She turned to her friends. “The bank turned down my loan request for the trailers.”

“No!” Carol’s expression turned indignant. “Why would they do that?”

“They didn’t.” Pallas’s expression turned grim. “It was my mother. I know it was. Libby’s horrible. I swear she’s still pissed because you dated Drew all those years ago. Let me talk to Grandpa Frank. He would hate to know that she’s acting like this.”

“Who’s Drew?” Renee asked. “And Grandpa Frank? What trailers? You’re getting more trailers? They’re for the business, aren’t they? Because our clients love what you do.”

Silver smiled at her. “Yes, I wanted to buy two Airstreams. They’re gorgeous and perfect.”

“There’s a little one that could go up to Honeymoon Falls,” Wynn said as she picked up a taquito. “A lot of people want to have small weddings there but getting any kind of food or bar up that tiny, steep road has been impossible.”

“I’d worry about the competition but we’re turning away business every single week,” Renee said.

Pallas beamed. “This is so why I hired her.”

Everyone laughed except Carol.

“But what about the trailers?” she asked, worrying her lower lip. “Can we talk to someone else or do a GoFundMe or something?”

Silver sipped her nonalcoholic mimosa. “Yes, well, I have that covered. I’m taking on a business partner. Drew bought the trailers and he’s going to be a minority owner in the company.”

Those who didn’t know her history with Drew looked relieved. Pallas and Natalie, on the other hand, stared at her with identical looks of disbelief. Wynn’s smile was a combination of smug and I-told-you-so.

Renee groaned. “I hate being the new girl. What am I missing?”

“Drew and I have a past.” Silver shrugged. “We dated some in high school.”

Pallas rolled her eyes. “Dated some? Is that what we’re calling it? You didn’t date some. You two were the hot item. You nearly set the town on fire.” She sighed. “It was so romantic. And then Drew went to college and was a total butthead.”

“We broke up before he went,” Silver said mildly. “Although I appreciate the name-calling.”

“He wasn’t supposed to fall for someone else, but he did. He brought that snooty bitch home and everything.”

“There was a snooty bitch?” Carol asked. “Why didn’t I know about that?”

“Welcome to my world,” Renee murmured.

“She was awful,” Pallas continued. “I can never remember her name.”

“Ashley Lauren Grantham-Greene.”

“She sounds very hateable,” Natalie said.

Pallas nodded vigorously. “She was so awful. They were engaged and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. When Drew broke things off, she set his house on fire.”

“It was his car,” Silver corrected, trying not to smile at the memory. The engagement had been hard on her, but the fire had gone a long way to easing her broken heart. “Pallas, you always say the house, but it was his car.”

“Whatever. I still hate her.”

“Serves him right,” Natalie announced. “How could he not stay in love with you?”

“It’s a mystery.”

Renee looked at her. “It’s nice that you’ve moved on and become good enough friends that you can work together. He will bring a business acumen that balances nicely with your creativity and knowledge about the industry.”

Before Silver could respond, one of the gazelles walked toward them. She was slim and beautiful with huge eyes. She seemed to study them for a second before moving away.

“That was Bronwen,” Carol said. “She’s pretty tame, but she’s never gotten this close to us before. I wonder if it’s something we’re eating.”

“Or drinking,” Wynn said, waving the mimosa. “These are delicious.”

Silver watched the gazelle disappear into the bushes and wondered how to tell her friends the rest of the story. Not that it was complicated, she just wasn’t sure how to begin.

She sucked in a breath and told herself they would love her regardless. Wynn already knew and had never judged her. Just as important, her friends might have some good advice for getting through the mess she’d sort of, maybe created.

“I got pregnant,” she blurted.

Everyone turned to look at her. Several gazes dropped to her stomach. Only Wynn didn’t look surprised.

“When?” Pallas asked.

“Back in high school.” Silver told herself to just get it out there. “I knew Drew was heading off to college and that everything would be different for him when he was gone. I didn’t want him to think he owed me anything, so I broke up with him. I think I was secretly hoping he would quit school in a couple of weeks and come home to be with me.”

“Which didn’t happen,” Wynn said gently.

“No, it didn’t. About a month after he’d left, I figured out I was pregnant. I told my uncle and he asked me what I wanted to do. I decided to go see Drew and tell him face-to-face.”

“Because you thought he would say he loved you and wanted to marry you,” Renee said softly.

“Something like that.”

Carol’s eyes widened. “And?”

“And I told him and he proposed.”

Pallas’s mouth dropped open. “How could I not know this? You married Drew and you never told me? OMG! I can’t believe it. When? Where? You have a baby?”

Silver held up her hand. “We didn’t get married. I could tell he’d only proposed because he thought he should. He didn’t love me anymore and he certainly didn’t want to marry me.”

She told herself she could say the words without feeling anything. Time had passed and she was a completely different person now, as was Drew. She’d grown up, moved on, and he wasn’t on her radar as anyone but a business partner.

“What did you do?” Natalie asked, her voice soft.

“I told him I would have the baby and give it up for adoption. He signed the paperwork and that was that.”

No one looked convinced by that last statement. Wynn made a circular “go on” sign with her hand.

“My uncle helped me find a nice couple in Los Angeles who wanted to adopt. I went to meet them and liked them a lot. In fact I moved in with them my last few months.”

“That’s where you went!” Pallas sounded triumphant. “I knew you were off doing something but I always assumed you joined a biker gang.”

“Really? A biker gang? Have you ever seen me on a motorcycle?”

“No, but you’d look good on one.”

Silver laughed. “Thank you. Anyway I had the baby and came back here, only I couldn’t seem to get my life together.”

“You were still in love with Drew,” Carol said.

“I was. Eventually I got over him.” She smiled. “Ashley Lauren Grantham-Greene helped. Or maybe it was the car fire. Regardless, I moved on, but...”

She wasn’t sure how to explain what had happened. “Before I figured it all out, I was pretty lost. I ended up going back to LA and living with the couple who adopted Autumn. They eventually divorced, but I stayed close to Leigh, Autumn’s mom. Drew knows about the baby and that I gave her up, but nothing else. Not that I’m still in touch with her.” She paused. “She’s eleven.”

Pallas’s eyes widened. “Oh no, no, no. Your daughter being eleven isn’t the big deal, is it? That’s not why you’re telling us this.” She stared at Renee. “The Great Gatsby wedding.”

Renee’s mouth dropped open. “No way.” She spun to stare at Silver. “Seriously?”

“What are you talking about?” Carol demanded.

Pallas pressed a hand to her chest. “I can’t believe it, but I’m right, aren’t I?” She drew in a breath. “A couple of weeks ago, we had a couple cancel their wedding. It’s too late to do much in the way of refunding them money. Too much had already been ordered. The theme is The Great Gatsby—not my favorite book, but the era is gorgeous and they had such cute ideas for the event.”

“Did they break up?” Bethany asked.

“No. She got pregnant and they eloped. They had thought there would be fertility issues so they were thrilled to be having a baby. Not twenty-four hours later a woman called and asked if there was any chance she could have a wedding this fall. I told her about the cancellation and she was all in.” Pallas returned her attention to Silver. “Her name is Leigh and she has a daughter named Autumn and they’re coming here.”

“I know. I’m going to be the maid of honor.”

Her friends all stared at her. Natalie recovered first. “Just to recap, you and Drew had a baby together and while you gave up the baby for adoption, you stayed close with your daughter and the adoptive mother. All these years later, you’re still close, so close that you’re going to be in the wedding, which is being held here, in town, where you and Drew both live, with the adoptive mother and your daughter with Drew and he doesn’t know a thing. Oh, and you just went into business with him. Do I have that right?”

Things sounded even worse when put like that, Silver thought, not sure if she should laugh or learn to ride a motorcycle and take off on a long road trip.

“That’s pretty much it,” Silver told her. “Except for the part where I’m keeping Autumn for a week or so while her mom goes off on her honeymoon.”

Bethany leaned forward. “Your daughter with Drew, the one he doesn’t know about, is going to be here? In Happily Inc? For a week? With you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Chances are he’s going to notice,” Wynn told her. “I’m just saying.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought, too.”

“So you’re going to have to tell him.”

Something Silver really didn’t want to think about. “That seems to be the most sensible plan.”

Natalie winced. “Um, good luck with that.”

“Thanks.”

Renee picked up her drink. “Amazing. And here I thought life in a small town would be boring.”

* * *

DESPITE LIVING UP in the mountains, Jasper Dembenski didn’t mind New York City. For him the noise quickly faded into the background, and the constant rush of people, cars and buses made it easy to blend in. The street layout made sense to him and he enjoyed walking blocks at a time, rather than taking a cab. And if getting crammed into an elevator with too many people ever got to him, he retreated to the comical irony of his life. He’d been an average kid who had grown up in a town in Montana no one had ever heard of, yet here he was, staying at the Peninsula Hotel and being wined and dined by his publisher. Who would have thought?

He went into the building, signed in with the security guard, then made his way to the bank of elevators. His editor, Sara, a petite, dark-haired woman in her late thirties, met him when he stepped out onto the twenty-second floor.

“You made it,” she said with a smile. “How was your flight?”

“Good. Easy.”

From Happily Inc he could drive to Los Angeles, Phoenix or Las Vegas, and then take a plane pretty much anywhere he wanted. For his trip to New York, he’d chosen to go through Los Angeles. His publisher always booked him first class and put him up at a fancy hotel. There was little to complain about.

“Hank’s already here,” Sara told him. “In the conference room.”

The first time he’d visited his publisher’s offices, he hadn’t known what to expect. He discovered that they were offices, kind of like every other business. Junior employees worked in cubicles and those higher on the food chain had nice private offices with windows. Instead of artwork, there were posters of book covers everywhere, and a gallery of author head shots. Pretty much every bit of wall space had bookshelves overflowing with books, but otherwise, there was little to distinguish this space from, say, an insurance broker.

Paper manuscripts had gone the way of the dinosaur—authors submitted digitally and were edited the same way. Copy edits were done with track changes, as were final page proofs. Cover art, from concept to finished product, was emailed. Jasper had started his writing career with a pad and pencil but had quickly learned if he was going to get serious, he had to work on a computer. Now he couldn’t imagine creating any other way.

“We’re all excited about the book you’re working on,” Sara said, leading him toward one of the conference rooms.

He chuckled. “Is that your not-so-subtle way of asking if I’m going to deliver the book on time?”

Sara smiled. “No, but now that you mention it...” She motioned him into a small conference room. “How is the book going?”

“I’m on track. I should be done in plenty of time.”

“That’s exactly what I want to hear.”

He walked in and shook hands with his agent. Hank was a small, thin man pushing fifty. His unassuming appearance belied his killer instinct. They’d met at the first writer’s conference Jasper had attended. He’d entered a contest where the finalists had their pages read by a New York agent. Hank was way too powerful to judge contests or bother with conferences, but when a junior agent at his firm had been too sick to attend, Hank had volunteered to go in her place. Jasper had won the contest, Hank had read the pages and signed him within a week.

“You made it,” Hank said as they sat down. “Everything good on your flight and with the hotel?”

“Couldn’t be better.”

When Jasper had sold his first book, he’d still been fairly messed up from his time in the army. PTSD, brought on by years of fighting overseas, had a way of doing that to a person. He’d agreed to go on a book tour before realizing what that meant. The itinerary—flying all over the country to speak at bookstores and then sign books—had terrified him. Crowds were tough and airports had been impossible. They’d compromised by spreading out the events and having him drive himself from city to city.

Over the years, he’d gotten better. Flying would never be fun, but he could do it. The same with speaking to a large group. The signings were easy because he liked meeting his readers. But while he’d relaxed into the process, Sara and Hank always monitored him, as if concerned he was going to have an episode at any second. He supposed he was enough of a jerk to kind of enjoy their tension.

One of the assistants brought in coffee. Sara waited until he’d left before speaking.

“You’d mentioned this was the second to the last book in the series,” she began. “Next year you’ll write the last book, then start something new.”

Jasper nodded. “I’ve been playing around with an idea for a military series.”

Hank and Sara glanced at each other. “We’re excited about the idea,” Hank told him. “Are you ready to write it?”

Jasper didn’t think he would ever be ready, but he was starting to think it was time. He’d already created the main character—an amalgamation of three guys he’d known back in Afghanistan. Three good men who had been killed. He wanted to tell their stories without violating their privacy. Creating one character that took the best of each of them solved the problem.

“I’ve got a good handle on what I want to do,” Jasper said. “I’m thinking of an open-ended series. Military crimes, some with a civilian connection.”

Sara’s eyes brightened. “We would love that. You’re the best at what you do. Just to be clear, next year you’ll write the last book in your current series, and then you’ll start the new series after that.”

“Yes.”

Hank leaned forward. “Vidar needs a love interest.”

Jasper resisted rolling his eyes. “So you’ve told me.”

“Hank’s right,” Sara added. “It’s time. You have female readers who adore you, but come on. You need a fully realized woman in one of your books. One who is more than a one-night stand or a victim. It will help you grow as a writer. Vidar falling in love will make readers bond with him more and bring the series to a satisfying conclusion.”

A conversation they’d had before. Jasper knew the argument. Vidar, his ongoing hero, was too one-dimensional. He needed a personal life. A deeper backstory. Less grunts and more conversation.

His argument that the character borrowed heavily from the Norse mythology—the son of Odin and a giantess named Grid, Vidar was silent and known for his physical strength and therefore was unchangeable—was wearing thin.

What he didn’t tell them and would barely admit to himself was his resistance wasn’t about the story. He knew they were right in their assessment of his story arc. The problem was him—he wasn’t sure he knew how to write a woman and he sure as hell couldn’t figure out how anyone fell in love.

“I’ll see what he can do,” he told them.

“Excellent.” Hank nodded. “Now Sara has some interesting ideas about next year’s tour.”

Sara smiled. “I hope you’re going to be excited. We want to do something different.”

Their idea of exciting and his had little in common, he thought, but nodded to show he was willing to listen.

Sara leaned toward him. “We want to send you to Europe. All your publishers there are clamoring to see you. England, France, Spain, Italy and of course Germany.”

“You’re huge in Germany,” Hank reminded him.

“We’re hoping for three weeks.” Her tone was cautious. “If you think you could manage that.”

He’d never been to Europe, he thought. Never thought he’d go. He was fairly sure his passport was out-of-date, but that was easily rectified.

“Make it four weeks so I can have a day or two off in each of the countries,” he told them. “I’d like to look around and see a few things.”

“Excellent.” Sara jotted on her pad of paper. “Now about the US tour. We really want to push the book and have you visit as many of the accounts as possible.” She smiled. “Before you glower at me, we’ve come up with what we think is the perfect solution.”

She pulled a large, glossy brochure from under the pad and handed it to him. Jasper looked at the cover and started to laugh. “Seriously?”

The picture showed a luxury RV on a highway. He turned the page and saw a layout along with a list of amenities.

Sara’s expression was hopeful. “We’d take care of renting the trailer and booking your trailer sites or camping spaces or whatever they’re called. In the big cities like Chicago and St. Louis, you’d leave the trailer parked at the site and stay at a hotel for a couple of days. But most of the time you’d be on your own, driving from place to place. No escort, no airports, no rush. What do you think?”

“How long would you want me to be on tour?”

She worried her lower lip. “Three months?”

It was a long time to be gone, but it wasn’t as if he had a lot waiting for him at home. He thought briefly of Wynn, but theirs was a casual relationship—no promises, no strings. He’d left Happily Inc three days ago and he hadn’t heard from her. He would be gone another couple of weeks and they wouldn’t be in touch until he was home. Like he’d first thought—he was free to do what he wanted.

“Let’s do it,” he told Sara. “I’ll use the road time to get my last book in the series figured out, then go home and write it.”

Hank grinned. “Fantastic. Your sales are going to go through the roof.”

Jasper nodded as if that mattered to him as well, but in truth, the writing was a lot more about keeping the demons at bay and his ability to look himself in the mirror than about any royalty check. The writing had saved him when he’d thought nothing could. Without his stories, he wouldn’t be here today—of that he was sure.

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