“You look well.”
“I feel well,” I responded, but I realized that might seem callous. “Except for—”
“Stop, Noah. I don’t need you to pretend you’re upset. I’ll be sad enough for the both of us. I’m just glad you’re here. Your brothers and sister need you. I need you.”
I looked to Brianna, who was nodding at me, and smiled. “Then I’m happy to be here.”
“Good. Did you already stop by the house and drop your things off?”
I hadn’t, actually. I’d come straight here, since I’d already missed the funeral, but it didn’t matter anyway. There was no way I was going to stay in his house ever again.
“I came straight from the airport.”
“You must be exhausted.”
I smirked. “I thought you said I looked well.”
“You do. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t tired.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll catch up on sleep tonight. I just wanted to be here and make sure you’re okay.” I also needed to see if there was a room in town that I could book at the last minute.
“I appreciate that. Did you see your brothers on the way in?”
“Ryan, yes. I haven’t seen Justin yet, though. Bree said he was down at—”
“Gallagher’s.”
At the sound of a fourth voice entering the conversation, we all turned to see Justin standing in the doorway with his hands shoved in his pockets and his eyes narrowed on me.
“Well, if it isn’t my big brother Noah. At least, I think you’re Noah, right? I haven’t seen you in… Actually, I can’t remember the last time I saw you. Nice to know you at least come home for a death in the family.”
“Justin,” Mom said from behind me.
“What? It’s true. The last time I saw him I was, what? In high school.”
The words were thrown out as though he didn’t give a shit one way or another, but the icy undertone spoke volumes. There was true resentment there, and I couldn’t blame him one bit.
“If anyone wants me, I’ll be looking for some booze to finish the job I started on my way over here.”
As he turned and left the room, I had an insane urge to go with him. A few drinks sounded like heaven about now, but I doubted he’d want my company. Brianna looked between Mom and me, and it was clear she wanted to go after him. I knew from our emails that the two of them were close, and when Mom nodded, Brianna dashed out of the room, leaving the two of us in her wake.
I could hear the sounds of voices traveling up the stairs, and as we stood there, my mother did something she hadn’t done in years. She reached for my hand and squeezed. A silent symbol of strength and solidarity, one I’d always cherished and one I hadn’t realized I’d missed, or needed, until this very moment.
4
Laurel
“THERE YOU ARE, hon. I’ve been looking for you all over.”
So much for my stealthy re-entrance. I should’ve known that Miss Betty would spot me trying to sneak my way back inside. She had a knack for these kinds of things, and a nose for gossip.
“Here I am.” I plastered on my best hostess smile and hoped she didn’t see right through it. “Is there, ah, something I can get for you?”
Betty patted my arm, regaining my attention. “I was just coming to tell you that the quiches are almost out.”
“Oh. Okay, thanks. I’ll get one of the girls to bring some more out.”
“Mhmm, that’s a great idea. And also, he went upstairs to see his mother.”
I blinked at the quick change of topic. “Who did?”
A sly smile curved Betty’s lips. “Don’t you try that with me, young lady. You know exactly who I’m talking about.”
I opened my mouth to deny her claim, and she looked toward the hallway leading out of the tasting room.
“He was a heartbreaker at seventeen, but now?” Betty leaned in as though imparting a state secret. “That boy grew into all kinds of tall, dark, and delicious.”
Betty fanned her face as she continued to look down the hall, as though Noah would reappear at any moment. I, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to get out of there for the exact same reason.
“Uh, I’ll take your word for it.” I went to pull my arm free and make a run for it, but Betty was a step ahead of me. She tightened her fingers around my wrist and leaned into my side. All the while, her eyes were glued to the doorway.
“You two were so in love back in the day. There was never a minute one of you was without the other.”
No kidding.
“I really thought you’d end up married, you know? Have a couple of kids together, and one day run this place. It just seemed like destiny. Until…”
Yes…until. That was the problem with this little story. It held up really well, until that part right there.
“Betty?” I gently removed my arm from her grip, and this time made sure to move out of her reach. “I’m going to go and get some more of those quiches moving out of the kitchen. I’ll catch up with you a little later?”
“Of course, dear. Don’t let me hold you up.”
With a final smile in her direction, I made a quick dash through the door and hightailed it into the kitchen, which, I was happy to note, was empty. After the door swung shut behind me, I leaned against it and breathed a sigh of relief.
This was insane. My stomach was a wreck, and my hands? I held them up in front of me. They were shaking like leaves on a tree. I needed to pull myself together if I had a hope in hell of getting through the next couple of hours. But until then, maybe I could hide in here for a few minutes.
Pushing off the door, I made my way over to the fridge to get the next tray of finger food for the oven, then I heard movement from the wine cellar. Thinking it was Bree trying to sneak that bottle of scotch again, I headed over there to stop her at the pass.
I pushed through the door, and just as I was about to give my well-practiced speech about underage drinking, my eyes landed on a broad set of shoulders that definitely did not belong to Brianna Chamberlin.
The cellar door clicked shut behind me, and when the man turned to see who had entered his space, the breath I’d finally gotten under control once again lodged itself in the back of my throat.
Good God, the glimpse I’d gotten of Noah earlier was nothing compared to him standing in front of me with a wine bottle in his hand, and as much as I hated to admit it, Miss Betty was right. He was the very definition of tall, dark, and delicious, and when those rich caramel-colored eyes found mine, I had to reach for the door handle just to be certain I wouldn’t fall at his feet.
“Laurel Anderson.”
My heart all but stopped at the sound of my name in that smooth, seductive timbre, and my fingers tightened on the handle.
“Hi.” Brilliant. After all these years, that was what came out of my mouth.
A smile slowly curved his lips, as though he knew I was tongue-tied, and I wanted to kick myself—or him—for it.
“Hi yourself.”
I swallowed and tried to remember that somewhere inside my head I possessed a brain. Now if I could just locate it, that would be fantastic. “I, uh, I didn’t know you were coming today.”