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table. Of Mary, which would totally bum him out.
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“That’s Cal. He’s Mary’s older brother. He’s with the pretty
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blonde sitting across from him with the other blond guy. He’s
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with her too. And with Cal.”
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This was the second triad he’d learned of in this group. Was
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it something in the water?
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Big brother stares . . . Ah well, he’d had more than one in his
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lifetime. And this woman was clearly capable of handling her-
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self anyway.
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“Would you like a drink, Mary?” He stood.
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“Yes, I would, thanks.” She stood as well and he couldn’t
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resist a leisurely tour from the toes of her shoes, up a pair of
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shapely legs over the breasts— good god, the breasts— the long
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neck and to her face. Gracious.
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“The bar is over there.” Mary indicated the opposite side of
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the yard before she took his arm.
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“Did you always know you wanted to be a musician like
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Adrian and his sister?”
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“My eldest brother Ezra works the ranch with my father.
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He’d bribe me and my brothers to do chores with the promise
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of being able to use the barn to practice music in. ’Course he
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was a wild one too, Ezra.” He’d been in the band for a few years.
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But the road, the life wasn’t meant for everyone. Ezra’s demons
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had been rehab sized and he’d retired from the band to save his
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life.
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Last year they’d renovated that barn and made it into a home
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studio.
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“My parents are musical. They sang in the choir. My dad
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plays piano and guitar. They got me drums. Well, actually, my
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uncle got me drums to punish my dad.” He laughed, pausing as
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they got to the bar.
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She ordered a beer and he wasn’t sure why, but he was charmed
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by that. He especially liked that she left a tip. He’d worked as
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a server and at parties like this one and had people treat him
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like crap. From then on, he’d always tipped generously.
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“Anyway, so we lived in the country so it wasn’t like we could
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get up to trouble anywhere else. So we rode horses and motor-
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cycles and then when I was nineteen, Paddy— that’s my next
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eldest brother— and Ezra started a band for real. Vaughan and
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me, well we just went along because why not? Once we were all
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of age, we played shitty clubs and couch surfed and then my
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mother showed up and would spend a few months at a time with
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us. She’d rent a house and feed us, take care of stuff for us while 21
we tried to hit it big. And then we did.”
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“I like your mom already.”
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“She’s pretty impossible not to like. She’d pester you until
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you at least faked it. We wanted her to manage us but she
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refused. But she helped us fi nd someone. That’s how we met
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Adrian and Erin, actually; we share a manager. To this day our
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mom keeps an eye on our manager and the money people. She’s
28S
smart about making sure we save for retirement and all that too.”
29N
Mary had to admit she liked that he seemed close with his
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family. Her perception of musicians, especially at his and Adri-
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an’s level, used to be that of spoiled, self- centered jerks, but all 02
the ones she’d actually met had been lovely and warm. Centered,
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even.
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“What about you? Has this been a lifelong thing? Cooking?”
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“I’ve always liked to cook. When I was little I used to make
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snacks for my brothers to get them to let me play with them. Of
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course later I fi gured out they got into a lot more trouble than I 08
did, so playing with them involved punishment and/ or injuries. My
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god. The stuff they used to do.” She rolled her eyes.
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“Anyway, it became a way for me to pay for things I wanted.
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Then I started these dinners at my house. One day a month. Peo-
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ple kept saying they thought I should go into business. I started
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to believe it. First I had a food truck, which taught me a lot
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about business and dealing with regulations and all that. The
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dinner club grew more and more popular. I started getting a
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few catering jobs, which began to multiply. So I quit the truck
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and put down roots in a shop I share with my friend Jules. It’s
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her shop actually and, oh my god, you just asked a simple ques-
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tion and here I go. Sorry, I talk a lot.”
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“I like to hear you talk, so that’s a win. How about we sit
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over here and look out over the party and you can tell me more.
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Jules is the blonde with your brother, who was staring daggers
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at me earlier, right?”
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She laughed. “He was? Oh, he’s so silly. But he’s my brother.
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My other one probably did too, but he’s wilier than Cal.”
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He pulled a chair out for her and she sat, happy to be off her
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feet ’cause the heels she had on were pretty and all, but they
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hurt like hell.
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“So hang on one sec.” He dashed off, returning with a tray
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fi lled with all sorts of small plates. “I’m starving so I fi gured we 03
could eat your food while you tell me the rest.”
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She sipped her beer. “I warned you. By the way, that sauce
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there”—she pointed—“is perfect to put on top of the straw-
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berries.”
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He tried it and nodded. “What is this deliciousness?”
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“Roasted strawberries with balsamic reduction. You like?”
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“Hell yes, I like. Now, you started working from a shop.
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Continue. I’ll be eating and listening.”
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“She runs a bakery called Tart. Probably, as you can fi gure
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out, the best tarts you’ve ever tasted, along with a variety of
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other awesome baked goods. So I put out some stuff from that
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evening’s catering gigs if I have extra so people can buy it along
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with her pastry. I also moved my supper club to that space twice
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a week and we’re fully booked for the next fi ve months. So sud-
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denly I’m very busy, but really excited about the prospects. It
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doesn’t hurt that my friend is marrying a rock star who gives
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my card to all sorts of people who like to throw catered dinners.”
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“Wow. That’s amazing. Congratulations.”
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“Thank you. To you as well.”
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Music started up in the background and he shoved a few
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mushrooms into his mouth. “I’ve got to run. We’re doing a lit-
24
tle something for Miles. He wanted to do a warm-up. You know,
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before the wedding. Which is a secret, so, god, don’t tell Gillian.”
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“I can’t wait to hear it. And, of course, your secret is safe.
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Gillian will be so pleased.”
28S
It wasn’t something she’d really shared with Gillian, but she
29N
did love to watch a man at his art. Be it painting, dance, food
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or music. The sight of Damien up there as he got behind his
01
drum kit made her tingly and a little wet.
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He rolled his sleeves up before picking up the sticks, waiting
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for Adrian as he spoke and addressed the crowd and his fi ancée.
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Gillian, Daisy and Jules stood to her left as they all watched.
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She was glad she wore the waterproof mascara too, because
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Adrian and Miles pulled out all the stops, showering Gillian with
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love. What they had planned for the wedding would be even
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more sniffl e- worthy. Mary knew it would be a two- hanky day.
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“You’re so lucky.” Mary leaned in to kiss Gillian’s cheek.
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“I am, yes.” Gillian sniffed, dabbing her eyes with a hand-
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kerchief. “Thank you for being here to share it with me.”
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“Where else on Earth would I be?”
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It wasn’t his party. But he liked playing with Mary watching
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anyway. He liked the way she cocked her head, the sway of her
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hips. Sensual. Playing music always made him think of sex, and
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while he did, he watched her watch him.
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And imagined fucking the hell out of Ms. Mary Whaley.
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Sadly, they hadn’t any more time to really chat as the party
21
went on but they were never alone after that.
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He kissed her cheek as he left, liking the way she blushed.
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“See you next month at the wedding?”
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“Defi nitely. I’m in it and you’ll be eating my food too.”
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“Two great reasons to come back to Bainbridge then.”
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hat dress makes you look so sexy.” Daisy winked as she
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gave Mary an up- and- down look.
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Mary laughed, giving herself one last glance in the
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mirror. They were getting dressed for the wedding, which would
20
start in an hour. Gillian was getting her makeup done and the
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rest of the bridal party sat around talking and laughing.
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“Yeah?”
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“Double yeah. The drummer’s gonna love it.”
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“I didn’t choose this dress for him.” This was technically
25
true because the dress was one they all wore as bridesmaids in
26
the wedding. Daisy had one on too. As did Jules and Erin, Adri-
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an’s sister.
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“Gurl, I saw him looking at you. He wants to take a bite.
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And you should let him.”
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“Daisy, I think you should take a class on how to say what
04
you really feel. You’re so shy.”
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Daisy laughed. “I’d try to fi x you up with Levi’s older brother
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Jonah, but I think he’s an even bigger handful than Levi and you
07
already have a full- time job. But a little rock- star action sure 08
has done wonders for Gillian. Why not you?”
09
Mary shook her head, trying not to laugh. “You have a one-
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track mind.”
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“Because I’m getting some on the regular- like.”
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“As it happens”—Mary looked around—“he’s pretty smok-
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ing hot.”
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Daisy clapped her hands, her eyes lit with mischief. “I
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knew it!”
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“’Course you did. I told you.”
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“Well, you said he was cute and you two had sparks. You
18
gonna get some today?”
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“I’m a little busy today, it being my friend’s wedding and all.”
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“So I guess you don’t need to know he was asking about you
21
earlier.”
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Mary narrowed her eyes. “He was?”
23
“I was in the kitchen grabbing some coffee when he came
24
through with Adrian. Asked all casual and stuff,
‘Hey, anyone
25
seen Mary around?’
I told him you were obsessively scaring