The Idea of You (13 page)

“Everything good?” he asked.

“Yep. Just a work thing.”

“How long are you staying?” He hadn't meant to ask, but like so many things he said, the question just fell out of his mouth.

“I'm not sure, but as of right now I don't have any plans to leave.”

He walked to her and snaked his hand around her waist, then pulled her against his chest. “Good.” He kissed her again, this time for much longer and with considerably more heat.

Her fingers twined into the hair at his nape. He loved that sensation. He pretty much loved everything about her, even her unsolicited advice about his family.

When he lifted his head, he looked down at her but was unable to see her eyes because of her sunglasses. Just as she wouldn't be able to see him. Here he was making eye contact, and she couldn't even tell. He nearly laughed. “I'll think about what you said.”

She clasped his hand. “Excellent. Now let's explore the rest of the cemetery. I need to work up an appetite for dinner.”

His cock was at half-staff after kissing her. “I could think of a much better way to do that.”

She grinned. “Me, too, but even I draw the line at doing that in a cemetery.” She lowered her sunglasses from her eyes briefly and waggled her eyebrows. “We'll save it for the apartment.”

“Before or after dinner?”

“Why not both? Come on, I'll race you to the car.”

Apparently she'd changed her mind about seeing the rest of the cemetery. And he didn't mind one bit.

T
HE WIND HAD
picked up in the hours since they'd walked through the cemetery. And the sky had grown overcast. Now it was nearly dark as Alaina pulled her new knit cap lower over her ears and pulled the scarf up to cover her nose. It maybe wasn't
that
cold, but the hat and scarf afforded a great disguise. She didn't want anyone recognizing her.

“It got chilly,” she said to Evan, who walked beside her, holding her hand as they made their way down Ribbon Ridge's main street toward The Arch and Vine. She'd asked if they could get to town a little early so she could peek in the shop windows. They'd parked across the street from a cozy coffee shop and bookstore. Alaina longed to go inside and browse. Curling up in the apartment with a good book on a cold winter night sounded awesome. Even better if she could do it with Evan.

Heh,
do it with Evan
.

She'd
done it
with Evan that afternoon at the apartment, and it had been even better than the first time. They'd been absolutely desperate to get each other's clothes off, and as a result, they hadn't quite gotten naked. They'd also tried at least three different positions. Or maybe it was four. As she started to tally them off in her head, she decided the evening would go better if she wasn't completely horny from the get-go.

They passed a window display of knitted hats, scarves, and a gorgeous blanket in hues of red and purple.

“This is where I got your hat and stuff,” Evan said.

She looked up at the sign hanging over the door. “The Knitty Gritty. Ha! What a fun name. It looks so cute. I've always wanted to take up knitting. My grandmother was really good at it and tried to teach me when I was little, but I wasn't interested.” She regretted that. Where her grandfather was opinionated and righteous, Grandmama had been soft-spoken and kind. She never openly argued with her husband—at least not in front of Alaina—but she always made a point of telling Alaina to take his sermon-like advice with a grain of salt.

“I'm sorry we can't go in since they're closed,” he said. “But we can come back tomorrow if you want.”

“I'll think about it.” Alaina wasn't sure she wanted to chance a second foray into town. One visit was risky enough, and as she eyed a couple walking toward them, she wondered if it had been a stupid idea.

She tensed as they neared the couple, but the strangers only waved and nodded as they continued on their way. “Do you know them?” she asked Evan.

“I don't think so, but everyone's friendly in Ribbon Ridge.”

She relaxed and mentally chastised herself for being automatically distrustful. Not everyone was a rabid paparazzo or a nosy blogger. “And why wouldn't they be friendly? It's just about the cutest town I've ever seen. And so picturesque, with the hills and gorgeous vistas surrounding it. It's postcard perfect.”

He pointed down a street they came to. “The next block there is the park where we hold our annual Oktoberfest, as well as the Ribbon Ridge Festival.”

“Oooh, when's that? Sounds fun.”

“It does?” He slid her a glance and a half-smile. “You don't even know what it involves.”

“No, but I'm already half in love with the town, and how can you go wrong with the word ‘festival'? I'm assuming there's Archer beer, local wine, and lots of great food.”

“That's about it. Plus local artisans selling their stuff and, of course, live music.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a great time. You didn't tell me when it was.”

“July. Why, are you planning to come back?”

“Maybe.” She was beginning to think she ought to buy a house up here. Hadn't she just been thinking she needed a new West Coast retreat away from LA? “Especially if you promise to take me.”

“Uhhhh . . . Those sort of events aren't generally my thing.”

Disappointment stabbed through her chest. She
loved
those sorts of things. A carnival had rolled through Blueville a couple of times when she was a kid, and she'd spent practically every hour of every day just walking around and soaking up the atmosphere and watching the people. She of course hadn't had any money to do much else. She turned her head to look at him. “How come?”

“Too many people. Too much noise. Just
too
.”

She thought of the wine tasting last weekend and how she'd startled him with just a whisper next to his ear. A crowded event was probably torture. “That's a bummer.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Eh, I don't miss it.”

I would.
She tried to picture him at any of the typical events she attended in her professional life. And . . . she couldn't. If she'd decided to do the Oscars, could he have gone as her date? She didn't think he'd want to.

Whoa, take a step back Alaina. You
just
met this guy. You're having fun. You're
not
introducing him to your world. Aside from the fact that he'd probably rather have his fingernails pulled off than deal with the drama of your life, you can't just show up with some guy—he'd be absolutely inundated with intrusive press.

And she wouldn't wish that on her enemy, let alone a guy she really liked.

Besides, it didn't matter since she'd declined the Oscar gig. Crystal had been surprised, and she'd said Isaac was going to be irritated, but Alaina couldn't plan her life around other people's reactions. She'd done that for far too long.

“Let's cross the street here.” He gripped her hand more tightly and looked both ways before leading her across to The Arch and Vine.

Her stomach made a low growl as the scent of food hit her. “I think our afternoon activities made me really hungry.”

He laughed, sending her a quick glance. “Is that right?”

She giggled as they approached the door. An old-fashioned sign, like one that would be seen at a medieval pub in Great Britain, hung over the door, which was surrounded by a stone arch. “Do all of the pubs have arches?”

He let go of her hand and opened the door for her. “Of course.”

She stepped inside to a welcome blast of heat but didn't remove her scarf. Not until they got to the secluded back area.

“Hey there!” Chloe Sumner approached them. Alaina had learned the other night that Chloe waited tables here once in a while and was also the art director for the pubs.

Alaina eyed the trompe l'oeil depicting a medieval street that covered the left-hand wall. “That's incredible. Did you do that?”

Chloe shook her head. “No, that was before my time. Rob's uncle used to be the art director. I've only touched up stuff at the existing pubs. My first stab at creating new stuff will be up at The Alex. I'm starting in the restaurant next week.” She lowered her voice. “I'm a little nervous.”

“I'm sure it'll be gorgeous. I'd love to see what you have planned.”

“Sure. I'd be happy to share. The more feedback I get, the better.”

Alaina laughed. “Oh, I don't know that I have anything valuable to share. I can't draw to save my life! Which is maybe why I appreciate the talent so much.”

“Well, I can't act—I tried in high school, but it was an utter disaster—so we all have our skills.” She grinned at Alaina and tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. “Come on, I'll take you back to your table.”

Alaina retook Evan's hand before following Chloe. The pub wasn't very full, but then, it was Tuesday night. No one paid much attention to them as they passed, which is just the way Alaina liked it.

They moved behind a screen to the corner of the pub. Sean and Tori were already at the table, their backs to the wall. Sean stood. “Hi. Alaina, is that you under there?”

She pulled the scarf away. “Ta-da! Not much of a trick, but it's all I have. I didn't bring any of my wigs or my sunglasses that pretty much cover half my face.” Which had been stupid in retrospect. “I admit I left in kind of a hurry.”

“Please, sit,” Sean said.

Evan held her chair, and she gave him an appreciative glance before she sat down. He was such a gentleman. He'd probably even impress her grandfather. Too bad they'd never meet.

“What do you think of Ribbon Ridge?” Tori asked.

Alaina set her scarf over the back of her chair and pulled off her gloves, then tucked them into her purse, which she also hung over the back of her chair. She toyed with taking off the hat, but decided she just couldn't part with the last bit of her disguise. “It's adorable,” Alaina said. “Evan was telling me about Oktoberfest and the Ribbon Ridge Festival. Sounds fun.”

“You should come back. They're both fantastic, but I'd be remiss in my duties as an Archer if I didn't give the slight edge to Oktoberfest, since it's our event.”

“Having been to Oktoberfest, I can tell you it's incredible,” Sean said. “Kyle's fondue is can't-miss.”

“Yum, I love fondue. Any chance he'll make some while I'm here?”

“Oooh, that's a great idea,” Chloe said. “I'll ask him to do a fondue dinner next Sunday. But that means you have to stay at least that long.”

Alaina was beginning to think she might never leave. She snuck a sideways glance at Evan. He was studying the menu and being typically quiet. She noticed he didn't say much when there were more people around. What she didn't know was whether he took a sideline approach on purpose, for comfort's sake, or if there was some other reason for his disengagement. That maybe wasn't the right word. She
thought
he was engaged, but honestly, she couldn't tell. She made a note to ask him.

She heard Tori laugh softly and turned to see her and Sean with their heads bent together. The moment turned fuzzy, almost surreal, as she pictured herself nestled in this cozy life. Her lips curved into a smile . . .

Hold on
. She existed in a bubble here, and it couldn't go on indefinitely. She had a life in LA, including a fertility doctor who was going to try to knock her up next month. What the hell was she doing?

“What can I get you guys to drink?” Chloe asked.

Alaina snapped out of her delirium and picked up the drink menu. “I don't know.”

“Should we get a pitcher?” Sean suggested. “Tori and I are thinking Nock.”

A porter. That sounded heavy to Alaina right now. Actually, beer in general sounded heavy. “I'm not really in the mood for beer, but don't let me stop you.”

“I'm getting Crossbow,” Evan said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

Chloe pointed at something called Maid Marian on Alaina's drink menu. “This is a semisweet hard apple cider, if you like that.”

“Sounds great. Yes, please.” Alaina set the placard down.

“What about a starter? Nachos, hummus plate? Kyle started making the hummus last fall, and since we switched to his recipe, it's one of the most popular items on the menu.”

Alaina was starving. “Sounds fabulous. Though, you probably could've suggested braised tire, and I would've asked you to bring an order.”

Everyone except Evan laughed, and Chloe took off.

Alaina wanted to ask if he was okay, but she didn't want to draw attention to his behavior, especially since Tori and Sean seemed oblivious. Was that because they were too involved in each other or because Tori knew her brother well enough to realize nothing was amiss?

Damn it, she needed to stop overanalyzing everything! Otherwise she was going to find herself in over her head. She didn't have time for that.

Her eye caught the bottle of ketchup on the table. The label read “Portland Ketchup” and featured a picture of a rose. Portland, she'd learned, was the City of Roses and held an annual Rose Festival in the spring. “Is that good ketchup?” she asked no one in particular.

“It's fantastic,” Sean said. “Best ketchup I've ever had, and I didn't even like ketchup before I started eating here. Goes great on their signature seasoned tater tots.”

“Then I definitely need some to take back to my assistant. She's a ketchup fiend.” Crystal was going to be beside herself to find a new variety of ketchup. “Festivals, amazing ketchup . . . What else is cool about Ribbon Ridge?”

“So many things—but you have to like small towns,” Sean said, his eyes lighting. “Although, Portland isn't far and it has everything you need. Honestly, Ribbon Ridge is perfectly located—an hour to the ocean, an hour and a half to the mountains and skiing, wine tasting in our backyard, and forty-five minutes to the best restaurant scene west of the Mississippi. Hell, maybe the entire continent.”

Alaina grinned at him. “You're head over heels for the place, Sean. I'm shocked. You loved LA.”

“I loved LA after spending my life in England. However, a few years in LA will cure you of the crush. But that's just me. You've been in LA over a decade, right?”

“Twelve years.” She'd left Blueville as soon as she could, and she hadn't looked back. “But my reasons for loving LA are less geographic and more opportunistic. It changed my life.”

Tori leaned forward. “Really, how?”

Evan surprised Alaina when he answered. “She grew up in a crappy town, in an even crappier house, with an even crappier family. The life she found in La-La Land was about as far from her roots as you can get.”

Tori blinked and then shifted her gaze to Alaina. “Is that right?”

Alaina maybe wouldn't have shared it quite like that, but she didn't say so. “Yep, that's the
Reader's Digest
version.”

Sean knew a little bit about her background, but not as much as she'd told Evan. As a matter of fact, she'd told Evan more than she'd ever revealed to anyone besides Crystal. Oh, the press had tried to uncover whatever they could—they knew her father had a criminal record, since those things were impossible to bury, and they knew her grandfather was a pastor. They didn't, however, know what it was like to grow up with him or her mother or why Alaina kept her distance from both of them.