You're Still the One (10 page)

He grinned in return. “The Archers have that covered, if necessary.”

Of course they did. They thought of everything. Bex turned from the bar and was approached by one of the servers bearing a tray of lobster puffs. Bex helped herself and nearly moaned in delight. Kyle was a wicked chef.

Suddenly, people started moving to the tables to sit down. Nothing was announced, but Sara and Dylan sat, and everyone knew to follow suit.

Bex looked for the nearest table, which had six chairs, and found a seat. Cameron Westcott came up beside her. “Mind if I sit here?”

She glanced around, wondering if it meant Hayden would sit there too, but she didn't see him. “Sure.”

A tall redhead walked up to the chair on Bex's other side, at the end of the table. “Is this seat available?”

Bex didn't know the woman, but that didn't matter. “Yes.”

“Hey, Sabrina,” Cameron said. “Do you know Bex Holmgren?”

Sabrina sat down and offered her hand to Bex. “No, we haven't met. Hi, I'm Sabrina Davies, Dylan's sister. Half-sister.”

Bex knew the basics of Dylan's family. His parents had divorced when he was very young, and each had remarried and started new families. His dad and new wife had raised three boys—the Westcotts—while his mom and her husband had just one child, Sabrina. Sabrina and her folks lived in the nearby town of Newberg, while the Westcotts lived in Ribbon Ridge. Bex had met all three Westcott boys, and had gotten to know Cameron quite well since he was Hayden's best friend, but she'd never met Sabrina.

Bex shook the younger woman's hand. “It's nice to meet you. You're a snowboarder, right?”

She nodded, smiling. “Yep. Training for the X Games in January, and of course South Korea.”

Bex recalled hearing that Sabrina had missed the last Olympics due to an injury. “How's that going?”

“Great. I'm training up on Mount Hood right now. Best summer skiing in the country.”

Bex knew that of course. But she'd done all of her snow sports on Mount Bachelor since moving to Bend after her parents' divorce. She loved being outdoors, and Oregon's climate pretty much allowed her to be year-round. “Sounds awesome. I haven't gotten to ski or board as much as I'd like the past few years because of work.”

“Come up to Palmer this summer,” Sabrina offered enthusiastically. “It's a great time.”

“I'd love to.” But she was pretty sure she'd be too busy working. It would be hard enough to pull off the hike she wanted to do at the end of the month.

“Don't plan on keeping up with her,” Cameron said. “I've tried. It's impossible. And I'm no slouch.”

Bex remembered. She'd been skiing with him once before. She, Hayden, Cameron, and his then girlfriend had spent the weekend at the Archers' cabin on Mount Hood. Bex tried to recall Cameron's ex's name, but couldn't. She could see her short, dark hair and sassy smile—she'd been a lot of fun. Crap, now that she thought about it, they'd broken up not long after that ski trip, and it had been messy. Messier than hers and Hayden's, in fact. She decided not to mention that trip.

Tables started to fill up. Liam and Aubrey took the two seats on the other side of the table, which left one lone chair at the other end, between Cameron and Liam. Naturally, it was Hayden who appeared behind it. He looked extra sexy tonight in a French blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to midforearm and crisp khakis. “Looks like this is my seat.”

Bex glanced around, and it did appear as if there weren't any others available. Her pulse sped a little faster at the prospect of having dinner with him, which was dumb. Nevertheless, she seemed unable to quell her excitement, interest, awareness . . . whatever it was that she felt when he was near.

Cameron picked up his beer to take a drink. “Have a seat, bro.”

Dylan stood and thanked everyone for coming then encouraged the group to enjoy Kyle's delicious food. Servers appeared and began distributing salads. Bex took a drink of her mojito as their table was served.

“Looks good,” Liam said. “But then I expected nothing less from Kyle.”

Everyone dug in for a moment, and there seemed to be a collective sigh followed by a stream of compliments. Bex could hardly wait to add her contribution to the menu here.

As if he'd read her mind, Cameron asked, “So, you're making the beer here now?”

“Monday morning. I can't wait to get started.”

“How long does that take?” Sabrina asked between bites of salad. “I mean, what's the time frame on brewing the beer?”

“It depends on whether it's an ale or a lager—ales ferment at a higher temperature and finish faster. Lagers are made cooler and take a bit longer.” Bex purposely kept her description basic. She could delve into an hour-long lecture about brewing, but this wasn't the appropriate venue. “Ales can be done in under two weeks.”

Aubrey had listened to her intently and now asked, “How many varieties do you think you'll have for the opening?”

Bex had spoken to Rob about which beers would be brewed down at The Arch and Vine and trucked up here and which ones she'd brew on site. “I'm going to get Crossbow, Longbow, and Shaft from The Arch and Vine because they have a larger facility. Plus, as long as they're making it, they might as well brew enough for us. I'll make some of the other Archer varieties up here—Robin Hood, Arrowhead, Will Scarlett, Feather, and seasonals.”

“But you're making something special for the opening, right?” Hayden asked, sparking a thrill in her belly.

She'd seen him only in passing since he'd helped her out in the brewhouse the other day. “I am.”

Hayden had his right hand wrapped around the base of his pint glass. Her eye went to his right ring finger. It was now bare, but once he'd worn a silver band she'd given him on their first anniversary. It hadn't really carried any sentimental meaning. He'd mentioned once that he might like to wear a ring, so she'd bought him one. She had no idea what had happened to it and wondered if he'd thrown it away after she'd left. Whereas she still had the arrow necklace he'd given her on their second Christmas together as well as the gold and opal bracelet from when they'd moved in together—not that she'd dare wear them. She'd considered selling them a time or two, but could never seem to part with them.

Hayden's lips curved into a half-smile, and she was glad her reaction was completely internal. At least she hoped it was. He was as attractive as ever, maybe even more now. He had a different air about him, something very masculine and incredibly sexy. “Are you going to tell us, or is it a surprise?”

What had they been talking about? Her beer, right. “I'm not quite ready to share, but I have a few recipes I'll be cooking up.”

Liam laid his hand against his chest and arched a brow at her. “May I present myself as a tasting guinea pig?” He grinned before touching his fiancée's shoulder. “I think Aubrey would probably like to volunteer, too.”

Aubrey nodded vigorously. “Absolutely. Just tell me when and where.”

Bex laughed. “You got it.”

“No fair,” Sabrina said. “I'll be back on Mount Hood.”

“Well, that's closer than France,” Cameron said, casting a look at Hayden. “Bex, I'll also throw my hat in the ring for tasting help.”

“Thanks.” She glanced at Hayden. “Hayden, you're welcome to taste too—you're staying through the soft open, right?”

He nodded. “Yep.”

Almost three weeks. She could bury her reemerging feelings for three weeks.

Sabrina took a sip of her wine and set the glass back on the table. “Hey, Liam, I invited Bex to come up to Palmer this summer. You should come, too. No heli-skiing though.” She flashed him a teasing grin.

Bex was confused for a moment then recalled that Liam had been injured in a heli-skiing accident last winter. He was a total adrenaline junkie. She'd always wanted to go skydiving with him. Maybe now she could since they were both living in Ribbon Ridge.

Aubrey put her arm around Liam. “Ha! I don't think so. Liam's cut back on his thrill seeking by half.”

Liam turned a grin on her. “Had to. I've got plenty of thrills right here.” The look they exchanged was hotter than the asphalt in the parking lot this afternoon. Bex felt a pang of envy.

Cameron coughed, and it sounded suspiciously like, “Get a room.” This was met with laughter, especially from Liam and Aubrey.

The servers picked up their salad dishes and quickly brought out the main course after obtaining everyone's preferences. They had to choose between a mushroom gnocchi, salmon with prosciutto butter, and pork with gorgonzola polenta. Bex had a hard time deciding, but ultimately went with the salmon. She consoled herself with the fact that she'd eventually taste everything on the menu—assuming these dishes made it past tonight's trial.

Aubrey tasted her pork and closed her eyes. “Oh my God, this is amazing. Liam, I hate to admit this, but I'm only with you because your brother makes such fantastic food.”

“I think I'm going to marry this salmon,” Bex said. Marry? Really? She flicked a glance at Hayden, but he was busy eating his pork.

Liam swiped a napkin over his lips. “So Bex, Tori tells me you've become quite the hiker in the past few years. What are you up to this summer? Maybe Aubrey and I could tag along. We decided that's an activity we can both enjoy, since she sort of hates the idea of flinging herself out of a plane.”

“I'd love to do that,” Bex said. “I'll take you guys hiking if you take me on a jump.”

“Deal.”

Hayden looked at his brother. “Yeah, I heard you took Kyle, Derek, and Sean. I feel kind of left out.”

“I'll take you up tomorrow, just say the word.”

Aubrey gently elbowed Liam. “Duh, your sister's getting married tomorrow.”

Liam winked at the table at large. “Right. Not tomorrow then.” He leaned toward Hayden and stage-whispered. “Sunday's good.”

Hayden chuckled at Liam. “I'll think about that.”

Liam flicked a questioning glance toward Bex, nonverbally asking if she was in for Sunday, but she didn't say anything. Going skydiving with Hayden seemed like a bad idea, given this crush she seemed to have going. Crush? Were they twelve?

Liam swallowed a bite of salmon before asking, “Bex, what do you recommend for our first hike?”

“Depends on what you're up for. I'm going to do Slide Mountain, that's west of McMinnville, at the end of the month if I can squeeze it in.”

Liam looked at Aubrey, who lifted a shoulder in response. They seemed to have a conversation without saying a word. Liam smiled at Bex. “Would you mind if we joined you?”

Bex preferred to go with a group. “Not at all.”

“Is there a place to camp?” Aubrey asked. “We could make it an overnight.”

Bex had researched the hike, and it seemed there was a primitive site with a fire ring, but nothing else. “Yes, but we'll have to pack everything we need, including water, tents,
everything
.” She was prepared for that, but didn't know if they would be. Who was she kidding? If anyone was ready for that, it would be Liam Archer.

“If it's warm enough, we may not even need tents,” Liam said. “Might be fun to just sleep under the stars.”

“Well, now I might have to come down off the mountain for this!” Sabrina said.

Cameron nodded in agreement. “Yeah, this might need to be a group excursion.”

Hayden cleared his throat. “I hate to be Debbie Downer, but that's right before the soft open here. Will there really be time for an overnight camping trip?”

Liam flashed him a smile. “Listen to you, being all responsible. I think we can manage. It'll be good for us to get away before the craziness really starts anyway. Besides, isn't this supposed to be your vacation? So far we've put you to work! You need to have some fun, too.”

“An excellent point,” Cameron said, glancing toward Hayden. “You deserve a weekend of fun with your family and friends. And anyway, I have no problem going at the end of the month.” He winked at Bex.

If she'd been anyone else, she might've thought that Cameron was flirting with her. But there was no way he'd do that with his best friend's ex, even though they'd broken up five years ago.

Bex finished the rest of her mojito and decided to have one more. “Be right back. I need a refill.” She stood and turned toward the bar.

Cameron joined her a moment later with his empty pint glass. “I needed another, too.”

Bex looked back toward the table. The others were engaged in conversation. Hayden laughed at something Liam said. Did he suddenly look more relaxed now that Bex had left, or was that her ridiculous imagination seeing things that simply didn't exist?

“Uh-oh.”

Startled by Cameron's utterance, Bex turned her head to look at him. “What?”

He studied her for a moment. “Nothing.” He nodded toward Miguel. “Another pint of Robin Hood, please. And she'll have another mojito.”

Miguel smiled at Bex. “Glad you liked it.” He went to take care of their drinks, leaving them alone.

Bex stared at Cameron. Why had he said “uh-oh?” She'd been looking at Hayden . . . Did he see something she'd been hoping to conceal? Gah, no! There was nothing. Just a haunting sense of nostalgia about a relationship that was long dead.

Cameron rested his hand on the bar and gave her a sidelong look. “I don't know if you're aware of this, but Hayden was hung up on you for a long time.”

Bex's insides curled. He'd been devastated when she'd left. But she hadn't been able to stay after losing the baby. Factor that in with Hayden's guilt and disappointment and his family's overwhelming closeness, and Bex had packed up and left within a week. It hadn't been easy. She'd still loved him on some level. But sometimes love wasn't enough.