Born to Be Wild: Welcome to Paradise, Book 3 (10 page)

So why did her visible reluctance cut him to the core?

“You’re right, dumb idea,” he mumbled. “My mom’s waiting, so you should probably go.”

She touched his arm before he could dart off, her fingers curling over his sleeve and sending a jolt of heat to his biceps. “Thanks for the offer,” she said gently, “but you know that’s not what this is about. We’re not dating, Jake. We’re just…”

“Fucking,” he finished in a flat tone. Realizing he sounded like a sulky loser, he cleared his throat and flashed her a grin. “I was looking for a way to thank you for being there for my mom, but you’re right, dating isn’t our thing. I’ll just show you some gratitude later. In bed.”

The relief that flooded her gaze stung. “I’ll come over tonight,” she said.

And then she bounded off toward her car.

She hadn’t kissed him goodbye.

Jake tried not to dwell on that as he stood there watching Bree and his mom drive away, but for some reason, her hurried departure made his chest feel tight again.

Get a grip, Bishop. You’re already screwing her. What do you need to date her for?

Clinging to that thought, Jake entered the house and closed the door, then headed to the kitchen to clean up the remains of that disastrous intervention.

“This is a bad idea,” Bree told her mother as they exited the grocery store. “You know that, right?”

As usual, Barbara Lockhart dismissed any criticism directed her way. “It will be lovely, sweetheart. Your father and the mayor had a very pleasant discussion during the charity event.”

“Dad hates the mayor,” Bree replied. She juggled the grocery bags to her other hand and clicked on the electronic remote to unlock her car. Her mother, of course, hadn’t offered to carry any of the bags, nor did she help Bree load them into the trunk of the Lexus.

“They’ve been getting along splendidly the past couple of years,” Barbara said. Her blue eyes darkened with displeasure. “Which you would know, if you came home more often.”

Bree ignored the barb. When it came to pleasing her parents, she was in a no-win situation. If she came home too frequently, they ragged her about not working hard enough to be successful. If she stayed away, they complained she worked too much.

“I still don’t see how a Lockhart-Price dinner can possibly go smoothly,” she answered as she closed the trunk and returned to the sidewalk.

She and her mother had spent the afternoon in town, making arrangements for the big dinner Bree was only now hearing about. Maybe she
hadn’t
been visiting frequently enough, if Tanner Lockhart and Brandon Price were suddenly bosom buddies. The two families despised each other, thanks to some ancient beef between the founding fathers. Bree had been raised to loathe the Prices, and she and Lexie had barely spoken to each other during high school. Nowadays, she didn’t have anything against Lexie or the Price family, but it still surprised her to hear that her parents had buried the hatchet with their rivals.

“Dinner will be lovely,” her mother repeated. She squinted, glancing up and down Main Street before giving a brisk nod. “I need to place an order for a centerpiece. I believe the mayor’s wife favors lilies.”

Bree sighed as she trailed her mother toward the cobblestone pedestrian crosswalk. She suddenly wished she’d gone back to Jake’s after dropping his mother off. That had been the original plan, at least before he’d thrown her for a loop by asking her out.

What was up with that? Dinner? Suggesting they watch a
movie
? The blowout with Della and Austin must have taken a real toll on him if he was actually suggesting they engage in couple activities. In the short time they’d spent together twelve years ago, Bree had come to know Jake Bishop very well. She’d discovered he was arrogant. A risk-taker. Hotheaded. That he bored easily. And during their entire involvement, he hadn’t once suggested they do anything other than fuck.

Lovesick idiot that she’d been, she’d mistaken sex for intimacy, but it wasn’t until he’d broken things off that she’d realized she and Jake had been nothing but strangers. Strangers who happened to spend a lot of time naked.

That hadn’t changed now that they’d rekindled their affair. Take this morning for instance—he’d completely shut down when she’d asked for a few measly details about his army career. His inability to talk about himself, to share even a sliver of his life with her, told her that Jake Bishop hadn’t changed in the slightest.

Good in bed? Check.

A fun time? Check.

Boyfriend material? No way.

“I’ll meet you in a few minutes,” Bree said when she and Barbara neared the florist’s. “I need to pop into the drugstore to buy some shampoo.”

With a nod, Barbara wandered off.

Bree headed in the opposite direction toward the drugstore. Halfway there, she stopped in her tracks, her gaze landing on the blue pickup truck parked across the street. Same truck that Austin Bishop had driven over to Jake’s in. She glanced from the truck to Bishop’s Corner, the pub Nate had taken over after Henry Bishop died. Jake had mentioned that Austin was running the bar in Nate’s absence, and she found herself hesitating as she stood there in the middle of the sidewalk.

None of your business. Go buy some shampoo.

Yeah, that was probably the smart thing to do.

But…

Damn it, she couldn’t erase that heartbreaking conversation with Della Bishop from her mind. The woman’s teary confession had shocked Bree into speechlessness, and though she’d promised the older woman she wouldn’t breathe a word of it to Jake, Della hadn’t told her she couldn’t talk to Austin…

Without allowing herself to question her actions, she darted across the street and made a beeline for the pub. This was probably a bad idea, but she couldn’t let this go, not when she knew how badly Austin must be hurting right now. And just because she was determined to keep this thing between Jake light and casual didn’t mean she couldn’t look out for his baby brother.

The bar was pretty much deserted when she walked in. Two older men were holed up in one of the red vinyl booths spanning the far wall, but the stools lining the long bar counter were void of customers. Austin stood behind the counter, his elbows resting on the sleek wood, his gaze blank.

He blinked when she entered, eyes focusing, and his mouth instantly curled into a frown.

She offered a timid smile. “I come in peace.”

Although he looked less than thrilled to see her, his tone remained polite as he said, “What’s up, Bree?”

“I wanted to apologize for springing that lunch on you,” she said. She cast a discreet look at the men in the booth. “Can we talk in private for a moment?”

After a second, he nodded.

Bree followed him to the back room, which was full of wooden pallets stacked high with beer and liquor cases. Since the room functioned as a cooler, the temperature was chilly, and her breath left white puffs in the air.

Austin leaned against one of the pallets, his thick biceps flexing as he rested it on a case of Bud Light.
 

She studied him for a moment, noticing just how handsome he’d become. He’d been gangly as a kid, but now boasted a lean, muscular body, washboard abs rippling beneath his snug black T-shirt and long legs that looked as good as Jake’s in a pair of faded jeans. He was as handsome as his brothers, though his features leaned toward classically chiseled rather than the ruggedness of the older Bishops. The dark hair was the same chocolaty color as Jake’s, but Austin lacked the trademark Bishop gray eyes; his were the most interesting shade of green, an earthy moss with flecks of lime and whiskey around the pupils.

Bree stared into those gorgeous green depths and said, “I spoke to your mom after you left.”

His strong jaw tensed. “What’d she tell you?”

“Everything.”

Panic skated across his face. “Was Jake there?”

“No, he was outside smoking like a chimney. He got pretty upset, seeing your mother cry like that.”

Now his expression filled with guilt, which made Bree’s heart ache. “I know you didn’t mean to upset her. And I understand why you’re lashing out. Hell, Austin,
she
understands it. She told me she’s surprised you haven’t said worse to her.”

“She said that?”

Bree nodded. On an impulse, she reached out and took his hand, squeezing it firmly. “Your mother loves you, you know that, right?”

“So much that she’s been lying to me my entire life.”

His bitterness thickened the air, sending a tug of sorrow to her chest. “I know how much that must hurt,” she said gently. “And I want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m a good listener. I won’t judge, I won’t try to tell you how to feel. I’ll just listen.”

Surprise flickered in his eyes. “You don’t even know me.”

“You don’t know me either. That’s why I’m offering—because sometimes talking to a stranger is easier than talking to the people you’re closest to.”

“Oh.” He cleared his throat and slowly removed his hand from her grip. “Are you always this nice?”

Not when I’m in bed with your brother
.

“Usually.” She rummaged around in her purse until she found the little notepad and pencil she kept in there. Quickly, she scribbled down her cell and office number, then handed him the paper. “I’m serious. Call me if you ever need to talk, okay?”

After a beat of hesitation, he folded the paper and shoved it in his pocket. “Thanks, Bree.”

“No problem.”

She took a step for the door, but his wry voice stopped her.

“Jake’s an idiot.”

Bree had to smile. “Why is that?”

“Owen told me you two were involved back in the day, and that Jake let you get away.” Austin shook his head. “Now that I’ve met you, I realize my brother is an even bigger fool than I thought.”

“No, he’s not,” she said softly. “He’s just…complicated.”

“You two are involved again, huh?”

“Something like that.”

Austin’s face grew serious. “Well, I probably don’t need to warn you, since you seem to know Jake pretty well, but don’t get too invested in whatever’s going on with you two. I don’t know why he’s still in town, but I can’t imagine it’ll be for much longer. Jake will be moving on soon. He always does.”

Lexie smacked right into Bree Lockhart in front of the drugstore. Bree, who’d just been exiting, squeaked in surprise and dropped the plastic bag in her hands. A bottle of herbal shampoo popped out of the bag, rolled down the sidewalk and collided into a metal newspaper dispenser with a loud clang.

“Crap!” they said in unison, before releasing simultaneous laughs.

“Sorry,” Lexie said. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Neither was I,” Bree admitted.

An awkward pause fell, and then they both darted after the runaway shampoo bottle. Lexie reached it first, bent down to scoop it up, and handed it to Bree.

“Thanks,” Bree said as she tucked the bottle back in the bag.

Awkward pause number two descended.

Lexie shifted her purse to her other shoulder, wondering why she felt so damn uncomfortable around other people. With the exception of her staff at the
Post
, she sucked when it came to making connections. Funny how she’d had no problem being a bitch to Bree Lockhart back in high school—or at least pretending to be a bitch. These days, she’d given up on acting all tough and superior. It was too exhausting.

Gulping, she tried to come up with something to say, wondering if she should bring up that weird bump-in at Nate’s place yesterday.

But Bree beat her to it. “Sorry if I was acting strange yesterday. I didn’t expect to see you with Jake.”

“And I didn’t expect to see
you
with Jake,” Lexie answered with a faint smile. “You two are dating now?”

The other woman looked ill at ease. “Not really. Just hanging out while we’re both in town. So, our families are having dinner Saturday night, huh?”

Okay, no Jake talk. Lexie got the hint at the abrupt change of subject. “Yeah, I can’t see how that could possibly go well, but I guess our parents are braver than we are.”

Bree grinned. “Guess so. Are your sisters going to be there?”

“Yep. What about Gabe?”

“No, he’s too busy with work.”

Since neither Bree’s tone nor expression changed, Lexie figured that Gabe Lockhart hadn’t told his sister about his former involvement with her. If you could even call it that. She and Gabe had slept together a few times over the past couple of years, but she’d ended it once she’d started seeing Cooper. Thank God Gabe wouldn’t be in town this weekend. Dinner would already be awkward enough without her and Gabe having to pretend they didn’t know each other as well as they did.

“Alexandra, there you are!”

Miranda Price’s icy voice rivaled the chill in the afternoon air. Suppressing a groan, Lexie turned to see her mother barreling toward her, high-heeled Louboutins clicking against the sidewalk.

“We’re late for our salon appointment,” Miranda said, disapproval ringing in her tone. The second she spotted Bree, her face transformed into a mask of civility. “Bree Lockhart! What a treat it is to see you!”