So Good: A Ribbon Ridge Novel (Love on the Vine Book 1) (21 page)

“I’m meeting some people.”

The man, probably in his early sixties, adjusted his glasses on his nose. “You’re welcome to look around. What are their names?”

He would know them, of course, especially since Kelsey worked here. “Kelsey McDade is one of them.”

“She’s back in the corner over there.” He pointed behind him and to the left. “Go on over. I’m George, by the way. I don’t know that I’ve seen you in here.”

Brooke walked to the bar and offered her hand, which he shook. “I’m Brooke Ellis. I’m pretty new to town.”

He grinned at her. “Well, welcome to Ribbon Ridge. There’s plenty of room for charming young ladies like yourself.”

She laughed softly, immediately liking his easy, warm demeanor. “That’s good to hear.”

“If you ever need to take a load off—your feet or your mind—just belly up to my bar here, and I’ll get you on the path to feeling better. Or the beer will.” He winked at her.

“Sounds like a deal I can’t refuse. Thank you.” She started to turn toward the back corner.

“Wait, you need a beverage,” he said. “What can I get you?” He rattled off their beers on tap, and Brooke chose a blonde ale called Legolas.

George nodded. “Good choice.” He grabbed a pint glass and went to the tap. “This is actually made up at The Arch and Fox.”

Brooke supposed that meant that Bex had made it. “Bex Archer makes the beer up there, right?”

He brought the glass and set it on the bar for her. “You aren’t that new to town.”

Brooke chuckled. “I guess I’ve been here a couple of months now, and I’ve met Bex. I’m distributing wine for West Arch.”

“Aha, that makes sense. Well, this one’s on the house—don’t be a stranger, now.”
 

Brooke thanked him and made her way toward the sound of feminine laughter in the corner. As she approached the table, Kelsey caught her eye. “Brooke! Come sit.” She patted the empty space beside her.

Brooke slid onto the bench and set her beer on the table. “Hi. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Brooke, this is Crystal and Alaina.”

“Nice to meet you,” Brooke said.

Crystal had pale blonde hair and deep blue eyes. “Hi, Brooke, good to meet you too.”

Brooke moved her gaze to Alaina Pierce. It was weird sitting here across the table from someone she’d seen on film. She seemed familiar, but of course Brooke had never met her before.

Alaina smiled warmly. “Kelsey told us all about you. Okay, not ‘all’ about you, but you know.” She laughed softly and offered Brooke her hand to shake.

Tentatively, Brooke took it and shook. “I love your movies.” She withdrew her hand in horror. “Sorry. I told myself I wasn’t going to do that.”

Alaina laughed. “It’s quite all right. Kelsey says you’re a wine distributor. Since you make sure good wine gets into my hands—that’s pretty much how it works, right?—I appreciate your work as well.”

Crystal laughed and looked at Brooke. “See what a dork she really is?”

Brooke relaxed as the starstruck sensation began to fade. “No, but I’ll take your word for it.”

“Oh, do,” Alaina said. “I’m the biggest dork. Take this exhibition, for example. I’m completely nerding out. I’m even thinking I should go to college and get a degree in history. Or science. I love science.”

Crystal shook her head. “See what I mean? She is so not going to college. She’s too busy with a toddler running around and the odd film project.”

Alaina exhaled. “It’s true. But maybe someday. I can’t make movies forever. I’m already over the Hollywood hill.”

Brooke could hardly believe that. Alaina was as beautiful as she’d been in her debut film and had only gotten better with each role. “That’s so lame. Male stars your age are in their prime, right?”

Alaina nodded. “For at least another twenty years. Jerks.” She flashed a grin.

Kelsey looked over at Brooke. “We were just talking about that brick. Did you ask if we could have it for the exhibit?”
 

“I did,” Brooke said. “I saw Hayden last night, and he was more than happy to give it to you. He offered to help in any way possible.”

Kelsey grinned. “That’s great. Should I arrange to pick it up?”

Brooke almost offered to get it for them—and she could because she needed to stop by the winery sometime this week to restock her chardonnay supply before she headed to the coast this weekend for a sales trip. Why was she hesitating since she had to go there anyway? She could arrange the pickup with Hayden, not Cam. Was she avoiding Cam? In person, yes. She might’ve said last night was one and done, but the way she’d thought of him almost constantly today told a completely different story.

Brooke sipped her beer. It had a smooth wheaty flavor. “I can pick it up later this week, if that works. When are you planning to open the exhibit?”

The three women looked at each other, and it was instantly apparent that they didn’t know. “We’re still figuring out what should go in it,” Kelsey said. “It’s kind of turned into a massive undertaking.”

“Yes, and we’re trying to not have it be the Archer show.” Crystal chuckled. “But it just so happens that they have the best cache of historical documents and items.”

“Well, they’re the first family or something, aren’t they?” Brooke asked.

Alaina nodded. “Yes, Benjamin Archer settled here in 1856, but others followed. He made frequent trips into Portland, where he met his wife. Her brother and cousins came to the area and were involved in establishing the town.”

Brooke was intrigued by all this. “Is there a written history of Ribbon Ridge?”

“Nothing formal,” Alaina said. “It’s something the Archer family had planned to do, but it just hasn’t happened yet. Crystal has actually offered to document it for them. She’s not as busy working as my assistant since my career has taken a backseat to being a wife and mother. Plus, she’s a terrific writer. I keep telling her to finish the screenplay she started, but she keeps finding other things to do.” Alaina gave her friend a look that said they’d had this conversation many times.

Crystal returned the look with a mild, probably playful glare before taking a drink of her beer. She set the glass back on the table. “Maybe I have finished it. I certainly wouldn’t tell you.” Crystal looked pointedly at Kelsey and Brooke. “She’s a real nag once you get to know her.”

Alaina smiled broadly. “That’s me. And hey, what’s wrong with encouraging your friends toward things that you know will make them happy?”

They sounded like Brooke and her sisters. “You’ve been friends for a long time, haven’t you?” Brooke asked.

“Since we were kids,” Alaina said. She briefly rested her head on Crystal’s shoulder. “She’s held my hand through so much. Is it bad that I want her to be happy?”

“Of course it isn’t. You know I love you.” Crystal turned and kissed her cheek, provoking a grin from Alaina.
 

Brooke couldn’t help but smile in the presence of such a warm and deep friendship. She suddenly missed her sisters and planned to call them both later.

“So in the process of gathering information to write this town history, we’ve been trying to figure out what those letters on the brick stand for,” Crystal said. “So far, we’ve got nothing.”

“I assumed they were someone’s initials.” Brooke took another drink of beer.

“I think we all did, but we’ve pored over the birth and death records—well, those we have from those early years—and there isn’t anyone with a first name that starts with B and a last name that starts with R.”

“We’ve also scoured marriage records and still nothing,” Alaina said. “There’s a pretty good cache of letters too, and we’re not all the way through them. But so far, no mention of anyone that would match the initials BNR.”

“That’s a little frustrating,” Brooke said.

Kelsey pressed her lips together. “Tell us about it. Don’t suppose you have any brilliant ideas?” She stared at Brooke hopefully.

Brooke took a moment to sip her beer and think. She knew next to nothing about Ribbon Ridge. Maybe she should start by exploring every corner of the town, starting with the oldest buildings and places. A lightbulb went off in her head. “Hey, have you guys been to the cemetery? Maybe BNR’s death wasn’t properly documented or the documentation was lost.”

Kelsey’s face lit. “That’s a great idea! Nice going, Brooke.”

Brooke smiled. It felt good to be helpful. “Thanks. Should we plan a field trip?”

Alaina cocked her head to the side. “It would be faster if we all went together to canvass it. But Crystal and I are headed to LA tomorrow, and we won’t be back until Tuesday. Can you guys wait until then?”

Brooke looked over at Kelsey. “I can. I’m headed to the coast Saturday and won’t be back until Wednesday.”

“What time?” Kelsey said. “My next free day is actually Wednesday. Any chance we could make that work?” She glanced at Brooke.
 

“If we make it later in the day—say three or so—I can do that.”

“Sounds good to me,” Alaina said. “Crystal?”

Crystal nodded. “It’s a date.” She already had her phone out and was typing into it. “And now it’s in my calendar. I’ll send you all an invitation so it’ll be in your calendars too.”

Alaina grinned at Crystal. “I’m so glad you’re here to keep us all organized.”

Crystal chuckled. “Can’t help it, even when I’m not working.” She looked over at Brooke. “I just need your number, Brooke.”

Brooke provided it, happy to have found a group of friends here in Ribbon Ridge. She had barely talked to Naomi and Jana since the 10k, but that was probably for the best. They were single women on the prowl and too overbearing in trying to jump-start Brooke’s love life.

Alaina rubbed her hands together. “I’m so excited about this. Thanks, Brooke! And on that note, I need to get home and put my daughter to bed.”

The familiar pain ripped into Brooke. She wanted to ask about Alaina’s daughter but was afraid that it would only intensify her heartache. But she was also tired of letting that rule her life. “How old is she?” The question came out soft and tentative. Hopefully no one else noticed.

“Two and a half and such a spitfire.” Alaina pulled out her phone and scrolled to a picture, then handed it to Brooke. “She looks just like her dad.”

Brooke hadn’t met Evan Archer but could see the toddler didn’t have her mother’s dark blonde hair. Her hair was dark brown and a bit wild. She stood in a small inflatable pool wearing a bright yellow swimsuit with flowers and a huge grin. “She’s adorable.” Brooke’s gut twisted. She’d wanted that so badly—to be a mother, to share a picture of her own child, to feel that pride and that bond. She gave the phone back and didn’t ask any more questions.

Alaina tucked the phone into her purse. “Thank you. I’m grateful for every day with her—she’s such a gift.”

Her words made Brooke’s eyes sting with unshed tears. Her throat clogged, and she merely nodded.

“It was great meeting you, Brooke. I’m really looking forward to this project!” Alaina stood. “See you next week.”

Brooke summoned a wobbly smile and forced words past the emotion jamming her throat. “See you then.”

Crystal followed her out of the booth. “Alaina’s my ride. Great to meet you, Brooke.” She lowered her voice and looked at Kelsey and Brooke. “Us single ladies should plan a night out.” She winked at them and grinned before turning and joining Alaina.

Brooke watched them leave and drank more of her beer, hoping it would blunt the ache.

“Everything okay?” Kelsey asked.

Damn, she’d picked up on something. Maybe they all had.

“Yep,” Brooke answered. She liked Kelsey, but she didn’t share her infertility with most people, especially those she didn’t know well. A voice in the back of her head asked if Cam still fell into that category. How could he after last night? It wasn’t just that they’d had sex. It was that they’d both finally lowered their guard.

Kelsey finished her drink. “Well, if you ever need to talk, I’m apparently a good listener. Or so my college roommate always told me. But maybe that was because she talked all the time and I didn’t have a choice.” She laughed, and Brooke joined her. She felt instantly better, and whether Kelsey had provoked that on purpose or not, Brooke appreciated it.

“Crystal and Alaina are really nice,” Brooke said, moving the topic in a new direction.

“Aren’t they? Alaina is so down-to-earth, and Crystal’s hilarious. You’ll see that the more you spend time with her.” Kelsey tipped her head to the side. “Maybe when we go out for our single ladies’ night out. Hey, did you ever go on that blind date?”

“I did, actually.”

Kelsey watched her expectantly. “And?”

Brooke chuckled. “It was fine. Nothing spectacular, but it didn’t crash and burn either.”

“Are you going to see him again?”

She’d thought so, but then she’d hooked up with Cam in a bathroom, and now a second date with Justin seemed disingenuous. Never mind that she wasn’t with Cam and didn’t expect a repeat performance. Probably because in the recesses of her body and mind, she hoped for a repeat.

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“That doesn’t sound promising. Any chance Cameron Westcott is holding you back?”