Page 35 of Love You Truly

When I’ve calmed myself enough to look her in the eye, I find her studying me as though she’s never seen me before. She has a faraway look I don’t understand.

“You are not at all what I expected.” It seems hard for her to admit it. She shakes her head as though she wishes it wasn’t true.

Yeah, well, that makes two of us.

“Oh? Why’s that?” I ask. She brought it up, so she gets to be the one to spill her guts first. I’m afraid that if I start talking, I’ll inadvertently say something I’ll regret, like telling her I can’t stop staring at her.

Don’t want to stop. Won’t stop.

“You’re a good guy, Dash. Let’s just leave it at that.”

I nod. But I don’t agree.

CHAPTER 14

Dash

Me: Have you checked your schedule yet?

Mallory: What?

Me: Dinner. When are you free for dinner?

Mallory: I’m sorry, who is this?

Me: Haha.

Me: ??

Me: You must have forgotten to respond. I get how that can happen. No harm, no foul.

Me: um, okay…

Mallory: Right? It sucks when that happens.

Me: Can I ever make this up to you?

Mallory: Diamonds wouldn’t hurt. And sure, dinner on Wednesday

“Change of plans,” I say, walking into the lunchroom of the brown barn, where my siblings wait to start our meeting.

“Thanks for gracing us with your presence,” Archer grumbles.

Normally, I’d take the hit for being late, but today, they can all work on Dash Time, which lags approximately thirty minutes behind normal time. I dare them to be annoyed with me after I tell them what I accomplished on my night out with Mallory.

I even take a moment to pour myself a cup of coffee and mix in some oat milk before taking a seat.

“Sure, take your time. Would you like one of us to cook you breakfast while you’re getting settled?” Archer grumbles.

“Oh, cool it, Arch,” PJ says. Since she got engaged to Archer’s billionaire best friend, Colin Hathaway, she’s had no problem putting him in his place. It’s nice to see someone in the family call him on his bullshit moods. “What’s the change in plans?”

Four pairs of eyes stare at me, and I meet each of them before beginning. “I worked something out with Mallory Rutherford. We should be set on grapes as soon as she plants her first harvest.”

Jax grins like a canary-eating cat. “I’ll bet you worked it out. Her favorite way of doing business.”

“Look, just because you two crashed and burned three years ago doesn’t mean she’s not a good person.”

“Mallory Rutherford, a good person?” he asks. “Okay, now I really know she has you bamboozled. The sex must’ve been off the charts.”

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