Page 32 of Unearthed Dreams
Last year, the tent across the way had been Vintage Point Vineyards. Now, with operations closed down at the vineyard, it’d been replaced with the EdenTree Cidery tent. Lucky for me, that meant I had the perfect view of a gorgeous five-foot-four, way-too-young-for-me bombshell perched in a folding chairwith her Kindle, completely lost in whatever world she’d escaped to. Her dark hair was piled in a messy bun, wisps curling against her neck in the heat. She looked cool and comfortable in a flowing sundress while the rest of her family bustled around her like worker bees, setting up their display.
I shouldn’t look. Shouldn’t notice how the hem of her dress rode up slightly when she crossed her legs. Shouldn’t remember how her breath had hitched when I’d told her exactly how to touch herself that night. Shouldn’t think about how I’d been avoiding Books and Crannies for weeks, trying to keep my distance before I did something stupid, like kiss her the way I’d wanted to since that first day she’d crashed into me on Main Street.
As if summoned by my thoughts, she looked up. Our gazes locked. Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth. The simple gesture sent heat coursing through me. The memory of our last encounter flooded back—her flushed cheeks, dilated pupils, the way she’d squirmed in her seat as I’d described exactly how to make herself come...
“Howdy, Kai!”
A grinning face materialized in front of me, breaking the spell.
“Chase.”
Another Everton I hadn’t seen much of lately. His appearances at Callaghan’s had dwindled from daily to barely weekly. If the new doc in town was keeping him out of trouble, I was glad for it.
He looked better—clearer eyes, steadier hands. “I’ll take a beer.”
I grabbed a plastic cup, studying him as I pulled the tap. Thefoam settled into a perfect head because some skills were muscle memory at this point, festival stand or not.
“Thought maybe you quit. Haven’t seen you around in a while.”
He accepted the beer with an exaggerated wink, but there was something different about him. The trademark Everton charm was there—the same grin that had talked countless women out of both their drinks and their phone numbers at my bar over the last couple years—but it felt more controlled now. Less desperate.
“Aw, Kai, do you miss me? That’s so sweet.”
I snorted, attacking the sticky counter with my rag. “Hardly.”
The breeze picked up, offering momentary relief from the heat and carrying the mingled aromas of festival food across the grounds. Chase leaned forward, and suddenly the playboy act vanished. His eyes, sharp and calculating, darted between me and where his sister sat reading. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“Saw your eyes wandering over to the EdenTree tent. Think maybe they oughta stray elsewhere.”
I met his gaze steadily, even as my grip tightened on the rag in my hand. “Just keeping an eye on the competition.”
“Bullshit.” Chase’s voice was low, all traces of humor gone. “I’ve seen the way you look at her. And the way she looks at you.”
The plastic counter wobbled as he leaned closer. Despite the heat, a chill ran down my spine. I’d seen Chase in every state of drunk over the past two years—happy, sad, belligerent—but this cold sobriety was new. And far more dangerous for a man who was just eye-fucking his sister.
“Nothing’s happening,” I said, which wasn’t technically a lie. Nothing was happening—not anymore. Not since that night when I’d sent her home with instructions that still haunted my dreams.
“Good.” Chase took a long pull from his beer, watching me over the rim. “Keep it that way.”
A group of tourists approached the tent, all loud, vacation-bright shirts and louder laughs. I welcomed the interruption, turning away from Chase to serve them. But as I filled plastic cups with draft beer, I could feel his eyes boring into my back.
When I turned around again, he was still there.
“She’s twenty-two, Kai,” he said, quietly. “Fresh out of college.”
I gritted my teeth. “I’m aware.”
“Are you? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re forgetting my baby sister deserves better than being some thirty-year-old’s midlife crisis.”
It was like being slapped with a harsh truth. Charlie had set down her Kindle and was helping Tessa arrange bottles of cider. The sunlight caught her hair, turning the dark strands to mahogany. She smiled at something Tessa said, and my chest ached with wanting her.
Chase was right. She deserved better. Deserved someone young and uncomplicated. Someone who hadn’t spent the last two years drowning in grief and guilt. Someone who wouldn’t taint her with their darkness.
“Message received,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended.
Chase studied me for a long moment, then nodded. “Good.” He set his half-empty beer on the counter. “For what it’s worth,you’re a decent guy, Kai. Just... not for her.” He turned to leave, then paused. “Oh, and if you ever tell her about this conversation, I’ll deny it happened. Can’t have her thinking I’m actually looking out for her, right?”
The trademark Everton grin was back, but it didn’t reach his eyes. As he walked away, I wondered if this was the real Chase—not just the charming drunk or the protective brother, but something in between. Someone trying to do the right thing, even if it hurt.
