Page 58 of Mine to Keep

“I can’t thank you and your husband enough for all you’ve done for me,” Bryn said.

“My Chip is a good man.” Erica looped her arm around Chip’s waist. “But I’m sure it was all Jamison.”

“Hey. I’m insulted,” Chip said.

“No, you’re not.” Erica laughed. “And tell me I’m wrong about Jamison doing most of the work on this place.”

“You’re not wrong, dear.” Chip held up a six-pack of beer. “Can I put this in your fridge?”

“Yes you can.”

“We also brought some cheese and crackers and some seltzer for you.” Jamison leaned in and kissed her cheek. He held a bag in his right hand. “I’ll go set up a tray while you ladies discuss stuff I know nothing about. Sound good?”

“Perfect,” she said, trying to ignore the butterflies that filled her gut.

“You’ve really made this place your own.” Erica smiled. “I’m so glad. It felt like such a dungeon after Chip’s mom passed, and the last tenants never did anything.”

“I can’t say I did anything.” Heat rose to Bryn’s cheeks. She owed Jamison so much, and while she’d gotten to know him well enough that she knew he didn’t do anything unless he wanted to, she still didn’t like the sensation of owing anyone. “I’m sure you heard the story about my arrival in town.”

“Everyone has.”

“Shit. I keep forgetting to ask Jamison about Jon Kaplan. He wants to interview me for a local magazine for my jewelry line.”

“It depends on his angle,” Jamison said as he strolled back into the family room, carrying a tray of tasty treats. “If it’s just a spread about you, it’s fine. But if he wants to talk about me and the baby delivery, cut him off at the pass.”

“You really don’t like to be a hero, do you?” Erica took the beverage her husband handed her and bent over to look at the display.

“No. I don’t,” Jamison said. “But it’s more than that, and you know it.”

“Yeah. I do. And I’m sorry. However, I’ll always believe you’re being a bit unreasonable.” Erica lifted a necklace from the case. “My God. This is beautiful. Can I try it on?”

“Please. I insist.” One thing Bryn had learned during her years as the wife of a rich man was that she hated it when salespeople were insanely pushy. Especially when she was standing right there. So, in that vein, she took a step back, taking a seat on the sofa with Jamison at her side.

He took her hand and squeezed.

She couldn’t help it; she laced her fingers through his and glanced in his direction, smiling. “So, I shouldn’t give this Jon Kaplan guy an interview?”

“I didn’t say that.” Jamison took a sip of his beer. “He’s a decent sort of fellow. He’s actually the one I was talking about when I said I knew a guy. But he recently did a piece on Steve, and I worry he might try to tie all the pieces of the puzzle together in one story about me and my family using you so he can make a shit ton of money and a bigger name for himself.”

“Jamison is paranoid that way,” Erica said. “He thinks if someone can make a buck off someone else’s heartache, they will.”

“And reporters like that prove me right all the time.” Jamison leaned forward, tugging his hand free and snagging some cheese.

Her fingers felt cold.

He had a valid point. Bryn had known a lot of people like that back when she was married to Timothy. Someone always wanted to bring their family down. If she’d had the courage, she would have given one of them the story of their careers, but she hadn’t been brave enough back then.

Still wasn’t.

“But if he were to stick to my business, would it be worth it for me?” Bryn asked.

“Hell, yes,” Jamison said. “Why?”

“He approached me on the beach at Nancy’s party.” She stared into his deep, intense eyes. She wanted to look away but couldn’t. “But if he’s going to turn this into something else, I don’t want to do it.”

“The one thing I know about Jon is that if you set the ground rules, he’s pretty good about following them. But he can be sneaky, so you just have to watch out for the trick questions,” Jamison said. “If you want, I can go with you to the interview.”

“No,” she said, probably a little too quickly as Jamison jerked his head back.

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