Page 36 of Shattered Illusions

“And?”

Roxie sighed. If she couldn’t be honest with Alex, then what was the point of having a best friend?

She glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot before she blurted out, “Oh my god, Alex. The man is freaking gorgeous. Holy shit. His chest, his arms, his abs, which form that perfect, perfectV—”

“And?”

“And, well, it’s weird. Really weird. I mean, come on. It’sJoe.”

Recalling the delicious tension that had hovered over them all day, her stomach flipped.

“Jeez, I’m starting to feel like a broken record here,” Alex muttered. She made an impatient motion with her hand. “Annnd?”

Roxie scrunched her nose. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

Liar. She had an idea, but the first stirrings of panic from these new feelings were pushing her back into denial mode.

“Ladies, there you are.”

She looked over and was grateful to see Mrs. Green heading their way. That, in itself, said everything.

“You lovely girls shouldn’t be hiding in the corner like little wallflowers.” Mrs. Green squeezed herself between Roxie and Alex, linked her arms with theirs, and led them toward the crowd. “Let’s go show the men of Hudson that we still have it.”

* * *

Joe hated to admit it, but he was having a good time. Once he’d managed to escape Mrs. Green’s groping, he’d made the rounds and reacquainted himself with some old friends. He was now standing with his father, nursing a glass of whiskey and getting the scoop on the people he didn’t recognize.

“Who’s the douchebag?” he asked, nodding at the guy talking with Roxie.

“Excuse me, son?” There was more amusement in his father’s voice than censure.

“Come on, Dad. Look at the guy. It’s Sunday night, the whole town is in this freaking room, and the guy has an AirPod stuck in his ear. If that doesn’t scream douche, then what does?”

His dad chuckled. “Jeremy Neville. He’s Matthew Bellerose’s nephew. You remember Matthew?”

Joe nodded. Matthew was the founder and patriarch of Hudson’s award-winning Bellerose Family Cellars, which was just down the road.

“From what I understand,” his dad continued, “Jeremy got his MBA a few years back and was working at some fancy consulting firm in Seattle. About six months ago, he decided it was time for a ‘life change,’ and so he moved here to work with the family.”

Joe raised his brows at his dad’s use of air quotes.

In response, his dad shrugged. “Rumor has it that Matthew handed over some of the winery operations to Jeremy, but within a month, he took them all back. Damn shame, too, because I know Matthew’s been talking about retiring. But now...”

“Isn’t anyone else in the family interested in taking over?” He knew Matthew had three kids who were all involved in the business.

His dad shook his head. “You didn’t hear it from me, but apparently, there’s been a lot of infighting happening ever since Jeremy joined the mix.”

Joe covered a laugh with his whiskey glass. “Well, Dr. Buchanan, aren’t you just a wealth of Hudson information?”

“Son, my knowledge is nothing compared to Roxie’s.” His dad nodded toward the woman in question and smiled. “It’s a toss-up on whether Comfort Food or Ray’s Diner is the official town hub for gossip.”

Across the room, Roxie’s smile was dazzling. She gestured at something with her glass, and the douche leaned closer to her. Joe frowned.

With his gaze ping-ponging between Roxie and Jeremy, he asked, “Are they together?”

His dad choked on a sip of whiskey. Alarmed, Joe pounded his father’s back.

“Jesus, Joseph.” His dad coughed, waving him off. “Have some faith in the girl.”

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