Here With You Read online

  Brady followed the red taillights all the way to Coastal Vines and was tempted to tap on his horn when she turned down her driveway. Instead, he waved, knowing she couldn’t see him, and continued down the road to his farm.

  Twenty minutes later he was stretched out in bed thinking things he shouldn’t be thinking about.

  No one could argue that Grace wasn’t attractive. That didn’t mean he was interested in her. She was a flight risk, not the kind of woman he was drawn to.

  It was the party atmosphere, seeing friends he hadn’t seen in a long time, maybe a slight buzz from his beer early on; although that had worn off as soon as he started playing beer pong with Lily and Grace. And it was because he’d seen her naked. Just once a long, long time ago.

  Hell. Brady rolled over and punched his pillow. He hadn’t been out on a date in months. And it had been even longer since he’d slept with a woman. Unlike his brother, he didn’t let his lower head guide the head on his shoulders.

  When the right woman came along he’d know it.

  And Grace sure as hell wasn’t her.

  MANUAL LABOR SO WASN’T her thing, but if she wanted her boutique done on time, she’d have to lend a helping hand.

  “You don’t have to worry too much about getting paint on the floor. I’m going to strip it and sand it when we’re all done.”

  “Oh. Good.” Grace dipped her roller in the burgundy paint and ran it across the pan.

  “That doesn’t mean you need to make a mess. Still, be careful. I’ll cut in along the ceiling and then you can roll out the walls.” Ty climbed up the ladder, a mini bucket and brush in hand, and slid his brush along the seam where the wall met the ceiling.

  “You’re good. I’d be getting red all over the ceiling if I was up there.”

  “That’s why you’re paying me the big bucks.”

  In actuality, she wasn’t paying him a dime. In her rental agreement with the Bergerons, they gave her a set allowance to make some minor interior cosmetic changes. Ty had knocked down the back walls that used to house two small offices and a kitchen and made it into one large open space. She kept the bathroom and put in two changing rooms.

  The space was small and perfect for her needs. Since her inventory was minimal, she didn’t want a huge room. It would look barren.

  Over by the front windows on the left she would showcase local designs and her designer friends, and used clothing on the right. The whole concept could be a bust in this rinky-dink town, which was why she wanted to ask Carter to help with her website.

  While he appeared to be the total goofball, she’d checked out his online portfolio. He made stunning websites and graphics for companies across the world. According to his profile, he started playing around with his skills and offering services through Fiverr.

  Not having much of a budget herself, Grace contemplated hiring someone through the cheap site as well, and then she’d learned about Carter. There wasn’t much of an opportunity to talk to him last night as she’d hoped. After she finished painting she’d call him up and discuss her ideas.

  Surprisingly, she and Ty made quick work of the painting. Since he couldn’t do the finishing work until it dried, she called Carter once she got back to her parents. He didn’t sound as surprised as she expected when she told him what she wanted.

  “You want to hire me?”

  “Maybe. I’ll need to see your references and a possible mock-up first.” No, she didn’t, but she didn’t want to come off too easy either.

  “You wouldn’t be calling me if you hadn’t already looked at my online portfolio.”

  Damn cocky brat. “There aren’t many people in Crystal Cove who can design a website. Your name popped up. Since I’ve known you since we were in preschool I thought I’d give you the opportunity to prove yourself.”

  Carter’s chuckle on the other end told her she didn’t fool him. “Sure thing, princess. Why don’t you come over around seven? We should be cleared out by then.”

  “Or we could meet somewhere?” She really didn’t want to sit in his family’s kitchen with his mother and Brady looming over them. Dorothy always adored Alexis and never cared much for Grace. And Brady wasn’t her biggest fan either.

  “You asking me out on a date?”

  “As if.”

  “I promised Brady I’d be around tonight to look over the books.”

  “Oh. Well, if you’re busy we can do this another time.”

  “Nah. It won’t take long. Mom’s been making apple pies all week. We’ll snag one and talk shop. See you in a few hours.” He disconnected before Grace could decline his offer.

  With nothing left to do but wait, she fiddled around on her laptop making lists of what she’d like to have on her website, and bookmarked links to sites she liked so Carter could model hers after them.

  Dinner with her parents was as it had been for the past year since she’d been home. They talked about the winery, Ben and Alexis, and Sophie. Grace pretended to be interested and smiled at all the right places.

  Her mother scraped the rest of the green beans in the bowl with the potatoes. “You must be getting closer to opening up. Will Ty have the work done by the end of the week?”

  “He should.” She picked up the dish with the meatloaf and consolidated the rest in with the beans and potatoes. “We painted the walls today. Tomorrow he’ll put up the trim then finish the floors.”

  “I’d love to help you set up when you’re ready.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” She knew her mother offered out of obligation. Fashion, clothing, and shopping were not up her alley. Not up her sister’s or father’s either. The three of them were a lot alike, and Grace was always the odd man out.

  Even with her father backing off of the winery business and getting back into woodworking, his true passion, he still had more in common with Alexis than Grace.

  “I’m meeting Carter to work on my website tonight. I won’t be gone long.” She didn’t need to check in with her parents, but knew they wanted her to as long as she was living under their roof.

  As soon as Ty was finished with her shop, he and his crew were going to build an exterior set of steps to the third-floor apartment above the Sea Salt Spa. Since Lily had moved out it had been vacant. Only it wasn’t really rentable since you had to walk through the two floors of the spa to get there.

  The Bergerons owned that building too and were more than happy to have the outside stairs and landing built. Agent Thorne was their grandson and seemed to have a lot of say in who they rented to. For some reason, Grace wasn’t on his shit list, even though she was the one who could have ruined Lily’s identity when she posted a picture of her on Facebook and pointed out her resemblance to the jewelry heir Veronica Stewart Gervais.

  “We’re proud of you, honey.” Her father kissed the top of her head and picked up the dirty plates from the kitchen table.

  Her parents were good people. It wasn’t their fault they had a daughter who wasn’t happy with what they provided. However, Grace didn’t know what it was that made her happy anymore.

  For a while, it had been visiting the wineries in Italy. She thought if she learned from them, drawn in by the romance of elaborate villas and vineyards, that she could bring some class back to her family’s little mom and pop winery.

  Only she tired of the wine business—all but the tasting part—and fell in love with the fashions of the women who toured the expensive vineyards. She’d always been obsessed with clothes and fashion and found her calling.

  From Italy she traveled to France, but couldn’t afford to go to school and live in an apartment, so she worked retail, climbing her way from teenage outfitters to some of the high-end specialty stores.

  It was fun and fast and frivolous until she pushed her luck too far and paid a high price for being careless. She couldn’t outlive her reputation, not even in Europe, and with nowhere else to go, she landed back in nothingville.

  Going over to the Marshall Farm brought back memories she’d rat
her forget. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like the Marshall brothers were ever going to let her live them down.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  THAT LAUGH. HE’D HEARD it two nights ago and it hadn’t left his thoughts since. And he swore he heard it again, but this time coming from his den and not his memory.

  Brady rounded the corner past the kitchen and stood in the doorway to the den. Carter and Grace sat huddled together on the couch as cozy as two lovebirds sitting on a perch laughing at something Carter had said.

  “I can’t believe you still remember that.”

  “We had too many good times to forget.” Carter tipped his head back on the couch and closed his eyes, seemingly unaware of Brady’s presence. “Remember prom night? We all—”

  “Have you seen Mom?” Brady interrupted, not needing to relive that night again.

  Grace startled and turned toward him. He did his best to ignore her, keeping his glare focused on his brother.

  “She’s probably in the store setting up the pies.”

  “And you’re not helping her?” Their mother had been acting strange lately. Not her cheerful self and she’d been retreating to bed earlier than normal and waking later than usual. Of course, his selfish brother would rather flirt with a woman while his mother worked all night.

  “I did. While you were cleaning out the wagon I made eight trips. She’s organizing or something. Told me to get out of her way.”

  The wagon was a mess of straw after the weekend’s rush. He’d fixed up the wagon ride and walked through the orchard as he did every night during apple season. Just as he did with his blueberry bushes in the summer.

  He didn’t notice the lights on in their little farm store or he would have stopped in to help his mom. It wasn’t big. More like an oversized shed. A long counter to house his mother’s baked goods, the cash register, and a cooler on the back wall for the cider.

  There were small bins of tomatoes, potatoes, and corn, when in season, and a larger one for the mini pumpkins. Although most stayed in the field and were picked by customers.

  They had a pretty good thing going. A nice variety for their small forty-five acre farm.

  Like the Le Blancs across the road who’d cut back on hours because of their age, his mother was aging as well and needed to slow down to rest more frequently than in the past. With Carter taking more time off to pursue his web design business, Brady would need to hire more than his part-time help next spring.

  It was spring that brought the longest days. The land needed to be tilled, seeds planted, young trees and bushes cared for. Not work he hired out to high school kids looking to make a few bucks.

  Growing season was easier. He paid kids to pick berries and apples. Do some weeding. Even carry pumpkins to cars. His mother had been as strong and active as a teenager until lately. He’d noticed her slowing down with her baking as well.

  “You think Mom’s okay?” he asked, stepping into the den.

  Grace dropped her feet to the floor and brought the laptop from the couch to her lap. Her feet were bare, but a pair of pink heels sat on the floor next to Carter’s giant boots.

  The matching pink bracelets on her wrist and in her ears jingled as she opened her computer and typed.

  Carter shrugged. “Sure. She seems more tired lately, but it’s been a long season. A profitable one, but long.”

  Nodding in passive agreement, Brady glanced at Grace, then back to Carter. “I’ll leave you two be then.”

  He wasn’t far down the hall when he heard Grace laugh again. “Stop it. Be nice.” She giggled.

  He had no doubt the two lovebirds were making fun of him. Brady trudged up the stairs to his room and closed the door behind him. Reaching behind his neck he tugged at his collar and pulled his gray Henley over his head.

  The hole under his armpit had gotten bigger since last month when he first noticed it. Unbuttoning his jeans, he noticed the dark stains on his thighs and knees. No wonder Grace had been embarrassed to look at him and had laughed behind his back. She was always put together from her hair, makeup, and clothing. Hell, even her shoes and jewelry matched.

  Here he was, a grown man of almost thirty-six, wearing stained and ripped clothing, living in his mother’s house. He assumed he wasn’t the kind of man she went around with in Paris.

  Why he thought about her and his lack of love life he didn’t know. No one had ever made him feel inferior before. He had money in the bank, some decent investments making money in the stock market, and a successful farm.

  The farm was technically his mother’s, but she’d shown him and Carter the deed and her will. After their father died and the shock wore off, she wanted all the paperwork to be in order in case anything ever happened to her.

  She even went as far as offering Marshall Farm to Brady and Carter a few years ago. All she asked in return was to live in the house until she died.

  Carter had no interest in living on the farm for the rest of his life. Like the Le Blancs had done with their property, giving a piece to Alexis and Ben to build, Carter had asked for a few acres at the south end, away from the growing area, to one day build on. He preferred new and flashy while Brady had an appreciation for the old.

  Yeah, the farmhouse needed some serious updating, but he’d never ruin the integrity of it. The wallpaper could go, and a lift in the ceilings would be nice. Maybe modernize the kitchen a smidge. Other than that, he wanted the character and the memories of his family home to stay intact.

  Call him old fashioned, but it mattered to him.

  He wouldn’t judge his brother for wanting something different. Wanting something and someone more modern. More fun. More outgoing.

  Brady may be an old stick in the mud, but he had a good life. He didn’t need a sexy woman with a vibrant laugh and fancy clothes to make him think otherwise.

  CARTER’S PHONE RANG for the fourth time. “I’ll let you take that. You’ve been really helpful. I’ll be in touch with my decisions.”

  “Sounds good.” He picked up his cell and greeted his caller.

  Grace tucked her laptop into her Michael Kors bag and showed herself out. The kitchen door stuck and she had to give it a tug with two hands to get it open. Once she stepped outside on the back porch, she gripped the knob and closed it hard to keep the cold night air out of the house.

  “That door’s nearly a century old. I suppose it’s time we replace it.”

  She jumped at the voice coming from the dark on the porch. “Oh. I didn’t see you, Mrs. Marshall.” She squinted and could barely make out her shadow in the rocking chair in the moonless night. “You must be cold out here.”

  “The cold tells me I’m still alive.”

  Mrs. Marshall rocked slowly, her arms cradled around her middle. Her voice sounded deeper and scratchier than Grace remembered. Granted, it had been forever since she’d seen her. And even then, they never interacted much.

  “Would you like me to get you a blanket?”

  “You and Carter chummy again, I see.” Her tone was almost accusatory like Grace was the devil looking to poison her son.

  Taken aback, Grace bit her tongue to her sarcasm and went with the facts. “He’s helping me create a website for my store.”

  “That’s right. Your mother told me you were opening some fancy shop in town for classy people.”

  “Actually, the clothes will look high-end but will be affordable and comfortable.”

  “The hardworking people in this town don’t need fancy clothes. Work boots, jeans, and warm shirts for the winter is all. We’ve got L.L. Bean not too far from us. That store cares about the working class.”

  Wow. Grace hadn’t expected dig after dig from Mrs. Marshall.

  “You’re right.” Grace opted for the high road. It wasn’t one she often visited. “My shop isn’t meant to outfit those working in the fields—”

  “And on boats. We’ve got our share of fisherman too.”

  “And boats,” Grace added.

  “I don’t s
ee your sister wearing anything from that kind of shop. She’s the kind of woman who works hard all day and is loyal to her family. Such a nice girl. I’ll admit I wasn’t fond of her husband at first. But that’s only because I wanted her as my daughter-in-law. That Ben is a worker as well. And a good daddy.”

  Grace didn’t need Mrs. Marshall reminding her how she’d never measure up to Alexis. How she’d never measure up to be fit enough to date her sons. Grace knew that all on her own. And if the people in Crystal Cove didn’t mention it over and over again, there were those in Paris who’d remind her. Not many, but a few who could do some serious damage to her already fragile reputation.

  She’d have to work hard to earn the respect from people in this town. If that was even possible.

  “My sister struck gold when she found Ben.” That was no lie. He was the inspiration behind her opening her own business. Too bad her sister couldn’t cheer her on as much as her husband did.

  Mrs. Marshall stood too quickly and fell back into the rocking chair. Grace leaped forward and grabbed ahold of her arm before she fell to the floor.

  “Are you okay?” She made sure Mrs. Marshall was steady on her feet before she let go of her arm.

  “I’m fine.” She shook her head and shoulders as if embarrassed at her almost fall.

  Grace stepped back out of her way as she marched past her to the door.

  “You should go home before people start talking about you sniffing around here so late at night.” With a twist of her wrist and a bump with her hip, the door opened and quickly slammed behind her.

  She didn’t remember Mrs. Marshall being so old and crotchety. The way Carter painted her was always with admiration. His mother sat high up on a pedestal, especially after his father died. The few times Grace had seen them interact it was with Carter cracking jokes and making his mother laugh. She seemed to love her sons.

  And she totally hated Grace. Why, she didn’t know. She’d never done anything to any of the Marshalls.

  It was her reputation. Party girl in high school and slut in Europe. Although she didn’t think Mrs. Marshall was aware of that rumor, which wasn’t quite a rumor.