Ever Always (12 page)

Reed smirked at Sam, as if he were expecting a certain reaction from him.

Sam held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Aston.”

The girl who took his hand shook out a long tumble of dark hair, pulled off to the side to hang over one shoulder and pinned in place with a glimmering clip. Her crazy high heels and short white sundress showed off her tanned legs to perfection. Her face was exotically beautiful, her bright blue eyes a stark contrast to her dark hair. The clear gloss on her lips made her mouth look deliciously kissable. For the briefest moment, Sam wondered what she'd taste like.

“Hello.” Her voice was strong and clear. She rolled her eyes at her brother. “They bringing in strays again?”

“Always,” Reed answered solemnly.

Sam quickly brought himself to reality…and Ever. Aston was the opposite of the girl-next-door type, completely unlike anyone Sam had ever met back in Duck Creek.

As Sam pulled out Aston's chair for her, he caught her mouthing, “Is he for real?” toward her brother.

Reed merely smirked, then motioned at a chair for Sam next to his seat.

“Now that Her Highness has arrived, can we eat?” Reed grumbled.

“Don't tease your sister,” Mrs. Hopewell admonished. “Louise?”

A tiny woman carrying a tray of dishes bustled into the room.

Sam gazed around the table as he ate, trying to take mental notes so that he would be able to describe it all perfectly to Ever in his next letter.

“So, Sam,” Mrs. Hopewell began. “Greg has told me how lucky Leon feels to have stumbled upon you earlier this spring. We're glad you're with us. How long do you plan on staying in Nelson Island? Do we get to keep you past August?”

Sam took a bite of a crab cake, chewing slowly to savor the delicious flavor. He thought of the best way to answer her question so as to discourage any further wonderings.

“I'm not sure, ma'am. I'd like to stay on at least until the end of summer. My plans depend on, uh, a friend back home and a special situation. So after summer ends I'll have to play things by ear. I'm grateful to y'all for having me, though. I really needed the work.”

“Dude, you've gotta drop the ‘ma'am' thing. I can't take it much longer.” Reed leaned forward, lacing his fingers together above his plate.

Sam shook his head. “Can't help it, man. It's called manners. You ever try them?”

“Oh, low blow, Sam! Low blow. You don't need to impress them, dude. They clearly already love you.”

Mr. Hopewell cleared his throat. “Stop it, Reed. Sam, don't listen to him. We really do appreciate your hard work. We want you to know that you can think of yourself as part of the family while you're here.”

“Yeah right, Daddy.” Aston rolled her eyes skyward again. “One of the family who works in the fields, right?”

“Actually,” Mr. Hopewell began. “Leon has seen some management potential in Sam. He told me about the improvements you've made to the efficiency of the ranch. But you realize raising horses is only one arm of Hopewell Enterprises. Most of the capital comes from our energy division. And finding efficiencies is our biggest goal there. Leon mentioned that you were employed in automotive repair previously?”

Sam nodded. “I worked on a lot of cars at the garage back home. None ran on alternative fuels, but I know something about it. I rebuilt the engine on my Harley myself.”

“Well, if you're interested, I thought you might help out my assistant. She's got her hands full with a brand-new baby at home, and Leon found a few more people to do day-to-day labor at the ranch. I thought this could give you the opportunity to learn more of the business end of things. You remind me of a young me. I didn't grow up with the kind of advantages my children”—he shot pointed glances at Aston and Reed—“enjoy. I had to work my way through college, and I started Hopewell Enterprises from the ground up. You're a hard worker and I think all you need is a break and the right hand guiding you.”

“I don't know what to say, sir—”

“Of course, I'll increase your hourly wage as befits the new position,” Mr. Hopewell added.

“Mr. Hopewell, that's beyond generous. I don't even know what to say.”

Sam had been so busy worrying about how he could help Ever for as long as he could remember, he'd never thought much about what came next for him. His 3.5 GPA in high school had gone untapped because, even though he was scouted by some DIII schools for football, he hadn't ever been able to think about leaving her and going to college. Her father would have never let her go.

“Just think about what you want for your future, son. That's all I'm asking. And I can help put you on the path to get there.”

Sam nodded slowly. “Thank you, sir. I will.”

Louise brought out the main course, Cornish hens laden with dried fruit and tiny pearl onions and potatoes. Sam inhaled every bite, dimly aware of Aston's crystal blue eyes burning into him from across the table.

Please turn the page for a preview of the next book in

Diana Gardin's Nelson Island series

Available April 2015

How It All Ended…

S
he bit down hard on her bottom lip, the soft trickle of blood pooling in her mouth a welcome distraction from the terrible ache beginning to build in her chest.

She was witness to the darkness as it crept into his eyes. It was the shrouded darkness she had been so attracted to when she first laid eyes on him under the hot stage lights. The hard pallor that let her know that despite his glossy appearance and the obvious presence of prosperity in his life, he had clawed his way out of a long dark tunnel of pain similar to her own. She had been drawn to him because she hoped if he could get out, then maybe she could, too. Maybe he could pull her to the end of her very own pile of darkness.

Then she'd made the mistake of getting to know him. She learned that he wasn't full of darkness, that he was full of the brightest light she'd ever dared to dream of. And when that light was directed at her, she'd completely fallen victim to his goodness and the shine that made him Reed.

But that hope was gone now; that flame had been extinguished and in its place stood the bleak certainty that no matter how hard she wished, no matter how hard she wanted it, she was never going to be able to escape this life that karma had gifted her.

And Reed Hopewell wasn't going to be her savior, after all.

How It All Began…

H
e tried not to squint against the harsh lights aimed at the stage. He was beginning to get used to the feeling of all eyes focusing on him, the palpable waiting that came with being literally the center of attention. His heartbeat soared with anticipation as he looked out over the crowd standing before him. He ran a hand over the scruff on his chin, and a collective sigh crept through the audience. He grinned, and the females on hand whooped in response.

“Thank y'all for coming out tonight,” he said, leaning into the microphone.

The crowd cheered, a swelling of sound that only added to the adrenaline pounding through his veins.

“I want to sing you one more thing before I go. Would that be all right?”

Roars of approval consumed the club, and his grin grew. He clutched his guitar a little closer to his chest and strummed a chord.

“One day, I hope to be singing this for someone special,” he continued over the crowd's noise. “But for now, I'd like to throw it out to all the gorgeous ladies here tonight.”

The biggest yell yet vibrated the rafters. Reed opened his mouth, and the wistful strains of “Endlessly” by Green River Ordinance came pouring out.

The crowd became hushed, swaying in rhythm to the rough beauty of Reed's voice.

It was difficult for him to lay eyes on members of the crowd with the blinding lights in his eyes, but he scanned the faces to find his sister, Aston, and her fiancé, Sam. Her sparkling diamond glinted off of the light as she raised her arms above her head and swayed. One corner of Sam's mouth turned up at Reed as he wrapped his arms around Aston from behind and nuzzled her neck.

The vigor and nourishment he got from the stage coursed through his body as he finished the song, and the audience erupted into applause and whistles as he thanked them. Grinning and tugging on the strap of his guitar, he exited the stage.

“Well done, little bro,” Aston said as he sat his burden in its case. “Amazing, as always.”

He grinned. “Thanks, A. I'm not sure if Sam saw it, though; he was too busy sucking on your neck to notice anything I was doing up there.”

Sam shrugged. “Have you seen this neck? No one would blame me.”

Reed slapped Sam so hard on the back of the head that Sam almost inhaled the longneck bottle he was sipping. “That's my sister you're talking about. Lay the fuck off.”

Aston waved her left hand in front of Reed's nose. “That's my fiancé you're slapping around there, Reed. I swear I'll pummel you senseless if you touch him again.”

Sam smiled smugly. “That's my girl.”

Reed rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Sam's other side. “What'd you think, Ash? You ready to leave your loser husband for me yet?”

Ashley smirked at Reed as the husband in question turned a full-wattage glare on him. “Nope. Still madly in love with Finn. Sorry, sweetie. But that redhead over there? She's another story.”

Reed wheeled, searching in the direction Ashley pointed. His sister's best friend could always spot the groupies, and her radar was as deadly accurate as usual. At the adjacent table, a handful of young women eyed Reed hungrily.

It was how these shows went. Reed was announced as a guest performer for the club's entertainment, he performed, and panties dropped like leaves on a fall day. It was a clockwork routine that Reed counted on.

He pulled out his chair and took a seat between Blaze and Tate. Looking his best friends over carefully, he frowned. “Where the hell is the tequila?”

Tate Oliver slid a shot in Reed's direction and grinned. “Had one waiting on you, bro. You did good up there.”

Reed nodded, taking the small glass of golden liquid and tilting it up against his full lips. As he tipped it back and let the fire forge a trail down his throat, he hissed through his teeth and allowed the shot glass to slam back down on the table. Glancing around him, he threw a dose of swagger at the table of gaping girls next door, letting them know that he'd be ready for business as soon as he oiled up his gears.

Blaze boomed out a laugh that seemed to ricochet through the rafters. “Take me as your wingman tonight! Please!” His gigantic body hunkered down over his own shot of tequila as he knocked it back.

Reed smiled and signaled the short-skirted girl with a revolving tray of drinks for another round. “Sam? You in?”

“Nope,” he answered promptly. “I've got the princess on the bike tonight.”

Reed grunted in response. He loved Sam like a brother, but he was shit for company on a night when all Reed wanted to do was find a warm body to celebrate with after a good night at the mic.

Tate scanned the room, clearly uncomfortable.

“Next weekend you'll be back at Sunny's, right?” he grumbled.

“Yeah,” Reed answered, amused. “What—you don't like it when we're in Charleston?”

Tate and his twin sister, Tamara, had stayed behind in Nelson Island while the rest of them had attended the University of Charleston after high school. Tate never felt comfortable being off of the island, even when he was just right across the bridge in the Holy City.

“Don't worry, Tate,” Reed said dryly. “Back in good ole NI next weekend. Sunny's as usual.”

“Good,” Tate nodded in relief. He sipped his beer and glanced over at the table of women, basking in the lustful glow that Reed cast over the female population of the club.

Reed glanced impatiently up at the bar in search of the drink runner. He scanned the crowd pressing against the current and stopped on a sinewy figure with a short, sparkly dress and the longest hair he'd seen on a girl since middle school. He appraised her as she leaned into the bar, indicating to the bartender the drink that she wanted. Her back was facing Reed as he eyed her, and he took the time to drink in her shapely legs, the curve of her hips, and the glowing olive complexion. He whistled low under his breath and glanced back at his present company.

“What?” Blaze rumbled, on high alert. “You spot another shorty?”

Ashley exchanged an eye roll with Aston. “Ugh. Are you guys ready to get outta here?”

“Yeah; I'm pretty sure that was our cue,” Aston agreed. She bent over Reed's head to kiss his cheek, rubbing off her lipstick as she pulled away. “Love you, Reed. Don't do anything Sam wouldn't do.”

Tate choked on his Coors. “Yeah, right.
Everything
Reed does is something Sam wouldn't do. I think it's a rule.”

Reed grinned. “Y'all be safe. Don't knock my sister up before the wedding, Waters.”

“No promises,” Sam answered, bumping Blaze's fist as they followed Finn and Ashley toward the exit.

When Reed moved his gaze once more toward the mystery girl at the bar, she was gone. He hadn't even gotten to see her face. Somehow, he knew that was probably for the better. Judging from the back of that woman, the front of her was likely to be a game changer.

Wanting Forever