Somebody Like You (Starlight Hill Series Book 2) (10 page)

“I love baseball. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” This made Billy laugh, and Brooke caught her breath at the warm, rich sound.

On their way into Maurizzio’s, which was kitty-corner to the bank, they ran into Ted.

“See you tonight,” Ted said to Brooke after shaking hands with Billy and behaving as though he’d just run into his brother from a different mother.

Billy gave Brooke a long look after Ted had walked away. “You have a date with Ted?”

“Yes,” Brooke answered. “I have a date with your biggest fan. You should be happy.”

He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t say another word on the subject. Billy held the door to the restaurant open for her, and she strutted inside. Or tried to strut, but wound up tripping on the rug in her high heels.

Billy caught her, and she narrowly avoided a face plant. “Walk much, Bungee?”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Are you all right?” Stephan, Maurizzio’s son, met them near the front of the restaurant.

“Just a little trip,” Brooke said, pushing away Billy’s arm, still snaked around her waist.

“That’s not what I meant. I heard you had a nervous breakdown. I didn’t believe you’d actually show up for the meeting. Billy Turlock, how you doin’, man? Big fan here. Would you mind signing a few balls? For my sons.” Stephan said with a cough.

He didn’t have any sons. Did he really expect that Brooke wouldn’t let Billy know that? Stephan had taken over the restaurant’s management because he hadn’t much choice. Maurizzio had pulled him back from a career in his first love, gossip. Stephan ran a blog he called
My Two Cents, for What it’s Worth
.

“Who said Brooke had a nervous breakdown?” Billy asked, still standing a bit too close to her.

Oh, please let’s not go there
. It mattered that Billy not know what a fool she’d made of herself that night. “That’s not important.”

“Not to worry,” Stephan said, ushering them to a table, “I of all people know how rumors get spread around this little town. I can see she’s fine. But it was George, the owner of Serrano. He and his fiancée were in here not long ago.”

Red hot lava coursed through Brooke’s arteries, but she took a deep breath and smiled. “Creative differences can lead to all manner of stories, and lies.”

While Billy didn’t look as happy as he’d been earlier chatting baseball with Giancarlo, his jawline tight, he did sign a few balls for Stephan’s imaginary sons. Brooke would let it go. For now. 

Stephan concluded the meeting by ordering several cases without asking for a private tasting. She wasn’t about to suggest one. The less time she spent around “two cents” Stephan, the better for her reputation.

*****

Brooke changed out of her business clothes and into a pair of slender-cut black jeans and matching sweater for her date with Ted. Even if her mind should be on her date, she couldn’t stop thinking of how yummy Billy had looked this afternoon. Most men needed a clean shave to look that shiny. But not Billy. This afternoon she’d seen a light go on in his eyes when he talked baseball. She recognized that passion. The same kind Mom had when she talked about all her green conservation efforts at the farm, or Ivey talked about bringing a baby into the world.

A person shouldn’t have to give up their passion.

Brooke was getting on board with the concept. Why couldn’t he be both a vintner and a high school baseball coach? Or assistant coach, or whatever they called it? As long as he could balance the two, she didn’t see a problem.

Ted arrived promptly at seven o’clock for their date.

He drove them to Radcliffe’s on the outskirts of town, a nice change of pace. Ted suggested an entrée, but didn’t order for her. So far, so good. He wanted her advice on a wine pairing. Smart man.

  Brooke managed to push Billy out of her mind. She hadn’t once thought about how nice it felt to be around a man who opened doors for her (literally and figuratively), someone who seemed to be at ease with the world at large and his place in it. Someone who looked as good in slacks and a blazer as he did in gym shorts.

Someone who had stolen the vineyard out from under her.

Which reminded her, she owed Ted an apology. “I’m sorry I was so angry with you after losing the vineyard. It wasn’t your fault.” 

“Perfectly understandable. It had to be disappointing, but hey, it’s worked out rather well for you. Hasn’t it?”

Right back to Billy again. “Yes, Billy’s a great boss. He’s generous, listens to my advice and lets me do my own thing.”

It’s just that it hadn’t worked out quite the way she’d pictured it. She couldn’t claim ownership. That dream was gone. But there was nothing to say that someday another opportunity might come up, and she’d be ready for it. First, she’d make Mirassu rise again. That would show George a thing or two. His enormous success had been at least partially due to her.

The waiter opened the wine, and let Ted smell the cork. Even if Brooke should have been the one to do so, given her expertise.

Ted took a sip and nodded. “I should have let you do this.”

“It’s all right. I don’t mind a man taking the lead sometimes.” But why did an image of Billy pop into her head unbidden?

At the end of the date, Ted took her home, and insisted on walking her to the cottage. Of course it wasn’t possible to walk to her cottage without passing the manor house. As they approached the balcony, who should be outside in the late October air but Billy?

“What’s Billy doing here?” Ted asked.

“He lives here. Didn’t I mention that? In the back,” Brooke said. She hadn’t wanted to share that information yet, and honestly hadn’t expected Billy to be hanging around when she got back from her date. Not like she’d seen him hanging around the balcony on any other night.

“Hey Billy,” Ted called out. “How about them Giants?”

“Looking good,” Billy said, raising a bottle of what looked like beer.

Beer? They were going to have words. “Would you like to come up?” She turned to Ted.

Ted’s eyebrows joined his hairline. “Really?” 

Why was that so shocking? Ted had been perfectly pleasant and nice all evening. He’d held her hand, put his arm around her waist, and it was all fine. Quite nice. She wasn’t going to sleep with him, but she wouldn’t mind being kissed for the first time in weeks. She missed kissing. When it was done well, naturally, and she wouldn’t mind testing Ted out. He might surprise her. Stranger things had happened.

Before she could answer, Billy walked down the steps to join them, shaking Ted’s hand and talking about scores and lingo she could barely comprehend. Ted was a goner when Billy asked for his advice regarding which team had the best chances of winning the World Series.

Brooke’s eyes glazed over as she listened to the men talk. She tried not to be offended by the way Ted gazed at Billy with the eyes of a sports fan. Wasn’t he
her
date? Didn’t he want to come upstairs, or did the man have Attention Deficit Disorder? Was he so easily distracted, or was she just not sexy enough?

“I’m really tired,” Brooke raised her arms and yawned softly.
Hint, hint. I’m going upstairs. Take it or leave it, Teddy.

“Okay Brooke. Goodnight. I had a really good time tonight. I’ll call you.” Ted smiled and continued to chat with Billy.   

Well, of all the nerve.

Brooke didn’t return any of Ted’s calls the following week, and he got the message. She hoped Billy and Ted would be very happy together. Brooke moved on.

It wasn’t until two weeks later and two dates that were sidelined by Billy that Brooke wondered if Billy were trying to chase some of the men away. When Billy offered Sean Kowalski, one of the guys she’d met skydiving, his season tickets to the fifth game of the World Series, the man became so discombobulated that he seemed to lose the power of speech. He waved to her as he left, holding tight to the tickets as if he’d just found the map to the Fountain of Youth.

“That’s incredible.” Brooke stared at Billy.

“Not really. I’m not going to the game, and they would have just gone to waste.” Billy lifted a shoulder.

She faced him, squaring her shoulders. “That’s not what I mean. Why have you been outside every time I’ve come back from one of my dates?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t aware I had to hide inside. I’m always awake at this time.”

“And you’re not usually outside ready to make a new best friend.”

“Don’t make anything of it. I happen to be up, you happen to come home from your date. Coincidence.”

“Right. I guess that’s true. There must just be something wrong with me, then.” Brooke took off in the direction of her cottage. She threw open the door, and prepared to spend an evening alone with
Housewives of Beverly Hills
. That show always made her feel good about herself, and tonight she needed a big shot of self-esteem.

She didn’t like playing second fiddle to the enigmatic Billy Turlock. Women loved him, and men admired him. The women thing she couldn’t do anything about, but she would have to find a man in this town who didn’t like baseball. There had to be someone. Somewhere. She’d have to ask Ivey if Noah the male nurse liked sports.

Brooke had just served a heaping chunk of rocky road ice cream into a bowl when she heard Billy’s forceful knocking again.

She threw open the door, and there he stood in his entire super jock splendor. “What do you
want
?”

He braced himself inside the frame of the door. “Just wanted to say that for the record, if I were your date there isn’t anything short of a category five hurricane that would keep me from joining you upstairs.”

“Save it. I don’t believe you. You’re trying to sabotage my dates.” She moved aside so he and his athletic ego would have enough room to come in.

He lumbered in and held out his palms. “Look, I happened to be up when you came home. Totally unplanned.”

“Every time? So you aren’t trying to scare all my dates off?”

He grinned. “Okay, that part is totally planned.”

“Aha! I knew it. Why, Billy? Why would you do that to me?”

He reached her in two short strides, grabbing her arms and pulling her roughly to him. Brooke felt all the breath leave her in one single rush when he kissed her. He wasn’t particularly gentle about the kiss, but the way he held her made her feel both precious and breakable. Her mouth opened under him and he took the invitation and explored. She’d remembered that Billy Turlock could kiss, but this was different. He kissed her now like he had every right to do so, with a kind of possession and authority that left her reeling. She felt the powerful tug of lust ping deep in her belly, just as it had years ago.

Billy pulled away and released her. “You’re smart, Brooke. You figure it out.”

He walked right out the door, and Brooke didn’t move for a minute. Billy Turlock had kissed the breath right out of her. That kiss—and he — were so much better than her teenage brain remembered, and that said something. How could he kiss her like that and just walk out? Brooke followed him, climbed the short steps to his residence, and found herself knocking on his door for a change.

She’d only been here once before, trying to stay away from the place where he laid his head at night. Where he showered. Where he couldn’t, or didn’t cook. Where he made love. She didn’t want to know, didn’t need the image burned in her brain.

When he opened the door he didn’t look at all surprised to see her. “What was that about?” Brooke demanded.

“You still need help figuring it out?” He reached for her wrist, pulling her inside. “Come here, I’ll help.”

She wound up roughly against him, palms going up to his hard muscled chest. She could stop him, she knew. By saying a single word. Only they didn’t come easy staring into that green gaze. The eyes said too much, and she became overwhelmed by the emotions radiating down to the soles of her feet. She’d never known anyone to talk with his eyes before, but dang if it didn’t seem they were having an entire conversation. 

His thumb swept her jaw. “You’re even more beautiful than I remembered.”

This time she was the one who lifted her hands from his chest and wrapped them around his neck. His sensual mouth came crashing down on hers again. The kiss was a sensual and decadent experience because Billy Turlock made love with his mouth. With his talented tongue, hot, wet and probing.

She pulled away, breathless and incoherent with yearning. “Wait a minute.”

Of course he listened. His arms fell away from her and he took a small step back. “Say it, Brooke.”

She already missed him. “Maybe this isn’t such a great idea?”

“It’s a great idea. But you’re right, it will change everything. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting a long time for this kind of a shift.”

“You’re my boss.” No point in telling him how badly her last relationship had turned out.

“Actually, you’re Pop’s employee. Not mine.”

“What are you talking about? You hired me.”

“Yes, but the way the corporation is set up I’ve made Pop the owner. It was his dream. I’m bank rolling it.”

“So you’re not my boss?”