“I’m thinking when this one’s born,” Dani was saying slyly, “that I just might come to Casey for a job.” She slid a hopeful glance at her friend. “That way I can stay home with the kids and maybe Mike and I can see each other for more than a mumbled greeting in the hallway as we change shifts!”
“What a great idea,” Gina put in. “I’ve got lots of plans for Casey’s time, so I think she’ll be needing the help.”
“You’ve got plans?” Julie said with a laugh, shifting baby Katie from one breast to the other. “Back off, sister-in-law of mine, I’ve got the bakery getting ready to open and I want those menus done before the next tasting at the winery—”
Enjoying herself immensely, Casey gave them all a broad smile and clapped her hands. “As much as I love being the center of attention,” she said, “there’s plenty of me to go around.” Then she shot a look at Dani. “As for you…we’re going to have to talk, because if you’re serious, I could use yousooner rather than later.”
“Seriously?” Dani’s eyes sparkled at the thought of being able to stay home with her kids.
“Definitely,” Casey told her. With all the new work she had lined up, she was going to need the help. Who better than her best friend? “And as for the menus for the winery,” she said, looking at Julie again, “I came up with an idea yesterday that I think you’re going to love.”
“Excellent!” Julie whooped with excitement and just for good measure stuck her tongue out at Gina. “I win. Can I see them now?”
“Sure.” Casey stood. “Keep an eye on Mia and I’ll run upstairs to get them.”
With the women in charge, Casey sprinted across the lawn toward the back door of the big house. She ran over the flagstone patio, pausing only long enough to wave at Jackson, then she slipped through the open French doors and into the shadowy coolness of the state-of-the-art kitchen.
The cook had the day off since Jackson was busily burning dinner on his own and so the house felt empty and quiet as Casey ran down the hall and up the stairs. From outside, the wash of voices and laughter floated to her on a soft wind and she smiled to herself as she ran down the hall to Jackson’s bedroom. Temporary or not, she liked being a part of a big family. Since she’d been on her own for so many years, the idea of being surrounded by those you cared about was a delicious one.
She’d been showing Jackson the new design for the King Vineyard menus earlier that morning and she was sure she’d left the papers on Jackson’s dresser. She entered the big room that smelled of him and saw what she was looking for right away. But out of the corner of her eye, Casey also noticed a new, economy-sized box of condoms lying in the middle of his neatly made bed.
“Oh, perfect,” she muttered, shaking her head. If anyone in his family came upstairs for any reason, that would be the first thing they spotted. Just what she needed. Sure, they all had to know she and Jackson were lovers. That didn’t mean she needed to draw them a picture, though.
Picking up the box, she opened his bedside table drawer to put them away. But the world stopped and the condoms fell from suddenly nerveless fingers when she found a small, dark-blue velvet jeweler’s box tucked inside the drawer.
Mind racing, heart pounding, she held her breath, picked it up, opened the lid and stared down at a diamond that was so big it deserved its own zip code. It flashed in the light as if it had been waiting for someone to give it the opportunity to shine and Casey’s mouth went dry at the implications.
Was Jackson going to propose?
Her heart leaped in her chest and an unexpected joy sent so many sharp, jagged shards of happiness through her it was nearly painful.
“Hey,” Jackson said from the doorway, “what’s going on? I saw you running and—”
She turned around, heart in her eyes and held up the box she’d found. And joy died as his smile faded.
“Oh, God,” he whispered. “That’s Marian’s.”
Ten
“Marian?” Casey’s voice sounded so small, so hurt, Jackson felt her pain like his own.
He hadn’t thought about that damned ring in weeks. If he had, he would have taken it to the bank, put it in the safety deposit box. But no, he’d been so wrapped up in Casey and Mia that he’d tossed the three-carat diamond into a drawer and forgotten all about it.
Until it had shown up to bite him in the ass.
“Damn it,” he muttered, walking toward her. He took the velvet box from her hand, snapped it shut and dropped it back into the drawer. Then he slammed that drawer closed and looked into blue eyes that were so pale, sowounded, he felt like a first-class bastard.
“Um,” she said, taking a sidestep away from him and looking everywhere but directly into his eyes, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. I was only putting the condoms away and—”
“Casey, let me explain.” He reached for her, but she slipped away like mist before he could actually touch her. And just for a second, he wondered if it was a sign of things to come.
“Explain?” She choked out a laugh and backed up even further. Shaking her head, she walked quickly to his dresser and snatched up the pages she’d left there earlier. The designs she had for the King Vineyard menu. The ones she’d been so excited about that morning.
He remembered her showing them to him, with her eyes alight and her imagination on high gear. And even then, he’d felt a small twinge. He’d set her up with his brothers and their wives more for his convenience than for her sake. He’d wanted her safe. There. In the house.
Now, even her joy in the direction her business was taking had dimmed. Because of him.
“There’s nothing to explain,” she said and as she talked her voice got firmer, stronger. “You’ve got an engagement ring for another woman in the same drawer where you keep the condoms you use with me. What could be clearer? I’m the bedmate, she’s the wife material.” She headed for the door. “Trust me, I get the picture.”
“No you don’t,” he snapped and cut her off before she could get out of the room, away from him.
From outside, he heard the rumble of his brother’s voices, the laughter of the women clustered together beneath the tree and even the call of seabirds swooping low, looking for a handout.
But inside, all was cold and quiet. Looking into her eyes, Jackson felt the distance between them and damned if he could find a way to close it. He hadn’t meant for her to find out about Marian. If everything had gone according to his plan, she and Mia would have stayed here for six months and then they all would have gone on with their lives.