You, Me, and Forever (Blushing)

“Are you kidding me right now?” Violet said as she and I walked through every room in the Murphy Ranch. I’d stayed up most of the night tossing and turning and daydreaming about the best way to turn this into a boutique hotel and wedding venue.

So, when Myles and I weren’t rolling around naked in the sheets, I was updating my Pinterest board. Because apparently, I had a two-track mind now.

Sex and interior design.

“It’s spectacular, right?”

She came to a stop in the kitchen and turned to look at me. “My God, Monny. When you overcame the vajabbies, you just went all in.”

I shook my head and chuckled. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, you met the man when you were spiraling in your life. You decided to have the fling of all flings, and then the man made you a part owner of this mansion? When life gives my bestie lemons, she makes some big-dick lemonade.”

Now we were both laughing hysterically.

“First of all, I am not part owner. We are part owners. And it has nothing to do with sex. He doesn’t live here, and he wants a partner. He saw an opportunity.”

She smirked. “He sure did.”

“Well, don’t make it sound so dirty.” I stared out the window, my stomach fluttering with excitement over everything that we could do with this place.

“‘Dirty’ isn’t so bad. Maybe you should give it a try.” She pushed the back door open and stepped outside. “I like all of your ideas. You know I’m more of a numbers girl, so the creative stuff is more your wheelhouse. But with the budget he’s set aside, I don’t see why we can’t do everything you want to do. So when do we start?”

“Well, he just bought the place. We’ve got to agree upon the terms and then sign contracts. He said Charlie has a small crew that will be working out here, so it shouldn’t take that long. Vi, we could be up and going over here in six to eight weeks. I don’t want to bring clients out here yet, until it’s all official, but this will solve a lot of our challenges for the upcoming year.”

She studied me. “Are you going to be okay when this guy leaves? I’ve never seen you so happy. Hell, you never seemed this upbeat in all the years you dated the douchebag.”

“I knew what this was when we started. So, I’ll be fine. Completely fine. Of course I will be. It’s a fling. Nothing more. We’re friends, of course, and sure, we complicated it with sex, but I’m fine. Totally fine.”

“Wow. That was very convincing.” I didn’t miss the look of concern in her gaze.

“Stop worrying. I’ll throw myself into work. You know me, I’m very resilient.”

She nodded. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt. Do you think you’ll keep in touch with him?”

“I don’t think that would be wise. I mean, you don’t become pen pals with your fling when they leave town, right? He helped me move forward with my life, and I’m grateful. I’ll start dating again after he leaves.”

She nodded, but I could tell she knew I was full of shit. I was crazy about the man. It was going to hurt like hell. But I already knew that, and I wasn’t doing anything to stop it at this point. It was my choice. I’d deal with the consequences after.

“All right. And he’ll probably be back in town occasionally to check on his businesses, right?”

“I’m sure once in a blue moon he’ll fly in, but Connor will handle everything for us out here. Myles has a big project that he’s starting in Manhattan next month. And then apparently, he just bought a city block in Chicago that he’s going to build on. The man has big plans, and they aren’t here in Blushing.” I cleared my throat and walked back inside.

“Wow. The man has some serious big-dick energy. Do you think he takes on lovers when he goes to different cities?” she asked, and for whatever reason the question hit me right in the center of my chest.

He’d told me he’d never been friends with a woman or spent time with anyone the way he did with me. But I’d met Gigi back in New York. They clearly had some sort of . . . entanglement.

“I don’t know, Vi. I really don’t want to think about that.” We stepped back inside, and I turned all the lights off.

“Oh man, you’re in deeper than I thought you were.”

“I’m fine.” I shook it off and locked the house up. “Come on, let’s get back to the office. I have a meeting with Tracy and Bryan, and I need to focus, because she’s going to be a handful.”

Violet laughed. “That girl is outrageous. She might take the term ‘bridezilla’ to a whole new level.”

Tracy Levett was probably the most high-maintenance bride I’d ever encountered, but I was up for the task. Violet was already over her, and I would definitely be handling most of the interactions moving forward.

We walked past the Seaside Inn, and it was still difficult for me to see that the structure had been taken down to the studs. They’d already started framing, and things were moving quickly. There were trucks parked right on the property with supplies and materials. Several of the crew commuted from Anchorage every day, and they had a lot of people working on this. My eyes scanned the area, and I quickly found him.

Myles St. James.

He was wearing dark jeans, cowboy boots, and a white tee. I knew he dressed differently when he was in the city, but I was partial to this look.

He wore it well.

He was deep in conversation with a few of the guys, and I came to a stop and took a minute to just take him in. I rarely got to watch the man without him noticing. His shoulders strained against his tee as he pointed to one side of the property, and the men listened intently.

“Damn. Is he that commanding in the bedroom?” Violet whispered.

I almost forgot she was there. I turned and started walking. “A woman never shares her secrets.”

“Please. We share all our secrets.” She laughed as we paused when we turned the corner and saw Clifford lying under the large tree across the street from the Blushing Bride.

“He sure likes it over here.”

“I think Clifford probably wants a woman, and he’d be the marrying type for sure,” she said as she pulled the door open.

“Great. Now we’re planning weddings for the local moose.” I chuckled.

Blakely’s eyes were wide, as if she was trying to tell us something without saying it aloud. “Tracy and Bryan arrived early, and they’re in the conference room waiting for you, Monny.”

“Well, good luck with that,” Violet said under her breath.

I made my way to the conference room and pushed the door open. “Hi there. Nice to see you both.”

“I hope you’re taking this wedding seriously, Montana. We’ve been here for ten minutes,” Tracy snipped as Bryan stared down at his phone, completely disengaged.

“You arrived thirty minutes early, Tracy. I had another appointment. I’m still twenty minutes ahead of schedule. I assure you, I am on top of everything with the wedding.”

“Well, aside from moving the venue,” she griped.

“Again, that wasn’t my doing. The property sold, and I thought you were happy with the new venue.” I took the seat across from them, where Blakely had left their file for me.

“We are. It holds more people, which I’m happy about. I’m just—I’m stressed out with this wedding coming up so soon, and I need to make a few small tweaks.”

I need to make a few small tweaks.

This was her favorite saying. And the tweaks were never small. She’d already changed her wedding colors, guest list size, and menu. Luckily, my father was the caterer, and he was flexible, as long as he had time to make the adjustments.

“We’re really close to the big day, Tracy, so making tweaks at this point is not going to be possible.”

“Well, too bad, so sad. It’s happening. I’m changing the wedding party. Bethany is out.”

“Bethany Wilson? Your maid of honor?” I asked, not hiding my surprise.

“Yes. She cut her hair. She cut her freaking hair before my wedding day, without checking with me!” she shouted.

Like my bestie had stated, this woman was bringing the “bridezilla” concept to a whole new level.

I glanced over at Bryan, still completely disengaged.

“Tracy, I think the wedding nerves are just getting to you. I’m sure Bethany’s hair is fine. We have a fabulous stylist who’s going to be doing everyone’s hair on the big day. She will be able to work with whatever length she needs to.”

“She cut off an inch. An inch!” she shrieked. “I’m sure her bun will be completely fucked now!”

Days like this made me question my career choice. I questioned if being a therapist would have been a more fitting route to take.

“So it’s basically a trim?” I said, keeping my tone completely even. “Her hair is long; an inch is not going to be a big deal.”

“No offense, Montana, but if you were in my wedding, I’d insist you wore hair extensions because your hair is just past your shoulders. Sure, it’s thick and lovely, but it’s not as long as what I prefer. That length just doesn’t make for a nice bun. And Bethany’s hair is already thin, and now her bun will look like shit.”

No offense, Tracy, but being in your wedding is not on my list of life goals.

She was not someone I would have the patience to be friends with.

But she was a client, and I was a professional, so I’d keep my mouth closed.

I let out a breath, making an effort to keep my tone even. “Everyone will be looking at you. So I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“They will, won’t they? I mean, look at me.” She shrugged. “I was meant to be a bride. I’ve got the hair. The face. The body.”

The ego.

Quite possibly the most annoying personality on the planet.

“Yes. You’re stunning.” I glanced over at her groom, and I suddenly felt annoyed that I had to deal with her while he got to stare at his phone. “I’m sure Bryan agrees.”

His head popped up. “Yes, baby. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world. And Bethany’s bun is fucking tragic.”

I wanted to roll my eyes at how well trained he was.

The man would say anything to avoid her wrath.

I’d witnessed her lose her shit on him more than once, and he was clearly doing whatever it took to keep the peace.

“And this is why we’re together. You just get me, baby,” she purred.

I shot him a look. I needed him to get on board.

Throw me a bone.

Help me out.

Because once Tracy started spiraling, there was no bringing her back to baseline.

“I was just saying that I thought everyone would be looking at Tracy, so we should not be cutting Bethany from the wedding party. And no one will be looking at her bun when your beautiful bride walks down the aisle, because all eyes will be on the bride.”

He nodded quickly. “I agree. And you have been best friends with her since kindergarten.”

“Fine. She can be my maid of honor. But I want to talk about the table seating plan that we had.”

She spent the next forty minutes changing the seating chart, because she now wanted all of her ex-boyfriends to be seated at one table.

So they could share stories about what a loss it was for them that they didn’t marry her.

Her words, not mine.

I couldn’t make this shit up.

I agreed to the changes, and hoped this meeting would end now.

“Okay. We’re good. You’ll need to fix things with Bethany, though. I told her that she was out of the wedding party last night.” She pushed to her feet. “She’s working at the Brown Bear Diner today if you want to go over and let her know she’s back in the wedding. I’ve got too much to deal with today to take that on.”

Sure. Let me go patch things up with your best friend because you’re a complete asshole.

“Yep. I’ve got it. I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay, we need to go. I’m getting a hot oil treatment on my hair today. Wedding prep has started.” She pulled the door open and then snapped her fingers when she realized Bryan was still sitting and staring at his phone.

He jumped to his feet like a trained puppy and followed her out the door.

Violet had just come out from her office as we walked out, and she raised a brow as she took me in. “Everything good?”

“Yes. Everything is great. Montana has some drama to clean up, but she’s great at that, right?” Tracy chuckled, and Violet’s face hardened. She had never been good at hiding her feelings with her facial expressions.

“She’s the best. You’re lucky to have her planning this wedding for you,” Violet said before clearing her throat.

“Yes. I’m glad you all work for us. It gives me peace of mind knowing you will take care of everything. Because it’s all about the bride in your business, right?”

I ushered her to the door and forced a smile. “Yes. Have a great hot oil treatment. I’ll text you after I speak to Bethany.”

Bryan gave me an apologetic look, and I forced a smile, even though he’d been very little help today.

And he was the damn groom.

Once the door closed, I turned around to see Violet and Blakely waiting for an update. I filled them in on the table seating and Bethany’s haircut.

“Um, I had breakfast at the Brown Bear Diner this morning, and Bethany looks exactly the same. Her hair looked just as long,” Blakely said over her laughter. “How is she even friends with Tracy? Bethany is so nice.”

“Well, let’s hope she’s nice when I go there to convince her to continue as maid of honor after this whole mess. Otherwise, one of you will be her stand-in at the wedding, because apparently my hair would not make a perfect wedding day bun for Tracy either.”

“This girl is out of her spray-tanned, bleach-blond, self-centered mind,” Violet said. “And having a table with her ex-boyfriends—who, by the way, are not allowed to bring their plus-ones? I mean, this is reality TV type of drama. And for the record, you couldn’t pay me to stand up in her wedding. I’d happily shave all my hair off before I’d tolerate her bullshit. But I wouldn’t mind a seat at the ex-boyfriend table! I could get all the dirt on her.”noveldrama

Blakely laughed. “Yeah. I’m guessing that will be the best table at the party.”

I sighed and tugged my purse up on my shoulder. “All right, I’ll be back soon.”

“Where are you off to?” Violet asked. “Are you going to stare at the hot billionaire who you claim you aren’t dating again?”

“I’m going to the Brown Bear Diner to try to patch things up with Bethany. I have no intention of seeing the hot billionaire.” I smirked before pulling the door open.

My phone vibrated when I stepped outside, and I glanced down to see a message from Myles.

So maybe I had every intention of seeing him.

But I’d keep that to myself.