Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
I spotted Xander’s height and wide shoulders right away. He was standing near the bar talking to a group of people I didn’t recognize. My eyes scanned the room and found Austin and Veronica seated at a table over to the side, and I was surprised to see Kelly sitting with them as well. She had a ball cap covering her famous red hair, but I recognized her. My dad was chatting with my Aunt Faye at a table nearby, and Mabel’s best friend Ari was working behind the bar. All around the room, people were smiling and laughing and having a good time. I was happy for Xander—he deserved this success.
Taking Lexi by the elbow, I brought her over to where Xander was standing. “Hey, brother.”
He turned, his face surprised. “Devlin! You’re here!” His huge bear arms grabbed me in a hug, his fist thumping me on the back a couple times. “Thanks for coming.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it.” When he let me go, I gestured toward Lexi. “I want to introduce you to someone.”
Xander’s brow cocked up, and he gave me a quick glance before holding out his hand. “Hey. I’m Xander.”
“Lexi,” she said, placing her palm against his.
“You look familiar,” he said. “Are you from around here?”
“About an hour away. My family owns Snowberry Lodge.”
Understanding dawned quickly on Xander’s face, and even though I caught the what-the-fuck look he gave me, he played it cool. “Nice,” he said, nodding. “I remember skiing there when I was younger.”
“Lexi and I met a few weeks ago at The Broken Spoke,” I said. “You might have seen her there.”
“Sure.” Xander nodded. “That must be it. So . . . you two kept in touch?”
“Yes.” I put my arm around Lexi’s shoulders. Kissed her temple. “We sure did.”
Xander’s jaw was hanging open at this point. He rubbed his dark brown beard with one hand. “Interesting. I mean, great. Cool. Let’s get you guys some drinks. What can Ari pour for you?”
After introducing Lexi to Ari and my father, we sat with Austin, Veronica, and Kelly for a while. The story Lexi had seen online turned out to have been true, and Kelly gave us a quick rundown of what had transpired. She was obviously trying to fly under the radar tonight, but a few people approached and asked for her autograph anyway. She was kind to everyone, even posing for photos.
I sat next to Lexi with my arm across the back of her chair, and every now and again, I touched her shoulder or rubbed her arm. When her beer was gone, I got her another one. When she got up to use the bathroom, I walked her to the back of the bar. When she came out, we ambled over to a couch to sit alone. I tugged her onto my lap, and she sat with one arm looped around my neck.
“Your brothers are definitely suspicious,” she said in my ear. “They keep staring at us.”
“They’ve just never seen me behave this way with a girl before,” I explained, curling an arm around her hip. “It works in our favor.”
“Hmm.” She played with the collar of my shirt. “So I’m curious about something. What happened with McKenna?”
“I told you. We wanted different things. So we split up.”
“I know what you told me. But I have a hunch there’s more to the story.” She paused. “Is there?”
I took a sip of my beer and decided to admit the truth. “We broke up because she slept with someone else at the company Christmas party last year.”
Lexi gasped. “She did not.”
“She did.”
“Why? I mean, you definitely have some faults, but your sexual skills are . . .” She kissed her fingertips. “Chef’s kiss.”
I couldn’t help smiling. “Thanks. But I don’t think she did it to have better sex. I think she did it to punish me.”
“For what?”
“Not giving her what she wanted.”
“What did she want?”
“Attention, mostly. But she also wanted a ring.”
Lexi nodded in understanding. “Had you ever told her you didn’t want to get married?”
“Many times. I never hid the fact that it wasn’t something I wanted. She heard what she wanted to hear. Everyone does.”
She thought about that for a second. “I guess.”
“Anyway, she and I were never going to be right for each other, even if she hadn’t cheated.” I took another swallow from my beer. “Plus, the guy she fucked was Bob Oliver.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Yeah. And what really pissed me off was that I’d been a mentor to him, shown him the ropes, shared my strategies. And he turned around and backstabbed me multiple times over—not just the incident with McKenna, but with clients too.”
“What a dick.”
“They’re engaged now.”
“Wait.” She put it all together, her brow furrowed. “McKenna is the boss’s daughter?”
“Yep.”
“Jeez.” She shook her head. “The thought of that guy getting his hands on Snowberry makes me sick.”