“It’s no trouble, really. I don’t mind.”

“You sure this isn’t just a plot to get to ride around in it?” I teased. How did I ever think his hair was just brown? In the sun it was more like a deep chestnut, with hints of honey and russet. It was curling slightly in the salty air, waving away from his face now. “You want to get behind that wheel?”

“Now that you mention it, I—”

He was interrupted by a great rumbling as Hank’s massive beastly truck thundered up the gravel driveway and around the corner of the house.

He climbed out of the truck with an easy grace, the kind that comes with knowing exactly what your body is capable of. Blond hair pulled back, with a few escaped pieces bouncing freely around his face. He pulled off his shirt, then grabbed a few apples from the truck. He looked up, briefly caught my eye, and headed for the barn. But when he noticed me talking to Clark?

He turned midstride and headed directly for us. Clark stood up straighter, moving the tiniest bit closer to me. Hank’s eyes had laser locked on me, dragging his gaze down my body and back up again in a way that made me gulp. The other alternative was to drool; I was literally salivating.

He stopped not a foot from me. He held my stare in the way that really good-looking men can, knowing that their presence is enough. Then he opened his mouth to speak, finally initiating conversation with me!

“ ’Sup, Viv?”

The man was a poet. I had no words. Strike that, I had one.

“ ’Sup?”

He grinned at me, and I swear on all that is holy a sunbeam broke through the clouds and shone directly on him, highlighting the planes of his exquisite face and letting me know that beauty had a name, and its name was Hank.

“Oh for pity’s sake,” I heard behind me. I turned to see Clark staring at the two of us with a disapproving look on his face.

“Sorry about that, Clark. Do you know Hank?” I asked, sliding out of the way as the two appraised each other.

“Of course I know him. Small town, remember? How are you, Hank?”

“Hiya, Clark. What the hell happened to your face? You run into a door again?” Hank asked, starting to juggle the three apples he was holding.

“No I didn’t run into a door, I—”

Hank interrupted, “Senior year of high school, this guy ran right into a sliding glass door, broke his nose and the glass. It was hilarious! Man, that was a killer party too, everyone was there. Even Clark! I don’t think I’d ever seen you at a party before, come to think of it, and the one time you come, you walk right into a glass door! Oh man, that still cracks me up!”

Clark chuckled. “Yep, you got me there. Pretty funny stuff.” But his eyes weren’t laughing.

I felt like I should laugh, since they both were. But I couldn’t.

And after a few seconds, Hank was the only one. He finally stopped juggling, then said, “I brought these for the horses. Want to try giving one of them an apple?” He tossed one and I caught it.

“Sure, gimme a sec.” I turned back to Clark. “Thanks for coming by today. I really appreciate all the help with the house.”

He looked at me coolly. “Please keep me abreast of the bids you receive from the contractors, and consult me before making any final changes.”

I blinked. We were back to that?

“Viv! Come on!” Hank called, backing away toward the barn and beckoning me with one finger.

“I hope you have a pleasant visit with your friends, Vivian,” Clark said, getting into his car and driving away.

I walked across the yard toward the barn, noticing that the four on the porch were silent, watching as I followed Hank. I never even got to the barn, though, because I started sneezing and didn’t stop for almost two minutes.

Chapter eight

That evening I went back with my friends to Mimi’s family’s house to have dinner. We ate, we drank, we played Pictionary (these four are oddly fierce when they are playing games), and just had a nice evening.

They stopped by in the morning before heading back to San Francisco, bringing pastries from the bakery in town, and I fired up the French press again. I’d found an old painting tarp in the garage and before they left, the boys and I headed up to the roof to tie it down. The forecast was calling for rain this week, and I didn’t want to spend another night moving buckets all over the living room. We got it tied down nice and secure, and it seemed like a good temporary fix until the roof could be replaced.

We were outside by the Range Rover, getting everyone situated and settled, Mimi talking a mile a minute about stopping for beef jerky. “I’m telling you, Simon, it’s the best jerky ever! Just ask Ryan. I make him stop every time we come up here to see my folks, you’ll see.”

“I’ve learned not to argue with that one.” Simon laughed, draping an easy arm around my shoulders. “Sure is nice to have you out here, Viv. You gotta come down to the city sometime and see our place in Sausalito.”

“I’ll totally take you up on that offer, as soon as I get things settled around here,” I said, leaning my head on his shoulder. I missed my brothers, and I was glad to have Simon only a few hours away if I needed him. I patted him on the butt, then reached for his best girl.

“Can’t thank you enough for everything you did, Caroline, although you and Clark did get a little too close for my comfort,” I teased.

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Yeah, what a terrible guy,” she said, making a show of hanging herself. “I have to say, after all the buildup, he wasn’t exactly the monster you made him out to be.”

“He’s okay, just a little uptight for me. Keeps me on my toes, though. And it’s fun making him squirm a bit. I was going to send him a text later asking if he wants to help me paint all the trim Day-Glo orange.” I grinned.

“You’re kind of a shit—you know this, right?” she asked, laughing as she pulled me into a hug.

“Kind of?”

“Now you let me know, Viv, if you need any more help organizing. I left my card and a price sheet for you on the dining room table, with a discount, of course, since we’re buddies now. So when you’re ready to really get organized, you call me, okay?” Mimi asked as Ryan helped her into the backseat.

“Buckle up, dear,” he said. “Nice you meet you again, Viv. We come up here a few times a year, so we’ll see you again. You’re coming down to San Francisco for the wedding, right?”