Buch lesen: «Falling For The Right Brother»

Chapter One

Good morning, avid readers! Who’s ready to be saved by the blog? Boy, do I have some juicy gossip that will help you escape the day-to-day life of our very small town.

Rumor has it one of Bayside’s most infamous residents is returning today after a ten-year absence. You may remember this gal as lover of all things Jasper Dumont. Who can forget the time she declared her love for him by, ahem, making that little video? Haven’t seen it? I’m sure someone saved a copy. *Smirk*

Personally, I’m thrilled that she’s back. So with that, let me, your fabulous Bayside Blogger, be the first to say... Welcome back to Bayside, Ellie Owens.

Elle stepped off the airport tram, thanked the driver and retrieved her luggage. Inhaling a deep whiff of air, she caught the familiar salty scent she associated with home.

As the tram drove away, she stood on the stone sidewalk in the center of town, taking a moment to reacquaint herself with Bayside, Virginia. Still pleasant to look at with its town square full of eclectic shop fronts and its flower-lined streets. Tucked behind one side of the square was the bay, the heart and soul of the town. The water looked calm today as fishing boats returned to their docks after their early-morning fishing trips.

Elle knew if she squinted her eyes just right she would be able to see the small, two-bedroom bungalow she’d shared with her father until she’d turned eighteen and went off to college, and then directly on to Italy after that. One of the many things she’d missed from home was her brightly painted yellow house with its rickety deck and even more dilapidated dock that stretched out into the water. It wasn’t unlike the other houses on that side of the bay.

She also knew that if she stood out on the dock, she would be able to take in the much larger and more impressive houses—mansions, really—on the other side of the water. That’s where the Dumont house sat, surrounded by tactfully placed trees and discreet fences.

How many nights had she sneaked out after she was supposed to be asleep to take in the lights and music coming from that magical house? It seemed the Dumonts threw parties with the same frequency that other people went to the grocery store.

Apparently there was nothing like a Dumont party. Everyone in town had heard about the expensive champagne, live music and occasional fireworks. Although that wasn’t surprising for a family who had made more money than God in real estate.

She’d heard that one time the Dumonts had hired ballroom dancers to entertain their guests. Another time they’d flown in a top chef from Japan to make fresh sushi for Mrs. Dumont. Once they’d even hired a troupe of Cirque du Soleil performers for a birthday celebration.

But out of all those special occurrences that came and went, one thing was always present. One person, actually. The person who’d taken on the role of prince of the castle in her childhood fantasies.

Jasper Dumont.

Even a shy bookworm like Elle had known of Jasper. In fact, everyone in town knew Jasper. Well liked, crazy hot, an incredible athlete in multiple sports and the most popular kid in school. No wonder Elle had harbored a huge crush on him.

When his parents had thrown their parties, she used to pretend that Jasper was dancing in a tuxedo and drinking champagne. In reality, he was probably at one of the parties in the local park drinking cheap beer with the rest of the cool kids.

She’d certainly never been invited to those parties. But Elle’s dad had always said she was an old soul. And maybe she was. Maybe she wanted to be kissed on the dance floor, like they did in the old black-and-white movies as twinkly lights illuminated the scene. Maybe she’d promised herself that one day she would go to this fictional party at the Dumonts’.

The funny thing was that Elle had attended tons of parties like that when she’d moved to Italy. She’d drunk amazing sparkling wine in centuries-old piazzas. She’d danced around local vineyards and listened to phenomenal musicians while sitting on the Spanish Steps. She’d even made out in the Blue Grotto when she visited Capri. Didn’t get much more romantic than that.

But that dream—that silly childhood dream—would always persist. Who forgot about their first love? Even if that first love was the exact reason why she’d had to leave her home.

The sound of a honking horn drew her attention. A tall, attractive man dressed in jeans and a T-shirt stepped out of a silver truck and walked toward her. Elle felt her eyes go wide as she realized who it was.

No way, she thought.

“Cam?” she called out with a small wave as she pushed her large sunglasses on top of her head.

He stopped midstride, smack-dab in the center of the street. She thought his mouth fell open but couldn’t quite see from her angle. Cocking his head, he pushed his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans and took her in. Not until a car horn blasted did he move. Shaking his head, he waved to the driver to pass and continued toward her.

“Ellie? Ellie Owens?” he asked.

“I prefer Elle now, but yes. Nice to see you.”

Nice, but a total shock. Racking her brain, she remembered the last time she’d seen him—graduation. At twenty-two, Cameron Dumont had not only been the older brother of her biggest crush, but he’d already been to college and had returned with a full beard.

The truth was that Cam had always sort of intimidated her. Hell, he’d intimidated the whole town. He was a loner, always off in some corner, watching, observing, with a self-assured confidence no other adolescent possessed. With long hair and dark looks, he’d always seemed...dangerous, she decided. He was full of muscles and well over six feet tall.

Looking at him now, it was evident that he was still tall, built and dangerous looking, if not cleaned up a bit from ten years ago. Elle felt a little flutter of some kind of awareness as she took in his square jawline, broad shoulders and arms rippling with muscles.

“Welcome home, Elle,” he said. “You look...great.”

The disbelief in his voice didn’t surprise her. After all, the last time she’d stood in Bayside, she’d been, well, less than glamorous, that was for sure. She’d never worn makeup—her father never allowed it. And when your dad was the chief of police, you tended to listen. Her wardrobe choices hadn’t been the most flattering, either—lots of jeans, flannels and sweatshirts. Total tomboy clothes. And maybe she’d carried around a little extra weight. But she’d been more into academics than athletics.

Somewhere between college and moving to Italy she’d dropped the weight, figured out how to apply makeup and let her straight brown hair grow out of the unfortunate cut she’d gotten at her dad’s barbershop at the end of high school.

“Thanks,” she said with a smile.

“Have you always had those dimples?”

“What?” she asked with a surprised laugh.

“Nothing. Sorry.”

Searching the square, she tried to find her father’s car before she realized that she had no idea what kind of vehicle he drove now.

“I just got in from the airport. I’m waiting for my dad to pick me up,” she explained to Cam.

He shook his head. “Sorry, I should have said right away. Your dad called me this morning and asked if I could bring you home. Something came up.” He looked away.

The reminder of why she’d returned from Italy came crashing back into her mind. “Is he at the doctor’s?”

Cam nodded and quickly changed the subject. “Let me help with your bags.” He grabbed all three of her bags with an exaggerated groan. “How many bodies do you have in here?”

“Just a few.” Elle picked up her carry-on and purse, then followed him to his truck. She noticed that Bayside Builders was emblazoned on the side in black block lettering. After securing her luggage in the back, Cam surprised her by opening the passenger-side door. She slid into the truck as he skirted the hood and climbed into the driver’s seat.

After starting the engine, he turned to her again. “It’s been a while, Elle.”

She could feel the heat flooding her cheeks. Was he referring to the night she wished she could forget? There was one particular bad memory she’d give anything to erase. “That was a long time ago, Cam,” she said defensively.

Frowning, he turned in his seat to face her. “What was a long time ago?”

She rolled her eyes. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Seeing his blank expression, she paused, then decided to get it all out in the open. “The video...about Jasper,” she whispered, even though they were alone in the truck.

If she closed her eyes, she could see her dad’s disappointed face as he watched his only daughter hiccup and slur as she drunkenly professed her love for Jasper Dumont.

How could she think making that video would get Jasper to notice her? Maybe because the alcohol hadn’t allowed her to think at all. It definitely didn’t help when her oversize T-shirt had slipped off her shoulder, giving way to a wardrobe malfunction that would have made any reality-TV star blush.

To be honest, it wasn’t as though Elle had obsessed over the video every day for the last decade. Certainly not while she’d lived in Italy, the most beautiful place in the world. Why was it, then, that as soon as she stepped onto the sidewalk of her hometown the memory of the one bad thing she’d ever done came slamming back in crystal clear vision?

To her shock, Cam started laughing, his deep voice filling the truck. “Oh, my God, I forgot all about that.”

What the hell? How could he act so blasé about the fateful event that almost got her suspended and laughed right out of town? Even now the thought of it could produce an embarrassed blush on her face the color of a ripe Italian tomato.

He must have noticed her doing her best blend-in-with-the-seat impression because his own expression softened. “Don’t tell me that stupid little video is why you’ve stayed away all these years?”

Stupid? Little? No way. It had been the single most humiliating experience of her life. And while it might not have been the reason her dad had shipped her off to college in a galaxy far, far away, it hadn’t helped matters.

In the end, her dad had, as usual, been right. She’d needed to get far away from Bayside—to forget, and to become her own person, without all the baggage weighing her down. Besides, she’d loved college, especially when she took a year to study abroad. Her love affair with Italy began then, and concluded after her graduation, when she’d moved to Florence for grad school. Staying in Italy for an art history major was a no-brainer. She’d been able to work in the most amazing museums and galleries. Every second she spent at the Uffizi, San Marco Museum, the Accademia or the Palazzo Vecchio had been among the most amazing moments in her life, and did help her forget. A little.

Still, she’d missed home.

“Happy to be back?” Cam asked as if he’d read her mind, before pulling out into the light traffic.

“I missed...certain things.”

“Your dad,” he supplied softly.

She smiled for a moment before it faded. The worry that had nestled inside her belly began to spread, causing her to roll down her window.

“How is he really?” she asked quietly.

Elle still couldn’t believe her dad had kept the cancer diagnosis from her. When he’d finally told her, he’d been so flippant about it. “Oh, it’s only bladder cancer. That’s one of the easy ones.”

There was nothing easy about cancer.

Cam followed suit and rolled his own window down. “He had some rough moments toward the end of the treatment period. But I think overall he’s doing really well. Except for a couple days off here and there, he never stopped working.”

For twenty-four years her dad had been the chief of police in Bayside. After her mom had died, they’d moved back to her father’s hometown for a fresh start. While he’d retired a couple years ago, no one could keep a man who’d been working since the age of ten at home. He’d been volunteering as security at the local high school ever since.

“Really?” she asked.

Cam nodded. “Sure. Heard he broke up a minor fight last week.”

“A fight? Is he okay? Should he even be doing that right now?”

He slanted a steady glance in her direction. “He’s fine. Don’t worry. The whole town’s looking out for him.”

Yeah, the way they’d looked out for him ten years ago? Elle shook her head and willed the memories away. It hadn’t been the town’s fault he didn’t get voted in as county sheriff. That had been her doing. Her and that damn video. She wiped her sweaty palms on her khaki linen pants.

Cam turned the truck onto Bay View Road, heading away from the center of town. They passed the fork in the road, the one that would take them to either the east side, known as the nice, wealthy portion of town, or to the west side, where she lived.

“Really,” he added with another sidelong glance as she raised an eyebrow.

“Please tell me the truth.” She could hear the urgency in her voice.

“The truth is he has cancer.”

She gulped. “I gathered that part already.” Typical. The very few conversations she’d ever had with Cam had been pretty similar. He hadn’t been known for his words. Or his demeanor. Really, he’d been a loner. A tall, somewhat scary kind of recluse.

Elle didn’t know what she was expecting now. To be honest, the fact that he was giving her a ride home was a huge step toward the socialization of the Cameron Dumont she knew.

Then he did something that surprised her. Cam reached over and squeezed her hand.

Her eyes grew wide and she inhaled sharply. If anyone ever asked, she would claim it was nothing short of shock at him being nice. The reality of the situation was that the touch of Cam’s callused hand on hers made her feel...something.

“He’s going to be fine,” he said.

She didn’t know why, but the statement made her feel better for the moment. “So,” she began, searching for something to say as she reclaimed her hand and clasped it with the other one. “You’re still in Bayside.”

“Yep.”

“Working for your parents’ company?”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Nah. I started my own business.”

“Really?” That was a surprise. Cam was the oldest son in a four-generation family business. Naturally, he was supposed to take over the reins. “Also doing real estate?”

“Construction. I’m a contractor.”

“Bayside Builders,” she said, putting it together. He looked over. “I saw the name on the side of the truck.”

“That’s my company.”

She wanted to ask more questions, but they’d reached 14 Bay View Road. Cam threw the truck into Park and slid out of his door. But Elle didn’t move. Instead, she let her homesick eyes drink in the sight of the one level house she’d lived in for most of her life. It looked exactly the same, even though she could tell it wasn’t. Her dad had put a fresh coat of paint on. There were new shutters and the landscaping was different.

But it was home and therefore would always be exactly what she needed to see.

“Traditionally, you leave the car when you reach your destination.”

She glanced up at Cam standing in her window, watching her. Rolling her eyes, she offered him a small smile. “Good thing you’re here to help me with these super hard ways of the world.”

His mouth twitched before he opened her door and reached across her to unbuckle her seat belt. Elle caught a whiff of a very masculine scent. Something musky, but clean. Like a really fresh soap laced with wood.

“When did you get rid of the beard?” she couldn’t help asking.

Confusion passed his face. Then he ran a hand over some appealing-looking stubble. “Years ago. Had to back when I worked for my father.”

Now that she was allowing herself a really good look, Elle acknowledged that Cam and Jasper barely resembled each other. Jasper was all light hair and crystal-blue eyes, tall but lanky, while Cam was dark and large. Both brothers were attractive—beyond attractive, really—but in very different ways.

“Do you even have a key to get in?” Cam’s question burst her bubble and she finally exited the truck.

“No worries.” After she walked to the small front porch, she bent over and smiled as her fingers touched the key in its usual place under the decorative ceramic frog that held watch at the front door.

Cam dragged her bags into the house and stepped back onto the porch. She turned to thank him for the ride, but before she could get the words out, he put his hand on the top of the door frame. Even though she could—and should—take a step backward into the open living room, she didn’t move. His eyes raked over her entire body until she squirmed.

“I’m glad you’re back, Elle.” Then he abruptly turned and walked back to his waiting truck.

With that, she nodded, wondering why she suddenly felt light-headed.

* * *

Cam considered himself to be a rational, sane man, but something happened to him when he saw Ellie Owens again. And that reaction defied reasoning.

“Damn,” he said aloud as he drove away from her house and made his way back down Bay View Road. When he reached the fork, he started veering toward town before he remembered that he’d left his favorite cordless drill at his parents’ house the night before.

Yanking the steering wheel to the left just in time, he made his way toward the east side of the bay. He’d been called by his mother to fix a shelf. Funny how when he’d arrived, tools in tow, there was nothing to fix. Instead—surprise, surprise—an attractive woman had been seated in one of the living rooms. His mother’s interior designer this time.

Cam loved his mom, but her attempts at fixing him up had been increasing at a fast pace over the last two years—ever since he’d turned thirty. Even if he’d been onboard with her efforts, she clearly didn’t know his tastes. Cam preferred a certain kind of woman. When his thoughts turned back to Elle, he swerved again before righting the truck.

Little Ellie Owens, who used to keep her head in a book, or in a sketch pad, while wearing jeans with patches over the knees. She’d never stepped a toe out of line until that idiotic video surfaced. Cam remembered how embarrassed Jasper had been seeing her announce her undying love for him. In Cam’s opinion, it never seemed like much of a burden to have a woman show you some love. Especially a woman as grounded as Elle. Of course, Jasper had been in a pretty serious relationship back then.

Regardless, somewhere along the line, she’d grown up into a gorgeous, stunning woman. Gone was the plain-Jane scholar. In her place was an accomplished, interesting person.

Cam turned into the gates of the mansion at 1954 Bay View Road and offered a wave to Stan, the head gardener. Then he parked his truck, and ran in the back door to retrieve his drill. He was about to climb back into the truck when he noticed that not only were his parents’ cars in the driveway, but so was his brother’s. Cam climbed the steps to the front porch and pushed his way inside the large and impressive house he’d been lucky enough to grow up in.

He heard the shouting before he even entered the solarium.

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“You think you can come in here and start making changes like you own the place?” his father asked.

“I kind of do own the place.”

“Not yet,” his mother’s voice rang out. “Not while your father and I are still in charge.”

Cam didn’t have to be in the room to know that Jasper would be rolling his eyes the same way he was doing himself at the usual argument. His parents and brother butted heads on a daily basis.

“If you’d only let me implement a few small changes. Tweaks,” he added quickly. “We need a better social media plan. Our communications department is currently living in the stone age figuring out how to make fire.”

“It’s like you don’t even want to be part of this company, the way you keep trying to change everything.” Cam could hear the frustration in his father’s voice.

His own stomach clenched at the comment.

“Of course I want to be part of the company. Why else would I be here?” Jasper replied. “I’m simply trying to bring us into this century.”

Feeling a thickness in his throat, Cam decided to save his baby brother. Giving a quick cough to announce his presence, he stepped into the room.

“There’s my handsome son.” Lilah Dumont rose and patted him on the cheek before pulling him into a hug.

“Hey,” Jasper called out. “I thought I was your handsome son.”

She turned back to him. “Oh, you are. But only when you aren’t irritating me with new proposals involving hashtags.”

Cam hoped that Jasper saw the look of adoring, unaffected love their mother shot in his direction. But by the way Jasper had turned toward the window, he suspected not.

“Hey, Pops,” Cam said to his dad.

“Why aren’t you at work?” his dad asked as a reply and a welcome.

“Why aren’t any of you?” he countered.

“We are working.” His mother poured a glass of lemonade and handed it to him. “We’re discussing your brother’s latest idea.” She used air quotes and Cam was fairly certain he could hear Jasper grind his teeth. “Then we were going to talk about the next fund-raiser.”

Cam lifted an eyebrow. “Fund-raiser?”

“Yes.”

“Ah. A party,” he stated. His mother could justify giving a party more easily than some people could drink a glass of water. Although Lilah Dumont was so much more than a party-loving socialite. She could make just as many deals as his father simply by schmoozing during a black-tie event. Where Collin Dumont was old-school business etiquette, Lilah was about face-to-face interaction. Underestimating either her intelligence or business savvy had been the web that caught more than one misjudging fly.

“Social media is an inexpensive way to throw a party,” Jasper contributed from the corner. “A virtual party. Keeps costs in check, connects you with the right people.”

“Why not be personal? Why does everything have to be over the computer or smartphone or Instagram?” his mother asked. “People like personal interactions. That still means something.”

Cam thought he would try and back his brother up. “Jasper does have a point. Perhaps we need to cut down on the amount of parties?”

His mother looked indignant. “Everyone loves our parties. You know that.”

“Isn’t less more in this situation?”

Lilah rolled her eyes. “Less is never more. I despise that saying.”

On this one topic, his mother and father were in agreement. Cam had to suppress a groan. If another Dumont party was on the horizon, that meant he would have to take out his tux—again—and put on a happy face—again. Two things he hated almost as much as his mother’s parties.

Jasper appeared to have forgotten his earlier hurt and turned to Cam. “Why aren’t you working your butt off somewhere? Aren’t you usually covered in dirt and sweat by this hour?”

“I had a meeting with a client earlier this morning.” He grabbed an apple from a large display of fruit placed in the middle of a marble table. “You’ll never guess who I picked up after that.”

“It’s bad enough that you drive that thing instead of a real car,” Jasper began.

“Hey, I like my truck. I’d like you to know that Lamborghinis are not the only car available. Anyway, I did a favor for Ted Owens this morning.”

“His doctor’s appointment,” his dad said from his chair. “I need to give him a call later and see how that went.”

There were a lot of things that could be said about Collin Dumont, but one area Cam thought his dad did right. He respected his staff, his friends and the other citizens of Bayside. He’d been friends with Ted for years, and Cam heard the note of concern in his voice.

“Right. He had an appointment, so I had to pick up his daughter.”

“Ellie?” his mother asked. “She’s back from Italy?”

“Who’s Ellie?” Jasper wondered.

Sometimes Cam didn’t know if he should be appalled by or jealous of his brother’s ignorance.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me, right?” Cam said. “Ellie Owens, the daughter of Ted, former chief of police.” At Jasper’s blank stare, he continued. “You were in the same class in school.”

“Did we date?”

Their mother let out a loud chuckle. “Oh, most certainly not.”

“She was in love with you,” Cam said loudly and slowly, to get through to Jasper.

“Didn’t she make some video about you that got played at your prom?” their father asked from behind the iPad he was now reading.

Cam tensed. He’d never understood why Elle had made that video in the first place. The whole thing was out of character. Feeling oddly protective, Cam decided to steer the conversation away from the video talk. “She’s back. I’m not sure for how long, but she’s here now for her dad. She looks amazing, by the way. All grown up.”

“No kidding?” Jasper’s tune changed quicker than he could get his Lamborghini from zero to sixty.

“Apparently Europe agreed with her.”

“Good for her,” Mrs. Dumont put in as she poured more lemonade into her glass. “I always thought she was sweet. And everyone knew how smart she was. Top of her and Jasper’s class. Or she would have been...”

“Didn’t she throw herself in the bay after that prom?” Collin asked.

Another aspect of that story that had never made sense to Cam. Supposedly, she’d been so upset after the video aired that she’d pitched herself off the dock into the bay. Some called it a last-ditch effort to get Jasper’s attention.

“Oh, yeah,” Jasper replied.

The thing about attempting to drown yourself was that people who did so usually couldn’t swim, Cam thought. Elle had been a great swimmer. He shook his head. A mystery for another time.