“Now what’s got you panicking?”
I sigh deeply, my shoulders drooping. I walk to the large twelve-drawer dresser and pick up one of the trophies that I couldn’t tell what sport it belonged to. It’s a reading award from elementary school, awarded to Noah Prewitt. I smile despite my current mood. “There’s a lot of pressure on me to get your brother home,” I finally state, placing the trophy back on the dresser. I turn to look at Ashton, who’s still standing by the door of the room with a soft expression on his face. “What if I can’t? What if he doesn’t want to come back once he realizes I’m not the same girl he met in Bora Bora? Or what if I don’t end up liking him like that? How is one supposed to tell in one encounter, anyway?”
Ashton’s expression morphs into blankness for a second before a smile splits across his face, and he laughs. “Really,Esme? Do you think we expect you to show up in front of him and be head over heels in love with him?” His laughter grows, but he continues to speak, “That’s absurd! We’re just hoping the notion you know he exists will be enough to light some kind of fire within him. He might flip a switch and begin a hot pursuit of you, but you have free will to tell him to back off or to invite him in. Up to you. We don’t expect anything from you. We are just glad you’re willing to help us reach him.”
I stare enigmatically at him, processing his words as he belly laughs, making off-hand comments about mail-order brides or something. “You promise? You said Branda would work hard to get us together.”
Ashton’s laughter dies down, and he says through a smirk, “Oh, she will. And to be frank, I will, too. We know how much Noah loves and cares about you, and we think that you could grow to love him back in the same way. But we aren’t going to force anything, and we definitely don’t expect it to be a love at first sight thing.” His smirk deepens. “I think it would be a thing of great cinema to watch my brother go out of his way to earn your love. I’ve had the privilege of watching women flaunt themselves like peacocks for him, but I’ve never watched him lend himself to the chase.”
“I fell in love with a playboy?” I ask rhetorically, exasperated. Then I laugh, Ashton joining in. It feels good to let the emotions and tightness out, to accept the truth of the matter. “I really went and fell in love with someone I barely knew. A man notorious for wooing women.”
“You did,” Ashton agrees through his boisterous laughs. We spend a few more minutes attempting to calm ourselves, but any moment we make eye contact, a new wave of laughter erupts. Something tells me Ashton needed this as much as I did. We've both been tense, and I can only imagine how stressed he’s been for the past two months since Noah’s been gone.
When we finally can breathe, I say, “So what’s this room for?”
“It’s Noah’s old room. They turned it into a trophy room of sorts. My old room is now the home gym, which is the room next to this one.”
“Hm,” I comment, sweeping my eyes around the space once more before we exit. When we make our way back into the living room, Branda is the first to talk.
“I’m sorry if we overwhelmed you, Esme. We are just so excited to meet you.” The wide sincerity in her hazel eyes softens my spirit. She’s inviting, and I know I can speak honestly with her.
“I think I got it in my head you all expected me to still be in love with Noah, the real one and not my fictional one,” I confess. “Like I was already a part of this family.”
Because you already love me, sweetheart,fictional Noah coos.
I mentally roll my eyes.You’re fiction.
Ashton steps beside me. “But like I told her, we don’t expect that at all. We’re just glad she’s willing to help us find him, right?”
“Of course, Esme.” Link reiterates Ashton’s sentiments. “Our Noah is a great guy, but just because we love him doesn’t mean you’re inclined to. Though never be a stranger to us, okay?”
I swallow and nod.
“I think she’ll fall for him again, don't you?” I hear Lois not-so-subtly whisper to Branda. I pretend I don’t hear Branda’s response.
“She’s here, isn’t she?”
Chapter Eleven
See The End ~ mid-July
“Welcome to Prewitt Publishing,” Ashton says as he holds open the sleek glass doors to the old brick building in downtown Tuscaloosa. I walk through, looking around at the cream walls, cherry wooden floors, and sunlit entryway. Plants line the walls and countertops, almost hiding the bubbly-looking receptionist, whose nameplate readsKimber Daniels.
I wave hello after Ashton introduces me as his potential new client, leaving anything to do with Noah out of the interaction, which I appreciate. But then, a tall, slender-built man pops his head out of the door across the room. He’s got reddish-brown hair, light eyes, and a friendly face, giving nerdy boy-next-door vibes.
“Esme,” Ashton says, gesturing to the man who has fully entered the room. “This is my best friend, Vance Ladner.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Vance shakes my hand, his accent thicker than Ashton’s. “Heard a lot about you.”
I glance suspiciously at Ashton, and he shrugs, his hands deep in his pockets.Heard about me from Ashton or Noah?I click my tongue and shake my head before turning my attention back to his friend. “It’s nice to meet you as well.”
Branda walks in from outside, and before I turn to greet her, I don’t miss the way Vance’s green eyes soften and sparkle when he looks her way. I almost ask Ashton if they are a thing, but then I remember he said she was single.Hmm. If she ends up attempting to play matchmaker with me, maybe I can do it right back. An eye for an eye and all that.
“Oh, good. You’re here,” Branda says in a quipped tone toward Vance, not giving him the time of day as she power walks past him. When she sees me, she stops in her tracks and smiles widely. “Hi, Esme! Glad Ashton decided to show you the place. Can’t wait to have you on board.” She pulls me in for a quick hug before clicking away in her bright green heels and yellow pencil skirt, dark brown hair bobbing in its high ponytail. I guess she and Noah share the same eclectic taste. She pauses halfway into the hallway and looks back at us. Vance bites back a smirk when Branda barks, “Vance Ladner. Get your butt back here. We have a book cover crisis to address. One that you caused.Again.”
Branda turns on her heel while Vance looks back at me and Ashton. He shrugs and openly grins, waggling his brows. “Boss lady calls.”
I flick my eyes to Ashton after Vance disappears, and Ashton answers my unspoken question. “Branda is head of marketing and design, and Vance is her new assistant. By choice.” Ashton grimaces as he speaks that last phrase.
