He grinned at her, momentarily knocking her off-kilter. Maybe it was a good thing she wasn’t wearing heels. She was feeling a little wobbly.
He shrugged. “Perhaps just a little bit. I was thirteen years old and really feeling myself. It was the first time in my life I was good at something, and having those skills made me feel like I was wearing a Superman cape.” The chuckle that came out of his mouth was rich and throaty. “It’s funny how certain memories stay sharp in our minds. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”
She could imagine him in her mind’s eye as a cocky teenager ready to take the football world by storm. The pint-sized version of him must have been adorable. “Okay, Xavier it is,” she said with a nod.
“You clean up well,” he said, his eyes full of masculine appreciation. She liked the way he was looking at her. He wasn’t leering, but he was letting her know that he liked what he saw. It had been ages since a man had looked at her like this. His eyes were the deepest brown, the type a person could get lost in.Ifa person were open to that sort of romantic entanglement.
“So you think I needed cleaning up, huh?” she asked, frowning at him.
“No, not at all. I—I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that you look like you spruced yourself up.” He ran a shaky hand over his face and let out a groan. “That didn’t come out right. I really must be out of practice flirting with a beautiful woman.”
True threw her head back with laughter at the dumbfounded expression on his face while inwardly basking in the compliment. “I’m messing with you, Xavier. I knew what you meant.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s a bit rare to get decked out for a night on the town here. Moose Falls is more low-key casual than fancy.”
He heaved a relieved sigh. “Phew. It’s only my second day in Moose Falls. I don’t want to burn any bridges that fast.”
A server holding a tray of hors d’oeuvres stopped beside them. “Crab cake?” he asked.
She wasn’t about to turn down Alaskan crab! Not in this lifetime or any other.
True reached for a mini crab cake and a napkin while Xavier did the same. “No worries,” she told him. “I don’t get offended easily. Talk trash about my tavern or my little brother, and then you’re going to be on my bad side. Anything else, I’m flexible.”
“Noted,” Xavier said, popping the rest of his appetizer in his mouth.
Just as she was about to let him know that Jaylen was a super fan of his and try to finagle an autograph, True’s gaze landed on a surprising face in the crowd.
“Hey! Isn’t that your dad over there?” She jutted her chin in the direction of Paul “Red” Stone standing by the bar. His features were sharp and attention grabbing. He was almost as handsome as Xavier. “I haven’t seen him in years, but it looks like he’s back in town.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Xavier’s expression shifted. His jaw tightened. He shifted from one foot to the other, leaving no doubt that he was uncomfortable. One would have thought she’d told him that a werewolf had sauntered into the ballroom.
Way to go, True. You’ve just opened your mouth and inserted your big ole booted foot inside it.
Xavier’s entire body froze the moment he locked eyes with his father from across the room. Although he had been expecting to cross paths with him at some point, it still served as a shock to the system to see the invisible man calmly drinking champagne and nodding in his direction. Xavier had to give it to him. The years had been kind to Red. Salt-and-pepper hair only made him look more distinguished. The athletic frame he’d passed on to Xavier was still on point.
Xavier looked back at True. Her eyes were full of questions he didn’t really want to answer. “Yeah… umm, in a manner of speaking, yes.” His voice sounded awkward to his own ears. He couldn’t even manage to string a coherent sentence together at the moment.Stay cool, he reminded himself.Don’t let him get under your skin.
“It’s complicated, huh?” she asked softly.Nope. Nope. He instantly rejected the sympathy emanating from her soulful brown eyes. Been there, done that. He wasn’t going down that road again.
“Yes,” he said in a clipped tone. He didn’t intend to air his family’s laundry at a social event. And he didn’t really know True. He had been burned enough in the past by friends and acquaintances who had sold him out to the tabloids.
Xavier was a bit surprised that True didn’t seem to know about his messed-up relationship with Red. The blank expression etched on her face spoke volumes. And she’d said Red had been away from Moose Falls for a few years. Had he come back due to Hattie’s illness?
Xavier glanced quickly around the room in an effort to locate Landon and Caleb. He didn’t want them to be blindsided. Caleb was deep in conversation with a good-looking redhead, while Landon stood a few feet away with their grandmother. Xavier should have checked in on Landon by now. He was an introvert who hated social engagements. Landon was the polar opposite of Caleb, who thrived on moments like this one.
The moment Hattie had told them about the reception during dinner last night, Caleb had stood up a little straighter, and his eyes sparkled. With his dark good looks and bright Colgate smile, he really fit the part of an aspiring actor. Becoming a famous Hollywood star had been his life’s ambition. Starring on a reality show had been a stepping stone for Caleb. Or so they’d all thought.
“A reception?” he’d asked. “For the three of us?”
“Yes, at the mayor’s mansion,” Hattie had answered. “I want the entire town to roll out the red carpet for my grandsons.”
Caleb lived for meet-and-greets. He came alive in the presence of others. That was why he’d made such a splash on the reality show. At first. Rather than fame, Caleb’s stint onLove Him or Leave Himled to ridicule and heartache and ruin. Somehow, he still was holding on to his dream of becoming the next Michael B. Jordan.
Xavier tried to get Caleb’s attention from across the room, but his brother was in his element, flirting and schmoozing. Xavier liked seeing him shine. Ever since the reality show debacle, Caleb hadn’t been his true self. Caleb had been sincere in his desire to find love on the show, but everything had gone wrong when he’d fallen madly in love with the leading lady’s sister. Turns out it was all a setup for ratings, and Caleb had been labeled a scheming cheater as well as had hisheart broken by the woman he loved. In the end, everyone had come out smelling like a rose except Caleb.
Now, instead of walking around with that special glow of his, he had a dark cloud hanging over him. Maybe being far away from the glare of the tabloids was exactly what Caleb needed to get out of his funk and get back in the game.
All of a sudden, his grandmother was speaking into a microphone and calling Xavier, Caleb, and Landon to her side. When Xavier hesitated, True gave him a little shove and a nod of encouragement. “Don’t leave her hanging,” True urged in a low voice. Once all three of them joined Hattie onstage, she began her speech.
“I’d like to welcome everyone to the mayor’s mansion,” Hattie said, smoothing back her hair. In her glittery dress and elaborate jewelry, his grandmother resembled a flapper from days gone by. Hattie turned toward the town’s mayor, Fred Sparks, giving him a thumbs-up sign. The mayor was balding with a fair complexion and a portly frame. “Thanks, Fred, for hosting us at your gorgeous home. It’s the perfect setting for welcoming my three gorgeous grandsons back to Moose Falls. Please, everyone, give a nice round of applause for the next generation of Stones. Xavier, Landon, and Caleb. The future is yours.”
