Chapter Twenty-Two

"Come out with us tonight," Aspen urged her sister. "You can finally meet Kane."

Sierra had been busy with meetings and covering shifts for her employees who wanted their own summer vacay. Aspen had filled in and had a blast, even though she was a terrible saleswoman and screwed up the cash register a million times. They'd had a lot of laughs, at least.

"I don't know, babe, I've been exhausted."

"Just one cocktail, and you can go home. I want to hang out as much as possible before I have to leave."

Her sister stopped packing her tote and gave her a serious stare. "Yeah, about that. What are you going to do now that the first half of the master plan worked? You still running back to New York?"

She nibbled her lip with unease. Things were…complicated. Since the night with Brick where he'd admitted the truth, the last of the barriers had dropped between them. At night, their bodies faded into each other like they were one. During the day, they talked and laughed and shared without hesitation. She craved him like an addiction, but instead of the fierce ups and downs, it was as if they floated together at the same peaceful pace.

The idea of leaving Brick Babel tore her apart.

"Yep. Just what I thought," her sister said. "I warned you. He has a deadly power over women, and now you're caught in his net."

Her brows snapped down. "Don't say that about him. I heard the real truth, and it's not what you think. Brick has been getting a bad rap for a long time, and I'm sick of it. "

Sierra's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? What did he tell you?"

She hesitated, not wanting to share something so personal. "Let's just say the stuff with Anastasia has been distorted. He shared some things in confidence that I don't feel comfortable telling you right now."

"And you believe him?"

Aspen held her sister's gaze and spoke from her heart. "Yes. He told me the truth. And now I'm asking you to believe me and know I'm not caught up in some spell of his creation."

Sierra took a few minutes to answer. The doubt slowly morphed into acceptance. She nodded. "Okay. I trust you. You're the one who can figure out people faster than anyone and see their true souls. I suck at it."

"Well, I screwed it up with Ryan."

"No, you didn't." Aspen jerked in surprise. "I clearly remember you telling me your gut said something was wrong. You didn't trust him, but you were moving forward anyway."

"I said that?"

"Yeah. I told you it was never too late to change your mind about canceling the wedding, but it was as if you'd committed and refused to back down. But you knew, Aspen. You always know. You just didn't want to listen."

The words lodged inside her for further contemplation. "Maybe. I used to wonder what Mom would have said to me," she admitted.

The pain on her sister's face almost made her regret the words, but then Sierra reached out and snagged her hand. "Me, too. Being an orphan really sucks."

Aspen let out a weak laugh. "You should've been the writer. I get jealous of people who have parents to go to. Sometimes, I feel like Mom is screaming at me to get it right but won't tell me what to do."

"So do I. When my marriage ended, I kept going over what Mom and Dad would have said. I kept thinking I could've taken all the money from the divorce and splurged on a world cruise while I had glamorous affairs in every country."

Aspen nodded. "Yep, they would've definitely advised something outrageous. But you opened your own store and took a risk, and now you're this badass businesswoman. Mom and Dad are super proud."

Sierra shot her a grateful look. "Thanks. Same with you being a famous writer."

"It's the relationship stuff we seem to screw up with," Aspen said. "Weird, right? That was Mom and Dad's strength."

Sierra sighed. "I got married too young because it was comfortable. I felt lost after the accident. And with you? Ryan took advantage of his power and age to control you. That wasn't a healthy, real relationship. You know that, right?"

She blinked. "Not healthy, but it was real. I bled all over the page for that one."

Her sister shook her head. "I'm no expert, but it seemed you gave, and he took. He created the rules without you even knowing. You and Brick are more real, even though you agreed it's fake. I've never seen you this happy without the usual anxiety. You're not judging every action to see if it's right or wrong. You're just…you."

The words hit hard, and she shuddered with aftershocks. Aspen thought over her interactions with Brick and realized her sister was right. Unfortunately, her feelings weren't helping her write the book. Her muse dragged her feet, kicking and screaming as if she knew it wasn't her choice. Too bad the contract was signed, and she'd committed to delivery.

Her sister's next question was a second hit that battered her heart. "How do you really feel about Brick?"

Admitting the words made it real. But this was her sister, and the only person she could talk to and trust. Heart pounding, palms sweaty, she said aloud what had been beating inside her for too long. "I'm in love with him."

Sierra sucked in a breath, and sympathy flickered in her eyes. "That's awful."

"I know."

"God, you're so screwed."

"I know."

"What are you going to do?"

Aspen groaned. "I don't know. I need to think. The end of summer is almost here, and there's not much time left. I decided to follow it through and see where we are next week."

"Are you still struggling to write the book?"

She nodded. "It's the weirdest thing. I'm finally experiencing all these deep, wild feelings but when I try to put it on the page, it's not working. It's so different from when I wrote Fifty Ways . It was as if I was pouring out my pain. So, I'm afraid…" She trailed off, hating to say it.

"You're afraid you need the breakup in order to write the book," her sister finished.

A lump settled in her throat. "Yeah."

Sierra shook her head. "You need to figure this shit out, Aspen. Love isn't something you just walk away from because you weren't expecting it. If Brick is the person you believe, maybe he's in love with you, too." Her sister paused. "Is the book worth giving that up for?"

Oh, God, she didn't know. All she'd wanted was to stick to the plan. But the way he looked at her with tenderness, kissed her with passion, and shared his heart told her they were on the same page. Even though no one was talking.

What a mess.

"I can't deal with all these questions right now. My brain will break."

Sierra nodded. "Okay. I'm here whenever you want to talk."

"Thanks. Will you come tonight?" Aspen asked. "Please?"

"Fine, but just one drink. And to finally see this famous Kane, who's already raising a ruckus around here."

Aspen clapped her hands. "Thanks. I'm heading to Ziggy's. I'll see you later."

She waved and got into her car, driving to Brick's. He had an hour's downtime, so she'd bring him lunch and check on Marco. Her conversation with Sierra kept replaying in her mind, but there were no solutions. Only more questions and what-ifs.

When she pulled up with a bag of sandwiches, Brick came outside to meet her. His face was carved with satisfaction. She gave him a quick kiss and studied him. "You look like the cat who ate the canary," she teased. "What's up?"

"Isn't that a cliché?"

"Nothing wrong with the tried and true. What are you, a critic?"

He laughed. "Kidding. I'm just relishing one small win over my competitor."

"Maleficent? What happened?"

He gave her a smug grin. "Went into town to check on my coupons and flyers in the golf place. Seems Maleficent has been sniffing around there, trying to gather clients, and I ended up meeting a family of six who'd scheduled an afternoon tour with her. I gave him my coupon, told him about the pirate chest for the kids, and he ended up booking with me instead."

Aspen grinned back. "Uh-oh. We have a war."

"I'm not about stealing clients, but it just fell into my lap. Kind of nice to turn the tables on her."

"Cliché, but I understand."

He leaned over and kissed her, nipping at her lower lip. "You're cute. And you look pretty."

She practically beamed with joy. Her breezy, sunshine-yellow mini dress was paired with cute, comfy sneakers. She'd braided her hair to keep it tamed and donned some gold hoop earrings. She was finally getting used to his compliments and actually believed him now. Her confidence had bloomed, and it felt good. "Thanks."

"Let's go eat, and I'll tell you more."

Aspen went to follow him in when a pink Hummer roared into the parking lot like it was pissed off. She turned and saw a woman with long, black-and-blue hair jump out and stalk over. She wore black shorts with a ragged hem and a snug black T-shirt with Maleficent's Wild Tours! scrolled on the front in silver glitter. Black boots completed the outfit, giving her a wild, witch-like aura that was completely fascinating.

"Okay, Babel, you've crossed the line. If you think you can steal my clients, you have another thing coming."

Brick pushed Aspen behind her in protective mode and walked over. "You're kidding me, right? You've been stealing my clients for the past year. I just happened to come across them, had a chat, and they booked. I didn't do it deliberately like you."

The woman practically fumed with temper. "I'm only keeping things fair for my business. Ziggy was the one who started it! Poaching my clients behind my back until I caught on and started fighting back. And I'm not going to let you step in and think you're better than me like he did."

Brick looked like he was about to lose his temper, so Aspen stepped between them. Her statement about Ziggy made bells ring in her head. There seemed to be a story behind this business game she was playing. "Okay, we all need to calm down. Maleficent, I'm—"

"Aspen Lourde?"

The woman's face turned from anger to shock, then worship. "Oh, my God! You wrote Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover . That's my favorite book. What are you doing here?"

She smiled, humbled by the compliment. "I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I'm staying with my sister for the summer, working on a new book."

"Set in the Outer Banks? That's amazing. I can't believe it. That book changed me. It was so real and raw." A frown settled on her face as she glanced back and forth. "But what are you doing with Brick?"

She felt Brick stiffen beside her. Aspen reached out and took his hand. "We're together. And he's been upset about the things you're doing to try and ruin his business. Can you both agree to play fair and let the past go?"

A rush of emotions flickered over Maleficent's face, but it was the echo of pain that hit deeply. "You think I deserved to be Ziggy's leftovers? I loved that man. I didn't care if we were competitors, because if he won, we both won. But then he dumped me and began playing games with my clients." A furious glare didn't hide the humiliation; she obviously hadn't let go of what had happened and was continuing to lash out at Brick.

Empathy poured through Aspen. She couldn't imagine having to continuously be around a man she loved who'd moved on, then tried to hurt her business.

"Did my grandfather really do that?" Brick asked in a low voice.

"He sure as hell did. And I decided to fight hard while I had the chance, and your business was finally failing. It was my time, and I took it."

Aspen stepped closer and met her gaze. "I'm so sorry you were treated like that," she said. "I don't think Brick knew the real background. He was involved in his own fight to try and save a family business."

The woman's lips tightened, but some of the anger dissolved. "Well, no one bothered to ask me," she muttered. "You roared into town like you were here to take over with all your big plans. But my business was finally the hot one in town. I wasn't about to let you take that away from me. Not after Ziggy."

"I don't blame you for feeling like that," Aspen answered. "But this can't keep happening. It hurts both of you. Most tourist towns have tons of competitors, and they all manage to get plenty of business. Plus, you each have niches you fill. Don't you think a truce is finally in order?"

Maleficent stared at her, then Brick. "I don't know."

"You can't be truly free until you let go," she said gently. "Ziggy's still haunting you every time you steal a client or do something to hurt Brick. Do you really want to keep living in the past?"

The woman's dark eyes turned glassy. Female to female, she understood her heartbreak, so on impulse, she reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly. Maleficent dragged in a breath and let it out slowly.

"Maybe you're right."

Her head swiveled to Brick. "You won't be an asshole?"

He grinned and shook his head. "No. I admire what you've built here, Maleficent. Don't want to fuck with it. I just want to be able to run my grandfather's place in the way I envision. Okay?"

Aspen held her breath.

"Okay," Maleficent said grudgingly. "Can I get a signed book? "

Aspen laughed. "How about I bring it to your office tomorrow? I'd like to see it. I'm crazy about the pink."

"Right? Sure, come over tomorrow. Just no spilling secrets to the enemy," she warned. But there was a softer edge of humor to her voice that made them both smile. The woman took off and left them alone.

Brick stared at her. "I can't believe you just did that."

Aspen shrugged. "Sometimes, people just want someone to listen and truly hear them. She must've really loved Ziggy. I bet she'll lay off now that she got to tell her side."

"No one ever took the time to do that," he said quietly. "Only you."

"It's the writer in me, I think. Always delving into people for my characters. I also took this Gallup Strengths test, and I scored number two in empathy. A pain in the ass sometimes, but it has its benefits."

She smiled, but it faded when she caught the look in Brick's eyes.

Passion. Admiration. Tenderness.

Love.

Everything inside her stilled as he allowed her full access, not trying to hide or turn away. Slowly, he reached out and ran an index finger down her cheek, his lips curved in a smile that was almost sad, as if he already knew how things would end. "You're an incredible woman, Aspen Lourde."

Her lip trembled, and a longing to step in and give him her words washed over her.

I love you. I'm not sure how it happened or what I'm going to do, but I don't care. I love you, and I'm yours.

A terrible ache spread through her as she remained silent, frozen in place and terrified of opening her mouth.

His finger dropped. "I guess we should eat."

Aspen managed to find her voice. "I guess we should."

They went inside the office, and both pretended nothing had happened.