Chapter 8

If Garrett called Nate’s brothers ‘snacks’ one more time, his eyes were going to roll right out of his head.

“I thought all those brothers of yours would be hearing about this woman you’ve fallen for. Not that I’m complaining. Consider me a full-service agent. Come for the book deals and stay for the dating advice. When are you going to see her again?”

Nate should’ve just said his weekend was fine when Garrett had asked. Instead, apparently, he’d smiled. Really lit up. Garrett was always like a dog with a bone but when he could smell gossip? The man went full bloodhound.

“There’s something wrong with the connection.”

Garrett’s laugh was obnoxiously joyful. Damn him. “You must really like her. We’ve never talked about a woman before.”

“And we’re not going to start now. What’s the big news?”

“Nice segue, heartbreaker. Don’t think we won’t be circling back to this topic at the end. Or the fact that you still haven’t sent me the finished manuscript.”

Nate had wondered how long it would take for Garrett to bring that up. “It’s almost ready. I’m just polishing it.” Words had been pouring out of him all weekend. He’d barely eaten or slept, consumed by crafting the perfect end to his series. Well, Nate had also expended some energy imagining what Eloise had been doing in his bed with that rabbit. He shifted in his seat and forced himself to focus.

“You and your constant need to polish the story a million times. Send me what you’ve got. Now, slap a smile on your face and tell me I’m pretty.”

“Garrett.” Nate stifled a laugh.

“Nate.”

He exhaled loudly. “You’re pretty.”

“Awesome! I’m pretty awesome.” Garrett high-fived himself, earning a rueful head shake from Nate.

“Is this conversation going anywhere in particular?”

“Jemima Jenkins is hooked. Her lawyers are finalising the contract. Whatever got you out of your slump—keep doing it because this deal is going to change your life.”

There was no stopping the memory of Eloise in his arms, her mouth pressed against his, and the soft sound she’d made when they’d pulled apart. The small moment they’d shared had unlocked him. “I don’t think that’s an option.”

The screen did nothing to soften Garrett’s piercing gaze. “Then make it one. Or figure something else out. This is it, bud. We’re talking about generational money for your family if the show’s a hit, and it will help us sell whatever you write next. Don’t fuck it up.”

Funny how that advice could be applied to finishing his series and to his feelings towards Eloise.

* * *

Basedon the way everyone froze when Eloise walked into the Wattle Junction Hotel on Monday night, word had definitely got out.

She’d kissed Nate.

She plopped into the seat next to Alice at the bar. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Then coming to the pub was a bad idea. I ordered you some wedges with extra sour cream. I even sprung for the bacon bits. Takeaway, too, in case you want to get out of here.”

Eloise gave Alice a one-armed hug. “You’re my favourite person.”

“That’s sweet, but we both know they’re a bribe. Dress it up however you want.” Alice nudged a tall, icy glass towards Eloise. “Figured you’d be on the dry.”

“Forever.” Eloise shuddered. Her skin heated from the weight of everyone’s attention. The usual crowd were all here for trivia. To her left, Joanie and some of the Old Girls were giggling over pitchers of margaritas. Sera and her friends were tucked in the back corner, pink drinks decorated with umbrellas and pineapple wedges in front of them. Sera waved; Bianca rolled her eyes.

Excellent.

And in the front, near the big speakers and stage, was the James family. The seat next to Owen was empty, and Eloise would bet Alice had been sitting there. All the brothers were watching something on a phone, plates of half-eaten chicken parmigiana in front of them, a jug of beer in the middle of the table.

Eloise shifted her gaze and inspected the rich mahogany bar. After a minute of silence, she picked up her drink. Might as well get this over with. “Go on then.”

Alice grinned, her eyes lighting up. “Are you going to be my sister-in-law?”

“I must’ve missed your and Owen’s engagement announcement. Congrats.”

Alice tapped her lips and feigned innocence. “Firstly, don’t say that too loudly. God knows who will overhear you and think we’re actually engaged. But I’m going to need all the details. All of them.”

Eloise frowned and played with the paper straw in her drink.

Alice scooted closer and lowered her voice. “What’s with the face? Isn’t this amazing? You’ve wanted this for so long.”

The man in question stood on the other side of the room and patted his pockets. They both watched as Nate leant down and kissed Lulu on the cheek before shaking hands with his brothers and father. Eloise’s eyes never left his muscular form.

“There’s barely a story to tell.”

Which wasn’t true but she’d be taking what had happened that night to her grave.

A waiter placed Eloise’s wedges on the bar, and she opened the container and picked one up, chewing it for longer than necessary. The crunchy, golden potato wasn’t nearly as satisfying as normal.

She could tell the moment Nate saw her. He straightened, standing tall, one hand slipping into the pocket of his faded, worn-in-all-the-right-places jeans. His beard was longer today, and she shivered, imagining how it would feel against her skin.

She’d give up carbohydrates to remember their kiss. Nate swore he’d stopped it when he realised she was tipsy, which was very gentlemanly of him. But had it been soft and sweet, a brief peck between friends that didn’t mean anything? Or long and slow, a casual exploration of each other’s mouths? Like a fire that started with a small spark and became an inferno. Based on the text message she’d received from Charlie—a simple What the fuck?—it’d been more like the latter. She might know if she hadn’t hightailed it out of his place three seconds after he’d revealed that they’d locked lips, stammering that she needed some fresh air and refusing his offer to drive her home. At least Lulu had left a jacket and a pair of sneakers at Nate’s house that she could borrow. There’d been something in his eyes that looked like disappointment, but that was probably just the hangover goggles. The walk back to her grandmother’s had been sobering, confusing and uncomfortable, the pain from her burn transforming into a throbbing ache by the time she’d flopped down on her own bed, her head messier than ever.

Coming to trivia had been a mistake. The buzz of conversation dropped to a whisper as Nate edged around the tables.

“Yeah, I’m going to pack these up for you. Seems like you might be leaving very soon,” Alice murmured and in her peripheral vision, Eloise saw the lid click shut on her wedges.

“Hi,” Eloise said when he stopped in front of her.

“Hey.”

“Not staying for trivia?” she asked.

A confused look flittered across Nate’s handsome face. “I didn’t come for trivia. I, uh, I wanted to make sure …” He twisted towards Alice, who was watching them both with rapt attention. Like everyone else in the room. Nate’s voice dropped to a whisper that skated across Eloise’s skin, giving her goosebumps. “I wanted to make sure you were alright. There’s been a lot of talk.”

Wouldn’t be a small town without that, would it?

Lulu shimmied past them, forcing Nate to step even closer to Eloise’s chair, his hand resting next to hers on the mahogany bar.

“Well, well, well, aren’t you two sneaky,” Lulu said, her bright red lips stretching into a grin that threatened to split her face in half as she squeezed Eloise’s arm.

Eloise attempted a polite, noncommittal noise that only made the older woman clasp her more tightly. “Now I just need Teddy and Raff to get their acts together and all my boys will be blissfully happy.”

“Um …” Nate’s eyes were wider than Eloise had ever seen them before.

“For someone who’s loved writing stories since you were a little boy, I think you can do a bit better than ‘um’, Nate. Use your words, darling.”

The background music changed, the theme for trivia night filling the room. There was clearly a problem with the lighting because the spotlight was firmly trained on Eloise and Nate. Wattle Junction was never going to win any points for subtlety.

“Oh, Jesus,” Wyatt muttered from behind the bar. “Who let Joan back there? I’ll fix it.”

“I’m just so happy for you both. And for me. I know, I know, Nate. You told me to be cool. I’m sorry, well, not really. It’s just wonderful news.” Lulu hugged her second youngest son.

Thankfully, Alice swooped in, looping her arm through Lulu’s. “We’d better get back to the table before the first round starts, Lu. Let’s leave these two lovebirds alone, hey?”

“We’re not …” Eloise looked at Nate for help, but he just rubbed his face.

“Fine, fine. Deny it all you want, but”—Lulu paused and sniffed dramatically—“romance is in the air!”

“The jazz hands are a nice touch, Mum,” Nate sighed.

With a wink and far too much glee on their cheeks, Lulu and Alice headed back to their table.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Eloise whispered to Nate as the trivia master joked that they should get a room.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

High Street was deserted.

“In the grand scheme of things, that wasn’t so bad,” Eloise said to fill the silence.

“I’m guessing you didn’t see the front page of the Wattle Junction Warbler?”

She stopped in the middle of the road as they headed towards the big park that spanned the opposite side of the main street. God. They hadn’t made the local paper, had they?

The glow from a streetlight hit Nate’s face, highlighting his sheepish grin. “Bad joke, sorry.”

“I can’t believe I fell for that. Although, I don’t think I’ve ever had so many messages from my grandmother. And your mother. And Alice. And Charlie.” Shadows traipsed back across Nate’s face, but Eloise was sure she saw his jaw flex. “Apparently, kissing you is the most interesting thing I’ve ever done.”

And I don’t remember it at all. Life was so cruel when it wanted to be.

“Not true. You’re very interesting.”

The sincerity in his tone sent a rush of heat to her cheeks. She fumbled with her takeaway bag to hide her embarrassment. “Hardly. I’ve never managed to make a whole room of people stop talking just by opening a door.”

Nate rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, that was intense. I couldn’t sit there with everyone watching me any longer, but I didn’t want you to have to face it on your own.”

Eloise opened her wedges and chose the biggest one before offering the box to Nate, who shook his head. “You didn’t like all the attention? Charlie always made it seem like you did.”

Some of the stories her brother had told her were … surprising. Lots of women, lots of parties and lots of attention. Sometimes, from multiple women in the same night. Possibly even at the same time. They’d always felt like a warning. A reminder she was nothing like the women Nate had been with in the past. She’d only embarrass herself if she tried and her romantic track record was already abysmal.

Eloise stuffed the wedge into her mouth, chastising herself for the totally unreasonable wave of jealousy rolling through her body. What single, red-blooded male wouldn’t have made the most of being one of the NFL’s most talked about rookies? Nate had simply behaved the way anyone would have.

Besides, it was years ago.

And he wasn’t hers.

Her pace slowed as they turned right onto Peach Street.

“I took it too far that first season,” Nate said. “I don’t even recognise the person I was back then. It’s embarrassing that it’s what everyone associates with me.”

“Pretty sure people remember your Super Bowl-winning catch more.”

The darkness was playing tricks on her. Nate wasn’t blushing, was he?

“I hope so. But still, I’m not that guy anymore.”

A flag of familiarity unfurled in Eloise’s mind. Nate had said that to her before. Several times, in fact. Did it mean something that he wanted to make sure she knew he’d changed? That maybe he might want something more than friendship? She swallowed, scrambling to think of a way to redirect the conversation while she figured out what to do with that information. “You really don’t miss it? The thrill of the game? Doing what you loved?”

“I don’t miss feeling like I didn’t have a proper home. Seeing my family. Being a part of a community that knows me just as Nate. Wilbur and Lulu’s son. Brother number three. The guy who used to play football who now writes books. Someone people genuinely care about. It wasn’t always like that when I was playing professionally, and lots of that is because of how I acted, but even if I’d been a saint, people still would’ve tried to take advantage.”

Lavender peeked through the posts of a white picket fence, its sweet scent trying to lift the dour mood Nate was painting with his words.

“I’m not saying it wasn’t great. Because it was. I’m so grateful for all the opportunities and experiences it gave me, but it wasn’t real or sustainable. Not for me, at least. It was always only going to be a few chapters of my story, but sometimes it’s like I’ll never move past that. Or get people to realise I’m different now. Do you ever feel like people only see what they want to see? Not what’s right in front of them?”

Eloise twisted towards Nate, fighting the urge to grab his hand. What she said next was going to be important. For him and for her. For them. She could do this. Be brave. Take the first step … again. Sober this time, too. “I see you, Nate. I see how much of yourself you give everyone through your charity work and even your books. They’re the perfect escape when people need a break from the real world. Do you remember what you told me when I was deciding if I should apply for my master’s?” Eloise asked, her voice hushed as if this conversation was secret and precious. Like her feelings for him were.

She moved forward, their bodies so close they were almost touching. The spicy, woodsy smell of his aftershave tickled her nose. Eloise tipped her face towards his, revelling in the way the moonlight highlighted his cheekbones and soft eyes.

Nate lifted a brow, signalling for her to continue and her heart thumped in her chest, pumping harder when his gaze shifted to her lips.

“Never be afraid to bet on yourself.” Eloise pressed closer to the heat rolling off his body. He was always so warm. Her hands settled on his chest, the steady thrum of his heart under her fingertips. “You’re Nate James. You don’t have to be anything other than who you are right now. And this version of you is my favourite because it’s real.”

Nate’s eyes softened. “Yeah?”

Eloise’s breath caught when one of his hands cradled the back of her neck, the other her chin. Her eyes fluttered closed.

The kiss started with a featherlight brush of his lips against hers that was so soft she wasn’t sure if she imagined it. Then the gentle pressure grew, his lips pressing down harder, more insistently and she reached for him. More. More. More. Nate’s hand twisted in her hair, and he urged her forward until their foreheads were pressed together, their breath mingling. When he opened his mouth against hers, she didn’t hesitate to let him deepen the kiss.

Holy shit. Nate James was kissing the hell out of her.

And she’d follow him anywhere.

No wonder drunk Eloise had taken matters into her own hands the other night. If it was anything like this, she’d needed to work out all her leftover energy. Desire flowed through her body so quickly that it made her lightheaded.

Nate’s shirt bunched under her fingertips, his muscles hard and firm. She pressed her hips forward, curling into his body. And oh my God, something else was firming up.

Eloise gasped, breaking the connection between their bodies, and they pulled away from each other panting. Nate’s thumb traced her bottom lip.

Numbly, she smoothed out the wrinkles she’d left in his shirt. Say something. Anything. “Thank you.”

Not that!

“Not for the kiss. For walking me home. I mean, not not for the kiss. Obviously, thank you for that. It was great.” The last word was barely a puff of air as Eloise blinked, embarrassment crawling all over her skin, chasing away the dreamy aftermath of the best kiss she’d ever had. Where was a portal to another world when she needed it?

Thank God Nate didn’t laugh at her. In fact, he looked exactly how she felt. Wrecked in the best way possible.

“I should go.” He hitched his thumb over his shoulder and pointed in the opposite direction of the road to his house. “I’ll, ah, I’ll see you at KPs tomorrow for the training session?”

“I’ll be there.” Probably still grinning from ear to ear, convinced the world was made of sparkles and delights.

“Okay, great.”

Eloise floated inside, her cheeks already starting to hurt from the big grin she couldn’t stop from forming.

This was it. The beginning she’d been waiting for. Her great adventure had been right in front of her for all these years, and this time, she wouldn’t have to leave the safety of Wattle Junction or give up the job she loved.

It was perfect.