I snapped up straight in my leather seat. “Nothing worth mentioning.”
“I like your not-worth-mentioning thoughts. Hit me.”
“Small towns make me think of big dreams of my picture-perfect future, Jett.”
“Hmm.”He nodded but didn’t ask me to elaborate. I didn’t want to either. We both knew that road ended in a fork where our paths and ideas split off in opposite directions.
We pulled up to an expansive home with white-stained cedar siding and a wraparound porch. Round, ribbed pillars stood tall, holding up a balcony above them. The lush, manicured front yard boasted enough green acreage for two more houses of the same size. “Ready?” he asked as he hit the gravel drive and inched forward until we were parked behind another pickup.
My eyebrows shot up at the other vehicle.
“My dad’s. And yes, probably every man in town has one.”
“Ah. It makes more sense now.”
“What makes more sense?” He opened his door.
“Every man needs a bigger truck than the man down the road.”
“I got the biggest, babe. Don’t worry.” His door shut, and I found myself laughing at the rare snapshot of humor he graced me with.
He took his time lowering me to the ground, and I immediately felt relief that I’d changed when we stopped at my apartment. I wore cream flats to match my blouse and dark jeans. The flats made navigating the gravel drive easy, and my long sleeves combated the chill of the wind.
Jett rounded the truck’s bed to grab our bags. As he did, both his parents waltzed out from their heavy, oak double doors to meet us.
“Vick!” Nancy shouted and waved at me as she hurried forward. The black maxi dress flowing around her legs matched her long ebony hair.
I tried to grab one of my suitcases, but Nancy waved me away. “Let the men handle it.”
I glanced at Senior Stonewood, who was an older but just as good-looking version of his son. He could be classified as the silent type. He took one look at me, making his assessment, and I tried not to shake under it. This man had single-handedly restored a large city’s economy. He masterminded every pitfall and escaped every recession. My mother, an extremely intelligent businesswoman herself, considered his accolades some of the best in the history of entrepreneurship.
Every time I’d encountered him, I’d hid behind Brey or Jaydon. Today, I had no one to hide behind. “I’m Vick.” I stuck my hand out for him to shake.
He didn’t move, and the wind died, the sun dimmed, my heart raced. He was a stone wall standing taller than anyone I’d ever encountered, more forbidding than I’d ever imagined. Then he chuckled, and the wall crumbled with the rumble of it. His hand clapped me on the shoulder as he pulled me in for a hug.
“I know who you are. You’re Brey’s best friend. I know my daughter’s best friends.”
His words warmed my heart to him immediately. They had taken Brey into their family after her father went to prison for burning down their home with Brey’s mother in it. Some wouldn’t have accepted her as a daughter so quickly. After Brey married into the family though, there wasn’t a doubt. She was a Stonewood, and Senior Stonewood obviously took notice of his daughter’s life.
“Right,” I nodded. “Thanks for having me.”
“Thank you for coming.” He motioned to his son and they moved in sync to get the bags. I heard them grumble to one another about women and their belongings as Nancy pulled me in for a hug. “I’m so happy you could make it.”
“Yes. I was happy Brey invited me,” I mentioned loudly for everyone to hear.
Nancy pulled back. “Oh, honey. Don’t do that. Jett told us he was bringing you. I’m happy he’s dating someone,” she singsonged as she hooked her arm in mine and guided me toward her home. “Otherwise he’ll end up just like his father.”
“You’re still with me, aren’t you?” Senior Stonewood grumbled.
“Legally, we’re still separated,” she quipped back without turning around. Smirking at me, she whispered, “Make them work for it. It’s what they deserve when they put in five hundred hours a week as if life outside of Stonewood Enterprises doesn’t matter.”
We stepped up onto her porch and I barely had time to take in the expansive foyer as we walked in. The smell of tea drifted through the house as she steered me toward the kitchen.
“I’ll show you to your room later. You’re staying with Jett, right? Now that we’ve addressed the elephant that shouldn’t have been in the room in the first place?”
“I ... um …” I stuttered, glancing back to see if Jett could answer for me.
He winked at me from the foyer where he and his father were setting down bags. “She’s staying with me, Mom. Give her a little breathing room.”