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  He didn’t want to bring up the fact that being here wasn’t her long-term plan but he was also curious about her and her life in Boston. However, if he led with that he was pretty sure that she’d freeze up and talk about leaving again.

  She was wrapped around him, her head resting on his arm. He stared at her taking in the sexed-up look. He loved disheveling her. She was normally so put together that when she wasn’t, he knew it was because of him. Like he’d stamped her with his presence. That made him want to beat his chest and howl at the moon. Mine.

  “I probably look a mess,” she said breathlessly.

  That need to always look flawless must have come from somewhere. “I think you’re perfect. Why are you always so concerned with your appearance?”

  She shrugged and glanced away. “It’s a thing in my family. Doesn’t your family have expectations for you?” She bit her lip as if sorry she’d asked.

  He couldn’t resist the impulse to kiss her. So he did. After a few glorious minutes he reluctantly pulled away.

  For a moment his brain was addled. But she made a come on motion with her hand. Right. His family.

  “Honestly. They just want me to be happy.” His parents and sisters and brothers had called frequently since he’d become a hermit up here in Vermont. But they always ended their conversation with “We love you, be happy.”

  “What about yours?”

  “I’ve been working in the family business which is what they want. But there are expectations that can be…constraining.”

  He sensed that there was a whole lot left unsaid. “What did you want?”

  She was silent. “I wanted to make a difference. Which we’re doing. But I also wanted something just for me. Which I did. But it turned out to be…complicated.”

  He wondered what the family business was but he also knew that if he pushed too hard, she’d be gone.

  They were complete opposites. His Brazilian family was wild and chaotic while her family sounded buttoned up and restrained.

  “So how do you let off steam?” Colt couldn’t stop touching her. He trailed his fingers over her shoulders and down her arms, marveling at how soft her skin was.

  She shivered and he wrapped her up in his arms.

  “Dinner out. Occasional ball game. Tennis.”

  “With friends?”

  “Sometimes. But most of the time it’s a work function.” She hesitated. “Although I have a group of close friends. We met during college at a business symposium. We’re an odd bunch all with different interests and goals but I love them. And somehow we fit. They’ve been my rock.”

  But that made him wonder why she was in Colebury where she knew no one. “So how come you aren’t with them right now? Not that I’m complaining because I am infinitely happy that you are in my bed.”

  She giggled. “We’re all busy so we don’t see each other as often as we used to. And several have paired off in the past year.”

  He heard the affection and the love in her voice. “But you’ve got them in your corner. Just knowing is reassurance.”

  She nodded in agreement.

  “What about you?”

  Plenty of his friends had made themselves scarce after the fiasco that was caught on tape. He’d been so angry at a sous chef during a competition that he’d thrown a ladle. Unfortunately it had landed in pan with hot grease, splattering his sous chef and burning him badly. Plenty of people who were acquaintances wanted nothing to do with him. He couldn’t blame them. He’d been out of control.

  “Honestly, I’d let most of my friendships fall away. I was too caught up in trying to get ahead that I didn’t put in the time to stay connected.”

  “I never saw the video.” She squeezed him tight. “Was it as bad as the press made it out to be?”

  “Worse.”

  Luckily the sous chef had forgiven him.

  But Colt had never forgiven himself.

  “What about drinking?”

  “Drinking started as a stress relief but at the end I was drinking all the time. Put me in a kitchen and I had a glass by my side.”

  “You haven’t done that now.” She commented.

  She was right. Since he’d begun cooking again he hadn’t even thought about taking a drink.

  “That’s good, right?” She looked hesitant.

  “That’s phenomenal.” But would it last?

  15

  Tracy

  After a couple of days off, it felt weird to be back in the Speakeasy. Weird but good.

  She had missed the camaraderie and the busy-ness of the restaurant.

  Mrs. Beasley had called and Tracy’s old room was ready again. But Mrs. Beasley had slipped in that there was still one reporter hanging around.

  On the way to work she’d made several phone calls.

  Thomas had let her know that they had settled with Esme.

  Tracy had also spoken with Bernie and her CEO. She could go back to Boston. But she didn’t want to. She was happy here. She didn’t want to leave this little slice of paradise, this respite from the pressures of her life. She’d gotten so much work done. She loved Colebury. She loved the people. She even had begun to love working in the restaurant. Even if she was terrible at it. She loved spreading joy.

  And she loved being with Colt. Loved the ease of them. She still worried about what would happen if he found out who she was. But she had no intention of letting that information get out. She would leave Colebury before anyone discovered her identity.

  Every moment they spent together she longed for their growing relationship to be real. For them to be a couple.

  She loved everything about her life right now. Especially Colt.

  She was falling for him.

  Against her better judgment. He made her a better person. He challenged her on so many levels. They’d spent hours planning the party for Chuck and Lottie. She’d worked on the financial plans for her offshoot business while Colt spent hours creating new dishes. He’d picked up more spices and tinkered in the kitchen for hours. They’d worked in companiable silence as if they’d been living together for years instead of a few days.

  Even with everything else in her life in chaos, she was happy.

  How could she leave now?

  “Hey, Cee-Cee.” Anne bounced up to her. “What do you think of this? I’m thinking about selling it on Etsy.” She wore a puffy headband with a silk flower glued above the right ear.

  “Is it your design?”

  “Yes.” She beamed with pride.

  “It’s hitting all the right notes for the current fashion climate.” Tracy pulled out her phone. “Hold still.”

  She snapped a picture. Then Tracy got Anne’s Etsy store info and clicked the icon so she could load this post on her Fake Instagram feed.

  It had been a few days since she checked her account. She flushed. She’d been far too busy banging Colt’s brains out. When she logged on she was shocked to discover she’d gained over thirty thousand followers. Uh, what the what?

  She blinked. She had no idea why.

  She didn’t have time to analyze it right now. But she’d definitely have to figure out what she’d done to gain that many followers.

  Ty and Matteo were tending bar. Anne was working the floor with Tracy.

  “You’re back,” Ty commented. “Your regulars are at table 15.”

  Regulars?

  Chuck and Lottie were there.

  “Hey, you two. Nice to see you.” She was a terrible waitress. But she was really good with people.

  “Cee-Cee. Lovely to see you again.”

  “Can I get you some lunch?” She’d forgotten the menus again. “Oh, let me get menus.”

  “No need. We’re here to meet with Colt.” Lottie beamed.

  Colt?

  “He made up some samples for us to try.” Lottie rested her head on Chuck’s shoulder, her eyes sparkling. “Our gin rummy friends, Iris and Rose, are joining us to help out. They are excellent cooks.”

  “That�
�s wonderful.”

  “He made us our very own tasting menu.”

  Tracy flushed, thinking about the last time Colt mentioned a tasting menu. “Let me bring you some iced tea.”

  “Diet coke, dear. And one of Griff’s ciders for Chuck.”

  “Right.” Jeez, she should be able to remember at least one of their drinks. “I’ll get that pronto.” She popped over to the bar and smiled at Matteo. He was a single dad who had moved from New York to bring up his daughter in a small town. She admired his intentionality in putting his daughter first.

  “How’s that little girl?”

  “Doin’ good.”

  Tracy put in the request for the drinks and waited patiently.

  Colt sauntered in a few minutes later with a big smile on his face.

  She could feel an answering expression as he shot her a conspiratorial grin.

  He held a wire mesh basket lined with colorful napkins and he had a folder tucked under his arm. He shook hands with Lottie and Chuck and they all sat down again.

  Tracy leaned over the bar and quietly ordered an iced tea for Colt with a small teaspoon of sugar. He had a full pitcher in his fridge, and she’d watched him fix his drinks over the past few days.

  “You know what the chef man drinks?” Matteo raised an eyebrow and efficiently doctored Colt’s tea.

  She flushed and shrugged. “I’m observant.”

  He laughed. Hard.

  Tracy frowned at him. Okay, maybe he was right. Just to be silly she added a lemon to Colt’s tea. Maybe he wouldn’t even remember their exchange about the day they met.

  But when she plopped the glass in front of him, he grinned. “Thanks for the lemon.”

  “My pleasure,” she said.

  A couple of older ladies, one with silver hair and lavender streaks and the other with long white hair, blew in the front door and headed for their table. Lottie introduced Iris and Rose to her and Colt.

  Tracy was on duty so she couldn’t sit and gab with them but she could swing by while she was working the floor to help with planning. “Have you thought about a theme?” Golden wedding anniversary obviously. “Beyond the gold.”

  Lottie and Chuck shook their heads.

  “Celebrating fifty years in Vermont?” That wasn’t quite right.

  “I culled the best of ingredients from the farmer’s market, but you’ll have to let me know if there’s some local delicacy that I missed.” Colt continued explaining each item.

  They tasted the treats, and Tracy stopped by periodically to hear them praising Colt and his cooking skills as they oohed and ahhed over his offerings. She filched a few bites and they were amazing.

  That was a given. Because holy heck could the man cook.

  But his simple pleasure in their compliments was a revelation.

  “He’s great, isn’t he?” She couldn’t resist commenting to the table.

  Iris and Rose glanced between Tracy and Colt. “He certainly is.”

  Tracy thought she was missing something but she needed to get back to work. The Speakeasy was hopping.

  After Chuck and Lottie and their friends left, Colt sat at a square table near the stage and lazily watched her hustle around. She knew what he was thinking by the heated look in his eyes.

  And all was right with her world.

  An unexpected peace blanketed her. She realized…she was happy.

  Her hot boyfriend had rocked her world this morning and then shoved her happily out the door to head to work. She thought the media furor over her app was dying down.

  After a call with her attorneys, she had spent the better part of the past few days working on the paperwork to set up the spin-off businesses into their own entities, finally able to lay claim to the ideas without hiding.

  The experience had been freeing.

  Anne walked by and fanned her face. “Holy moly, you two are hot.”

  Tracy blushed. “I don’t know—”

  “Yes, you do.”

  Tracy flitted around the dining room, getting orders wrong and still managing to keep a smile on her customer’s faces. It was really busy today.

  Anne commented. “We’re getting a lot of out-of-towners. We’ve got customers coming from as far as Boston to try the cremini sliders and the Shipley cider fondue you posted on Instagram.”

  What? That was great for the Speakeasy.

  Everyone here was wonderful. The owners were chill and the gastropub employed a bunch of people. It was a win. But she really didn’t want interlopers from Boston coming to her retreat. She wasn’t quite ready to come out of hiding yet. She knew she’d have to reconnect with her real life soon but for now she wanted to enjoy living here.

  As if she’d conjured them, her friends D’Andre and Elise walked into the Speakeasy with their baby girl in tow. Oh shit. Tracy stepped to the side and tried to hide behind Anne and her headband.

  But Anne foiled the attempt by heading toward the beverage station.

  Colt gave Tracy a strange look. The heat from earlier replaced by a frown.

  “Tracy?”

  Could she pretend not to hear them and head for the kitchen? Maybe…but she wouldn’t do that to her friends. The moment she’d been dreading had finally happened. She was recognized. And it was her friends by some weird coincidence.

  In any other situation, Tracy would have been happy to see them. They didn’t get out as much since the baby was born.

  They made a beeline for her.

  “Hey.” Her smile was forced as she hoped that no one was paying attention to them. But D’Andre Smith was a six-foot-four former wide receiver who was completely jacked. Her giant Black friend looked like he could still play football and he rarely went unnoticed.

  “Well, look what the cat dragged in. It sure is good to see your smiling face.” D wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “We’ve been worried about you.” He glanced around the Speakeasy and took in the surroundings.

  “Let’s get you seated.” Preferably in a corner, far away from the action in the main part of the dining room, where they could sit away from prying eyes.

  “Are you…working here?” The deep sound of D’s voice trailed off as he took in Tracy’s uniform. The inexpensive Levi’s and the black T-shirt with the Speakeasy logo.

  Tracy smiled sunnily. “Yes.” She led them to a table out of the way, wondering the whole time how they ended up in the town where she was working. “What made you come to Vermont?” It was quite the coincidence that they ended up in her little town, in her gastropub. She’d known she couldn’t hide away forever but she’d been happy and enjoying that quiet life and really had not expected to see anyone she knew.

  Elise snickered. “Jay was going to take everyone out on the yacht. So D suggested we hightail it out of town.”

  Tracy laughed. D was notoriously seasick. For such a big rough tough guy, he usually spent half the boat time hanging over the side.

  “Naw. Elise saw a post about this place on Instagram and we decided to take a little trip,” D rumbled. “Some account she started following that she said had genius posts….”

  “Cider donuts.” Elise had a look of bliss on her face. “I read an article last week about apple orchards and all the yummy food in Vermont and got a craving for cider donuts.”

  But there were plenty of orchards closer to Boston than Colebury, Vermont.

  D held their daughter Mary cradled in his right arm, far more gently than he’d held a football. He was staring at Tracy as realization dawned on his face. “That you?” D asked.

  She knew immediately what he was talking about. Elise had seen her Finsta and they’d ended up here.

  Tracy nodded. Oh goodness, what were the odds? Elise worked in PR so she followed a variety of social media accounts. They’d had discussions about social media and how to amplify posts. It wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility, but it was still kind of a coincidence.

  “I have friends who’ve used—” Elise dropped her vo
ice low and leaned closer “—Fairy Tale Beginnings.” She gushed, “They loved it.”

  Tracy was filled with pride.

  “Guess I wasn’t the only one hiding shit.” D shook his head. “Girl, you’ve been keeping a lot of secrets.”

  Tracy flushed. “Just the one.”

  “Pretty damn big one.” D raised one eyebrow.

  She glanced around the restaurant, hoping no one heard what they were discussing.

  Colt watched cautiously from his table in the corner. How could she fix this before it became a complete disaster?

  Her stomach turned.

  Because then disaster happened. Colt stood and sauntered over to their table. “D?”

  Fabulous. He knew D’Andre. Her life was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

  “Hey, man.” D and Colt did some complicated handshake thing. “How you doin’?”

  Holy moly. They clearly knew each other well. Could this get worse?

  “Pretty good.”

  “You look great.” D studied Colt while Tracy just wanted to disappear into the kitchen and maybe not come out…ever.

  “Thanks. I’m doing well.” Colt’s look was slightly accusatory, and he didn’t seem happy. “You never mentioned you knew D.”

  “It never came up.” Her temper simmered, even though she knew she was in the wrong. She’d been lying to him about her identity since they met.

  “Wait. You know Tracy?”

  “Apparently I don’t.” Colt’s words were biting.

  Tracy’s heart sank. Because he didn’t know Tracy. He knew Cee-Cee. And he was pissed at her.

  “Nice to see you, D.” Colt nodded shortly at everyone else. “I’ll leave you guys to catch up.”

  “So you’ve been keeping more than one secret,” D’Andre chastised. “Why didn’t you come to us?”

  “My boss suggested that I get out of town.” She put air quotes around suggested.

  Elise snorted.

  While they were talking, the rumblings had started. “Is that D’Andre Smith?”

  “Oh my God, it is!”

  D sighed. “I’d hoped this far away from Boston we’d be safe. Sorry, babe.” He handed off the baby to Elise.

  She smiled sympathetically. “Go do your thing and I’ll chat with Tracy.”