A Brand New Ending (Stay Book 2) Read online

  He was gone.

  Relief sagged her muscles even as her stomach turned. Ethan would be pissed. She hadn’t acted as a gracious, calm, centered hostess. She’d turned a childhood friend out in the cold after he asked for help. It was against everything she’d practiced and become since returning home—a woman who not only accepted but also tried to embrace her new life and find joy in all the hidden parts.

  Today, she’d acted like a lover scorned. A mean-spirited bitch. A woman bent on a little revenge.

  God, it felt so damn good.

  She headed toward the kitchen to open a bottle of wine.

  Vacuuming was definitely done for the day.

  Chapter Three

  Ethan stared at him in shock. “She threw you out?”

  Kyle sat back in the leather chair and sipped his coffee, enjoying the added touch of cinnamon that elevated Ethan’s usual black sludge. Of course, Mia had probably made it. The petite, attractive woman perched by his friend’s side was comfortably notched against his chest, her head barely reaching Ethan’s chin. From her fashionable bobbed honey hair, manicured French nails, sleek black pants, and trendy sweater, he knew she’d definitely been the one to upgrade both the coffee and bungalow.

  Ethan was a minimalist. Even though the bungalow was small, Mia’s special contemporary touches made it homey, from the canvas watercolors of Saratoga horse racing, Tuscan pottery vases sprouting wild blooms of color, and scattered throw rugs, afghans, and matching pillows in rich earth tones.

  Though it was the first time they’d met, Kyle took an instant liking to the woman who had stolen his friend’s heart. Ethan’s leg had almost been blown off during a Special Forces mission, and he’d suffered some wicked PTSD. Finding love with the right woman had softened all his hard edges and put a joy back in his eyes that seemed to make all the bad worth it.

  Kyle reached down to pet the dogs curled at his feet. He couldn’t believe Wheezy was still around. The family hound had howled in welcome after catching his scent, his white face evidence of an advanced age. The dog had been part of many of their adventures on the Bishop farm, and well loved. He’d found a companion who seemed to be his shadow—a small brown-and-white terrier mix named Bolt. Currently, the pup was snoring on top of Wheezy’s back.

  He put his coffee mug on the table. “Let’s just say she made it clear I wasn’t welcome.”

  “What happened between you two?” Mia asked, brow arched in curiosity. “Ethan said you guys were all tight friends growing up.”

  “I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Ethan said. “I went into the military, and you both took off to California. By the way, I’m still not pleased with that move.”

  Kyle winced. When his friend had found out from Harper they’d run off, their friendship had taken a hit. Thank God, after some time, Ethan had forgiven him. “Sorry.”

  Ethan snorted. “Yeah, right. Anyway, they were in California for a while. Then suddenly Ophelia comes back, declares she’s done singing, and wants to run the B & B with Mom. When I asked what happened with you, she said it just didn’t work out. I figured she didn’t like the lifestyle out there, but I never realized there was bad blood between you two. What happened, dude?”

  Kyle took another sip of coffee to buy time. If only there was one answer to that question. Instead, a million responses whirred in his head, hurting his heart.

  He’d been too young. Too sure of the world around him. Too selfish. Too ready to sacrifice anything for his dream, even if it was love.

  He’d spent enough nights racked with regrets but always pushed them away to chase the next film project. He’d gone from a poor farmer in a small town to a big-time Hollywood screenwriter. He’d morphed from a kid whose own father despised him to a famous writer with an audience of millions who reveled in his talent. It had been easy to get lost.

  And Ophelia?

  The image of her slammed into his vision. How many times had he imagined her in his dreams? The milky white of her skin. The thick coarseness of her strawberry-blonde hair. The sprinkling of freckles on her cheek that looked like a heart. The bee-stung lushness of her mouth. Once, he’d known every inch of her body, able to pleasure her by just a touch.

  The woman he’d met today was so much better than his memory.

  Clad in those tight yoga pants that cupped the perfect curves of her ass and hips, heavy breasts that he could see were braless no matter how hard she tried to hide it, her face bare of makeup—which only emphasized the freckles she despised—he’d been thunderstruck. Those sky-blue eyes flashed with a confidence and challenge that practically begged a man to tame her.

  Once, he’d risen to that challenge. Now, he had no right.

  But the moment he stepped close, his gaze delving deep into hers, he’d been hit by a surge of pure electricity that almost knocked him on his ass. He’d caught her tiny hitch of breath; the way her pulse beat madly beneath her pale, delicate skin; the dilation of her pupils. Their chemistry had always been red-hot. Their connection ran deep. He knew if he reached out to touch her, she wouldn’t be able to fight her reaction. Their bodies still belonged to each other, no matter how many years had passed.

  Instead, he’d clenched his fists, ignored his straining dick, and tried hard not to remember how she was the only one who’d ever made him feel whole.

  She accused him of running away.

  But who’d been the one to jump on a plane and return home without a look back? Had he been that easy to forget?

  She gave up on him, her vows, and her own dreams to retreat back to safety.

  But he couldn’t tell Ethan any of it. It would rip his heart out to know the truth.

  Kyle refocused on the conversation. “We had a big fight in California. She came home, and I stayed. Guess we never really had time to settle the argument.”

  Mia cocked her head. She raked her gaze over him in a way that was way too shrewd for his comfort. “Ophelia doesn’t fight. She’s the calmest, most centered person I’ve ever met.”

  Kyle barely managed to clamp down a laugh. The girl he’d known was a spitfire. Mischievous. Passionate. Stubborn. She gave with her whole heart. “She must’ve changed, because that’s not the woman I knew.”

  Ethan laughed. “Yeah, Kyle always knew how to push her buttons. Tink has definitely settled in. Now she’s happy to run the inn and control her own environment. Just like Mom.”

  Kyle smiled at the nickname Ophelia’s brother had bestowed on her from their shared love of Disney movies. With her looks, she was definitely fairy material—and she also had the famous Tinkerbell temper.

  Mia shook her head. “That still doesn’t make sense. It’s been almost a decade—how long can a fight last? I’m sure once you guys talk it out she’ll offer you a room. For now, you’re welcome to stay with us if you don’t mind the couch. We have big plans this spring to build my office and a few more bedrooms, but for now you can share my amazing closet.” She pointed to the small area where she’d crammed a desk, computer, and a file cabinet.

  “I can’t impose like that. You’re still in the honeymoon phase.”

  Ethan snorted. “You’re sleeping on the couch, dude. Don’t think you’re gonna bother us in that department.”

  Mia punched him in the arm, making them both laugh, but the intimate glance they shared socked Kyle straight in the gut. Once, he and Ophelia had been as close, practically finishing each other’s sentences, falling into each other like a beautiful poem or symphony that made sense. All their pieces slid into place. Now, she was a stranger.

  Frustration simmered. He had to stay at the inn. The only way he’d be able to do this story justice was by steeping himself in the past. It was also his last shot at career redemption. Finally, he’d be able to walk away from the trap of canned action movies that had eroded his creative soul, leaving nothing but a shell. His agent had been a wreck about Kyle’s writer’s block, and he was delirious with glee when Kyle promised to deliver a new script in three months.
He was in the process of assembling a dream team they could pitch it to, and Kyle would get one shot to convince everyone to take a chance on something completely fresh—the next great romance to rival The Notebook.

  Yeah. They’d laugh him out of their offices if they realized that instead of another hot action movie, he was pitching a second-chance love story for the ages.

  But every part inside him screamed he could pull it off if he got the chance.

  If he got to write it here, where his story began.

  He had to find a way to convince Ophelia to let him stay at the inn.

  “Well, I appreciate the offer,” he said, tugging affectionately on Wheezy’s long ear. “Hopefully it will only be for a few nights.”

  “Of course,” Ethan said. “I’ll talk to Tink and get it straightened out. You know how hard it is for her to say no to me.”

  Mia groaned. “Think much of yourself, horse man?”

  He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her fully. “Yeah. ’Cause of you.”

  Kyle made a retching sound. “You have officially become whipped. Congrats.”

  “Worth every lash,” Ethan threw back.

  Kyle rolled to his feet. “Let me grab the rest of my stuff. Can I take you both out to dinner tonight? I’m looking forward to going into town.”

  “Sounds good,” Ethan said.

  “Great, why don’t I—holy shit, what is that?”

  He stared in shock at the giant creature that had just strolled out of the bedroom. The monster had crazy white feathers that stuck up in various directions from his massive head. Red, fat jowls hung under a wicked sharp beak. His body was a mottled, inky black. It must’ve been surprised by the new visitor, because his beady eyes seemed to widen in mirrored shock, and it let out a wild screech that froze Kyle to the spot. He drew his wings back, and his clawed feet scratched at the floor like a bull revving up. He launched himself across the room in a fowl attack.

  Kyle was used to farm animals, but he had to admit, he had to tamp down the yelp that rose to his lips.

  “Hei Hei! Stop that now!” Mia’s voice whipped out. Magically, the creature halted just a step away.

  Feathers bobbing up and down like mad, it let out a series of outraged squawks directed toward Mia.

  “Don’t talk back to me like that. Kyle is a friend, and he’s staying here. Charging him is not appropriate behavior.”

  The creature thing regarded him with a touch of resentment, then headed toward Mia. He rubbed his head like a cat over her legs, making low screeches as his beak tried to peck at her feet.

  She giggled, stroking his crazy feathers with pure affection. “Good boy. Did you enjoy your nap?”

  Kyle’s mouth dropped open. “What the hell is that thing?”

  “A Polish chicken,” Ethan said, shaking his head. “He was one of Harper’s rescues, but the moment he saw Mia he fell in love. Now he’s her slave for life.”

  “At least one of the men in my life is,” she said, giving him a wink. “His feathers are very delicate, so in the winter he has to stay inside the house. Don’t worry. He’s cranky but completely manageable.”

  Ethan shot Kyle an amused look. “Hey, maybe he can be your new muse.”

  “Sure. How’d you know I’m writing a fowl romance?”

  They both cracked up. Ethan was the brother he’d never had, and he enjoyed their quick regression into juvenile humor.

  Mia groaned, rising from the sofa and grabbing his empty coffee cup. “I have one conference call, then we can head out. I’ll leave you two to some male bonding time.” With a grin, she headed toward the kitchen. Hei Hei raced after her as if terrified she’d disappear.

  “He’s a bit codependent,” Ethan said.

  “You think?” Kyle paused, staring at his friend. “You scored, dude. She’s cool.”

  “I know. Not sure how I got so lucky, but I’m not dumb enough to fuck it up. Even though I was engaged before, I didn’t know what love really was until I met Mia. Ever have that happen? Where you had this idea of how things should be, but you realize later you had it all wrong?”

  He wished he could confide in Ethan about Ophelia. God knows his friend deserved every bit of happiness he’d found with Mia. Kyle craved that same type of fulfillment. Ophelia had been the only woman to give him a taste, and he’d lost her. Kyle winced and tried to push Ophelia out of his mind. “Yeah. That’s why I’m excited about this new project. I need to figure some shit out.”

  “Well, I’m here if you need some help. Been down that road.”

  “I know you have.” He paused. “I missed you, man.”

  “Back atcha. Now before I give you a big-ass pansy hug, get your stuff and let’s set you up.”

  “Thanks.”

  Kyle headed to the car. For the first time in a long while, he felt the stirring of hope that everything would finally be different.

  Chapter Four

  “Tink, I’m begging you. Please help us out.”

  She bit back a groan and tried not to look at her brother’s puppy-dog face.

  Dammit.

  He’d been insistent that he treat her out before she got slammed with guests, bribing her with the wickedly delicious homemade pasta at Lombardi’s. It was one of her favorite restaurants in town. The pasta and bread machine worked overtime, and the rich scents of garlic, red sauce, and olives saturated the air.

  She hadn’t realized she’d be ambushed.

  “You reap what you sow,” she retorted, grabbing a hunk of Italian bread drizzled with olive oil. “I told you he couldn’t stay at the inn, but you ignored me.”

  “Your sister’s right,” Mia interrupted, coming to her rescue. “If I had known about it, I would’ve warned you to sit down and have a talk, not invite him and figure it was all just going to work out. But now we have a problem.” Her eyes glowed with worry. “Things are getting a bit . . . challenging.”

  Ethan glowered. “Challenging? We’re dying over there, Tink. There’s nowhere to sit anymore. He writes on his laptop on the couch, muttering stuff like some kind of whacko at all hours of the night.”

  “Well, he’s a writer. He’s always been that way when he’s involved in a project.”

  Mia cleared her throat. “Yes. With more room, it would be fine. But there’s the issue with one bathroom. Since there’s not a lot of privacy—”

  “Mia saw him naked!”

  Ophelia choked on the bread. “What?”

  Mia stroked her brother’s shoulder as if soothing a wounded beast. “Not completely, baby. See, we started to do some renovation on the bathroom, and the door doesn’t close properly. Wheezy and Bolt wanted to see him, so they bashed their heads against the door and it flew open—”

  “And Mia saw him naked!”

  Mia sighed. “I saw his rear. That’s it. And it was probably more embarrassing for him than me.”

  “I doubt it. Mia can’t get any work done because they’re on top of each other, and he seems to emerge at midnight like some kind of wombat and eat everything in the damn refrigerator.”

  Ophelia winced. Yeah, Kyle was a bit of a night owl. He’d miss too many meals during the day because he’d be immersed in his work, then raid the fridge in a crazed orgy of food. She’d gotten used to it, but at the bungalow where every sound echoed, she bet it wasn’t easy.

  Not her problem. Not her problem.

  She kept the mantra up and tried to concentrate on the perfect firmness of her ravioli with creamy ricotta cheese filling. “I’m really sorry, guys. Do you think he can stay with Harper?”

  Their sister lived in a small apartment down the road from the horse stables. Her Spartan lifestyle lent itself perfectly to caring for and training the horses, since she preferred practically living at the stables rather than her own place.

  Ethan shook his head. “Already checked with her. She likes Kyle, but isn’t comfortable sharing her space. You know how she relishes her privacy and solitude.”

  Yeah, their sister was r
eally only social with creatures who had four legs.

  Ethan continued his entreaty. “I know you said you had some type of fight back in California. But that was what, eight years ago? We grew up with him. Why won’t you be reasonable and give him a chance to make amends?”

  “We don’t want to push you or make you uncomfortable, though,” Mia said firmly, forking into her salad. “It’s none of our business why you don’t want him to stay with you. If you don’t want to change your mind, we respect that. Right, Ethan?”

  “No.” Her brother stabbed his fork in the air. “You’re one of the most forgiving people I know, and it’s time to put words into action. If you don’t take pity on us all, Kyle is going to get seriously hurt.”

  Ophelia rolled her eyes. “Dramatic much?”

  Mia shifted in her seat. “Umm, well there’s one additional problem.”

  Wariness cut through her. “What is it?”

  “Hei Hei hates him,” Ethan said flatly.

  Ophelia burst out laughing. “Funny.”

  “He’s serious,” Mia said. “I know it’s crazy, but I think Hei Hei views Kyle as some type of intruder rather than a guest. Hei Hei is stressed out and always on guard. I think he’s trying to protect me.”

  Ophelia reached for her wine and took a healthy gulp, thinking the situation was getting out of control. “You know he’s all bark and no bite. He’s never hurt anyone before.”

  “He bit Kyle’s foot yesterday,” Ethan said. “Just charged him and took a nip. Drew blood.”

  She gasped. “What? I can’t believe this. Kyle grew up on a farm—animals love him.”

  “Not Hei Hei,” Mia said glumly. “Between the dogs and my crazy chicken, we’re having a hard time being in such close quarters—and it’s only been four days. I don’t think we can continue like this, but I don’t want to tell Kyle to leave. This script is so important to him. Plus, Ethan said your mother treated him like family.”

  The misery in her voice choked Ophelia with guilt.

  Oh, this was worse than she’d thought. How could she let Mia continue like this?