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But I had never been a part of the plan.
I sighed and put the hairbrush down as the grandfather clock chimed through the house. It was seven o’clock. Time to go down to dinner. Time to make small talk and try to avoid any and all awkward questions. I grabbed my phone and texted Lucy quickly.
“How could you leave me here by myself?”
“It’ll be fine. They’re lovely,” she responded immediately.
“But they don’t even know me.”
“Just smile and flirt and you’ll be fine.”
“Flirt with who?”
“You know who!”
“Lucy, I’m not flirting with Beau with his parents there.”
“Try it. It might be fun. :)”
“Also he left the room yesterday as soon as we entered. He obviously thinks I’m a freak.”
“He had to go to the stables. Trust me, he wants you. Just flirt a little.”
“Humph.” I put the phone back down on the cherrywood nightstand and stood up. I made my way to the bedroom door and walked as casually as I could down the corridor to the dining room.
“Olivia, there you are.” Sadie beamed at me as I entered the dining room. Sadie was Wyatt’s gorgeous blonde best friend, and she always seemed to be at the house. Wyatt was the youngest of the Hamilton brothers. He was as handsome as his brothers, and unlike Beau, he was affectionate and friendly. Sadie stood next to the large cherrywood dining room table. The room was informal and cozy. There were family photos all over the walls, along with paintings of horses and other farm animals.
“Hiya, Sadie.” I grinned, grateful to have made a new friend at the ranch.
“You’re going to have to tell me all about New York City.” She sounded wistful. “I’ve always wanted to visit.”
“Since when?” Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you never wanted to visit a big city like New York City?”
“No, I never said that.” She shook her head before rolling her eyes at me. “Men!”
I laughed. “I feel ya there. So is it just going to be us tonight?” I was slightly disappointed. I’d hoped to see Beau at dinner. Though I’d pretended to be annoyed with Lucy’s comment about flirting with Beau, I thought he was hot. Like, really hot—a mix of Brad Pitt and Henry Cavill, only ten times sexier. And he was single. Though from what I could tell, he wasn’t really looking to mingle. Not that I needed to mingle with him—for more than one night, anyway. A long-term relationship would never work between us.
Not that he was asking for one, but even if he was interested, it couldn’t work. He lived in Montana and was the heir to the family ranch, and I lived in Manhattan and was the heir to a storage unit in Queens and a $100 MTA MetroCard that my grandma had found on the F train one night and given to me. We led two very different lives, and even though Lucy and Austin had fallen for each other, this just wasn’t the lifestyle I could see for myself. Montana was as different from New York as it could get. Even if it was beautiful.
Not that I wasn’t a little jealous of Lucy. Austin loved her so much. I wanted to meet a man who looked at me the way Austin looked at Lucy—like he couldn’t live another day of his life without her.
“So I’m pretty sure you know this, but Lucy and Austin went to the cabin. I guess he’s really stepped up his romantic game.” Sadie started laughing. “I never thought I’d see the day when a Hamilton man was more than just a Don Juan.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wyatt raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “You don’t think I’m romantic?”
Sadie laughed even harder. “I’ve known you too long to think you could ever be romantic, Wyatt. Lucy got lucky. So Olivia, do you have a lucky boyfriend back home?”
“No, I’m single.” I tried not to sound too sad about it. I loved being independent and having the freedom to do whatever I wanted to, but there were some nights when I wished I was in bed with a gorgeous man and he was kissing me and hugging me and holding me tight. I missed the warmth of another body beside me, even if I didn’t miss the arguments that always seemed to occur when I was in a relationship. I was headstrong, and a lot of men seemed to prefer weak women. That was part of why I was so happy that Lucy had found Austin. She was headstrong like me, but he clearly loved that about her. It gave me faith that perhaps there was a man out there for me as well. One who wouldn’t feel intimidated by my strength, and who’d understand that I need comfort and protection just like any other woman. Someone who would see past the walls I put up.
“It’s so lovely to have you here for dinner, Olivia.” Amelia Hamilton walked into the room, holding a pot of something. She placed it on the table and looked at me, sincerity in her eyes, and beamed.
“Thanks so much for having me.” I smiled back a little shyly. “I’m so grateful for your hospitality.”
“Any friend of Lucy’s is a friend of ours. And seeing as Lucy is as good as family, you’re family too.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Amelia Hamilton was such a warm, loving woman. The Hamilton boys were lucky to have her as a mom.
