Wrapped in Lace Read Online Free Page B

decision to start my own business designing and making furniture, it was Nana who fronted me the money. No one else in the family knew that. I’d been so proud to be able to pay her back within the first year. I owed everything I had, including the success of my business, to her and Pop. My furniture pieces were all custom, created by my hands, mostly from reclaimed wood. Each piece had a story, a history, a life. I’d made a name for myself in the industry and no one could take that from me, not even my brother and Ellie.
    I stretched my arms overhead, feeling better now that I’d had a nap. I’d spent the afternoon with my dad at the family bar then conked out as soon as I got back. My night in the truck was catching up with me. Running my hands through my hair, I tried to decide if I should change out of my old white t-shirt and jeans. I shrugged. Who the hell cares? I’ll change later when I go search out my wannabe bad girl from last night. I just had to make it through dinner, then I could head back to Hank’s bar to look for her. Hank obviously knew her, so if she wasn’t there, I hoped he’d tell me where I could find her.
    I picked up my phone to check the time, telling myself two hours tops, then I’d be out of there. I put my phone back down next to my keys on the nightstand and headed downstairs barefoot, the smell of Nana’s pot roast calling me. My plan was to keep my mouth stuffed with food so I didn’t pick a fight over dinner. I took a deep breath, reminding myself I could do this. It was just dinner. I peered through the doorway, seeing my parents, Rob, Ellie, and Jack already around the table, which was set with Nana’s Christmas china over a white tablecloth. I swear only people in McAdenville have china just for Christmas.
    “Drew!” Nana said merrily, spotting me lurking outside the dining room door. “You remember Mr. Nelson, right?”
    “Of course,” I said, shaking his hand. Mr. Nelson and his wife were my grandparents’ closest friends. He’d lost his wife about a year ago, but Nana and Mr. Nelson had stayed close. He was one of the last friends she had left, so it wasn’t uncommon for Nana to include him in family dinners. He didn’t have any family left in town, and it was nice that they stayed close and watched out for each other.
    Mr. Nelson adjusted his glasses and squinted his eyes. “I’ve got some of your furniture. It’s good work, quality—like they used to make in my day.”
    “Thank you, sir. Pop would haunt me from the grave if. . . .”
    “Where should I put the. . . .” Out of nowhere, it’s my wannabe bad girl’s voice! The plate of cornbread she carried clattered to the pine wood floor, the loud clank freezing everyone in the room. Her blue eyes stared at me for a second before she bent down to clean up the crumbled cornbread. “I’m such a klutz. I’m so sorry.”
    “Let me get that,” my mom said, bending down to help her.
    “No, no, Gwyneth. I’ve got it,” she said, glancing up at me again.
    I was sure everyone in the room was staring at me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her blonde hair flowed loosely around her shoulders and her warm-honey skin glowed brightly. I can’t believe she’s in my Nana’s house. What the hell was she doing here?
    “Drew, you must remember my granddaughter, Piper?” Mr. Nelson said as Nana took Piper by the arm, helping her up.
    Our eyes locked on each other’s again. “It’s been a while, but yes, sir.”
    “Piper, you remember Drew?” Nana asked. “You two were inseparable as kids.”
    “Of course,” Piper said, her voice soft and small, her eyes cast down as she straightened her blue dress.
    Piper? I hadn’t seen Piper since I was fourteen. She’d moved away, and I had no idea she’d come back to McAdenville. I knew she was familiar last night, but it was dark, and I was drinking. God, she was beautiful at thirteen, but now she was devastating, the kind of woman that made your dick