That was all it took for Jordan to start talking a mile a minute, and Drake loved the way Rosa kept up with every bit of it. “You don’t think she’d be interested in babysitting sometime, do you?” Calvin asked Drake in a low voice.
“You know what? I have a feeling that might be right up her alley.”
Calvin raised an eyebrow. “You know I was kidding, right? Rosa is an international superstar with a heck of a lot more important things to do than hang out with my kid sister.”
“Trust me, she would much rather learn how to make those bracelets than go to some flashy premiere.” Calvin still didn’t look convinced, but Drake knew it would make perfect sense to his friend once Cal got to know her better.
Rosa gave Jordan a hug, then when the little girl headed back outside to play with her friends, she turned to Calvin. “Your sister is great.”
“I know,” he said with a grin. “Thanks for making her day.”
“She made mine too.” Rosa reached into her bag for a folder and handed it to Calvin. “I know you’re busy, and I don’t want to take up too much more of your time today, so hopefully the information here will answer most of your questions about the setup for tomorrow’s live shoot. My mother is arranging to fly my brothers in right now, but I’ll make sure she drops by to say hello before tomorrow morning.”
“I’m sure you’ve thought of everything we need to know.” Calvin put the folder on his desk. “Anything else you and your family need, just give a holler. We’re all on your side.”
“Thank you.”
Instead of leaving with another handshake, she threw her arms around him. Cal, of course, didn’t look at all averse to holding her for a few seconds, even when he knew damn well that she was taken.
Once Rosa and Drake were out of the building, she said, “I like your friend. It doesn’t seem fair that he had such bad luck with his parents.”
“His love life has been pretty rotten too, unfortunately.”
“How can someone that handsome, who also happens to be a great brother, have a rotten love life?”
“Handsome?” Drake teased.
“I barely noticed,” she teased back. “But seriously, he’s a major catch. What happened?”
“There was someone back in high school. Sarah. We all thought they were going to be together forever. I run into her in the city sometimes, but she never asks about Calvin. Just like he never asks about her.” When they hit a fork in the path, he decided on a detour. “Want to see something beautiful?”
“I already am, but I’m always up for more.”
He pulled her close and kissed her deeply before leading her up into the mountains.
*
Rosa spent plenty of time in the gym, but given how hard her lungs were rocked by this mountain trail, she planned to spend way more time in the woods in the future. Especially when everything around her was so lovely and inspiring. She wanted to buy silk floss in a rainbow of colors to stitch the reds and yellows of woodpeckers and goldfinches, the pretty white bark on the birch trees, the deep green leaves of the maples in dozens of shades all around them.
The only thing that didn’t quite fit was the buzzing of the phone in Drake’s pocket as they climbed the final stretch to the top of the hill. He pulled it out and looked at the screen a few times, before finally shutting it off with an impatient sound.
“Used to be, you couldn’t get reception out here. It was one of my favorite things about this place.”
“I’m pretty good at chucking cell phones from high places,” she joked, “if you want me to give it a go.”
“I’d take you up on it if I thought it would get this gallery off my back. But since I owe them a dozen paintings in a week, I’m sure they’d find a way to track me down even without the phone.” Before she could respond to this rather shocking new piece of information about the gallery needing all those new paintings, he said, “Right now, though, I want us both to forget about everything we’ve got to do and just spend some time appreciating this.”
Pulling her up onto a large, flat rock, he brought her in against him, back to front, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Sensual warmth flooded her at his closeness even as she gasped at the stunning beauty laid out in front of her.
“Oh, Drake.” She felt it again, that sense that she’d finally found where she was meant to be. “You’ve painted this, haven’t you?” She recognized this vista from one of the larger canvases hanging in his father’s cottage. “Standing right here, looking out over the lakes and rolling hills.”
“It’s always been one of my favorite spots in the world. And now that you’re here, I honestly can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”
“I feel the same way.” She turned away from the view to look into his eyes. “Someone had to have seen me by now and sent a tweet or posted on Facebook. The paparazzi will be here by tomorrow morning. Maybe even by tonight.”