Milkshakes and Mistletoe (The Hamiltons Book 5) Read online

  He startled when the front door opened, and Marcos appeared. “I thought it must be you, but then you didn’t come to the door. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Sorry. I was just breathing a minute. Has she been okay?”

  “She’s been great. She’s a great kid. You could have waited until tomorrow, you know.”

  “I know. And I know it probably would have been easier for you guys if I did. But …” He shrugged.

  Marcos grasped his shoulder. “No need to apologize. I understand. It’s all good. You want to take her home and get back into your life. Come on in. Molly left all Ava’s things by the front door so that you can load them up first, then all you need to do is get her and bring her straight out to the car. I’m not sure that she’s even asleep though.”

  “Thanks.” Grady followed him into the hallway, and between them they brought all Ava’s things out to the car. When they went back into the house, Molly greeted him with a smile.

  “Did you have a good time?”

  “I did, thanks. Was everything okay here?” He didn’t ask if Ava had been good – he knew he didn’t need to.

  “Everything was great. When I picked her up from school yesterday, we went to the park with Luca. She got off to school no problem this morning and tonight, we did some baking. I don’t know if you noticed, but there was a Tupperware tub full of cupcakes for you in with her stuff.”

  Grady grinned. “Thanks!” He looked down the hallway. “Should I just go get her?”

  “Yep. I think she’s asleep. I checked on her a little while ago and she was trying to wait up for you, but she didn’t look like she was going to make it.”

  Grady made his way down the hall to the guestroom where Ava had stayed a few times now. He opened the door as quietly as he could, but Ava sat up straight away.

  “Uncle Grady?”

  “Yeah. It’s me, Pixie. You’re supposed to be asleep.”

  “I was. But I was keeping my ears peeled for you.”

  He chuckled. “It’s eyes peeled, and ears open.”

  “Oh.”

  “Either way. I’m here now. Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes.” She got out of bed and came to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Did you have a good time with your friend?”

  “I did. He sent you a hug, and he said he’ll maybe come to visit next summer.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Grady bent down and lifted her up to sit on his hip.

  She smiled and snuggled against him. “I’m too big to be carried anymore.”

  “This doesn’t count. You’re tired and you’re supposed to be asleep.”

  “Okay. But I’m not a big baby.”

  “No, you are not! And anyone who would say that you were is an idiot.”

  She giggled and tightened her arms around his neck. “I love you, Uncle Grady.”

  “I love you, Ava. Come on, let’s say thank you to Molly and Marcos and get you home to bed.”

  It was after eleven o’clock by the time he’d tucked her into her own bed and stayed for a few minutes, until her breathing deepened and he was sure she was asleep.

  He hated that she so often felt the need to tell him that she wasn’t a big baby. That was his brother’s doing. Or maybe his sister-in-law’s. Either way, he was relieved that Ava was with him now and that she didn’t have to live with them anymore. From what Grady had pieced together, she’d learned that seeking affection was perceived as weakness. Whenever she cried, she told him that she wasn’t a big baby, whenever he carried her, she said the same thing. At first, she used to say it whenever he gave her a hug, but since hugs were a many-times-a-day kind of thing, she’d quickly learned that she didn’t need to defend her right to receive them. He was still working on the rest.

  He should go straight to bed himself, but he was still tightly wound. He went downstairs and poured himself a glass of water. Here he was, back in his life. The little interlude where he got to be the old version of himself was over. And he was fine with that. Sure, the beach had been great, the waves had been even better. It’d been good to spend time with Monty again. But Ava meant more to him than any of that. She’d had a rough start in life, and he was determined that the tough times were behind her.

  He took his phone out of his pocket and plugged it in to charge overnight. It buzzed with a text, and he pursed his lips when he read it.

  Monty: Still no photo? Have you lost it? Or are you on it?

  Grady sighed. He’d thought about Hannah on the long drive back from San Francisco. He could claim that he hadn’t lost his touch with the ladies. She’d been interested. What he’d lost was the ability to play a superficial game that didn’t lead anywhere. He’d liked Hannah. He’d been interested in her as a person. But he didn’t have the time for a woman in his life, so when he realized that she might just want to see him again, he’d blown the whole thing up. Granted, he could have gone about it differently. He probably should have explained to her about Ava. That would have been the decent thing to do. But he hadn’t. He’d given her the impression that he was married so that – what? He didn’t even know why he’d done it. So that she’d be the one to blow him off? Whatever. It didn’t matter. It had been a brief encounter in an airport and now it was over.

  He looked down at his phone again.

  Grady: I admit defeat. I struck out.

  Monty: Dude!

  He chuckled. He could hear that one word drawn out into three syllables, and he could picture Monty shaking his head in disappointment.

  He set his phone down and headed upstairs to bed. He had to be up early in the morning to make Ava’s breakfast and pack her lunch. Then, as soon as she was on the bus, he was going to work. He didn’t officially start until nine, but Molly had been good to let him have a couple days off, and he wanted to do as much as he could at the restaurant to make up for it.

  He paused outside Ava’s door and peeked in at her. She was lying on her back with her arm flung above her head. That made his heart happy. When she’d first come to live with him, she used to sleep scrunched up in a ball, like she was trying to make herself as small as possible. She was slowly relaxing and opening up.

  ~ ~ ~

  Hannah sank back into one of the huge leather armchairs and rested her head back.

  “Do you want a drink?” asked Jacob.

  “Are you having one?”

  “I am.”

  “Okay, I’ll join you. But don’t go wasting the expensive stuff on me. I’m a heathen.”

  A small smile played on his lips as he poured himself a Cognac and then a smaller one for her. She thanked him as she took the glass, then held it up and sniffed. “I love this stuff, but it always seems too grown up for me.”

  Jacob chuckled as he lowered himself into the armchair facing her. “Maybe it’s time you grow up, then?”

  She stuck her tongue out at him; she couldn’t help it. “I keep trying, but I never quite get it right.”

  “If it’s any consolation, I’m glad that things didn’t work out with Nathan.”

  “That’s supposed to console me? I thought consoling someone meant that you show them sympathy?”

  Jacob pursed his lips. “As far as I’m concerned, breaking up with him deserves congratulations, not sympathy. You would have had my sympathy if he’d somehow managed to con you into marrying him.”

  Hannah blew out a sigh. “Okay. I know you’re right. But I feel so stupid.”

  “We live and learn.”

  “So philosophical.”

  Jacob gave her a small smile. “So, what happens now? Do you have any plans?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “The cottage is ready if you want to move in.”

  She met his gaze. “Honestly? I’m tempted. But if I come home, it’s like admitting defeat. It’s like saying that I tried to make it on my own out in the big world – and I failed.”

  “It’s not failure. I wish you wouldn’t look at everything like that. Life i
sn’t just a simple case of getting things right or wrong. You have to experiment before you even know what you want. You tried out living in the city. You discovered that it doesn’t suit you. You dated a few guys and you found out that smooth-talking guys in slick suits aren’t your thing. That’s not failure. That’s a few successful steps down the path of finding out what does work for you and what you do want.”

  She smiled through pursed lips. “The way you can turn things around like that, you could be accused of being a smooth-talking guy in a slick suit.”

  He laughed. “Nope. I’m an eloquent man in a hand-made suit.”

  Hannah had to laugh with him. “I guess it’s all in the eye of the beholder.”

  “It is. But at least it’s got you laughing again. Say you’ll stay, Hannah-banana?”

  Her chest flooded with warmth and tears pricked behind her eyes at the sound of her childhood nickname. He hadn’t called her that in years. “Just so you can keep an eye on me and make sure that I don’t screw my life up any more than I already have?”

  His eyebrows drew together. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You haven’t screwed up that badly. You built a good career that you can go back to if you want. You might have questionable taste in men, but you haven’t run off and gotten married to some deadbeat. I’m not asking you to come home to recover from your so-called screw ups; I’m asking because I’m tired of running this place all by myself. Well, that’s not true. I’m fine running the place. I enjoy it. But … it’s our family home. Our family business. But there’s no family here. The staff is great. They’re good people and we’re lucky to have them. But … call me sentimental if you will … but I miss you. I miss Xander, too, and perhaps in a few years, he’ll move home as well. You can take the cottage for now if you don’t want to stay here with me. We can build you a place if you want – select a spot and you can build whatever you want.” He stopped and took a sip of his drink. “What do you say?”

  Hannah stared at him for a long moment. “Are you saying you’re lonely?”

  He stared back at her. “Not exactly. I’m … you know I love running the estate. I love running the company. I’m not lonely in the traditional sense. I have as much company as I want.”

  Hannah pursed her lips and tried not to look disapproving. She probably saw Jacob in the news more often than she saw him in person – and he was never without a beautiful woman on his arm.

  He laughed. “I’m not weighing in on your dating life, so don’t start on mine.”

  She gave him a rueful smile. “That’s fair, I suppose.”

  “And my point was, I’m not lonely for company. I’m lonely for family. I love what I do. I love the estate and the company, but lately I can’t help but wonder what the point is. When Mom and Dad were alive it was obvious, they were growing their empire with the intention of passing it on to us. Now? I’m still growing the empire, but I don’t know what for. I don’t have kids. Neither do you, or Xander. That’s not to say that none of us ever will but …” He shrugged.

  Hannah knew what he meant. She’d felt the same way. It was weird when she saw articles about Jacob – or about herself for that matter. They were the heirs to the Jacobs legacy. Xander, too, but he’d been away in the military for so many years that he mostly escaped media attention.

  But none of them were kids anymore. They should be building a legacy of their own – but none of them had anyone to pass it on to.

  She met Jacob’s gaze. “What would I do if stayed?”

  “Anything you like. If you want to work for the company, you can do that. In fact, I’d love it if you wanted to put your talents to use. I’ve been wanting to overhaul all the marketing materials for a while now – from the brochures in the tasting rooms, to the website and the ad campaigns. I’d love for you to shoot everything that we need. The photographer that the agency hired last time was good – very good. You’ve seen what we use. The pictures are great, but they feel … commercial, I don’t know, impersonal. Your pictures are different. Whenever I see your work, I know that it’s yours even if I’m just flicking through a magazine. If it’s a house or a model or a puppy, I know that I’m seeing the subject through your eyes. That I’m feeling whatever feeling you wanted to evoke. I just think that if you shoot all the images we need for the company, you’ll add a whole new level to our branding.”

  Hannah sat up straight. “Do you mean that? That you can feel what I see?”

  He chuckled. “It pains me to admit it when you put it that way; it’s far too illogical a statement for me to want to go anywhere near it, but yes, it’s true. When I look at your photos, I can feel what you see.”

  She couldn’t hold in the happiness that welled up as laughter. “Well, in that case, there’s no way I could turn you down. I’ll come home. I will absolutely love shooting anything and everything you want me to. Her smile faded. “It’ll be a nice change for me from the work I’ve been doing in LA.”

  Jacob nodded. “I’m not going to lie. I’m asking you to come home for selfish reasons, but I honestly believe that it will do you good.”

  “It will.” She took a deep breath. “It’s decided then.”

  Jacob smiled and lifted his glass to her. “Welcome home.”

  Chapter Four

  Grady stood at the servers’ station, rolling silverware and keeping an eye on the restaurant. It’d been a busy week since his visit to LA. Molly was the best boss in the world as far as he was concerned. She’d brought him in as her second-in-command a few years ago and after she had baby Luca, she’d cut way back on her hours and left Grady mostly in charge. But since Ava had come to live with him, Molly had bent over backwards to work with his schedule. Not only did she give him as much time as possible to spend with Ava, but she had the kid over to her house when he couldn’t manage to work anything else out.

  She came and pulled up a stool to sit at the counter beside him. “How was your visit with Monty? We’ve barely had a chance to catch up since.”

  “It was good. Thanks again for having Ava for me.”

  Molly smiled. “You know I love having her, and Marcos does, too. She’s such a little sweetheart and she’s so good with Luca.”

  “Yeah. She’s a good kid.”

  “Is she coming in this afternoon?”

  “Yeah, Mel’s going to drop her off after school.” He knew it wasn’t ideal – for anyone – but some days Ava came into the restaurant and hung out in the kitchen with Darren until Grady’s shift was over.

  “Don’t look like that.” Molly patted his arm. “You know I don’t mind her being here. She’s no trouble at all.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  “I know you do. Honestly, I wish I could do more. I really admire that you took her in like you did. She’s lucky to have you, but I know it’s not easy, just you and her.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not easy, but it’s more than worth it. What about you, are you out of here now?”

  Molly grinned. “No. I’m sticking around this afternoon. An old friend of mine is back in town and she’s coming in for a late lunch.” She laughed. “I suggested that we could go somewhere else, but she wanted to come in here.”

  “Do you want to grab a table in my section? You know I’ll take the best care of you.”

  Molly narrowed her eyes at him. “Okay, but no flirting.”

  Grady laughed. “Why not? Would it make you jealous, Molly Moo?”

  She laughed with him. “No. It would not. It’s just that Hannah’s off men. From what she told me, she’s had a couple of bad experiences lately. I don’t want her falling for your irresistible charms and ending up disappointed.”

  Grady gripped the edge of the counter so hard that his knuckles turned white. Hannah? It couldn’t be, could it? Shit. It probably was.

  Molly gave him a puzzled look.

  “What?” His voice sounded weird, but he couldn’t help it. His heart was pounding. He was dreading what Hannah would say to him – if it was even her –
but at the same time, he was thrilled at the prospect of seeing her again.

  “No clever comeback?” Molly asked. “I expected you to at least tell me that she wouldn’t be disappointed.”

  Grady shrugged. If Molly’s friend Hannah was his Hannah from the airport, then he’d already disappointed her and – despite his misguided excitement – he wasn’t looking forward to how she’d react to seeing him again. Shit!

  Molly’s smile faded. “I was only joking with you. I just meant that she’d be disappointed if she took a liking to you and then found out that you only have room for one lady in your life – one who happens to be eight years old. And if I’m not mistaken, that little lady will be walking into the kitchen right about now. I just saw Mel’s car.”

  Grady looked out the window and then back at Molly. He needed to get his shit together. If Molly’s Hannah was his Hannah, then he’d have to face her soon enough. But Ava was more important, and he needed to get back to the kitchen and get her settled.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Molly! You look amazing! Motherhood suits you.” Hannah wrapped her old friend up in a hug and squeezed her tight.

  “Thanks. You’re the one who looks amazing. You always do. Come on, sit down, I want to hear everything. I can’t believe that you’re back. It’s been forever since you even visited. Are you seriously going to stay?”

  Hannah couldn’t keep her smile in. “I am. Jacob finally talked me into it.”

  “I’m so happy! We need to catch you up with everyone. Chelsea was mad that she couldn’t make it today. I told her that we’ll all get together soon.” Molly grinned. “I’m kind of glad I get you to myself first, though. What’s going on with you?”

  Hannah drew in a big breath and blew it out. “Nothing major. I was getting tired of life in LA. It’s different there, you know? People are different, and for a while I think I bought into it. I got caught up in the superficial.” She made a face. “I had a couple of disastrous relationships and after the last one ended I just …” She shrugged. “Jacob had been bugging me to come home for a visit and when I got here, he convinced me to stay.”