Rob responded to Curran with open trust and blatant adoration.
Curran glanced at her, then raised his hand and beckoned. She joined him on the couch, leaning against him.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered, his lips creating a shiver of want in her belly as they moved against her ear.
“Me too.”
Kelli came into the room and passed out mugs of cider to everyone, then sat near Jamie. Victoria sipped the tangy spiced cider, its warmth suffusing throughout her body. Conversation flowed freely, though she listened and watched more than she spoke.
The dynamics of family and friends who were comfortable with one another fascinated her. She never spoke to her parents any more, but when she had, her family talked at rather than with each other.
Jamie asked if Curran had any new plans for the ranch, and Kelli laughed. “Yeah, he wants some cows now.”
“A ranch should have a cow or three,” Curran said.
Kelli raised a brow. “Don’t we have enough trouble with the single bovine in the family?”
“Keep up the attitude about Peg, sister, and I’ll buy a herd of bison just to make life interesting.”
Victoria laughed. Watching the easy banter between Curran and Kelli, she’d never guess the two were separated by a decade in age and, for much of their lives, an ocean as well.
It felt like she’d been zapped into one of those perfect family gathering commercials for tissues. As foreign as this comfortable coziness was, in a way it seemed right. As if she’d always known on some deep level what a family was supposed to feel like, and once within the circle, she recognized the sensation.
She snuggled into Curran’s side, contentment brewing within her as he gently squeezed her shoulders.
After a while, Rob hopped onto the couch next to her. “Victoria, wanna see my car?”
“I’d love to.” She dutifully examined every side of the brick construction, marveling at the clear blue windshield and the tires that really rolled as he pointed them out to her.
Rob leaned against her, pulling his feet onto the couch. Shock zipped through her at the easy, guileless way Rob accepted her into his world. He took after his mother. Kelli welcomed her with open arms, too. Did everyone in Curran’s life feel this acceptance, or was she lucky?
She tried to hand the car back, but Rob patted her arm. “No, it’s okay, you can hold it for a while.”
Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she set the car on her thigh, patted his head, then tried to catch up on the adult conversation.
Jamie probably couldn’t speak if his hands were tied, given his animated motions as he talked. “So, by the day of the tournament, half of human resources is out with food poisoning from that stupid deli platter, including Paul.”
Curran said, “And you need a full foursome to play.”
“Exactly. So, I’m thinking, who’s going to replace him when we have to be on the green in less than an hour?”
Victoria puzzled over the bits and pieces of the conversation, putting two and two together. She came up with the annual DCS GlobalTech-sponsored golf tournament, a fundraiser for a children’s shelter in L.A.
Curran nuzzled her cheek then said, “So who did you end up with?”
Jamie shifted to the edge of his seat. “Mike Criszawski.”
“Criszawski? Short, skinny, trips-over-his-own-feet, Criszawski? From accounting?” When Jamie nodded, Curran laughed, the rumble in his voice vibrating against her skin, tickling her ear. “Does he even golf?”
“I wouldn’t have thought so, but after he birdied twice and sank a hole-in-one on the fourth, I figure I found myself a new ringer. I’m seriously considering making him a vice president so he won’t be tempted to jump ship and make some other company look good in the future.”
“Go ahead,” Curran said. “You don’t exactly need my permission to advance him.”
Kelli giggled and Jamie rolled his eyes. “Thanks for handing over the mantle of authority, boss, but
Curran glanced at her, then raised his hand and beckoned. She joined him on the couch, leaning against him.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered, his lips creating a shiver of want in her belly as they moved against her ear.
“Me too.”
Kelli came into the room and passed out mugs of cider to everyone, then sat near Jamie. Victoria sipped the tangy spiced cider, its warmth suffusing throughout her body. Conversation flowed freely, though she listened and watched more than she spoke.
The dynamics of family and friends who were comfortable with one another fascinated her. She never spoke to her parents any more, but when she had, her family talked at rather than with each other.
Jamie asked if Curran had any new plans for the ranch, and Kelli laughed. “Yeah, he wants some cows now.”
“A ranch should have a cow or three,” Curran said.
Kelli raised a brow. “Don’t we have enough trouble with the single bovine in the family?”
“Keep up the attitude about Peg, sister, and I’ll buy a herd of bison just to make life interesting.”
Victoria laughed. Watching the easy banter between Curran and Kelli, she’d never guess the two were separated by a decade in age and, for much of their lives, an ocean as well.
It felt like she’d been zapped into one of those perfect family gathering commercials for tissues. As foreign as this comfortable coziness was, in a way it seemed right. As if she’d always known on some deep level what a family was supposed to feel like, and once within the circle, she recognized the sensation.
She snuggled into Curran’s side, contentment brewing within her as he gently squeezed her shoulders.
After a while, Rob hopped onto the couch next to her. “Victoria, wanna see my car?”
“I’d love to.” She dutifully examined every side of the brick construction, marveling at the clear blue windshield and the tires that really rolled as he pointed them out to her.
Rob leaned against her, pulling his feet onto the couch. Shock zipped through her at the easy, guileless way Rob accepted her into his world. He took after his mother. Kelli welcomed her with open arms, too. Did everyone in Curran’s life feel this acceptance, or was she lucky?
She tried to hand the car back, but Rob patted her arm. “No, it’s okay, you can hold it for a while.”
Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she set the car on her thigh, patted his head, then tried to catch up on the adult conversation.
Jamie probably couldn’t speak if his hands were tied, given his animated motions as he talked. “So, by the day of the tournament, half of human resources is out with food poisoning from that stupid deli platter, including Paul.”
Curran said, “And you need a full foursome to play.”
“Exactly. So, I’m thinking, who’s going to replace him when we have to be on the green in less than an hour?”
Victoria puzzled over the bits and pieces of the conversation, putting two and two together. She came up with the annual DCS GlobalTech-sponsored golf tournament, a fundraiser for a children’s shelter in L.A.
Curran nuzzled her cheek then said, “So who did you end up with?”
Jamie shifted to the edge of his seat. “Mike Criszawski.”
“Criszawski? Short, skinny, trips-over-his-own-feet, Criszawski? From accounting?” When Jamie nodded, Curran laughed, the rumble in his voice vibrating against her skin, tickling her ear. “Does he even golf?”
“I wouldn’t have thought so, but after he birdied twice and sank a hole-in-one on the fourth, I figure I found myself a new ringer. I’m seriously considering making him a vice president so he won’t be tempted to jump ship and make some other company look good in the future.”
“Go ahead,” Curran said. “You don’t exactly need my permission to advance him.”
Kelli giggled and Jamie rolled his eyes. “Thanks for handing over the mantle of authority, boss, but
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