Page 48 of California Sunsets

Finn said, “I don’t feel so good, Mom. I think I’m going to be sick.”

Erin smiled, but behind it, she wondered if, while Arch and Mila had both been lucky in love, she might be destined to fall for the guy who was totally wrong for her. She picked up the butter knives and resumed setting the table, but then she heard a familiar voice.

“Hope it’s okay that I dropped in,” Jay boomed as he entered the room.

Erin looked up, aghast, and the last knife landed on a plate with a crash. For a second, each family member turned from Jay to Erin. It wasn’t like her to drop things.

Nick said, “Okay there, butter fingers?”

A flush bloomed in Erin’s cheeks, but she fought hard to retain her composure. No way was she going to let everyone know how wildly bothered she was by Jay’s unexpected entrance, his crisp white shirt and jeans, his freshly shaved head and sexy stubble. He hadn’t left her mind in two days and she could still feel the imprint of his touch all over her body.

Mom calmly finished plating the scrambled eggs and then went straight over to Jay to hug him hello. “No invitation needed,” she assured him. “You’re always welcome for breakfast.”

He said a general good morning to everyone and then glanced at Erin. Nelson was with him and bounded straight overfor a cuddle and a scratch. She laughed and bent to oblige him. She’d missed Nelson too.

She looked back up at Jay and casually, he said, “Morning, short stuff.”

“Morning, big shot.”

Something teasing and sexy flickered in his eyes and then it was gone. All chummy now, he turned to Arch, clapped him on the back and said, “Sorry I had to miss poker last night.”

Arch smiled. “Aw, I’ll fleece you next time.”

Speaking of poker, as they all settled down for breakfast, Erin wondered how she was going to keep a lid on her feelings. She had the most useless poker face ever. To make matters worse, Jay made sure he got the seat next to her. As everyone began passing plates and discussing their days ahead, Jay helped himself to eggs and said in a low voice, under the babble of all the rest of her siblings, “You missed me, didn’t you?”

Erin forced back the smile playing around her lips. She wanted to stay cool at all costs—because they were in front of her whole family, but also because she was used to keeping her cards close to her chest and doing otherwise felt odd. Then she remembered her decision to talk frankly with Jay, to start things—if that was what he wanted—with a clean slate.

Instead of answering, she whispered, “Did you miss me?”

Without a second’s pause, he shot back, “More than you can imagine.”

She all but melted. “I missed you too.” Then, with a little grin, she added, “But mostly Nelson.”

Nelson was currently getting acquainted with Buster, the Davenport family dog, with Buzzy bounding around the two of them, happy to have both his friends hanging out together.

Erin and Jay watched their dogs play, and for a second Erin caught herself imagining their own children playing. She shook her head, half laughing, half terrified, by the strong and enticingvision that had popped into her head. She took three pancakes from the stack and decided she’d eat her feelings until she got them under control.

Jay suddenly said, “Damien, have you ever considered doing the musical score for a film?”

Silence fell as everyone waited for Damien to answer. He looked a little bemused. “Not really.”

Erin wondered what Jay was plotting.

“I see your love song is number one—congrats. I’ve got a little romantic comedy project on the go. We should talk.”

Erin almost choked on a blueberry. If she hadn’t already got it, the way his knee was intimately nudging hers made it clear which romantic comedy he was referring to. The one he was writing aboutthem.

With regret, Damien said, “I’m not sure I have it in me to write any more love songs. As Erin pointed out before you got here, I might be the kind of artist who has to experience love before they can really write about it.”

Beneath the table, Jay’s hand came to rest on Erin’s knee. Again, she felt the beginnings of a flush spread across her cheeks, so she grabbed her mug of coffee and dived right in.

“Erin is a very smart woman,” Jay said.

She gulped. The coffee was too hot and so was Jay. Her heart was beating so hard she could barely think straight.

The rest of breakfast passed in a blur. Normally Erin loved their big family meals, but this morning she might just leap to her feet and blurt, “I had sex with Jay.” That’s how messed up she felt. Mila was sending her glances that made it clear her sister had read the room.

Would this breakfast never end? She wanted to get to Jay’s place. And fast!

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