Pierced Hearts (Southern Charmers 1)

She’s waiting for a response, wanting me to explode. As much as my fingers are itching to blow up her phone, it’s not worth it. She doesn’t get that satisfaction. A simple response should do the trick.

Thanks for letting me know.

Then, I shoot off a quick message to Maya, telling her we’ll have our own version of Thanksgiving Sunday night. She responds with a heart. A fucking heart.

Gotta love the life of communicating through emojis.

As if she can sense something is wrong, Darby’s name pops up on my screen.

“Hey.”

“She reneged on the deal.”

“How’d you know?”

“Connie’s not exactly reliable, and it was too much to hope she’d quit her ploy for revenge for a day. Please, tell me you didn’t ream her ass.”

“You’d be proud.”

“Good boy.”

“Boy?”

She laughs, and the sweet sound strips the tension from my body. “God, I miss you.”

“How much do you miss me?” The sweet is gone, replaced with a sexy rasp that speaks directly to my cock.

“Like a starved man who hasn’t seen his fiancée in nine weeks.”

“Like a man that would fly across the country for a booty call?”

“Booty call?”

“Well… I made contingency arrangements with the speculation Connie would pull this.”

“And this contingency plan has to do with a booty call?”

“Kinda.”

“I’m listening.”

“You know, our concierge is also a travel coordinator. She waved her wand, reached out to a contact, and viola. You now have a ticket waiting for you if you’re interested. Flight leaves at seven, so you can still make it to Jill and Warren’s for dinner.”

I’m on the move, barging to my closet and throwing a bag together in record time while she chatters away. “Pierce, are you listening?”

“Didn’t hear a word you said after a ticket’s waiting for me.”

“That means you’re coming?”

“Hell yes. I’m fucking lucky you’re presumptuous.”

“It’s called proactive.”

“Still a lucky man.”

“I need to warn you; this place is nuts. Booked to full capacity, and guests are raving about the slopes being perfect. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“It won’t bother me.”

“Pierce, that isn’t the only thing guests are raving about.” The tone of her voice drops, and I stop, a rush of adrenaline speeding through my system. I know this tone.

“You did it,” I state, aware of what she’s going to say.

“I did it.”

“Give me the details, baby.”

“I can’t share exact numbers yet because there is still a week left, but preliminary numbers show we surpassed the budgeted goal by thirty-four percent. DG Creations officially had the largest month of my career.”

“I knew you could do it. This is only the beginning.” I picture the beaming excitement on her face.

“I was going to wait and surprise you, but it was impossible to keep inside.”

“Makes this trip all the more special.”

“I’ll meet you in baggage.”

“I don’t want you driving in the snow at midnight.”

“I won’t be. I have a Brasher driver and car tonight. It’s one of the perks of being management and working the holiday weekend.”

I know how hard Darby’s been working and hasn’t had a full day off in three weeks. On top of the resort’s normal business, she’s had weddings, parties, and preparation for this weekend. Most mornings, she starts at daylight and doesn’t end until well after dark. I’m not happy about the long hours, but she was working toward a goal. A goal she crushed.

“Pierce, are you really okay about this thing with the kids?”

“I’m good. There’s no doubt they are disappointed, but we’ll get through it.”

“I need to get back to the kitchen. Call me when you get to your gate.”

“Done.”

“Love you.” She disconnects.

I do a walk through my house, making sure everything is locked, grab my bag, and hit my truck. I’m the last to arrive and find Annie and Mom in the kitchen. Mom’s face falls when she notices it’s only me.

“She-devil strikes again,” Annie mumbles.

“We knew to expect this,” I point out.

“Yeah.”

“Look at the bright side. We won’t be shuttling back and forth at Christmas.”

“I guess.” Mom half-shrugs.

“Mom, you knew this was probably going to happen.”

“Yes, but I was hoping she’d stop the battle for one day. She has to know this will backfire. And Maya and Cole, not seeing their mom on Christmas, I can’t even imagine.” She shudders dramatically.

“What do you suggest I do? Chase her down and beg her to give me a few hours today? Can you imagine the satisfaction she’d get out of that? It’s best I play it cool.”

“You’re right. We’ve come too far. You’re doing the right thing by going the legal route and letting the lawyers handle this.”

“Mom, make no mistake. Connie wants money and vindication. John told me Connie’s lawyer presented him with a market housing report comparing the value of my home to Connie’s.”

“What did she hope to gain by that?” Annie scoffs.

“Most likely to show that I have equity? Try to go after it? Who knows how her mind works?”