Read Online Let Me Love You by Kristin Miller - Free Book Online Page B

in the air, and then took another step apart.
    “I knew your parents,” Mr. Brackett said, keeping his eyes on his mischievous sons. “I came here once a month for business meetings, and my wife was in the Women’s Club with your mother. They were wonderful people.”
    Lucy’s heart pinched. It’d been five years since their deaths, since they left her the winery, the debt, and the loneliness. Would it ever get easier hearing people talk about them?
    She forced a smile. “Thank you.”
    “You must’ve had a hard time piecing this place together after they died.”
    “I did.” She nodded. “But things are looking up now. We’ve seen three seasons of profit, and with the amphitheater up and running, we should bring in crowds for the big-ticket acts.”
    “I heard Cole Turner knocked it out of the park last year.” He folded his arms and tapped his foot as the sharp voices of the Village People blared through the room. “I wasn’t here to see the show, but everyone in Blue Lake couldn’t stop talking about it.”
    Across the dance floor, Dane threw his arms into a Y over his head and then an M, and toppled over trying to perform the C.
    Stifling a laugh, Lucy moved into action. Before she got far, Mr. Brackett gently held her arm.
    “Let him be,” he said, as they watched him regain his footing. “He’s always been the center of attention, and craves the spotlight. It’s all eyes on him from the second he enters the room. But the last thing he wants is someone to shadow him, helping him up when he falls.”
    From the conversation she’d picked up between Dane and Joey, it sounded like Mr. Brackett was the one who picked Dane up when he tripped. If he’d given the store to Dane to run, why was Mr. Brackett still involved and asking Joey to help repair things?
    Because Joey would help.
    Without asking for anything in return.
    She knew the answer without asking the question.
    In the seconds that passed, Dane stood and continued leading the dance as if nothing had happened. The crowd of Janice’s friends adored him, and Lucy experienced a high school flashback. Dane had been the big man on campus, the homecoming king, and quarterback of the football team. Back in school, he’d date someone once or twice, and then the relationship would fizzle. He didn’t date anyone long term.
    At the time, Lucy had thought it was strange, but now…she completely understood. She didn’t want that either. What would’ve made Dane decide that for himself at such a young age, though? He didn’t inherit the outdoor store until the last year or so.
    “He means well,” Mr. Brackett said. “Janice said she wanted a party the entire school would talk about. This is his way of giving it to her. If it’s one thing that boy knows how to do, it’s have a good time.” Mr. Brackett laughed as Joey and Brody joined their brother at the front. “What about you?”
    “Me?”
    “Yeah. Blue Lake gossip isn’t always spot-on, but I hear you’re going out with my son tonight.”
    Her gaze landed on Joey, dancing with Janice in the center of her friends. He twirled her round and round, as she closed her eyes and squealed. He looked happier than Lucy had ever seen him, beaming with light, and it radiated through the room. It was as if the heaviness that she often associated with him had lifted, if only for a moment.
    “I think you’re mistaken,” she said, mesmerized by the perma-smile on Joey’s gorgeous face. “He’s never asked me out.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that, judging from the disappointment in your voice,” he said, leaning closer. “But I was talking about Dane.”
    Oh, shit.
    “Yes, of course, I don’t know what I was thinking.” The words tumbled out of her mouth, fast and furious. “I have a date with Dane tonight. After you guys fix the roof,” she threw in.
    Cheeks burning, Lucy met his gaze. His eyebrows shot to his balding hairline, and then he laughed from deep down in his belly.
    “I like you,