Pierced by Love (15 page)

Noelle hurried to keep pace with them. “One question. Which parent do each of you take after?”

“In looks or personality?” Pierce asked.

“Looks.”

“Most people say that I look like my dad, but where his hair is really curly, mine isn’t. Gage takes after my mom, but he has my dad’s nose. Craig is the best-looking of the three of us. He’s a good mix of both of our parents.”

“And in personality?”

He cocked his brow and grinned smugly. “I’ll leave that for you to figure out.”

With the click of a button, Gage unlocked the truck that belonged to his dad and climbed in. Noelle glanced up at Pierce and he motioned for her to climb into the back of the extended cab. Next, Pierce settled in and Gage started the engine. Noelle tried to push aside her discomfort. What had she been thinking when she agreed to come, anyway? Having caught her in a moment of weakness, Pierce had gallantly invited her to come along and now she was like a third wheel.

Her worries gradually subsided, however, as Gage led them around various communities. The views were absolutely breathtaking. Large estates situated on beautiful hillsides enraptured her while conversation between the brothers ebbed and flowed. Vaguely, she heard Pierce ask Gage about his first impression of Tamara, but she was too enthralled by the scenery to pay attention to the answer.

Gage turned into an upscale subdivision. After following a winding road up one hillside, he turned onto a few more side streets and then pulled into the circular driveway of a gorgeous three-story home. Noelle gave a low whistle. “This is where your dad lives?”

“Yeah.” Pierce shrugged. “He’s always liked big houses.”

“What does he do for a living?”

“He’s a luxury real estate specialist, which is a fancy title for a guy who likes to schmooze with rich people.” Noelle caught the note of contempt that had crept into his voice during his explanation, much like it had when he’d made that wisecrack about Craig becoming a good school counselor because of their family background. She felt bad for Pierce. He was obviously still struggling with events of the past. “When he lost his business a few years ago, he decided to obtain a real estate license. Then he moved here and rebuilt his fortune.”

Noelle turned to look at the mansion again. Two wings with arched windows stood on either side of the square-shaped structure. Raised eaves featuring natural stone flanked the wings. The double doors were set back on a patio with three white arches that matched the arched windows on the wings. Twin flower beds decorated the home on the wings as well as a well-cared-for lawn in front of the driveway.

Noelle tried to control the butterflies in her stomach as she climbed the steps leading to the double doors. Trailing behind Gage and Pierce, she took a fortifying breath. Gage entered the house, but Pierce heard it and turned around. “Are you okay?”

Noelle pasted a bright smile on her face and nodded. “I’m fine.”

Pierce’s laughing eyes met hers. “Liar.” He chuckled. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t want to go in there, either.”

“Because of your dad’s new wife?”

He turned serious. “Yeah, that’s part of it. The other part is that—well, I’ve never really felt comfortable around my dad.”

She took hold of his arm and started up the steps. “Well, then, let’s do this together. Come on.”

TWELVE

A
S SOON AS they opened the door, a plump middle-aged woman with honey-colored hair and blonde-streaked highlights came up to them. Her smile was as wide as her face. “Hello, y’all. You must be Pierce. I’m Tamara. We’re glad that you’ve finally arrived. And who’s your friend here?” She reached out and clasped both of his hands in hers.

Pierce forced a smile and replied, “This is Noelle Jensen.”

Tamara waited a second for him to elaborate. Cutting short the awkward pause that ensued, she turned to Noelle. “Well, I’m happy to meet you, sugar. You come right on in now and take a load off your feet.” Nonplussed, Pierce watched her escort Noelle through the great room, explaining that the others were in the rec room. She led them toward an elegant curved staircase to the right, saying, “Now you just go on up and say hello to Craig and Marissa. They’re anxious to see you. Oh, and may I offer you a glass of lemonade?”

Feeling mildly out of sorts due to this first-time introduction of his father’s new wife, Pierce said, “No. I’m good. What about you, Noelle?”

“I’d love one, thanks.”

That wide smile reappeared. “Coming right up, sugar. Go on up now, ya hear?”

Pierce watched her retrace her steps toward the opposite end of the house where he knew the kitchen was.
She
was his stepmother? A Southern transplant? He couldn’t envision his dad falling for a woman who sounded and acted so differently from his own mother. Sarah Logan was a much more reserved woman—not to mention a little thinner too. Not that Tamara wasn’t nice-looking. If he judged her on looks alone, he’d say that his dad had picked a beauty. But his dad was a man of the world—a snob, really. Pierce couldn’t have said what kind of woman he’d expected his father to marry, but he could honestly say that Tamara was a surprise. Why didn’t his brothers warn him? When he’d asked Gage what he thought of her, his brother had shrugged it off, saying, “Just wait and see. You can make up your own mind about her.”

Okay, he’d give it a try. But it wasn’t going to be easy.

Noelle’s voice penetrated his stupor. “You’re staring!” she murmured. Waving her hands in front of his face, she asked in amusement, “Are you with me, Pierce?”

“Huh?”

She gave him a stern look and said, “Be nice.”

“How do know what I’m thinking?”

“Because it’s written all over your face. Come on.” She grabbed his arm and pulled. “Let’s go meet the family.” When they were halfway up the stairs, she whispered, “By the way, I think she’s adorable.”

“You would,” he retorted.

His attention was soon diverted, however, when he heard the noise of a video game coming from the huge flat-screen television along with groans of defeat. As soon as they reached the top step, Pierce saw his brothers and sister-in-law, with his nephew on her lap, absorbed in the action on the screen. His three-year-old niece was playing with a doll set across the room.

Pierce cleared his throat loudly. “Can we play too?”

Three heads simultaneously swung around. Instant smiles soon followed. “Pierce!” Craig froze the game and came over and gave him a manly hug. Pierce held his breath for the duration. Craig had always been a little more touchy-feely than himself and Gage. Pierce’s breath rushed out when his brother pulled away. Marissa wasn’t far behind, offering one of her own. He gave her an obligatory hug as well.

“So, little brother, the look on your face says it all. You’re stunned by Tamara,” Craig teased.

“Yeah, Pierce. That’s priceless. Wish I had a camera,” Gage added.

“Knock it off.” He glared at them. “I’m just a little surprised, okay? I’m sure you were too.”

“Of course we were. That’s what makes it so funny.”

Pierce failed to see any humor in the situation. “You could have given me a warning.”

“And missed seeing the shock on your face? No way, man.” Gage put his controller down and turned to Craig. “Pierce brought a girlfriend. Noelle Johnson, I think.”

“Actually, it’s Jensen,” Noelle corrected him politely.

“And I told you that we’re just friends,” Pierce finished. Gage was really pushing his luck now. If he continued to show off in front of Noelle, Pierce would have to give him a piece of his mind.

“Can you say ‘denial’?”

Pierce clenched his jaw and stared menacingly at his younger brother. Gage apparently got the idea and held his hands up. “I’m kidding, all right?”

Just then, Tamara entered with Noelle’s glass of lemonade. “Here you are, sugar. I added a sprig of mint fresh from my herb garden.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, hon. Does anybody else want a glass of lemonade?” When there were no takers, she smiled and reminded them, “Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Hopefully your daddy will be home by then.”

“Where is he?” Pierce asked.

“He’s showing a house in Poway. He should be here shortly.”

Meaning another three hours from now. It figures
, Pierce thought. When would his dad ever realize that his family was more important than making money?

Noelle offered to help Tamara in the kitchen but was refuted gently with a drawn-out “Oh no, honey. I can’t have my guest slaving her pretty little self away over a hot stove. I’ll be fine. You spend some quality time with that handsome young man out there. He’s to die for!”

Noelle resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the woman’s exaggeration. Pierce was just Pierce, after all. She was getting tired of everyone trying to lump them together as a couple.

Noelle wandered around the house out to the garden, admiring the variety of plants and shrubbery that were growing. She could see that Tamara had bought some starts of various herbs and transplanted them into an attractive area. From what she knew, Tamara had only lived in this house for just over a month, but she was making good progress. She had her work cut out for her with her stepsons, however. Noelle didn’t envy her the task.

She was beginning to feel the effects of the last twenty-four hours. She sat on an iron-scrolled bench topped with green cushions to relax and breathe in the salty-sea air. Being in such a beautiful place during spring break was more than she had hoped for.

Inevitably, Noelle’s thoughts turned back to her own problems. She regretted her nasty remarks to Melody just before she’d left on this trip. She could be hotheaded at times. This was one of the worst times to get her defenses up. She should be happy for Melody instead of jealous. She’d never dreamed that something like this would come between the two of them. Noelle had promised Pierce that she would make it right with Melody. She would at least try. She didn’t want to examine possible reasons for why his opinion mattered so much to her.

Suddenly, Noelle’s cell phone buzzed in the pocket of her capris. Putting it to her ear, she answered, “Hello?”

“Hello, sweetheart. How are you doing?”

“Hi, Mom. I’m fine. How are you and Dad?”

“We’re doing fine. Melody and I are fixing dinner, so I can’t talk long. I just wanted to find out if everything is okay with you.”

Noelle stifled a sigh. “Sure thing. Life is good
.” Most of the time
. She knew that by giving a glib answer, she would ease her mother’s conscience.

“Melody said something about you taking a short trip. Where are you going, Noelle?”

This time Noelle did sigh, knowing that she could never lie to her mom. “Actually, I’m already here. I flew with a friend of mine to San Diego today. We’re staying at his parents’ house for a few days.”

A pregnant pause followed. Her mother’s voice carried a note of disbelief when she repeated, “You flew on a plane to San Diego? Don’t you think that was a little presumptuous of you, dear?”

“Pierce invited me.”

“Noelle.” Brenda’s voice now conveyed outright censure. “You don’t go traipsing around the country with a man. Your father and I have taught you better than that.”