Unwanted Stars (22 page)

Less than an hour later and we were seated in our rental car, headed to his boyhood home on the island of Jersey. It was the largest of the Channel Islands, located between the northern coast of France and the Southern coast of England. And, it was gorgeous...absolutely stunning with its lush green hills and trees. It smelled like the ocean on a gorgeous summer day.

As we drove, Campbell pointed out local destinations like diners his Dad used to take him to and the pond where he first learned to fish with his oldest brother, Piers. His expression softened when we drove past his elementary school.

"There it is. I loved that place. Mrs. Ehemann was my favorite."

"Was she your teacher?"

"Yes. Year three."

"Is that the same as third grade?" British lingo had always been easy for me, but this was a new term. My mom always referred to school in general terms—primary, secondary, et cetera. She didn't really talk about the grades individually.

"Um..." He hesitated. "Probably. I was eight years old."

"Sounds about right. Tell me about her. Did you have a crush?"

"Nothing like that. She was just funnier than the rest of my school teachers. They were always so old, so serious and strict. She wasn't like that. She was funny as hell. Made us all laugh."

"I love hearing these stories."

"She's also the one who noticed my knack for chess."

"You played chess when you were
eight
?"

Campbell looked at me as if I was from another planet. Complete confusion filled his gorgeous face. His icy eyes widened.

"Um...yes."

"Let me guess, you were a star," I said, crossing my arms. This man was good at everything.

"At chess? Yeah, I guess you could say that."

He pulled the car into the driveway of a modest, two story brick home at the end of a lovely block. Rich green trees lined the parkways and yards of each of the houses.

"So, you grew up here, huh?"

"Yep," he said, killing the engine and stepping out.

"I just love the feel of this place. The whole island smells like the ocean. Isn’t it wonderful?" I asked, inhaling dramatically as I exited the car.

"I guess so," he shrugged. "Just smells like home to me."

Campbell grabbed our bags and ushered me toward the house. His mother, a petite woman with blond hair greeted us before we even climbed the stone steps.

"Darling," she said, embracing me, "I've heard so much about you. Give us a hug, girl."

"Mum, don't scare her," Campbell joked.

"Oh, stop. I'm thrilled to meet her. You know that, right, Auden?" she asked, clutching my shoulders with her tiny hands. She was adorable.

"Of course." I nodded as she took me in for another hug. I couldn't help but wonder if I was the only woman he'd ever brought home. And I also wondered what he'd told her about us.

"Come in, come in. Tea is brewing. Your father is out fishing, but he'll be home in a bit."

"He didn't wait for me?" Campbell asked, placing our bags by the door.

"You know your dad. Up and at 'em by five this morning. He'll be here soon. So will Piers."

"I hope I can remember the names of all your brothers," I said.

"I'll help you, darling. Piers is our oldest. Then Nick. Simon's in the middle. And Charlie is our youngest."

"I'll do my best," I said with a smile.

"No worries. If you forget, just call them 'arse.' They're used to it!" Campbell said.

"Is that the universal term of endearment for the Hutchins clan?" I teased.

"Pretty much," he said with a boyish grin. "Speaking of arses." He looked behind me. A taller version of Campbell entered the room, stuffing his face with crackers. His hair was shorter but his eyes were just as bright and his cheeks just as chiseled.

"Is this the famous Auden, then?" the young man said, walking in a relaxed stride, still grinning from ear to ear.

"Close your mouth while you're eating," Marianne said, touching him lightly on the arm.

"Sorry, Mum," he said before turning to me. "Charlie. Pleasure to meet you."

"Watch out for this one," Campbell said, placing his arm around me. "Charlie's the biggest flirt on the island."

Charlie's face contorted with a look of fake shock as if to say, 'who me?'

"Leave my baby alone," Marianne said, wrapping her arm through Charlie's. Charlie stuck his tongue out at Campbell, unbeknownst to their mother.

"Bugger off," Campbell said to his brother, attempting to grab Charlie's tongue before it slipped back into his mouth. "Auden, this is the baby of the family, if you hadn't guessed."

"Nice to meet you, Charlie," I said, extending my hand to shake his.

"The pleasure's all mine, love," he said, kissing my hand and wiggling his eyebrow.

"See? What did I tell you?" Campbell laughed. "Back off, loverboy."

Marianne swatted the crumbs from Charlie's shirt. "Boy, have you eaten all of those crackers? They're for our guest."

"Sorry, Mum," Charlie said after stuffing another one in his mouth. Tiny cracker crumbs drifted back down his fleece pullover. He then focused his attention on Campbell. "Give us a hug, Chester."

"Chester?" I asked, confused.

"You really are asking for trouble," Campbell said, wrapping an arm around Charlie's neck and pulling him into a headlock.

"Ey! Mum, help," Charlie yelled.

"You're a dead man," Campbell said with a laugh as they spun around the room. Charlie laughed as he tried desperately to get his footing. When he finally did, he swiped one leg past Campbell's and they both landed squarely on the hardwood floor of the living room. Laughter filled the room as they wrestled. I'm not gonna lie. It was one of the hottest things I'd ever seen. Like ever.

"Boys, boys!" Marianne said. "Stop that now. We have a guest."

"Don't worry about me," I said, moving to get out of the way of the squirming men on the floor.

"Ah, baby brother's getting stronger," Campbell teased.

"Shut up, Chester."

"What did I tell you about that nickname?"

"I don't care," Charlie said with a snicker.

"Boys, up! Now! Enough arsing about!" Marianne yelled, clapping her hands like a drill sergeant.

They stood up with a start, and for a second, they looked like younger versions of themselves. It made me smile, trying to imagine them as young boys getting corrected by their mother.

"Sorry, Mum," Campbell said, pursing his lips together.

"Yeah, sorry," Charlie said before driving his elbow into Campbell's gut.

"Are they always like this?" I asked, stepping closer to Marianne.

She nodded. "Five boys. I'm used to it."

As if nothing at all had happened, Charlie tapped Campbell on the forearm and said, "Hey, so a few of us are going down to Fuegos tonight. You want to come?"

Campbell looked to me and I nodded. It'd be fun to hang out with his brother.

"Wait, I've planned a meal," Marianne said, looking exasperated. Her hands were on her hips as she glared at Charlie.

"After dinner, Mum. Just drinks and such."

"All right, then. Excellent," Marianne said, rushing back to the kitchen. "Make yourselves at home!"

"Let me show you around," Campbell said, guiding me to the stairs.

"Well, that was...interesting," I said with a smile as we climbed the creaky wooden staircase.

"Charlie brings out the worst in me, I'm afraid."

"Oh stop, it was cute. You're cute with him." I glanced down the long hallway filled with picture frames of all shapes and sizes. I glanced at as many photos as I could as we walked. "How old is he?"

"He's twenty-nine. Just a few years younger."

"What does he do?"

"He's a Northampton Saint."

"He's a
professional
rugby player?" I didn't know much about rugby, other than that Granddad used to play at University and was obsessed with the Premiership league. I didn't follow the teams, but I knew the Saints. They were Granddad's favorite since he was raised in Northampton.

"Don't look so impressed. It'll go to his head," Campbell said with a laugh.

"I won't, don't worry. Besides, I have a thing for doctors."

"I hope so," he said, lifting me off my feet and twirling me around into a tiny room with bunk beds, two small wooden desks, and a bookcase filled with books. He placed me on my feet in the middle of the navy blue area rug on the floor. The room was freshly cleaned; in fact, I could smell the lemony scent of cleaning supplies. But it looked like it hadn't been touched in decades.

"Star Wars sheets?" I asked, sitting on the bottom bunk.

"Charlie had a thing for Princess Leia," he said with a dismissive glance.

"And you didn't?"

"I prefer blonds," he said with a grin.

I lay down on the bed, looking up at the wood above me. A poster of Pamela Anderson in her Baywatch swimsuit smiled down at me. I glared at Campbell. "Seriously?"

"That's Charlie's bed! I was on the top bunk. I told you, he's a ladies’ man."

I popped out of the bed and strolled around the room. Stopping at the desks, I searched for clues for which desk belonged to my boyfriend. It didn't take long at all. Charlie's desk was covered in rugby stickers and team logos, and it looked battered and worn. Its owner hadn't taken very good care of it.

The second desk was clearly Campbell's. It was tidy and neat. A large wooden box sat in the middle of the desk and two small picture frames with Campbell and his brothers sat on each side of the box. I tapped my finger on the box.

"What's in here?"

"Nothing much," he said, his cheeks blushing.

"I don't believe
that
for a second," I said. "May I?"

"Of course," he said, his lips forming a tight line.

The hinges of the box creaked as I opened it. It was filled with ribbons. Prize ribbons.

"First Place Chess Tournament, 1992. Second Place Chess Tournament, 1994. First Place Chess Competition, 1991. Are all of these for chess?"

"Mostly. There might be a couple of spelling bee ribbons, too. Go ahead, say it."

"What?" I asked, trying to look innocent, stifling my laughter.

"You
know
you want to call me a nerd."

"You're
my
nerd," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. "So, what's with the nickname?"

"What? Chester?"

I nodded.

"Well, as you can see, Charlie's a jock. And I'm the brain. I played a lot of chess growing up—hence, Chester."

"Is that all? I figured it meant something much more sinister than that."

"Nah, Charlie's pretty simple. I came home with one of these ribbons one day and he called me Chester. It made my brothers laugh, so he kept at it. No big deal."

"I see," I said, returning my attention back to the piles of ribbons. "I know you
think
I'm turned off by all this. But you're wrong."

"Oh really?" he asked, closing the gap between us.

"Really." I nodded. "Your brain is unbelievably sexy."

"Good to know, Miss Kelly," he said, nuzzling the crook of my neck.

"We should go back downstairs. Your mom might get suspicious," I said, trying my best not to be too turned on in the room he slept in as a boy.

"She's busy making dinner. She won't hear a thing. Thick walls and all," he said before nibbling on the fleshy part of my ear.

"No freaking way, Starsky. Not happening."

"I love it when you call me that. Hasn't happened in a while."

"You haven't irritated me in a while."

He pulled away, chuckling to himself. "All right, fine. Let's go back down."

"This is delicious, Mrs. Hutchins," I said, after taking another bite of my shepherd's pie.

"Please, call me Marianne. Mrs. Hutchins is his mum," she said, pointing at Colin Hutchins, seated across from her at the massive dining room table. Piers and Colin had returned from fishing and had cleaned up before joining us at the table. Piers was a more rugged version of Campbell, a little beefier in his muscles, a full beard, and sandy brown hair. But those eyes were the same. So far, all three of the men in this family had their mother's gorgeous blue eyes. I couldn't wait to meet the other two the following night at the party.

"Tell us about working for Jordan," Piers said between bites. "I used to take tours with them a lifetime ago."

"Back when you were young enough," Charlie snickered, referring to the thirty-five years of age cutoff sanctioned by the company.

"Watch it, little one," Piers said. "I'll drag ya outside and give you a gubbing!"

"You will do
no
such thing!" Marianne snapped. "For once, could we just have a normal dinner with adult conversation?"

"Sorry, Mum," Piers and Charlie said in unison. I bit my lip to stop from laughing. These men were all talk. They tried to be so rough and tough, but when it came down to it, they were just obedient little boys. It was freaking adorable. I squeezed Campbell's knee under the table.

"You were saying," Piers said, tilting his glass to me.

"Oh, right," I said. "It's great. A little exhausting though. Living out of a suitcase and all."