Lighter Ones

Duncan Willis is sexy and confident, the kind of man every woman notices. You know, the one with the to-die-for body. And then there's the way his designer suits drape over his broad shoulders and big...well, we've all heard the rumors, the ones that say he's up for any challenge. Men like him don't notice women like me, and they don't date them. Until that one time that I catch him in a compromising position when I'm also in need of a last-minute date for a wedding...and then it's not a real one, simply a plus-one. It's blackmail.

Trevor Willis is sexy, sweet, and oh so fun. He’s also my best friend’s brother-in-law. That should mean he’s off-limits—or that I should be off-limits to him. Someone probably should have told us that before my best friend married his brother, before the morning of the wedding when we woke in each other’s arms, before I woke with gaping holes in my memory. They didn’t. We did. Shana Price is that one woman.

When we were young, Samantha Anderson was the girl down the street. For as long as I remember, she’s been my partner in crime, in adventures, and in almost everything. Sami is fun and sexy, my greatest confidant, and my best friend. From early on, we vow that our relationship will never change - through thick and thin, we’ll remain always and forever in the friend zone. We will not cross that line. After all, I’m not a forever kind of guy. Then that line blurs. We amend our agreement. Best friends become friends with benefits.

A trip back to the small Indiana town of Riverbend to finalize my grandmother’s last will and testament throws my world off its axis. I wasn’t prepared to learn the stipulations of her will or that she’d left her beloved mercantile Quintessential Treasures to my college summertime love, Kandace Sheers. Imagine my greater surprise when I learn about the secret that’s been roaming Riverbend for the last five years. Here are a couple of hints: She’s five years old. She has her mother’s silky auburn hair and my golden eyes.

Life is safe and predictable. After all, Riverbend doesn’t exactly have a roaring social life or an influx of women looking to be the wife of a farmer. Hold on. I’m not looking for a wife—or even a girlfriend. When my best friend tells me that his little sister, Devan, is moving back to Riverbend to teach science, I envision the little girl with pigtails, freckles, and an annoying urge to be wherever her older brother was. Of course, that was twelve years ago when she was ten years old. Newsflash. Devan is no longer a child.

Ricky Dunn is the equivalent to a splinter under my fingernail. Romantic? Right. He’s the older brother of my best friend, and no matter how hard either of us try, we can’t seem to avoid each other. The problem started on the night my best friend and I graduated from high school. The party was joyous, a celebration. That night, I willingly gave Ricky a part of me—more than the kiss we told others about. Our deal was simple. No strings.