Page 5 of Something’s Brewing

He frowned slightly, trying to place it.

Another turn and more of the tattoo came into view.

Seven tiny stars connected by thin lines.

Recognition hit him.

Gemini. The same constellation Mason, his best friend and business partner, had tattooed on his arm.

Garrett blinked, momentarily thrown. What were the odds? But before he could think about it too long, she stepped back into his arms.

“Thank you for the dance,” she said softly.

He nodded. “Best anonymous night I’ve ever had.”

She smiled at that, and then she slipped away into the crowd, leaving Garrett standing on the edge of the dance floor with the lingering feeling that he’d just let someone important walk out of his life.

In his car on the way home, his mind kept wandering back to the masquerade. To Madison, Mason’s twin. It had to be her. He’d heard she was due back in Minnesota, but why was she at the ball? Had it been anyone else, he’d have found a way to track her down again—he hadn’t been this attracted to anyone in years. But seeing that scatter of stars across her shoulder changed everything.

Lost in thought, he almost let the incoming call go to voicemail, until he glanced at the dashboard screen. Nick. It was past midnight, and his older brother wouldn’t be calling unless something was wrong. His stomach tightened.

He tapped the steering wheel control. “What’s wrong?”

Nick’s voice came through tight and strained. “Finally. Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you all night.”

Garrett kept his eyes on the dark stretch of highway ahead. “I was attending a business function. What’s going on?”

Nick paused just long enough to send a chill down Garrett’s spine.

“Dad had a heart attack,” Nick said.

The words hit Garrett with brutal, unexpected force. “What?”

His hand tightened around the steering wheel.

“Late this afternoon,” Nick said. “He’s at St. Luke’s.”

Garrett’s pulse pounded in his ears.

While he’d been dancing, laughing, and forgetting the rest of the world existed, his father had been fighting for his life.

A rush of guilt hit him square in the chest. His phone had been buzzing somewhere in his coat pocket while he was out under string lights, spinning Mason’s sister across a dance floor.

One of the best nights of his life.

And he hadn’t answered.

Nick continued, his voice quieter now. “He’s out of surgery and he’s going to be okay.”

Garrett exhaled slowly. “You could have led with that.”

“Are you coming?”

“I’m on my way.”

CHAPTER TWO

A year later . . .