“That’s easy.”
“Like ASAP. I still have some work to do”—so much she was insane to think she could pull this off—“but the house is really coming together, and I think if I can get to the next step, where they actually do a walk-through, then I might have a chance.”
“There’s my girl.”
Elsie set her head on Carla’s shoulder and looked up at her with a dramatic eye flutter. “Which means I need a kick-ass photographer to help me capture the house in the right light. Know of anyone?”
Elsie could snap some decent shots of rooms, but she wasn’t a trained photographer. And she needed a trained, talented, and not too expensive photographer if she was to make it to the next level.
“I know quite a few. But one comes to mind.”
Carla was a real estate agent who knew how to sell a house. She also knew photographers who knew how to capture living spaces in ways Elsie never could. She was a designer with a good eye for composition, but this was too important for an amateur.
She kissed her friend on the cheek. “I know they’re probably slammed and that my ask is short notice. And they probably charge way more than my bank account will allow, but maybe they’d be open to a trade swap. I can—”
“Do nothing but sit back and let me do my thing. And before you say something stupid that will offend me and diminish our friendship, I have some favors I can call in.”
“I don’t want you to waste a favor.”
“WasteandElsiecould never be used in the same sentence. This is what family does, Elsie. And you and me? We’ve been family since that first day when you let me cry on your shoulder over some guy I can’t even remember. You didn’t even know me, but you knew I needed a friend. Because that’s the kind of person you are. So let me be that person for you.”
Elsie felt a tug in her chest at the reminder of how it felt to be around a good friend. She’d had a lot of friends in her lifetime, but never ones like Carla. She was genuine, giving, funny, and loyal to a fault—a person much like Rhett. And Elsie needed more people like that in her life.
Chapter Thirteen
Dating Tips from Elsie Dodd
Unless you’re an undercover operative,
go easy on the interrogation.
Early Monday morning, Rhett walked into The Easton Agency to help his brothers finalize the lineup for Portland Live. This year the family’s bar was hosting their twentieth annual music festival where ten up-and-coming musicians, who were looking for their big break, could play a set in front of industry execs. Founded by Rhett’s dad, the festival was a fun way to give back to the community, and it had played a big part in Rhett’s success. Being able to jam with the old-timers during rehearsals and hone his skills in front of a live audience had given him the drive and experience to stand out in a sea of talent. Nowadays, this event was designed to showcase talent as much as it was paying tribute to the man who’d believed in his sons before they knew how to believe in themselves.
Rhett could use some of that belief right then. It had been three days since the roadside kiss and he’d barely seen Elsie. She was avoiding him and he was letting her. He’d promised her space to think about his offer, but he hadn’t expected her to stew for so long.
He didn’t get it, she’d gone out on three dates with three different guys, none of them even remotely a match for her, but she needed three days to decide if she wanted to have dinner with him. He hadn’t gotten down on one knee, and he wasn’t asking for forever. He was just asking for a little of her time, to see where this unbreakable connection could lead them.
He got why she was hesitant. There was a lot at stake. After years of dodging her, she was finally back in his life and he didn’t want to lose her. He’d rather have her as a friend than sever what was between them. Problem was, when it came to Elsie, friendly was the last thing he felt.
He knew he was a failure at relationships. His job made things impossible. It was why he’d only ever had one meaningful, let’s-go-the-distance relationship in his life. And look how that turned out.
He’d seen his parents, with how deep their love could go, just like he’d seen how quickly it could be stolen. One day his dad was fine and well, smiling that smile of a man who had the entire world at his fingers, the next he was sick. Seeing his dad deteriorate had torn Rhett apart.
That weekend with Elsie had been a bright light during a rough time in his life. The sex hadn’t been just amazing, it was surface of the sun hot. Even more, she’d been, to date, the most incredible woman he’d ever met, making him laugh and feel something other than grief. His dad had been dying, his mom drowning in sorrow, and in the middle of that heartache came Elsie, who provided this reprieve, a safe haven where nothing mattered outside of her apartment.
Almost immediately after meeting her, his dad passed and he’d channeled all that anger and mourning into his career. His grief was so consuming, he didn’t have what it took to be in a relationship, not one that would be fair to the other person.
Elsie was the kind of woman who deserved someone’s entire heart, and Rhett’s was shattered. How could he be happy when his family was in so much pain?
Then a day became a week, and a week, a month. He’d kept that gum wrapper with her number on it for nearly a year, but with all the changes happening in his world, he’d never found the right time to call. And then he’d run into her with Axel and like that, his time was up, so he told himself to move on.
And he did, it just took a while. Steph wasn’t the first woman he’d had a long-term relationship with, but she’d been the first one who tempted him to walk down the aisle.
Just as quickly as he’d fallen for Steph, their marriage had fallen apart. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go through that again. That’s why his proposition to Elsie was simple—a friends with benefits offer that came with zero expectations, zero strings, and zero chance of breaking his heart. They could spend the summer getting the other person out of their system in a win-win situation.
So what was her holdup?
He’d done his best to keep out of her way. A hard task since they shared the same square feet, including the master shower since the guest bath was currently under renovation, leaving his bathroom smelling like a unique mixture of sawdust, paint thinner, and lavender. He never took Elsie for a flower kind of woman, but the scent of lavender would forever give him a hard-on.
