I tighten the butterfly clip he bought me at the market and try to compose myself. I didn’t tell him why I loved the clip, but it reminded me of my mom and the butterflies I saw shortly after she passed.
Some days, I wear it when I need her guidance. Others, I wear it because it makes me feel pretty, the way the wings dance when I take a step. Today, I’m not sure which it was. Maybe a little of both.
I’m halfway through cracking the second egg when I see a call come in from Troy. This also alerts me to the half dozen texts I have from Reed that I haven’t checked yet. I’m sure they’re all apologies. I’m sure he feels awful. I’m sure he wants to put everything back to the way it was too, but I need the night to get my head straight before I respond.
Truth be told, I’m not too sure I even want to answer this call from Troy. It’s a little after eight o’clock, and I’ve had the longest day in the history of all days, but given that he’s supposed to be in town tomorrow, I figure I should answer and make sure nothing has changed.
“Hey,” I say, clearing my throat, “you’re calling late. Don’t you have an early flight tomorrow?”
“Actually,” he says, brightness in his tone, “I took an early flight in this afternoon. Just landed. I was hoping you’d consider a late dinner at the lumberjack games. There’s a moonlit log spinning event going on that looks entertaining. My dad took me when I was a kid and I never stopped thinking about it.”
Shit.
Tonight is not the night for impromptu plans. All I want to do is sit on the couch, watch reruns of some cartoon I’m half interested in, and eat cupcakes until the sugar puts me down, but Reed’s sale is important. He might not be happy with some guy who’s into me buying his boathouse, but a sale is a sale, and I know he wants the boathouse behind him.
“Yeah, I could do that,” I say, stomach churning as I realize I’ve just agreed to meet a man I’ve never met before under the context of a sale, though deep down I know Reed doesn’t want me going anywhere with Troy. “I left my vehicle in town today, so I’ll be in my dad’s truck. Do you have a ride from the airport?”
“I’m renting a car,” his voice rumbles deep as he speaks. “I can pick you up if it’s easier.”
I pinch my lips inward and let the slight dampness in my mouth soothe the dry cracks that are forming.
Taking a ride from a man I don’t know from Adam is a terrible idea, especially since I won’t have my normal bodyguard following me around. For all Reed knows, I’m tucked away in my tower for the night. Then again, this is the perfect opportunity for me to learn how to take care of myself without needing said bodyguard for every interaction.
“Okay, yeah. That would be really helpful, actually.”
“Great! Text me your address. I’ll see you in a few.”
Heart pounding, I manage an‘okay’before hanging up the line.
I shouldn’t be nervous. I’ve been talking back and forth with Troy for months, I’ve met his sister through video chat, and I’ve seen her kids floating around in the background. He seems like a normal forty-five-year-old guy. The kind that likes to buy old boats and fix them up. The kind that’s running heavy on nostalgia for days gone by. He’s probably excited about the lumberjack games and didn’t want to go alone.
That’s all this is. One visit with a perfectly normal client.
Chapter Eight
Reed
“I don’t fucking know, man. I’m just out here screwing everything up.” I slide the half drank beer bottle back and forth between my hands as I talk to Clint on speakerphone.
“You’re not screwing anything up by finally being honest with yourself.” Clint and I have known each other for the better part of thirty years, and though I know he means well, our situations are very different.
I laugh under my breath and shake my head as though he can see me. “Yeah, well… it worked out for y’all, but I’m not sure I’m going to have the same luck. You and Bella met under different circumstances. I’m supposed to be caring for Nikki, not acting like a perverted old fuck.”
Clint sighs low as though he gets what I’m saying. “She has feelings for you too, right?”
I shake my head and spin the beer cap against the wooden table. “Think so. Not sure anymore. Maybe she felt obligated because I hold a position of power in her life. Who the hell knows? The whole night is a fucking blur. I thought I was bringing her back here to take care of her. Next thing I know, I’ve got my fuckin’ hands all over her.” I scrub my hand down over my face with enough pressure that I feel the ache behind my eyes, then let out a groan. “I don’t know, man. I think I’m goingto get going, though. I need to sleep for ten years. Hopefully, then I’ll be thinking straight again.”
“Or,” his voice rises, “you could come out to the lumberjack games with Bella and I tonight. Rhett and Pepper are stopping by too. We’re going to watch that log spinning event everyone’s talking about.”
“It’s after eight,” I snarl like the old man I am. “I’m good. It takes thirty minutes to get down there, and by the time I find parking, and… nah, man. Just the thought of it sounds awful.”
“Seriously? It’s a moonlit spin, and it doesn’t start until ten. You have plenty of time to drive down and find parking. Come on. Getting out of the house will feel good. I know you too well for this shit. You’re gonna drive yourself crazy if you sit there stewing on this all night.”
“And yet crazy still sounds better than trying to find parking at the same time everyone else on the mountain is.”
“Come for me. I need a distraction from all the lake house sale stuff. I’m shitting myself, waiting for all this to go through. Plus, you used to love these games. Aren’t you the least bit curious how everything turned out? You used to be one of Rugged Mountain’s best back in the day.”
“And now I’m an old man who wants to be left the hell alone,” I groan, taking another swig of my beer. “Y’all have fun. I’m okay, really. Probably gonna eat this pizza, watch an old football game, and hit the sack.”
