Page 77 of Pick Me This Time

“I’m staying for a few days,” he said. “There’s a luxury B&B just a few miles from here. I got a suite. It has a hot tub on the balcony. If you want to pop in for a drink, give me a shout. I really am curious about you and this place, bro.”

“I’ll do that,” I said, but I wasn’t entirely sure it was true. “Like I mentioned before, we’re pretty busy around here this time of year, but I’ll try. I still don’t understand why you came all the way out here, though.”

He chuckled, sliding his sunglasses back on before he shrugged. “You’ve been a mystery to us for years, man. It’s about time someone cracked it open and I was just sitting in my office one day, wondering when you were coming back. Then I Googled the town and here I am.”

My eyes narrowed. There was more to this than that. After I grunted out a reply, he gave me a wave and took off, racing back down the driveway and disappearing around the bend. I groaned, feeling completely off-kilter.

A few more cars arrived and I directed them to the lot, but I was more than just a little distracted. Eventually, I called Eric, hoping that some face time with my old friend would help me regain some perspective.

“Hey, man,” I said when he picked up. “What are you up to tonight?”

“Not much,” he replied. “I was thinking of checking out the festival. You game? We can grab a few drinks and walk it?”

“Sure.” I grinned. “Do you think Jake and Rachel would be interested?”

He chuckled. “I doubt it. It’s pretty cold out at night, but Jake might meet us for a few. I’ll find out.”

I’d been planning on asking Daphne to come too, but when Eric made a comment about her, I immediately shut my mouth. “Let’s just leave my sister out of it, okay? I’ll ask Jake, but I’m not even going to ask about Rachel and the baby. If they come, Daph’s going to come and she’s been weird recently. I just want one night off from worrying about what’s going on with her.”

Fuck.

These last few days since we’d hooked up, I’d been walking on sunshine. Obviously, I’d known all the time who she was, but something about hearing him talk about her like that made it sink in.

Eric was my best friend around here and I’d just slept with his little sister. A little sister he’d always been crazy protective over, going so far as to ignore all the most popular girls at our school simply because he hadn’t liked the way they’d treated Daphne.

Plus, Henry’s arrival had reminded me in a very real way that I had to leave. I still had a job back in New York and I was still up for that promotion I’d been busting my ass over for years. While Allisburg and the farm had definitely sucked me in, seeing Henry had made me realize I wasn’t sure if I was ready to give all that up, and it wasn’t like I could take Daphne with me.

I’d stirred some shit up and I was confused as hell because of it, but ultimately, I needed to respect my friend’s wishes. Which meant Daphne wouldn’t be coming with us tonight—no matter how much I’d rather have spent the time with her than anyone else.