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“I’m honored.”
Macy stepped up behind Liam. “The dogs are all taken care of. I’m just going to go, and we can talk later.”
“No.” Liam held his hand up and glanced down at her. “You can stay and finish your date. I’m leaving.”
Well, hell.
“I’m not on a date,” Macy told him. “I want Zach to build me a house.”
Liam dropped his hand. “Regardless, I’m interrupting and I’ve heard what I came to hear.”
“You’re just leaving?” Macy asked. “You can stay.”
Was that hope in her tone? Did Macy have an interest in Liam?
Zach continued to watch the two before him, wondering if this was new or something that had been in front of his face for years. Liam was trying his damnedest not to look Macy dead in the eye. Granted, he rarely looked someone dead in the eye because he usually tilted his head just far enough to keep the scarred side of his face turned away.
But Macy was ringing her hands, looking up at Liam with wide eyes. She wasn’t being coy or playful, she was simply showing a side Zach hadn’t seen before. A side that showcased a woman interested in a man.
“I have no reason to stay, especially since the house won’t be in my family any longer.” Liam glanced at Zach. “There’s nothing for me here.”
Zach watched as Liam stormed out of the house. There was nothing he could do about Liam?
??s anger. Actually, Zach had expected more of an altercation.
But when he looked at Macy, she almost seemed deflated or disappointed. Did she and Liam have something going on that no one was aware of?
Surely not. This town was too small for word of a relationship not to get out, and Macy would’ve said something. The way she was still staring at the door, though, told Zach that she was definitely hung up on Liam.
As much as Zach hated to admit it, he feared Macy’s longing after Liam would only lead to heartache down the road. But he sure as hell wasn’t one to offer advice in the romance category.
Because the one woman he wanted was tempting him like he’d never been tempted before, and he knew the second he caved and gave in to her, he’d be facing a whole host of heartache himself.
Chapter Twelve
Zach swept up the mess in the main floor bathroom. Finally, the building permit had come through and it had only set him back five days.
In that time he’d stayed busy working on various odd jobs and had started new projects where he’d placed Nathan in charge of the crew. This Sunset Lake property was going to take the majority of his time. He intended to focus on this project until it was complete. At that point he truly had no clue what to do, no idea how to run a spa/resort for women.
Yeah, definitely an area where he’d need Sophie’s expertise.
The only interaction he’d had with Sophie was via text, setting up a time to meet in her office to officially put his house on the market. That appointment was later today, and he was torn up just thinking about it. Between being alone with her again and putting the only haven he’d ever known on the market . . . he just hoped he made it through the meeting.
Had he seriously admitted to her that he was ready to try something? What had he been thinking? What if he couldn’t? There were so many issues he had, so much darkness inside him, he seriously was afraid of taking another step with Sophie. But how would he know if he never tried? He’d avoided her and this sexual tension for a decade. That hadn’t worked out so well, now had it?
On another note, Zach had not heard from Liam at all. Braxton was pretty quiet lately too, but he’d most likely been spending time with a woman. Braxton tended to seek comfort from strangers, but that was his cross to bear. None of Zach’s business.
Whatever issues Braxton carried around, he never shared them. That told Zach that the past Braxton kept to himself had deeply damaged his brother. Would anyone ever be able to penetrate Braxton’s outer shell? Zach had thought Anna might, but then she’d cheated on Braxton and he’d closed up even more after the breakup.
All three brothers and Chelsea had carried different pasts into the Monroe home. Braxton had been the most secretive. Zach knew that when Braxton was about ten, his parents were killed, but he didn’t know how and Braxton never offered the information.
When Zach came to live with the Monroes, Braxton was quiet, always wanting peace in the house. Zach and Liam had rubbed each other the wrong way from day one, and that never sat well with Braxton. He’d always tried to intervene and keep everyone calm.
Whatever happened in Braxton’s past had made him determined to see those around him happy and calm. Whatever he’d experienced was rooted so deep, Zach wondered what the young Braxton had gone through.
They all had their problems and they were all dealing with life in different ways . . . or not dealing with it at all, as was the case with Zach. He’d much prefer to ignore his aching for Sophie. He’d give anything to block out the pain of losing Chelsea. And he sure as hell hoped he had the ability to complete this resort and do it justice the way Chelsea would’ve wanted, and have it be a success. Wasn’t that the biggest risk in all of this?
Swiping his arm across his sweaty forehead, Zach dumped the dustpan full of debris and mess into the heavy-duty black trash bag. He needed to have Macy place a bulk order for more—which reminded him, he still needed to get with her.
