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“I was always too afraid to try it, and my parents never pushed.”
“You should have one of the Wildes take you out.”
Remembering what they were like as kids—no-holds-barred, skiing at night, lucky they never ran into a tree—I shuddered at the idea. “No, thanks.”
I felt Mac soften toward me. If all it took was a little small talk, then it was worth it.
“You should do something for yourself. Call my mom. She’ll be ecstatic. She loves helping people, and she loves kids even more.”
Throughout our discussion, he listened intently when I talked. It hadn’t been like that with Carter. I hadn’t confided in him because I wasn’t sure he cared what I was doing. I should have known that wasn’t a good sign for our relationship.
“Thanks for listening.” Since the divorce, I’d learned to feel grateful for every little thing in my life—help from friends or babysitting from someone’s mom.
He smiled ruefully. “I’ve been told I’m good at it.”
“It’s a great skill to have.” And I loved that I’d put him a little at ease. Hopefully, I’d put space between our unfortunate run-in in the kitchen the other night.
Clearly, he wasn’t interested, and I didn’t need the distraction.
“What do you think you’ll do?”
I hadn’t thought about going out with girlfriends in so long I wasn’t even sure what they did. “Maybe dinner or a wine bar. I’ll leave it up to Alice.”
“I’m sure you’ll have fun.”
“Just thinking about dressing up for a night out sounds amazing.”
Mac stood, and the room suddenly shrunk. I was attracted to Mac. He moved with confidence when he was working, and he exuded responsibility. He was the oldest brother, and his father gave him a lot of responsibility in the company. And he’d listened to me. Hanging out with him was dangerous. I was only going to like him more, and I couldn’t do anything about it.
Even if we managed to be friends, a part of me would always wonder what he’d be like in bed. Those confident hands roaming my body, finding the spots that made me hum and cry out. Suddenly, I was hot all over, and I wondered if he knew what I was thinking.
Mac stood in front of me. “You deserve some time away.”
I swallowed hard, wondering what he was doing.
“Excuse me. I just need to find the other box of tiles.”
“Oh, sorry.” I moved out of his way, feeling flustered and out of sorts. Mac made me forget everything, including my good sense and the reasons I couldn’t make a move on him. But I couldn’t forget that it was one-sided. There was a slim chance he was interested in me. I was a single mom who’d just come out of a divorce. I’d moved to a town where I didn’t know most people, and I was trying to renovate a house into a B&B. I was in over my head. I didn’t have time for distractions.
I spun on my heel, determined to disappear before Mac returned. Thinking about what was in my closet, I wasn’t even sure I had an acceptable outfit for a night out. Maybe I needed Kylie’s advice. I texted her on the way down the hall, asking for her help.
She immediately said yes, with about ten emojis. I smiled at her predictable response. It reminded me that I needed to focus on what mattered: my business, my daughter, and bonding with old and new friends. I needed to make Telluride my home again.
CHAPTER4
MAC
I’d left the bathroom in search of a box of tiles I didn’t need because I wanted distance between me and Natalie. The more we talked, the more I was intrigued by her.
The fact that she was friends with Kylie Wilde was a little mind-blowing. I had a sense that something important had been under my nose this whole time. Which was ridiculous because I didn’t remember her hanging around back then. But when we hung out with the Wilde brothers, we went skiing, snowboarding, and four-wheeling. If it wasn’t fast, we weren’t doing it. And they never wanted their little sister along for the ride, much less her friends.
When we were older, Kylie was off-limits. There’s no way one of us would have gone after their little sister or her friends. Not when she had four protective brothers.
Pursuing Kylie wasn’t worth the trouble. Not that I was ever interested. She was a little too wild for my taste. I liked to have fun, but I was more cautious. My brothers liked to say I was boring. That I was born an old man, but I was just responsible. I was no different from other eldest siblings.
By the time I returned to the bathroom with the box of tiles, Natalie was gone. I shouldn’t have felt a sense of loss. I’d been the one to leave, but we’d connected through tidbits about her life she’d shared, and I wanted more.
I wanted to know why she’d moved home when her parents didn’t live here anymore. Why was she divorced? Where was Delaney’s dad? If I had a daughter, I’d be all in like Sam. Having a family was the one thing I’d wanted most when I’d gone away to college. My parents had been the best example of a loving relationship, and I wanted something similar.
