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“Are you, though?”
I blow out a rough breath, trying to keep up with this unplanned talk. My brothers are sneaking periodic looks our way. Other townsfolk join the glance-a-thon, probably trying to read our lips, while the wordkissloops in my mind.
I’ve never had true intimacy with a partner, felt deeply connected to a woman while in bed. But Jo? The idea of having her like that, knowing the exact way to thrust or touch or lick to break each other apart so completely that—
Nope.I blink hard, try to kill my fantasies.
But what if Javier’s advice about facing Jake is on point? Based on Jake’s despondency this week, Jolene seems to have told him she’s not interested in dating him. If I confessed that I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about Jo, would he understand? If I admitted that not a day goes by without me imagining an impossible future with his ex, would he give me his blessing?
“Cal?” Jo is watching me intently, running a finger over her clavicle. So fucking sexy. “It feels like something is happening here.”
I’m not sure exactly what she’s implying. If she’s admitting her feelings or sensing mine. Not that it matters. I try to get my head right. Try to end this too-intimate conversation. Problem is, I feel regret building already. A tangled web of what-ifs that might prevent me from ever truly finding love, when the woman I’m facing already owns my heart.
Pulse revving faster than my chainsaw, I swallow hard. “Can we hit pause on this talk? I have more I’d like to say, but not here. I have to—”
“Jo!” A nearby woman waves at us, interrupting either the best or worst words I’ve ever uttered.I have to talk to Jake. Tell him I’m in love with you.
Then hope like hell Jolene feels the same.
Her focus has shifted to the woman who called out her name. She’s beautiful, with olive skin, blond hair, and striking eyes. She’s also impressively tall and strangely familiar.
“Is that Larkin Gray?” I ask, surprised.
The girl I used to break up Jake and Jo. The epicenter of the rumors I spread. I’d heard she’d moved back to town, but seeing her still shocks me. I hate what I did to her all those years ago.
“Yep.” Jo gives her a kind wave. “I hired her at the Barrel. We’ve actually been hanging out a lot.”
“Why?” I ask, my tone harder than intended.
“Because she’s nice and fun and I like her.” Jo cocks her head. “I told you, IknowJake didn’t hook up with her.”
But she doesn’t know I wanted her so badly I hurt her and Jake and Larkin without batting an eye.
“Isn’t this gallery amazing?” Larkin steps between us, taking in the stained-glass art a man is installing.
Jolene’s eyes are more intense, still locked on me. “We’ll finish this conversation later, right?”
I nod and manage to smile at Larkin. “Welcome back to Windfall.”
“Same to you.” She openly checks me out and smirks. “I see why all the women in this town want you doing their renovations.”
Instinctively, I glance at Jolene. She’s no longer looking at me. She’s frowning at her cowboy boots, like she’s upset.
“The gossip junkies of this town like to invent stories,” I tell Larkin, but my words are for Jolene. I don’t want her thinking I’m the kind of man who’d lap up that attention. “I have no intention of renovating any oftheirhomes.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Jo’s shoulders soften.
“They’ll no doubt be disappointed,” Larkin says, then her expression turns strangely bitter. “Or maybe they’ll hire Jake. I bet he’d promise them a show, then go back on his word. Take their money and run.”
I wince at her angry tone. Guess those false rumors I spread still piss her off, and she assumed Jake was the cause. “Jake is honorable and would do no such thing.Or strip,” I add.“Neither of us does any stripping.”
“Speak of the devil,” she mutters, glaring over my shoulder.
I spin, and there’s my brother, walking into the gallery. He nods at E and Lennon and smiles. I relax a fraction. I haven’t seen him smile this week at work. By the looks of his lighter expression, maybe he’s finally getting over Jo’s letdown.
He scans the room, waves at one of the volunteers. Then he sees me. With Jolene. Not an odd occurrence, but he seems to freeze. Gradually, his expression darkens. He spins abruptly and stalks from the building.
The kiss.He must’ve heard the rumor about Jo and me kissing, and he’s furious and upset, and I can’t let him go without apologizing. More bullshit rumors I need to squash.
