AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I will the dirty thoughts about myfriendfrom my mind… but there’s still a fuzzy feeling in my chest.
I like Sierra. And I want more than friendship.
I stare at her, watching her inhale a deep breath as my fingers move in tiny circles across her foot. When her eyes flutter back open to meet mine, she looks light and carefree. “Thank you, Grayson.”
“For what?” I ask, still holding her small foot in my hands.
“For your help today. We got a lot done together. You’re a good friend.”
I nod.Friend.There’s that stupid word again. Why am I letting it bother me? No matter what I might want, it’s not like there can ever be more between us. I’m not prepared to ruin my friendship with Jake, or drive a wedge between him and Sierra.
I take a deep breath, strengthening my resolve. As long as Sierra and I keep a safe distance from each other, we won’t be doing anything wrong.
But I know that even if we keep this strictly platonic, eventually Jake is going to find out that I’m hanging out with his sister. And when that happens, he’s not going to be happy.
It’s a good thing I have no plans to tell him.
EIGHT
YOU WERE TRYING TO BE NEIGHBORLY, MY ASS.
Sierra
“We’ve been waiting to meet the girl who Miss Millie has gone on and on about for years.”
I can’t remember the last time I’ve been around this many gorgeous men. Do all the hot guys move to Haven Harbor? Is there something in the water here? Tucker and Holden are definitely easy on the eyes.
I was taking a break from working in the garden when I noticed them jogging down the hill on their way back from a morning run. They stopped when they reached my front yard, both shirtless, their carved chests glistening under the sun.
“I guess that would be me,” I say, giving a little wave with one hand while holding my mug in the other. “I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to introduce myself. I’m Sierra.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. It’s good to meet you. I’m Holden,” says the slightly shorter one must be at least 6 feet. He holds out a hand for me to shake. “Tucker,” adds the other guy, flashing a swoon-worthy smile. “We figured we’d give you some time before we came knocking on your door. It seems like you’ve been pretty busy.”
That’s an understatement. It’s been just over a week since I moved in and I’ve been going at full steam, getting Gran settled into the nursing home, starting the house renovations, getting used to my new office, trying to spend some time with my brother. There hasn’t been a lot of time leftover for neighborhood introductions. And then there’s the fact that I had been hiding away inside my house, away from Grayson.
Painting. Thinking about my hot neighbor. Unpacking boxes. Thinking about my hot neighbor.
Last night with Grayson was a lot of fun. I’m glad that I’m over trying to avoid him. It had felt so awkward, sneaking around, worrying about what I would say if and when our paths crossed.
“Ihavebeen busy,” I say, taking a sip of my lukewarm tea. “But it’s good to finally meet you both. I hear you know my brother.”
“Jake is our boy, but you definitely got the looks in the family,” Holden jokes. “You seem a lot less serious too. I love Jake, but the guy is about as laid back as airport security.”
I chuckle, my shoulders popping up in a shrug. “Yeah, you’re sort of right.”
“So, how do you like being back in Reed Point?” Tucker asks. “There’s no better place than Haven Harbor.”
I can hear his love for this secluded street in his voice. I understand why he likes living here so much, but it’s more complicated for me. A lot of painful memories live here.
But you can’t deny how picturesque the place is, these four little houses with the ocean at their doorsteps. I mean, how many people can say they have a view like this? It’s like following a rainbow and finding a pot of gold at the end.
“It really is one of the most beautiful places in the world,” I say, looking out at the ocean as it crashes into the rocky cove. Haven Harbor is a magical place to wake up to every day. “I love living by the water. As for Reed Point, I’m a small-town girl through and through, and I’m not sure any small town I’ve ever visited can hold a candle to this one.”
We spend the next 10 minutes talking about Gran and what a spitfire she is. The guys seem to genuinely care about her, which makes me like them even more. I’m surprised when Tucker points out the bright fuchsia petunias I planted between yellow marigolds and snapdragons and tells me that he loves to garden too. He says he’s planted a bunch of vegetables in wooden boxes in his backyard and that he used to go to Gran when things weren’t growing the way he hoped they would.
“Are you planning on staying here on Haven Harbor then?” Holden asks.
I’m about to tell them that my move here is long-term when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I fully expect it to be my brother, checking in on me like he has every morning since I’ve been back, but when I see Grayson’s name flash across my screen, my heart speeds in my chest. I had given him my phone number before he left my house last night and this is the first time his name has appeared on my screen. I stand in front of my new neighbors with a ridiculously stupid smile on my face.
