AllFreeNovel
Share Us
One
Marley
“I’m not doing what’s good for you, Heath Monroe.” I was vaguely aware that we weren’t alone. But my gut churned with his betrayal.
I thought I was done thinking about him in any capacity. But now he was standing in front of me, looking way too good for words.
Heath raised his hands in a defensive stance. “We didn’t go onto your property on purpose. It’s just that no one from your family has been in these woods for years.”
My face flushed. Was he referring to how we’d meet up in these woods when we were teens? “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m planning on renovating the inn and reopening it before the holidays.” I couldn’t believe I’d said that. I didn’t have any plans other than to renovate it and possibly sell it. What was it about Heath that had me saying things I didn’t mean?
“I, for one, would love to see the inn renovated and open again. I think it will be great for the surrounding area,” Heath’s mom, Lori, said from her seat on the golf cart.
“Grandma would have wanted me to reopen the inn.” When she was alive, I knew she wanted me to come home and manage it. But I didn’t want to return to this town. Not where I’d grown up in a trailer with parents who didn’t view me or my brother, Aiden, as a priority.
I’d felt awful about it, but I’d built a beautiful life for myself in California, and I hadn’t wanted to come back to the one place I’d always felt less than.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, dear,” Lori said as she rose from the golf cart and moved closer to where Heath and I stood across from each other in a tense standoff.
I’d always envied the Monroe brothers, with their tight-knit family. Whenever I saw them interact, there was so much love.
“Thank you.” I took a step back from the group, feeling out of place. They’d obviously come here as some sort of family gathering, and I was the one intruding. I didn’t belong here.
“I’m going to head back. I’m tired,” Lori said to everyone, and then to me, “It’s good to have you back, Marley. Let us know if you need anything at all. My boys would be happy to help.”
Lori returned to the golf cart, and Talon drove away.
“We should go,” Sebastian said, with his arm around a little girl with dark hair. There was a second girl next to her. I wondered if she was Heath’s.
I vaguely recalled the updates Gram would give me when I called to check on her. Their father had died a few years ago, which must have been devastating for them. And Sebastian had a little girl now. I’d blocked out whatever she said about Heath because I didn’t want to hear if he was happily married with kids. It was probably childish, but I’d never been mature when it came to him.
Now that everyone was leaving, my heart beat erratically in my chest. I wanted to escape to the haven of the inn.
I wrapped my arms around myself, mainly to shield myself from the cool wind but also to protect myself from Heath. He had the power to hurt me before.
“You’re cold.” Heath moved closer, his voice gruff.
“I should go back to the house,” I said, but I stood rooted to the spot as Heath came within a foot of me and then stopped.
He was bigger and broader than I remembered. He was one year older than me and was best friends with Aiden.
When Aiden enlisted, Heath had stayed close to home, helping on the farm and attending a local college. That’s when we’d run into each other in the woods. I’d find a place to journal or read for the afternoon, and he’d insist he was looking for the perfect spot to build his cabin.
He wasn’t like the other boys in school, who were only interested in trucks or sports. He was responsible. He had chores to do on the farm, and he cared about his family. That combination was intoxicating for a girl who didn’t get positive attention from anyone.
“How have you been?” Heath asked, and all I could see was that letter he’d left, breaking off our relationship. I could still see the words in his messy script on the loose-leaf paper: I’m sorry, but I can’t betray your brother.
All I could think about was that he’d chosen his friendship with my brother over me. It was one more person who’d decided I wasn’t important enough.
I shivered. “You lost the right to ask that question a long time ago.”
He sighed and nodded toward the nutcrackers. “I’ll move the lights.”
“You don’t want to see a survey?” My realtor had insisted on one when I mentioned wanting to sell the property from California. But now he was trying to convince me to renovate the inn to increase the value.
“I trust you.”
At one time, I trusted him not to hurt me.
