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11
LAYLA
My heart pounded in my chest as Zac leaned in. For the last three years, all I’d wanted was to feel his lips on mine one more time. I’d dreamt of it on countless restless nights, waking up sad and lonely as reality set in. As angry as I was with him, I’d loved him. I still did.
Against my better judgment, I tipped my face up, then let out a scream when my eyes landed on the window on the top floor of the B&B.
“What?” Zac asked, pushing me behind him to protect me from some unknown threat. His head whipped in all directions, his posture defensive, even though he still had a firm grip on his latte.
I looked closer at the window over his shoulder, realizing that the woman I’d seen standing there looking down on us was none other than my freaking sister. Spotted, she whipped the curtains closed, and I let out a cackle.
Zac twisted around to face me, completely baffled by my laughter. “What in the world—”
“I’m sorry,” I said, barely getting the words out through my laughter. I put a hand on my chest, my heart beating even harder now than it was when he’d been about to kiss me. “I’m sorry. It’s just … I thought …”
“Thought what?”
I swiped at a stray tear and collected myself, standing straighter to regain some dignity. “I looked up and saw someone standing in the window, and I freaked out.”
He looked over his shoulder, but no one was there, of course. Then he turned back to me with a raised brow. “I don’t see anyone.”
“Not anymore. She closed the curtains.”
“Who?” He searched my face, clearly thinking I was going nuts. To be fair, he wasn’t far off.
I sighed. “Lyndi. It was Lyndi. And I thought she was a ghost.”
His shoulders shook as he tried to contain his laugh, and his eyes danced with humor as he looked down at me. “Wow.”
“I’m sorry, I know.”
“You scared the crap out of me.”
“I scared the crap out ofmyself. This house is like a hundred years old, it’s not unreasonable that there would really be a ghost up there.”
“Uh-huh.”
Our laughter faded then, leaving us in this awkward silence, like neither one of us knew what to say. It had been ridiculous but seeing Lyndi at the window was probably a blessing in disguise. Sure, kissing Zac was tempting. But standing here now, with the truth of why he’d left so fresh in my mind, I knew it was a bad idea.
Slowly, he eased back, putting some distance between us. He didn’t say anything, but I could see the guilt and regret all over his face. Had he seen something in my expression that betrayed my thoughts?
Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. Either way, I didn’t want to address it. What good would it do for us to lean into the feelings we’d already discussed? He’d hurt me. I didn’t trust him. He obviously didn’t trust me. Avoiding those facts seemed to make a whole lot more sense than dwelling on them.
“Dad! Look! Over here!”
Zac and I turned toward the pond, and I grinned as Grayson waved frantically from the back of Trevor’s ATV. A wide rake was attached to the bumper, and it dragged behind them as they drove along the pebbled path that circled the water’s edge. Aria was borderline obsessive about the silvery pebbles looking perfect for her events, so this was an important wedding-day maintenance task. Especially since Aria happened to be the bride.
Zac held up a hand and waved at his son, smiling warmly. “Hey, Gray!”
“He really is a sweetheart,” I said wistfully, more to myself than to Zac.
“He is.”
“You’ve done a good job with him. From what I can tell, anyway. I know I barely know him, but he’ssopolite.”
He shrugged and adopted his dipped his free hand into his pocket. “Hey, you’re the expert, teach. I’ll take it.”
“Oh, no. I teach high schoolers. It’s rare that I’d call any of them sweethearts, let alone polite.”
