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“Before you can insult me any further, I’m calling it a night.” His glare slips and he doesn’t move.
I don’t either. There’s a flirtatious look in his eyes nailing me in place. I might have dreamed about it for more than half a decade. My eyes flutter closed when his head dips lower. The kiss I’m dreaming of doesn’t come. I open my eyes as Rockwell steps back. There’s a smile playing on his lips.
“Night, Brie. Thanks for helping me check two fun things off my list.”
I’m about to tell him about a third fun thing called kissing me when he slips inside his place. My cheeks are hot and my heart’s pounding. I’m embarrassed, but I can’t complain too much. The night turned out better than I could have imagined. My hope is shining pretty bright right now, but deep down, I have fears I haven’t wanted to admit to. With Rockwell gone from my side, the biggest one of all begins to dim my happiness: he’s still planning on leaving. Stupid fate. I feel like I’m holding my heart in the fire, waiting to get burned.
But second chances don’t come without risk. It’s in every story from the beginning of time. With a shaky breath, I turn my key in the knob and go inside too.
I have to believe the Rockwell I know won’t hurt me twice.
Chapter 14
Rockwell
Irelaxbackintothe imitation leather chair behind Travis’s desk, waiting for him to boot up his computer while I scroll through the docs on my laptop. “Normal people don’t talk business a few days before Christmas. What’s wrong with us?”
He looks over from his monitor at me. “Who said we’re normal? You and I both know single guys like us have the freedom to do things differently.”
My freedom doesn’t sound like such a benefit to me after last night. The family vibes are lingering hard and doing a credible job at confusing me. Not to mention my pillow no longer smells like Brie, which is hugely disappointing. I can’t stop thinking about her.
“Is Bearwood working its charm on you?” Travis is way too excited behind his suave grin.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I don’t believe in sorcery, but maybe it’s a form of altitude sickness.” What other explanation could there be for my crazy turn of thoughts?
Travis scoffs. “Altitude sickness, really?” He wheels his chair over so he can see me better. “I knew all I had to do was get you two together and the magic would happen.”
“What are you, some matchmaker?” The Travis I know isn’t a huge romantic. His flirting could convince a girl to give him both her kidneys, but he was a happy bachelor.
“Call me Yente fromFiddler on the Roof. I saw how happy you were in high school and how miserable you are as an adult, and it wasn’t rocket science. But also, it would be cool to have you partner up with me, and a girlfriend might persuade you to stay.”
Travis’s online business is really taking off. He has a dozen employees, and with the right investments, he would be set to retire early. Partnering with him would mean living at a slower pace than my LA job, but I wouldn’t have to live here. I think Travis realizes that too.
I roll my eyes. “I’m happy. Content, at least.”
“Right. You have a successful job. You’ve got your gym and your volunteering, but there’s no one to share your day with.”
I swallow. He’s right. He knows because he lives a similar life. The difference is, his family is whole, and he isn’t jaded about love. He’s single because he’s driven and independent. The sole factor holding him back is finding the right girl.
I wasn’t struggling on that count. Brie is perfect on so many levels. It’s part of the problem. She’s too good. Thinking about her makes me wish I could see her fulfill some of her dreams.
“Hey, what do you know about the space for rent next door?”
Travis looks up at me from his screen. “Well, I own it.”
“You?” I knew he had real estate but didn’t put the two together.
Travis nods. “I own this whole building strip. It has Main Street appeal, so it was a good investment. Why? Thinking about expanding once you come in as a partner?”
I shake my head. I’m thinking about how perfect it would be for Brie to teach her dance classes.
The subject drops, and we put in a full day’s work. On my drive home, I mull over our earlier conversation. If I can convince my mom to move home with me, I can put this all behind me. I can chalk Christmas break up to some good memories and rekindling friendships. The easy road is so appealing.
The hard road means facing more of my past and putting some ghosts to bed. As much as I’m interested in Brie, I’m not ready to go there.
But how to convince Mom to move? She is as stubborn as I am.
Brie comes to mind. No surprise, since she’s been hovering in my thoughts all day. My earlier plan to use her to convince Mom still makes perfect sense. It wouldn’t hurt to stop by and do a little begging. And it worked as an excuse to see her today since I didn’t already have one. Yes, it meant feeding this sudden addiction to be around her, but it’s for a good cause. It wasn’t the hard road; it’s a detour.
