Ride Like You've Never Fallen (Summer Lake Book 11)

by SJ McCoy

  “Don’t be. I was only playing. I’ve got a busy day ahead, too.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “The weekend went way too fast.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “That maybe the week will go just as fast?”

  She shook her head. “I doubt it.”

  “I know. It’ll drag on and on. I’ll call you every night.”

  She smiled. “You better.”

  “I will.” He shot a look at the clock. “I’d better get up.”

  “Yeah, me too.” She reluctantly slid out of bed. “You go shower. I’ll make us some coffee.”

  “You don’t want to come in with me?”

  She shook her head sadly. “I do want to, but I’ll only make us late.”

  Half an hour later they were both ready to go. Nate put his hand on the front door handle, then stopped and turned back to her. “I love you, Lil.”

  She slid her arms up around his neck. “I love you, Nate.”

  “What are you going to do this week, when you’re not working?”

  She shrugged. “The girls were talking about having dinner one night, but I think that’s just so we can all go to the Boathouse and check up on Ben. Other than that, I don’t know. I might just sit in the camper and pine for my love.” She’d only been joking, but it sounded so pathetic she regretted it as soon as the words were out. She made a face. “Or I may ride back out to Four Mile Creek and buy myself a house.” That sounded a bit better, like she was a grown woman in control of herself rather than a whiny female waiting around for a man to make things better for her.

  Nate let go of her and stepped back. “Are you serious?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. I can’t live in the camper forever.”

  He nodded. “I guess you can’t.” He didn’t seem to like the idea.

  “What’s up, don’t you think they build very well up there?”

  He made a face. “You know they do. You just took me by surprise. I didn’t know you were thinking about it.”

  “Neither did I, but I need to do something about a place to live.”

  “I guess you do.” He checked his watch. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you tonight, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  He let them out and pecked her lips before heading for his truck.

  Lily watched him pull away before she climbed into her own truck and sat there for a moment. She did need to figure out what she was going to do about a place to live. She and Nate had hung out here at his place this weekend because they’d have no privacy at the camper. There were people coming and going at the barn the whole time. And although he hadn’t said anything, she figured Nate would probably give up this place soon. He’d said the guys paid for his accommodation wherever he was working—and he wasn’t going to be working here anymore. He was working in Seattle. She started up the engine. Maybe she should stop by the model home tomorrow. She could talk to the realtor on duty and find out what was for sale up there and what her options might be.

  ~ ~ ~

  Nate looked up when someone tapped on his office door. “Hey, Todd, come on in. What’s up?”

  “Nothing’s up. I’m just wondering what else you want me to do. I’ve talked with the contractors, we’ve got as much lined up as we can for now, and I’m kind of at a loose end.”

  Nate nodded. Things were going much more smoothly on this deal than he’d anticipated. “There really isn’t much else at the moment. Other than meetings, and you know they depend on my wit, charm, and dashing good looks.”

  Todd made a face. “They depend on us making a good impression and winning people over, yeah. But I think maybe I can do that as well as you up here, if not better.”

  Nate sat back in his chair and gave him a puzzled look. “And why’s that? Do you think I’m losing my touch?”

  Todd smiled. “I don’t think you’ll ever do that, but you do seem to be a little distracted since we’ve been here.”

  Nate shrugged. He wasn’t going to deny it.

  “You haven’t thrown yourself into this one with your usual enthusiasm.”

  “True, and you think it’s impacting the project?”

  “No! I’m not saying that. All I’m saying is that while your heart really isn’t in this one, I’m, well, I’m wondering if you’d let me take the lead? Give me my chance to shine? I can’t spend my whole life as your understudy.”

  Nate nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt that way.”

  Todd shrugged. “It’s hard not to. I mean, you’re the golden boy. You’ve been friends with Jack and Pete forever. It’s hard for anyone else to get a look in.” He sighed. “I want to move on and up, and I don’t want to move away from Phoenix to do so—but I will if I have to.”

  “Wow. Okay. I’ll have to talk to Pete, get him to okay it, but yeah. You can take the lead as far as I’m concerned.”

  Todd frowned. “This is way too easy. I’m not saying I want you to leave.”

  Nate nodded. That had been the first thought that occurred to him. If Todd took over, maybe he didn’t have to be here, but that wasn’t realistic. “I know, but maybe I could spend less time here.”

  “Maybe.”

  “We’ll have to get the okay from Peter the Great first, though, so neither of us should get too excited just yet.”

  The more Nate thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He knew Pete hadn’t wanted to hand the whole project over to Todd, but if they let him take the lead he’d be gaining experience and they might just be killing several birds with one stone. He made a face; he never had liked that expression much. But whichever way he put it, if he didn’t have to spend as much time up here in Seattle, he’d be happy.

  ~ ~ ~

  Lily was finished with her lessons by three o’clock on Tuesday, and she headed back to the camper to get cleaned up. Her phone rang while she was getting changed and she checked the number on the display, thinking she’d let it go to voicemail unless it was important. It was her mom!

  “Hi, Mom. It’s nice to hear from you.” Lily smiled as she realized that it really was nice.

  “Hi, Lily. We haven’t heard from you for a little while, so I wanted to check in. Is everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine, Mom. I’m doing great. How are you and Dad?”

  “Oh, we’re wonderful, it’s business as usual here. I saw a little piece about Nate’s development on the TV over the weekend. They gave it some wonderful coverage.”

  “You saw that? Wasn’t it cool?”

  “Very. It looks as though he’s setting a new standard up there. We really should come and visit. It looks nothing like the rundown little town I remember.”

  Lily bit her lip. She didn’t need to defend Summer Lake, and she didn’t need to argue with her mom. Her mom saw things the way she saw them. That was all. Lily had to learn to respect the fact that they simply had different outlooks on life. “It’s a lovely place, Mom. I hope you will come visit. Especially since I’m going up to Four Mile Creek this afternoon. I’ve decided to take your advice and think about buying a house up there.”

  “You have?”

  “Yes.”

  “You and Nate?”

  “No.”

  “Oh. Is everything all right between the two of you?”

  “Everything’s wonderful, why?”

  “It can’t be all that wonderful if you’re buying a house by yourself.”

  “That has nothing to do with it. We’re great. It’s just that he’s working in Seattle and I’m ready to buy a place of my own. Even I can’t live in a camper forever. I thought you’d be pleased.”

  “Of course I am, darling. I just hoped, well, I hoped that things were serious between you and Nate.”

  “They are!”

  “But not buying-a-house-together serious?”

  Lily sighed. “We haven’t talked about it. It just hasn’t come up.”

  “I see.”

  “No!
You don’t see.”

  “I’m sorry, Lily. I don’t mean to upset you, but if he’s going away working in Seattle and you’re buying a house by yourself in Summer Lake, then do you think perhaps it’s you who isn’t seeing something?”

  Lily’s heart sank. “It’s not like that, Mom.”

  “No, I’m just being silly. I’m sure it isn’t. Never mind me. Let me know what you see. You can send me links so I can look at the pictures if you will?”

  “I will.” All Lily’s enthusiasm—about buying a house and about her newfound closeness with her mom—had died in the course of this conversation. Her mom had made her question everything. Worst of all, she’d got her questioning Nate and how committed he was to their relationship. She knew that was stupid. She was the one who’d sprung on him that she was buying a house. It wasn’t as though she’d put the idea up for discussion and he hadn’t been interested.

  “Okay, well, I’ll let you go dear. Happy house hunting.”

  “Thanks, Mom. Bye.”

  Lily hung up and finished getting changed. She was still going to ride out to Four Mile, but it didn’t sound like much fun anymore.

  ~ ~ ~

  Nate locked up the rented office suite at the end of the day and gave the keys to Todd. “I’m over at McKinney’s for a meeting early in the morning, so you’ll need these. You should probably get yourself a set made, too.”

  “Will do. Do you want to grab a beer and something to eat? It’s been a long day, and we deserve it.”

  Nate thought about it. He was going to have to eat something, and it’d be nice to have a change from the room service menu, which was getting old already. He looked at his watch. Lily would probably be just finishing work herself, and she’d want to get home and take a shower when she did. He nodded. “Yeah. Why not?”

  Todd grinned. “Great. I was thinking of that sports bar down on the corner. They have the best burgers—and scenery’s not bad in there either.”

  Nate shook his head. “You need to learn to be a little more respectful of the fairer sex, my friend.”

  Todd laughed. “That’s rich coming from you.”

  “I’m a changed man. I’ve repented of my former ways and am now dedicated to one woman. I have eyes for no other.”

  Todd raised an eyebrow. “You can tell me that again after you see the set on the bartender in there. She is …”

  Nate covered his ears and closed his eyes. “I don’t want to know. I don’t want to know. I do not want to know.”

  Todd laughed and set off down the street. “Whatever you say. You can just sit blindfolded while I enjoy the view.”

  They found themselves a seat at a high-top table in the center of the room. Todd grinned as a pretty waitress with a ponytail and a very revealing top came over to them. “What can I get you, boys?”

  “Just a beer.” Nate felt as though he really was a changed man. He could see the girl was pretty, he could appreciate her figure, he couldn’t think of a man alive who wouldn’t. But she didn’t affect him. He didn’t want to flirt with her; he didn’t feel any physical attraction to her. He looked at Todd. He was all but drooling. Nate shook his head as she went to get their drinks.

  “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t?” said Todd.

  “I wouldn’t.” There were no doubts whatsoever in Nate’s mind. He smiled, pleased at the realization. He hadn’t thought about another woman since he’d been with Lily, but he’d never put himself to the test before either.

  Todd shook his head. “Well, I would.”

  Nate laughed. “Given half the chance.”

  “Yeah.” Todd sighed. “We’re not all blessed with your charm and good looks.”

  “What can I say? I’m just lucky, I guess.” Nate’s phone rang in his pocket, and he pulled it out. It was Lily.

  “Hey, Lily-Bean.”

  “Hi. I … is now a good time? It sounds like you’re busy.”

  “I’m just grabbing some dinner with Todd. Can I call you back in a little while?”

  “Sure.” She didn’t sound happy.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Sorry to disturb you.”

  “You’re not disturbing me. We can talk now if that’s better for you?”

  “No. Call me later. If you want.”

  Of course, the waitress chose that moment to return with their drinks. “Here you go, gorgeous. This is for you.” She put his beer and a menu down in front of him. “You take your time and decide. Anything you want, I’ll happily give it to you.”

  “It sounds like you’ve got better things to do than talk to me. Bye.” Lily hung up.

  “Shit!” Nate sighed.

  Todd raised an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”

  “No.” Nate took out his wallet and threw a twenty down on the table. “I’ve got to go.” As soon as he was out on the street, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and called her back. She didn’t answer. Damn. He hung up and dialed again. This time she picked up just before it went to voicemail.

  “Hello?” Like she didn’t know it was him.

  “Lil, listen. Todd wanted to get some dinner after work. That was the waitress bringing the menu. I know it must’ve sounded bad, but it was nothing.”

  She was silent for a long moment; then she let out a long sigh. “I know. I’m sorry. That was pretty stupid of me, wasn’t it?”

  He chuckled. “I’m not going to agree with you.”

  He could hear the smile in her voice. “Wise man. Anyway. I should let you eat. Call me later?”

  “No. I want to talk to you now. I left Todd in there. You can talk to me on the way back to the hotel and then keep me company while I order room service.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I’m sorry!”

  “It’s okay. It’s what I planned to do anyway. I just felt bad turning Todd down. Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure? It’s not like you to go off at me like that.”

  “I’m sorry. I …”

  Nate reached the hotel and walked through the lobby to the elevators. “I’m about to get in the elevator. If I lose you, I’ll call you straight back.” The line went dead before the elevator doors even opened. He was sure she’d hung up on him again. He called her back once he reached his room.

  “Hi.”

  “Hey. Tell me what’s the matter, Lil?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m being pretty pathetic, aren’t I? I’m not trying to excuse my behavior, but I talked to my mom today.”

  “Uh oh, did you two fight?”

  “No. She’s being really nice. But …” she sighed. “This is going to sound pathetic, okay? I told her I was going out to Four Mile to look at houses.”

  “And she didn’t like the idea?” Nate didn’t like the idea of Lily buying a house by herself, either, but it was too soon for him to rush her into buying a place with him, so he’d just have to respect her decision.

  “She thought we were going to buy a place together. Don’t worry; I know you don’t want to do that, but my mom thought that meant you weren’t serious about us. It upset me, and I’m sorry, but it made me doubt. I’ve done my best all day to tell myself that I’m just being stupid, and I was almost over it. And then hearing you out in a bar like that with some woman telling you she’ll happily give you whatever you want … I’m sorry, okay? I overreacted.”

  Nate smiled. He couldn’t help it.

  “Please say something?”

  “You got me all wrong, Lil.”

  “I know. It was just the waitress. I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t mean about that. I mean you said I don’t want us to buy a place together. I would love to. I just didn’t want to rush you into anything like that. When you told me the other morning that you were going looking at houses, I was disappointed that you weren’t including me in it.”

  “Oh!”

  He smiled and waited.

  “You mean … You’d want to?”

  “I’d love to.”


  “Wow!”

  He laughed. “So, what do you say? Shall we go looking on the weekend?”

  “I’d love to!”

  “Good. Maybe we can even build.”

  “That’d be cool; then we can design whatever we want.”

  “Exactly.”

  “You really want to?”

  “More than anything. You’re my life now, Lil. We need to find ourselves a house to live it in.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lily stood on the front porch and looked out at the lake. “This place is amazing, Nate.”

  He nodded. “Isn’t it? What do you think?”

  She smiled. “I thought you wanted to build.”

  He shrugged. “We couldn’t build anything as perfect as this. And there are no lots left down by the water like this.”

  Lily took in the view again. Most of the houses were dotted around the hillside, and the available lots were all higher up. This place was the last one for sale on the water’s edge. She hadn’t even wanted to look at it. She thought it’d be too expensive, but Austin, the realtor, had insisted they should at least tour it to get an idea of the kind of interior finishes they could expect if they did decide to build. As she and Nate had explored the house, she’d fallen in love with it. It had big picture windows looking out at the water, and the porch was the perfect place to just sit and take in the surrounding beauty. It was sheltered by a stand of trees that made it feel as though this was the only house down here, and the driveway was lined with more trees that the realtor had told her would blossom pink in the spring. She looked at Nate. “What about the price?”

  He smiled. “It’s more than we were thinking of spending, but I’d be happy if this is the only house we ever buy. It’s a forever home; it’s worth it, and we can afford it, so why not.”?”

  Lily felt tears prick her eyes and she smiled through them. “A forever home?”

  He nodded and came to put his arm around her shoulders. “I’d like it to be. What do you think?”

  She looked up into his eyes. “I think you are one romantic man, Nate. I’d never have expected it of you, but I love it. And yes, I’d love this to be our forever home. Let’s buy it.”

  He grinned and hugged her to him. “Let’s go find the realtor and see about making an offer.”