Peck’s face rushes through my mind, and I have to fight to keep my smile professional and not giddy. I take the pen she offers and scribble down Peck’s address.
“You know,” Joanie says. “I know where there’s a rental. A friend of my daughter’s is moving to Merom, and their house is a rental. Her husband got a promotion.”
“That’s nice.”
“They’re such good people. I’m happy things are turning around for them. Anyway,” she says, bringing herself back on topic. “I can get you the landlord’s information if you’re interested.”
“Oh, um, yeah. Absolutely. That would be great.”
She winks. “Perfect. I’ll see you next week. And if I get that info beforehand, I’ll call.”
“Thanks again.”
I slip outside. My steps should be much lighter after the meeting with Joanie. Not only did it go swimmingly, but she also offered me a dollar an hour more if I would get my notary certification, which I have no problem doing. Even though I struggle with budgeting myself, I’ve always loved working with money. I’ve worked in a bank my entire life. Joanie seems wonderful.
And she knows where there’s a house for me.
I press my lips together and make my way toward Navie’s car. The thought of leaving Peck’s house so soon should be exciting. I’ll be back to good, creating the new life I came here for. Except … it’s not exciting. Or good. Or welcome.
It’s annoying.
Listening to him getting ready this morning, smelling his cologne in the house after he left, and seeing his coffee cup in the sink and toast crumbs on the counter should be annoying too, but it’s not. There’s something very satisfying about it. And honestly, I want more of that. It’s not that I can’t live alone because I can, and I’ve always kind of loved it. But this feels … different.
Maybe the house won’t work out. I won’t be that disappointed.
“Hey,” I say as I climb into Navie’s car. “Thanks for waiting.”
“How’d it go?”
“Oh, great. Um, she offered me a little raise already. Can’t beat that.”
“Look at you go,” Navie says. She pulls the car out onto the street. “So we got your groceries. We met the lady at the bank. Do you need to do anything else before I take you home?”
She pilots the car around a pothole and then takes a right-hand turn. Her hair is freshly cut with new pink streaks from root to tip.
“You didn’t have to come with me,” I tell her. “I could’ve done this alone.”
“I know. But I haven’t seen much of you since you left me for Peck.” She grins. “But I can’t say I blame you for that.”
“I didn’t leave you for him. I didn’t have a place to put my stuff, and you don’t want to walk around me on your couch forever.”
She shrugs as if she wouldn’t mind. Truth be told, she probably wouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean it would’ve been the right choice.
“So … how are things going with you and Mr. Ward?” she asks.
The lines etched into his skin last night reappear as if they were waiting on an invitation. I squirm in my seat.
“Fine. Things are fine,” I say.
She snickers. “I bet they are.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’ve seen the man before. Shirtless, even. I know him, Dyl. What I don’t know,” she says, turning onto the long road that leads to Peck’s house, “is how you refrain from jumping his bones.”
I laugh at her crude language. “It’s not that hard to control myself.”
“You’re a better woman than me.”
“Then why didn’t you hook up with him?” I ask.
She considers this. “Well, I would’ve. Trust me. But somehow our relationship became very brother and sister, and it just never had the opportunity to become sexual in nature.” She looks at me smugly out of the corner of her eye. “But if you venture into that arena, I want every single delicious detail.”
My stomach flip flops at the idea. It’s hard enough to think about Peck. I haven’t had to see him face to face after our late-night kitchen meeting last night.
All day long, I’ve thought about him. And how serious he was. And how I thought, and maybe even hoped, he was going to kiss me. Following that thought is the worry that things will be different between us today.
I hope not.
That would be a shame.
Navie pulls the car up Peck’s driveway and turns it off beside Peck’s truck. She pops the trunk as I climb out. We meet behind the car and load up the grocery bags and carry them inside.
“Thanks for coming with me today,” I tell her.
She nods, taking in the kitchen.
“What?” I ask.
“Just seeing how he lives.” She turns in a circle. “I’m weirdly impressed. It’s so clean.”
I giggle as I sort through the purchases from the grocery store. “He is clean. And pretty damn organized, to be honest. I mean, this place could use a woman’s touch, for sure, but it’s not even close to some of the bachelor pads I’ve seen in my life.”
Navie grins. “Maybe you could put a little touch on this place.”
“Why? I’ll be leaving soon.”
The door opens, and Peck walks in. He gives Navie a little wave and then sets his sights on me. His head bows as he searches my eyes.
There’s a minuscule amount of awkwardness hanging in the air between us. If there’s anything in life that I don’t want, it’s for things to be weird with Peck.
“Don’t,” I say.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t ask me what I’m making for dinner.” I hold up two packets of hamburger. “I’ll cook with you, but not for you. At least not every night,” I say, correcting myself.
He laughs. “I can deal with that.”
Navie giggles and heads for the door. “You two are adorable together.” She stops at the doorway. “You should come to Crave tonight, Dylan.”
I glance at Peck. He’s watching me carefully.
“Okay,” I say slowly. “Um, what time?”
Navie’s grin gets wider. “Whenever. The fun usually gets started around nine thirty or so. Wouldn’t you say, Peck?”
“Yup. That’s usually when I get there,” he says with a rogue grin. “Talked to Machlan today?”
“Why?” Navie asks.
“Just getting a feeling as to his temperament today. Wondering what I can get away with.”
Navie laughs, turning her attention to me. She jams a thumb in Peck’s direction. “And he calls me a troublemaker.”
“So nine thirty?” I ask.
“Does that work for you? I mean, you can come whenever, but it’ll be pretty quiet before then,” she says.
“Yup. That’s fine. I have no plans. Obviously,” I tell her.
She gives me a thumbs-up before opening the door and walking out. Somehow, the room gets smaller without her. When it’s just Peck and me together.
“I got groceries,” I say, stating the obvious. But it seems like as good of an icebreaker as any. “I don’t know what you like, so I got the basics.”
He takes an apple out of a bag and tosses it in the air. He catches it easily. “I like about anything. But you didn’t have to do this. I could’ve gotten groceries. I should’ve, huh?”
A ripple of uncertainty passes through his eyes.
“No,” I insist. “It’s not your job to feed me. I actually enjoy grocery shopping. Is that weird?”
“Does this have anything to do with that Have Line thing?”
I laugh. “It’s HAS Line, and sometimes it does. But I like to buy food even when I’m not angry or sad.” I take out a jar of peanut butter and set it on the table. “I think it’s a control thing, to be honest.”
“Control of the menu?”
“No. More like that I have my shit together. I can buy groceries. There was a time in my life, my late teens, when I couldn’t just walk in the kitchen and ge
t an apple. Things were hard. And now that I can go and buy whatever I want—within reason, of course—it feels good. I think that’s why I like it.”
He moves across the room until he’s standing next to me. I swear that having him this close messes with the electricity in my brain because everything misfires. All I can smell is the scent of his cologne. All I can feel is the electricity sizzling between us. All I can taste is that almost-kiss last night.
Damn it.
Lifting the packages of meat, he carries them to the fridge. “I will tell you a little secret.”
That you regret not kissing me too?
“What’s that?” I ask, holding my breath. He’s not going to mention not kissing me, that I know, but as long as he doesn’t answer, there’s hope.
“I’m actually a decent cook.” He shuts the refrigerator door. “At least, I think I am. No one else may like it, but I do.”
“And you’re telling me this because you’re fixing dinner for me tonight?” I tease. “You sweet thing.”
He laughs. “Not tonight. I need time to consider the menu. Besides, we’re going to Crave tonight, and I don’t want to have to rush dinner. Perfection takes time.” He winks.
I try to play off his charm. It would be really easy to dance a little jig, but I don’t. Because I’m an adult. Ish.
“We are going to Crank?” I ask. “Together? I mean, that’s great, but I just didn’t expect you to go with me.”
“Yeah, well, it’d be good for you to meet the townsfolk.” He winks. “And Navie told you to come tonight. On Friday. At nine thirty. When the place goes a little bonkers, usually.”
“Hey, it sounds fun.”
“Oh, it is.” He leans against the wall and smiles. “But you’re gonna need a bodyguard.”
“Are you volunteering for the job, Wesley?”
He scowls, making me laugh. I toss a tub of butter his way. He catches it and puts it in the fridge.
“I had one of those,” he says.
“Sue me for not trusting it.” I take out a box of crackers. “What time do we leave?”
“Well, I think it’s probably best to get there earlier than nine thirty. But I need to run a couple of errands first. So maybe we meet there around eight? Kind of break the place in first?
“That sounds good. I need some time to get cleaned up.”
“I think you look great.”
I ignore the look in his eye and the riot inside me. He’s being kind. Period. Nothing more.
“Well, thank you, but I need a shower and to change,” I say.
He glances at his watch. “I need to run a part out to a farm for a tractor and then swing by Nana’s and … okay, really, I need to go see if she saved me one of Sienna’s blueberry muffins. But I also need to make sure someone visited her today. It was Lance’s turn, but he called earlier. He and Mariah had something come up with the baby they’re supposed to be adopting, so I said I’d go over.”
“Go. Tell her hello from me. I can meet you at the bar later,” I offer.
He nods. “Sounds good. Just shoot me a text when you’re on your way over, and I’ll make sure I leave. It’ll be my diversion. Sometimes I get over there, and it’s hard to leave.”
“Gotcha. I’m just gonna put the rest of this away. I mostly got staples since you were kind of lacking, well, everything.”
He eyes the food on the table. “Want me to help?”
I do. Not because I need it, but because I want to keep him around. But there’s no way I’d stop Peck from going to Nana’s. She’s such an amazing woman that it’s no wonder Peck and his cousins look after her. I’m almost envious that I won’t get to see her. Although, turning up two days in a row would definitely get her started on the relationship train again.
Not going there.
“Nope. I got it. Have fun,” I say.
He grins. “Okay. Tomorrow, I’m cooking for you,” he says, pointing a finger my way.
“Deal.”
He flashes me a final killer smile before disappearing outside.
I walk to the window and watch him get in his truck. He looks like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
“That’s what I need to do,” I say, dragging myself away from the window. “I need to have less cares in the world.”
My phone rings on the table. I look at the caller’s name on the screen. I reach over and silence the call from my mom.
“Starting now.”
Fourteen
Dylan
“Who knew there were this many people in this town?”
My voice is drowned out by a large truck with huge tailpipes. They’re so big that I’m pretty sure I could crawl into one of them and hide in the event of a zombie invasion.
Trucks line the street outside Crave. There are a few cars here and there, but it’s by far and large trucks. Big ones. Loud ones. Dirty ones.
I run a hand down the front of my coral-colored faux-silk shirt. Way too much thought went into choosing my outfit to go to some small-town bar. I even went as far as taking selfies in the fullest-length mirror I could find in Peck’s house and scrutinizing them that way. The winner was the pinky-orange shirt that skims my curves and makes my breasts look like they exist. Paired with a pair of denim shorts and some strappy wedges, I don’t look too I-got-dressed-out-of-a-suitcase.
I don’t think.
“It’s just a bar with friends,” I whisper as I pull open the door to Crave.
Surprisingly, it’s not too packed. The building is long and narrow with a couple of pool tables in the back. A bulletin board lines the front wall, and a long bar extends down the right side. Christmas lights hang above a mirror behind the bar, showcasing the bottles of liquor and random signs that seem to have been hung haphazardly on the glass.
Patrons fill the booths dotted along the wall parallel to the bar. Others take their chance with darts and pool sticks in the back. Navie makes a drink for one of the men sitting at the bar. Her head falls back as she laughs at something he said.
Peck is nowhere to be seen.
I suck in a breath and head her way.
“Hey,” she says as I approach. “Where’s Peck?”
“I’m not sure. He said he’d meet me here.” I get situated on a stool. “Um, how are things tonight?”
Navie laughs. “Relax, Dyl. You look like you’re ready to go in for a root canal.”
“I do not.”
She shakes her head and hands me a beer. Hoisting a finger in the air to a woman at the end, she leans in. “Have fun. Meet people. This place is a lot of fun if you let it be.”
“I’ll try.”
She grins, letting out a little laugh. “I gotta work. But I’ll check on you in a bit.” She scoots down the bar to the woman with the red bandana wrapped around her head.
I take a sip of my beer, giving a forced smile to the man sitting three chairs down. He tips his bottle my way before turning back to the television he can’t possibly hear hanging above the coolers.
“Hey, roomie.” Peck’s voice is inches away from my ear. It makes me jump. He chuckles, taking the seat next to me. “Sorry it took so long. My brother showed up at Nana’s, so I got sidetracked. I haven’t seen him or his boy in a long time.”
“You didn’t have to leave for me,” I say. “Do you need to go back?”
“Nah. He was getting Sawyer ready for bed. I told him to come up here, but I think he was looking forward to a low-key night.”
“I get that.”
Peck grins, and I think the whole place lights up.
My chest burns with some unnamed emotion as he takes off his black baseball hat and runs a hand through his hair. The air is kissed by the scent of his cologne. My view is blessed by the sight of him in a plain white T-shirt. He moves to accept a beer from Navie, and I can almost see the lines of his body move under the cotton.
“So,” he says, pausing to take a drink. “What do you think?”
That you are delicious.
“Um, yeah.” I fight to remember the question. “I, yeah. I think this place is nice.”
He laughs at my confusion. “This place is not nice, Hawkeye. But you get two points for being polite.”
“It is,” I insist, a laugh in my voice. “I like it. It feels homey. Homier than the last time I was here.” I cringe internally because I have no idea where I was going with that, and now I sound like a fool. “You know what I mean.” Even though he doesn’t. He can’t. I don’t even know.
His brows raise, pulling up the corners of his lips into a grin as he takes a drink.
“Look at you two. My two cute best friends,” Navie says.
I glance up to see her standing beside Machlan.
My mouth goes dry. His short dark hair is styled in a way that looks like he just got out of bed and rolled with it. Tattoos dot his skin, and a wicked smile toys on his lips.
Shit.
“I don’t think we’ve actually met,” Machlan says to me. “I’m Machlan.”
“I’m Dylan.”
“Like I told you,” Navie says, “she’s my best friend. Besides you, Peck, of course,” she says with an exasperation that makes us all laugh.
I press my lips together, feeling my cheeks heat. Why in the world was Navie dating a douchebag named Logan if she had such gorgeous best friends and co-workers? Clearly, she had better options.
I’m looking at them. And the night has just started.
Her eyes perk up, and I know some shit is about to be stirred. I grip the sides of my chair as I silently plead with her not to do whatever it is she’s about to do. She grins.
“Hey, Mach. Did you know Dylan and Peck are living together?” she says.
“I did not,” Machlan says, looking at Peck. “Why didn’t you mention that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because it’s none of your fucking business?”
“He’s renting me rent a room,” I say. “It’s not a big deal.”
Machlan’s attention lands on me. I shift in my seat under the weight of his gaze.
“Dylan, with all due respect—a woman who looks like you is living with Peck. It’s a big fucking deal.”
He flashes me a grin that would probably melt weaker individuals. But as Peck opens his mouth to fire something back at his cousin, I decide to intervene.
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