“I’m already looking forward to the next one, so that’s wonderful to hear. I’d love to join again.”
Like I’d told Wesley, I wasn’t going anywhere. For now, at least.
15
WESLEY
It’d beena few days since dinner at my parents’ house, and I couldn’t get Juliette’s defeated expression out of my mind. She hadn’t let it show as we wrapped up dinner and sat around the fire pit. Maybe my words hadn’t impacted her much, but the way her expression fell when we were standing in the kitchen? It gutted me.
She was trying. And I wasn’t.
I knew keeping my distance from her was the right thing. Especially with the way my body reacted to her standing so close to me. Those big, green eyes looking up at me through dark lashes. The way her plump, pink lips moved as she spoke. When I got home that night and hopped in the shower, I was hard as a fucking rock thinking about her in that goddamn yellow sundress.
I couldn’t be friends with her, because we barely knew each other and she already had such an effect on me. All Juliette Campbell had to do was look at me and I was fucking tongue-tied.
I wasn’t the right man for a woman with so much fire, passion, and light, even as only a friend.
I let out a frustrated groan as I turned from my side onto my back, staring up at my bedroom ceiling, the room illuminated only by the moonlight. It was two in the morning, and I couldn’t fucking sleep. I brought my hands up to my face, rubbing my eyes. Fuck. What a mess.
This wasn’t the first night I’d replayed the interaction as I tried to fall asleep, which was why I had to do something about it soon. It wasn’t unusual for me to overthink, especially at night, but I normally didn’t let it impact me so much the next day. I was normally better at letting those thoughts go and moving on.
I untangled my legs from the sheets, setting my feet on the floor and getting up. I adjusted my boxers as I walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and filling it with water. I set the glass down, leaning my arms against the counter. As I looked out the window, my eyes drifted toward where the cabin was. Trees obscured my view of it, but…my mind stayed on Juliette. Was she able to sleep? Or was she tossing and turning, too?
I gulped down the glass of water, setting it in the sink and turning my back toward the window. Our various interactions replayed in my brain as I searched for a solution.
Maybe I was going about it all the wrong way because, like she said, she’d be around. She was forming fast friendships with the people in my life, and it was obvious I wasn’t good at avoiding her.
One thing was clear, though. It was impossible to forget or stop thinking about Juliette Campbell, no matter how hard I tried.
16
JULIETTE
The weekafter the Richards family dinner was busier than I expected. Most days, I would leave the cabin in the morning, spend part of the day working at Lily’s café, and use the other half of the day to meet with people in town. A few other business owners were looking over ideas I’d put together for them after an initial consultation.
I knew people were hesitant to do business with me since I wasn’t a local, but they were warming up pretty quickly once they heard my ideas and saw the work I’d done at Lily’s. We painted the main wall a beautiful pastel yellow and used a warm beige for the cat room. We also added a bird feeder outside the window so the cats could watch birds and other critters.
Now that the walls were painted, my next task was rearranging the tables in the café and bringing in the new furniture I thrifted for the cat room. The loveseat I found would be comfortable for guests and was made of a fabric that wouldn’t get easily damaged by the cats. I needed to find a way to get it over to Lily’s since my car wasn’t big enough. Plus, I still needed to find curtains for the café’s main room and some other littledecorations to add some color and tie the space together while staying on budget.
My to-do list for tomorrow was piling up, but it felt good to have tasks I was excited to work on. Lily was a great person to partner with, because she gave me creative freedom and trusted my instincts.
After spending most of the day downtown, I was driving back to the cabin to unwind and possibly enjoy another swim. As I pulled up the gravel driveway, I did a double take when I spotted two bright-blue ceramic planters with blooming flowers. They were right next to the wooden steps that led up to the front door. When had those gotten there?
I hopped out of my car, glancing around before making my way toward the front porch. The ceramic planters were the same design I’d been eyeing at Hal’s. The same as the planter that shattered.
Not only did these two planters have flowers, but so did the other two I’d purchased myself. I hadn’t had time to plant the flowers, so for the last couple of weeks, the planters had been sitting empty in the corner of the porch.
Now, I had marigolds, asters, petunias, and dahlias—one type of flower in each planter.
I took another look around the porch, this time noticing the note taped to the front door. I carefully removed it, tucking the tape back and reading the messy scrawl.
Juliette,
I thought long about what you said, and you’re right. You’ll be here for a while, and I want you to feel welcome. Both in town and at dinner, if youdecide to stop by again. I’m sorry for our rough start.
I’m not the best with my words, clearly, but that’s no excuse. I hope this can be a new start for us, if you’re willing. You’ve likely figured this out already, but yes, I live nearby. Down the road, actually. If you need anything during your time in Golden Falls, I can try to help. I’ll leave my cell number down by my name.
I hope you enjoy the flowers. Figured I would leave them out front and you’d find a good place for them.
