“You have a pontoon tied to your dock. Is that what you usually take out?” I thought back to how relaxed and at ease he looked out on the dock.
“Yeah, if there’s a group of us going out. If it’s just me, I usually take out the jet ski or the kayak. But as long as I’m out on the water one way or another, I’m not picky. Good place to think. Take in the nature.” He paused, hesitating. “We usually take the boat out for the Fourth. You should join us.”
I raised my brows. At first, I wasn’t sure I heard him right, but when he added, “think about it,” I realized I hadn’t hallucinated. Maybe we could both exist in the same town for the summer.
“I’d love to,” I responded quickly, not needing time to think about it. If he was putting in the effort, so would I. Plus a day out on the water sounded nice. “Will you let me know the details? Or should I ask Lily?”
“I’ll text you.”
“Careful, or we’ll be texting regularly,” I teased, reaching into my bag to pull out my phone to text Lily that we were getting closer to the café. “And see, youwerethinking about something.”
A low grumble escaped his lips as he hummed. “I was thinking about a couple things.” I felt Wesley’s eyes on me, but by the time I finished typing out my message and looked over at him, his gaze was back on the road.
“I’m so excited to see it all come together! It’s already looking great,” Lily said with a bright smile as I approached the counter. The aroma of cinnamon, freshly baked pastries, and rich coffee when you entered Purrfect Blend was welcoming and inviting,like you were getting a warm hug. I immediately eyed the pastries and mentally picked out which ones I’d buy on my way out.
“Me, too. I’m glad I was able to swing by yesterday to take care of the prep ahead of getting the new pieces in today.”
“The loveseat is going to look so good in the other room. I’m so glad you were able to get transport all figured out.”
I playfully narrowed my eyes at her. “I’m pretty sure you got it all figured out for me. Wes texted me about it. He’s out parking the truck.”
Her lips pulled into a mischievous smile. “So, you’retextingmy brother now, huh? That’s an interesting development. I don’t remember giving him your number.”
“He had my number already. When he left the flowers on the porch, he’d also left his number, so I texted him as a thank you. And we sort of cleared the air? Or at least decided to start over.”
“Wait a second. Back up.” Lily raised her hand. “He left you flowers?” Lily’s lips parted in disbelief.
“In a flower planter! Not a bouquet or anything,” I added quickly. I hadn’t thought to mention it to Lily and also assumed she knew when she’d pushed Wes to help me.
“That’s…well, that’s good.” Lily nodded. “I was worried after dinner he’d continue putting his foot in his mouth. And he still might, but at least this means he’s come to his senses that he was being a jackass.”
I shook my head with a laugh. No arguing with that.
Her face softened slightly. “He didn’t know I was renting out the cabin this summer, so he’s been a bit on edge since your arrival. It has nothing to do with you. He used to be the one who managed the rental, and a couple summers ago rented it out. I don’t really know what happened, but he was different after that.”
“What do you—” As if right on cue, the door swung open. And there was Wes standing in the doorway.
18
WESLEY
“Okay if wekeep this door propped open while bringing the furniture in?” My eyes darted between my sister and Juliette, who were both staring at me like deer in headlights. I had no clue what they had been talking about, but I clearly interrupted something.
Not getting an immediate response, I reached down for the door stopper on the floor to keep the door propped and returned to my truck.
“A good morning would be nice instead of just barging in!” Lily called after me.
Yeah, it would’ve, but the only thing consuming my mind right now was the smell of vanilla and daisies. Juliette’s perfume was everywhere, including my truck. Between that and the sky-blue dress she was wearing, I had to fight to keep my eyes on the damn road so I wouldn’t get us into an accident. Juliette was summer in human form—bright, beautiful, tempting. I didn’t know how, but it was easy for her to strike up a conversation with everyone in town.
Fuck.
I was distracted. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt the type of rush I did when Juliette texted me. It was…nice.
But we weren’t friends, and I was putting my foot down about that. Neighbors, yes. And we could befriendly. But not friends.
I wanted to show her I was serious about putting the past behind us and starting fresh, so it was easy to offer to help with the furniture. Plus, it was on my way into town and a way to help out my sister.
Even though I was closer in age with Jade, Lily and I were similar in that we both had an entrepreneurial mindset. But she was a hell of a lot more impressive than me. She was creating something unique on her own, whereas I was building on what our father had done. Both required work, but Lily’s dedication and determination were unmatched.
