“How can I help?”
I looked over my shoulder to see Juliette. She stepped in front of me, leaning on her toes and peering into the truck bed. What was it about this woman that constantly captivated my attention? Nothing else existed when she was around. I’d never felt this way before.
“I can grab the table first and then we can bring in the loveseat together?” Juliette’s words took me out of my thoughts. She turned around, now facing me. She was trapped between me and the back of the truck. Her lips parted ever so slightly as she looked up, her tongue darting along her bottom lip.
Did I have any semblance of an effect on her like she did on me? I doubted it, but I couldn’t help to wonder anyway.
“Yeah, sounds good to me.” I cleared my throat and stepped to the side. I created some distance between us, but she was still everywhere.
“How do I…” she trailed off, hand tugging on the tailgate’s handle.
“Here,” I said, stepping closer and setting my hand over hers, “you pull up like this.” I guided our hands to release the latch. She watched as the tailgate dropped down smoothly and quickly moved her hand away. She chewed on her bottom lip, distracted.
“What’re you thinking about?” I was curious and hadn’t had a chance to ask her back in my truck.
“Oh, nothing,” she said with a wave of her hand.
I raised my brows, which got a soft laugh out of her.
“I was thinking about how it’s nice to be on the same page as you. For once.”
“Yeah, it’s not too bad.”
“You just gotta put up with me for a few months. Summer always flies by, and I’ll be back in Chicago soon enough.”
I parted my lips to speak but decided against it, not sure how to respond. That’s what I wanted, right?
I helped Juliette unhook the cables that were keeping the side table in place. She then got it out of the truck with ease.
“I’ll be right back,” she called over her shoulder while I started to get the loveseat ready for us to bring in next.
It wasn’t that I doubted Juliette—well, maybe I did at first—but she was surprising me.
I expected her to stand back, which would’ve been fine, but she was ready to help without me even asking. She was putting in the effort, not just with Lily’s café, but with getting to know Golden Falls and its residents. I saw it at Hal’s and at my parents’ house.
I wanted my initial impression of Juliette to be right—that she was here for the summer and would forget about this town as soon as she left. That she’d turn her back on everything from the summer and move on with ease.
I was starting to second-guess my first impression of her.
And that scared the shit out of me.
I pinched the bridge of my nose with a groan as I leaned back in my desk chair. I thought after finishing payroll I’d be able to play a game of pool with Cooper and then head home for the night. But I still had to unbox the new inventory that came in today, and I wanted to check in with Louise to see if she needed anything.
I normally didn’t let the various tasks that came with owning a business pile up, but June had been a blur. I loved Lake Ridge, and I wouldn’t change this job for the world, but we were growing faster than I could handle, and I needed a couple more people on my team who I could trust.
Luckily, I’d hired two college students who were in town for the summer to help out around the bar, mainly placing my inventory orders, handling deliveries, and freeing up some of my time so I could focus on moving the expansion forward. They wouldn’t start until early next month, but it’d be a weight off my shoulders. Eliza was going to be bartending soon, which would be a huge help. Then I’d need to figure out a plan for the fall. One thing at a time.
A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts.
“Come in,” I called out.
“Figured you were still in here,” Cooper said as he opened the door, keeping it propped open as he leaned casually against the door frame. “You doing okay?”
I let out a sigh. “Yeah, I’m fine. Another busy day. I’ll have some more help soon, which will be huge, especially having Eliza.”
“I’m glad it worked out.” Cooper nodded. “And are we still on for the Fourth? You bring the beer, and I’ll bring food to grill up?”
“Of course, we’re still on,” I responded with a grin, my mood lightening at the thought of spending a day out on the water with my best friend. It was one of my favorite ways to pass the time, and Cooper and I had taken that boat out countless times during our friendship. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll have the cooler and everything, too.”
