“Overpurchasing? They don’t match existing decor? Who cares? It’s legitimate and we need stuff.” Beckett shrugged even though she couldn’t see him. Who cared why, if it was legit?
“This is amazing. Presley is amazing.”
Beckett said nothing to this because he couldn’t disagree and didn’t want to verbally admit to anything his sister would use to start playing matchmaker. He wasn’t sure he’d ever wanted to kiss a woman as much as he had wanted to kiss Presley at his place. She’d burrowed right in, fitting into the crook of his arms, against his chest with an ease that feltright.And a woman who was leaving in eight days wasn’t someone he needed to fall for. Unless they didn’t fall but simply… explored.
“I’m going to go look up bedding for all of the rooms. You’re coming up for dinner, right?”
He felt the tremor of anticipation roll through him. Not something he usually felt about dinner with the guests. He didn’t mind it, but hedidn’t necessarily look forward to it. Until Presley. “I am. We should ask Chef to serve Presley’s French toast.”
“The way you look at her, I’m surprised you’d want to share,” his sister said, laughter in her tone.
Beckett didn’t take the bait. “I need the hot tub shut for maintenance tonight,” he said, letting himself into his cabin.
“Oh no. What’s wrong with it? It was fine earlier.”
“I just need to check it out. Did Tevin find someone for the AC?”
His cabin was cleaner than when he’d left it. It was weird sharing his space with someone. Especially a woman. Stranger still? He sort of liked it. He’d had a couple of serious girlfriends but never lived with any. The time he’d thought he wanted to try, she’d said yes, but only if they lived anywhere but Smile.
“Someone’s coming tomorrow. Should be fixed by the time you get back from the fishing trip.”
“Okay. I need to head back to Smile tomorrow night for a couple days.”
“I thought you were on vacation?”
Beckett grabbed a beer, then headed for the bathroom and started the shower.
“I am, but I have other things to tend to. I’ll swing by Mom and Dad’s place, make sure things are good. I need to take Adam for comics. I told Gramps I’d stop by the Outdoor Association Meeting and talk about the lodge. And I want to swing by my place for some more clothes.”
“Sounds good.”
They hung up. He stripped down, tossed all his clothes into the hamper instead of on the floor, and climbed into the hot spray. He sighed out loud with the pleasure of it.
Damn, he was tired. He could ease his own stress by telling his brother and sister what was weighing on his mind, but he wanted to figure it out first before he got their input. He was easily influenced by their opinions and needs. As an adult, a capable one at that, he should be ableto make a decision without asking for their blessings or thoughts. But every time he felt like one path was “the one,” he thought about another and it became a loop in his head.
Beckett had chosen the smoother, predictable path more than once in his life, and he worried he was doing that now. Staying at Brian’s while helping with the lodge was the simplest option with the least amount of change. But he’d know, in the back of his head, that he could have more. Like one of the other two attractive options he was thinking about.
Since they were kids, he and his siblings had handled everything together: homework, bullies, chores, all of it. Their parents were awesome, hard workers who loved the three of them and supported them at every step. As kids, they hadn’t realized how hard their parents had to work to give them a good life, but they’d been raised to take care of each other.
When Jilly’s ex left her alone with a kid, they’d gone down to Pittsburgh and brought her and Ollie home to Smile. She didn’t love moving back in with their parents, but it worked out well, only a few years later, when Mom and Dad bought an RV to travel.
When Gray’s marriage went south, they rallied again. Poor guy lost his high-paying job at his father-in-law’s company, his wife, his house, his friends. On paper, being gifted the lodge in his otherwise dismal settlement looked good, but the amount of work the property needed was unexpected. Gray came home, and Beckett and Jilly stepped up and stepped in to support their brother. Now they were together again, and Beckett didn’t want to wreck that. But he also wanted more. What he knew for sure was that he loved his family and his hometown. Which should take managing the second shop, hours away, off the table. He’d never had any real desire to be anywhere else permanently.
In high school, Beckett had loved sports and math. He’d gotten a scholarship to University of Michigan, gotten his degree in business, and come right back home. His job at Brian’s made him happy and didn’t stress him out. He didn’t have a lot of needs. But now, it felt likehe was ready for some elusive next step. He just didn’t know what it was yet. Maybe a house instead of an apartment. His own roots instead of helping someone else plant theirs.
After showering, he dressed in jeans and a light sweater. Opening his sock drawer, he saw his swim trunks and wondered if Presley wantedanycompany tonight. Then he wondered how the hell he’d keep his lust reined in if he saw her in a swimsuit. She was a guest. One who had a whole life she was getting back to in eight days. She didn’t like the outdoors. She was on the rebound. And he didn’t have five seconds to himself most days. He sighed heavily and shut the drawer.
He should have shown up earlier. As he slipped into the dining room, hoping to draw as little notice as possible, he saw that Mr. Dayton had already taken the seat beside Presley. On her other side was Ollie. Beckett swallowed a laugh. Presley was being chattered at on both sides.
“Hey,” Grayson said, coming into the dining room after him.
They all tried to join the guests for dinner a couple of times a week. They wanted to be part of the experience, but not in anyone’s face. Some of the guests thrived on the interaction with others and some of them wanted their own space. Not that there’d been a ton of guests. They’d taken over in the offseason, after all. But things would pick up. Especially now.
“How’s it going? I feel like I’ve barely seen you,” Beckett said.
There were ten of them tonight. Grayson had just dropped the guys who’d been staying in room four back on the mainland.
“Good. The boat is back. Tevin cut us a break. Pretty sure he’s into Jill.”
