Chapter Ten
T he Winters family living room had been turned into a stock trader floor, only eligible men were the commodity.
They’d moved the easel out of the dining room when Mr. and Mrs. Winters had joined the fray, and they had over fifty bachelors on the list. Delilah and Holly had been on the phone for over an hour, calling potential bachelors and asking them to participate for charity. Delilah was giddy with exhilaration at the enthusiasm most of the men had exhibited.
“Thank you so much for participating, Ryan! We’ll email you the details Monday.” Delilah ended the call and cheered, “We got another one!”
The room whooped and hollered, except for Jace, who was curled up in the corner with noise-canceling headphones, playing a game on his Nintendo Switch. Daisy lay next to his feet, her brown eyes darting around as Merry wrote Ryan’s name in the plus column on the whiteboard.
Pike and Anthony were seated on the couch next to Nick, who’d returned with his wife, Noel. The willowy brunette was cradled on his lap, her arm wrapped around his shoulder as she watched the group. Most of the men, including Clark, had gone home to shower and change before returning, so as not to upset Merry’s stomach anymore. Anthony and Pike had gotten cleaned up at Anthony’s place, leaving Delilah with a few minutes to breathe. If Mr. and Mrs. Winters hadn’t returned, she might have tried escaping during the men’s absence, but she’d missed her window.
Mr. Winters was in his chair while Mrs. Winters and Declan were on the couch. Clark stood next to Merry with a dry eraser in his hand.
Merry replaced the cap on her pen with a yawn. “I think it’s about time I called it a night.”
Her mother chuckled. “I remember being pregnant with Nick. I could never make it past eight o’clock at night without wanting to curl up in bed.”
“Plus, Jace needs to detox from that thing before bed,” Clark said, pointing to the handheld.
Merry slapped his arm playfully. “Please, you just want to put him to bed so you can play it.”
As the two of them started a debate on video games, Delilah checked the time and slipped her phone into the pocket of her workout leggings, trying to figure out a way to leave without drawing attention. So far, she’d been able to avoid being alone with Pike, but every time she turned around, he was watching her. He’d sent her several texts since Monday, asking when Delilah was available to hang out. Although she’d answered them, suggesting they wait until she got back from her parents’ place after Thanksgiving, she should be honest about her change of heart.
But that interaction could wait another day.
Delilah cleared her throat before climbing to her feet. “I hate to cut this short, but I gotta get up early tomorrow.”
“What are you doing?” Anthony asked from his perch next to Pike.
“I’m driving to my parents’ place in Boise for the weekend.” Just because she was angry with him didn’t mean she couldn’t be polite. She turned to her hosts with a wide smile. “Mr. and Mrs. Winters, thank you for feeding me. Now, I must feed my dog before she thinks I’ve abandoned her.”
“Delilah, you are allowed to call us by our first names.” Victoria Winters got up from the couch and hugged her. “Pike and Anthony have been calling me Victoria since they were seniors, and I like you better than them.”
“That hurts me!” Pike gasped, clutching his chest and falling back against Anthony, who pushed him off with a grunt.
Victoria shook her finger in their direction. “She doesn’t come and eat all my food.”
“It’s a compliment to your culinary skills,” Pike protested.
Victoria shook her head, but Delilah caught the small smile on her lips. The Winters were a warm, welcoming brood who loved to tease one another and their guests. Delilah was just happy to be included.
“Thank you, Victoria,” she said, before addressing everyone else with a wave. “Good night, everyone. Holly, I’ll text you when I make it home.”
Holly got up and ran over to her, hugging her tight. “Thank you for your help.”
“Of course. That’s what besties do.”
A chorus of “Bye, Delilah” resounded from the room, and she gave another little wave.
“I’ll walk you out,” Pike said, getting to his feet.
“Oh–okay.” She caught Anthony’s gaze accidentally, but he wasn’t smiling. He watched Pike round the couch and reach her side with what could only be described as a resigned expression.
Pike grabbed the front door and held it for her, calling back over his shoulder. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Holly caught her gaze, eyes wide, and she mouthed something that looked like, Oh my God.
Holly probably thought she was jumping out of her skin at Pike’s interest instead of her stomach twisting with uneasy stress. If Pike asked her out again, and she told him no outside the Winters’ home, would he walk back inside, vocalizing his disappointment to everyone?
She did not want to be responsible for a scene like that.
Delilah stepped over the threshold and down the steps, slowing down for him to catch up. “What’s up?”
“I just wanted a chance to talk before you took off. It was crowded in there.”
“It always is when the family gets together.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.” Pike suddenly got ahead of her, stopping in her path. “I know you’ve got places to go, but I need to get this out there. I want to make plans with you before another man beats me to the punch.”
That sounded like spending time with her was a game he wanted to win, and her irritation boiled to the surface. “Why are you suddenly interested in me, Pike? I mean, why now? I wasn’t exactly subtle in my adoration all these years.”
His mouth flopped open for several seconds before he started stammering. “I mean, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment—”
“Come on, be honest.”
“I am! You’ve always been an attractive woman, but I guess if I had to give you a reason, you caught my attention that night at Brews. You walked in, and it was like seeing you for the first time.”
Delilah laughed bitterly. “Do you understand how insulting that is? I mooned after you for years. I’ve been the same size for at least ten of them, so it’s not that I lost weight or something. All this pursuit is because of a dress?”
Pike’s eyes widened, as if this was the last reaction he’d expected, but how could he not have thought through every scenario after waiting so long?
“I’m confused,” he said, running a hand over his beard. “Did you not wear that dress because you wanted attention?”
“Technically, yes—”
“Then why are you mad at me for giving you what you wanted?” Pike interjected.
“Because it’s superficial!” She exploded, her emotions outpouring like lava from a volcano. “You don’t know anything about me. You liked how I looked Saturday night, but can you tell me a single fact about myself that makes you think, ‘Wow, I want to pursue that girl?’”
“I–you’re a good dancer.”
“I took dance classes until seventh grade, so fantastic observation,” Delilah said, refusing to dial back her sarcasm. “Anything else?”
Pike seemed befuddled and finally said, “I need a minute.”
“You take all the time you need,” Delilah said, wondering why she was so angry at Pike. He liked the way she looked. That was what she wanted, right? “I’ve had men who weren’t interested in me romantically, but they didn’t disregard me as a person. You barely spoke to me in all the years that you’ve known me. You wrote me off until you liked the way I looked.”
“No, I just thought of you as a kid!” He glanced at the house, lowering his voice when he continued, “You were the best friend of Nick’s little sister. I was graduating high school when you were just starting. You went away to college for four years and came back when I was with someone. It took me a long time to get over my first love, and now I am ready to find something real. There hasn’t been a time for us until now.”
“Except I’m not feeling it, Pike,” Delilah whispered, sadness twisting in her chest. She couldn’t believe she was saying this. This was everything she’d dreamed of since she was twelve!
“Are you sure?” Pike stepped into her and brought his hand up above their heads, holding a sprig of mistletoe. “Should we put this to the test to be sure?”
Delilah laughed. “Why do you have mistletoe in your pocket?”
Pike grinned. “Victoria always hangs a few sprigs around the farm during the holidays, and I thought it might be useful.” His smiled dissolved and he watched her with earnest blue eyes. “What do you say?”
Maybe Delilah was avoiding Pike because she was fascinated with Anthony. Even though nothing would happen between Anthony and Delilah, kissing his best friend seemed skeezy.
Why are you worried about Anthony’s feelings when he laughed at you and didn’t even apologize?
The little voice in her head wasn’t wrong, and Delilah barely finished her nod before his mouth dropped to hers, the whiskers of his beard tickling the skin around her mouth and chin. He delved into her mouth with confident expertise, and it was evident from his skill level that he’d had all the practice needed to become a glorified sex-god.
Yet she silently evaluated his kiss like a sardonic judge on a competition show. There was no warm, fluttering sensation in her lower stomach as his lips moved over hers, no desire to draw him closer and lose herself in his touch.
Not the way she’d felt while kissing Anthony.
Delilah broke the kiss, pressing her lips together thoughtfully.
“You still not feeling it?” he murmured.
Before she could respond, the front door closed with a thwack. Delilah gasped in surprise, whirling around.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” Anthony’s deep voice said. Her gaze flicked to the man in question coming down the front porch steps. He stared straight ahead from beneath the brim of that ball cap, his jaw clenched, and her stomach dropped. How much had he seen and heard?
“You’ve got some timing there, bro,” Pike muttered.
“Like I said, carry on. It’s not my fault you picked the only exit to make a move.”
He passed by, and Delilah fought the urge to turn and watch him leave, especially since Pike’s eager blue-eyed gaze had returned to her face.
Delilah forced herself not to watch Anthony’s retreating back and focus on the man in front of her. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“I asked if you were still not feeling it,” Pike said.
“I—” she cleared her throat when Anthony’s truck roared to life and heard the crunch of gravel under tires. “I’m sorry, Pike. I think we missed our boat.”
“Wow,” he said, his hand running through his hair like he hadn’t seen this coming. “I thought the mistletoe was charming.”
“It toed the line between charming and corny,” she said lightly, hoping to ease the sting of her rejection. “I think it would work wonders with the right girl.”
“But that’s not you, huh?” he asked.
“It’s not. I’m sorry.”
Pike shrugged. “Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?”
“Yeah.” Delilah stood awkwardly, trying to figure out the best way to make a graceful exit. Instead, Pike gave her an out as he took a step back with a small smile. “I’m gonna head inside and grab another slice for the road.”
“Good night, Pike.”
“You, too. Safe travel tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”