5. Goldie
Chapter 5
Goldie
JAMES
Good morning
Dawn
Good morning
Hope you have a good Sunday
Thanks!
S undays are yoga and a pier walk day. It used to be a sacred thing that Willa did only with Matty, but once Reid came into the picture, all bets were off. And I need the mental and physical release of yoga, especially after I spent hours yesterday hunched over my phone like a love-struck teenager.
James is fun. He’s easy to talk to and seems genuine. Could I be getting catfished? Of course. But it seems like it’d be a lot of trouble to go to on this app. For now, I’ll take it nice and slow.
Regardless, I could use the stretching of mind, body, and spirit, so off to yoga I go. Willa and Reid are already there, with their black cat Midnight picking her way through the mats like she owns the place. Reid brought her in here when he was co-parenting her with Willa, and the owner basically couldn’t say no to Reid’s muscles, so there you have it.
The whole town had the hots for Reid back then, and it’s easy to see why: He’s cute as hell, has dimples that might be as deep as the ocean, he’s fit, and looks damn good in running shorts. A couple of people—Willa and my mom included—were all for me and Reid getting together when he first got here, but it became obvious very quickly that he was down bad for my sister. And thank goodness, because she was just as bowled over by him.
I give Willa a hug hello, and she immediately asks, “Did you talk any more with James?” Her eyebrows wiggle.
I laugh. “A little, yeah. He sent me a good morning message this morning, and I sent him one back.” I unroll my mat. “It’s good. Nice and slow.”
Willa hums and we get situated. Reid joins us, taking the other side of Willa, and I glance at the space beside me.
“Where’s Matty?”
Willa shrugs and Reid says, “He’ll be here. Guy wouldn’t miss it.”
A commotion starts up at the front, followed by squeals and a tiny yip. Seconds later, Matty appears, a grin on his face.
My heart does the same squeeze thing it always does when I see him. I’ve resigned myself to it. It’s normal to have a crush on your sister’s best friend, right? It might not be normal that I’ve had it for over twenty years, but whatever. The heart wants what it wants, I guess. Unfortunately, my heart refuses to listen to me when I tell it over and over that Matty Brodigan is off-limits. Always has. Always will.
It doesn’t stop me from appreciating the man. Like every time he’s at yoga, today he’s wearing running shorts over spandex shorts and a fitted workout shirt. He’s in shape but not bulky, and he’s tall but not overly so, probably an even six feet if I had to guess. I’m a solid five-five, and I’ve stood next to him enough to know that if I were ever lucky enough to kiss the guy, we’d fit together perfectly. I might have to go on my tiptoes, and he might have to bend a bit, but hey, what’s a little compromise, right?
Not that I’ll ever get to kiss him. Some other woman will do that. She’ll run her hands through his wavy mess of brown hair, and she’ll probably think he needs to trim it. (He doesn’t.) And she’ll get to stare into his gorgeous brown eyes, the ones that look like whiskey on ice in the daylight and dark caramel at night. She might tease him about almost always wearing cowboy boots and jeans, instead of appreciating the way his ass and thighs fill the denim out.
I hate her. I don’t know who she is, but I hate her all the same.
A tiny tapping of nails on the hardwood floor has me snapping out of my hatred for a future woman, and I focus on the sound. Running around like an adorable vision of utter and complete cuteness, is a tiny cream-colored chihuahua. Strutting about like he owns the place.
Matty laughs as he comes to unroll his mat next to mine.
“Is that yours?” I ask, unable to contain the glee in my voice.
“Yep,” he answers. “His name is Killer.”
I whack him on the arm. “Stop it. You can’t be that cute.”
He rubs his arm and his eyes freaking twinkle . “You think I’m cute, Goldie?”
I roll my eyes and turn away, hoping he doesn’t see the blush that blooms at his teasing.
Yoga isn’t nearly as calm as it normally is, with Killer getting the zoomies and chasing Midnight through the mats. There are more than a few yelps and hisses, but lots of laughing at the duo’s shenanigans all the same. As we leave, Matty promises the owner he’ll leave Killer at home next time. He produces a leash for the walk on the pier, and I take a deep breath to center myself.
Focus on James. Not your sister’s best friend. The guy I can have versus the guy I can’t.
Willa threads her arms through Matty’s and leans her head on his, saying something too quiet for me to catch. They laugh, then Reid gathers her to his side, likely smushing Midnight as she’s riding in the carrier strapped to Reid.
I shake my head. These two men are something else: a big cop wearing a cat and a tall, hot vet walking a tiny dog.
Matty slows and looks back for me, and I throw on a smile. “Coming!”
It’s a beautiful early spring day, just warm enough in the sun to not need long sleeves, and I tip my head up to soak in the rays. Seagulls call to each other as waves lap against the pylons. It’s quiet when it’s not tourist season, and aside from the guy fishing off the end of the pier, we’re the only ones here.
This is one of my favorite times of the week. We walk, catch up on each other’s lives, and make up stories about the people who own the yachts docked down one side. I revel in it, and in the closeness we all have. Reid’s appearance in Lucky changed so many things for all of us, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Thanks to him, Willa came out of her shell and managed to talk Mom and Dad into setting plans for retirement. They refuse to completely stop working, but the diner is slowly transitioning to Willa, and she’s thriving. Seeing her take control of her life was what inspired me to ask JJ for a job at the paper, even though the paper was little more than a gossip rag at the time.
“How’s it feel being thirty, old man?” Willa asks Matty.
Beside her, Reid growls playfully. “Watch it. I’m still the oldest one here.”
Willa grins at Reid and turns her attention back to Matty.
“Same as it felt being twenty-nine,” Matty answers. “How’s it feel being mean to your best friend?”
“I just wanna know if you need a dog sitter,” I say, reaching down to pick Killer up. “Because if you do, I’m in.”
Matty’s whiskey eyes meet mine. “He’s kind of irresistible, isn’t he?”
You have no idea.
After two circuits of the pier, Willa and Reid take off. Killer strains at the leash, clearly wanting to go around again, and I laugh as Matty contemplates him. “I’ll keep you company if you want.”
He doesn’t hesitate. “That’d be nice.”
I tamp down the flare of excitement that always rises at the chance of being alone with Matty. Remember James. James, James, James.
I clear my throat. “Great!”
We start walking, and Matty asks, “How’s the job going?”
“Good. Finally starting to write articles that have a bit more heft to them than the regular gossip JJ’s so fond of, and that’s nice.”
“I’m sure anything you do is an improvement over whatever JJ’s got going on,” he says, smiling over at me. “You’ll be jet-setting all over the state and country before long, doing heavy-hitting pieces that change hearts and minds.”
The compliment warms my entire body, but I make myself wave it away. “I’m just glad to finally put my degree to use.”
“What kept you from it?”
I blink up at him. “I’m not sure anyone’s ever asked me that.”
“No one?”
“Well, I take that back. Willa did.”
After a beat, he prompts, “You gonna answer me?”
I shrug. “It’s hard to explain, but I guess the easiest way to put it is I didn’t feel like I was ready. I felt…young, you know? Maybe it was running after you and Willa all those years,” I joke.
“You’re only two years younger.”
“Right,” I hedge. “But still. Lucky is such a small town, and four years at college in the same state only goes so far to help a girl with personal growth. And I know what people think of me.”
Matty stops, and the expression on his face is very much Concerned Older Brother.
I hate it.
“What do you mean, you know what people think of you?”
I can’t look at him. “Same way they always have. I’m the blond, the airhead, the opposite of Willa. You know.”
He frowns. “No. I don’t know.”
I release a frustrated sigh. “Forget it.”
“Goldie—”
I shake my head. “Seriously, drop it. I don’t even know why I’m all up in my head about it. It’s fine.” I force a smile and a laugh. “I promise.”
He doesn’t look convinced. “No. You are perfect. You are unafraid to be you. And that’s…that’s worth being proud of. Anyone who has ever made you feel like you’re anything other than phenomenal is an asshole.”
I suck in a breath. What?
He blinks, seeming almost startled at his own words. With a jerk of his chin, he turns and starts walking again.
I close my mouth and fight back the unexpected wave of emotion that threatens to overtake me.
He turns back to where I’m rooted to the spot. “Goldie?—”
“I should go.” I step back from him, needing to breathe air that isn’t Matty Brodigan. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” His voice is soft as he gestures at me. “If anything, I should apologize for making you uncomfortable.”
I bark out a laugh. “Of course you’d say that. God, you’re unbelievable.”
He furrows his brow. “Me?”
I take another step away. Unbelievably perfect. “I’ll see you around, Matty.”
He opens his mouth, but I turn away. I can’t begin to explain what just happened, only that it needs to stop.