Chapter 16
SHADE
I’ve gotten used to third-wheeling by now.
Bryce and Daisy are damn good friends, so if I’ve gotta watch them fawn over each other over a meal, then that’s what I’m going to do.
They deserve the happiness they’ve found, and I’m counting down the days until they get hitched.
It feels like they’ve been together forever already, considering how long Bryce was fawning over her before finally making a move.
“You don’t always have to drive out here to see me. I’m capable of heading your way,” I say as we approach the door to Maggie’s.
Bryce sends me a blank stare. “When you come to Cherry Peak, it’s like pulling teeth to get you to leave.”
“Ouch. You’re fucking brutal, Bryce. And I was just thinking about how excited I am to be the best man at your wedding, and you go in for a kill shot.”
“You’re not my best man.”
Daisy pokes Bryce in the side, shaking her head. “You know he’s been trying to claim that spot, Frosty. Be gentle.”
“Poppy would cut your eyes out if you took her place,” Bryce says with a tug of the door.
Sure, Bryce’s best friend from back home would probably be a bit upset to get snubbed from the spot, but I think I’m just as deserving as she is.
I might not have known her for the same length of time that Poppy has, but we’re just as close.
Plus, Poppy’s not my biggest fan, and I’d love to keep thinking that’s because she feels threatened by me.
I push the door open the rest of the way and wait for the two of them to step inside before following. “She could try.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Daisy says, hanging back a bit so Bryce can’t hear.
“Thank you, baby girl.”
“You’re welcome. Between Bryce and I, we have more than enough room for all of our friends to stand beside us.”
“I’m just greedy and desperate.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but yes, you’re a bit greedy. We still love you, though.”
I flash a smile and let go of the door. It swings shut, and then I’m following the two of them to the booth Bryce always claims when she’s here—
Neither of them notices the women they pass, but I do.
It’s impossible not to grin at Millie when she feels my eyes on her and glances up from her coffee cup.
My legs stop listening to my brain and keep me rooted beside their table, ignoring the question in Daisy’s voice as she tries calling for my attention.
“Good morning, ladies,” I say, looking at where Lacey’s sitting, her expression bemused.
She greets me simply. “Hey, Shade.”
“Hi.” Millie palms her mug and crosses her legs beneath the table.
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to glancing down to take a look at the skirt flowing over her thighs. It’s a loose one—still short—but with more movement than she usually has in those tight things she always wears.
“Have you been here for breakfast before? They’ve got the best french toast.”
“Not yet. Breakfast isn’t my meal of choice.”
I frown. “Don’t skip it. Try the french toast.”
“And if I don’t like french toast?” she counters, voice growing stronger in the way it always does when I get her riled up.
“The scrambled eggs are just as good.”
“I’m going to order without you, Shade,” Bryce calls from the booth on the right.
Millie drops her chin to her chest and laughs. “Good morning, Bryce!”
“Keep him at your table if you want, Millie. Just make him choose so I can eat.”
I chuckle, quirking a brow in Bryce’s direction. She has her back to me, but Daisy sees. The shooing motion she makes with her hand would have convinced me to leave them be if I hadn’t already decided the moment I spotted Millie.
“Got room for me here? As long as I’m not ruining your plans,” I say, more for their benefit than mine.
Lacey’s the first to answer. “No, of course you’re not. I was just telling Millie that Shelly was right about her needing to explore the campground a bit more if she’s going to be helping out there.”
Millie shoots daggers across the table at Lacey. I swallow a laugh and watch the interaction, waiting. A breath later, Millie’s scooting further into the booth and looking up at me, some of the fire burnt out.
“I’ve been a bit of a hermit, I suppose.”
I take the spot beside her and drop my arms to the table.
Maybe I sit a bit closer than I need to, but considering what’s going on between us, I think getting a bit comfortable with one another wouldn’t be a bad thing.
By the breath she sucks when our shoulders brush, I think I’m on the right track.
“I can show you around,” I offer.
Lacey snaps her fingers. “That’s a perfect idea. I was thinking that as well.”
“What a coincidence. I’m also free all day,” I add.
Millie’s hold on her cup tightens as she brings it up and takes a sip. I smirk and spread my legs beneath the table just enough to nudge her knee. She darts her eyes toward me, the blue sharp.
I’ve seen a lot of that sharp blue these last couple of days.
After the brief kissing lesson in the studio, I’ve been giving her some space.
I’d rather not, but when she came in the morning after and couldn’t so much as look at me without rushing off, I figured maybe she needed to figure out what she really wanted from me and the agreement we’d made.
Since then, she’s become shorter-tempered with me. I’ve gotten a laugh or two from her fiery comebacks, but honestly, I just want her to be honest with me instead. Playing games got boring years ago. I’ve outgrown them.
“Are you sure you have time for something as boring as a tour?” she asks, tone strained.
I ignore the attitude. “I’ve always got the time for you.”
“After breakfast, then.”
Instead of replying right away, I reach over and pry her fingers from her mug. She blinks in surprise when I take it from her and bring it to my mouth. The coffee is still hot, and I ignore the burn on my tongue while keeping my knee pressed to the side of hers and finishing it off.
Once it’s empty, I set it on the edge of the table and stretch my arm along the back of our booth. Millie whips her head to the side so fast her hair flies over her shoulder. I slip my hand from the leather booth and to her bicep, hanging it loosely there.
“I was drinking that,” she pushes out.
“Consider it paying me back for the coffee you stole from me on your first day.”
“I didn’t steal that one. Bryce gave it to me.”
“Semantics.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask how you’ve been liking working at the studio, Millie,” Lacey says, butting into the conversation that I’ve let get a bit away from me.
Millie focuses on her friend, the corner of her mouth tipping up. “It’s been good. There’s certainly plenty of paperwork to keep myself busy organizing.”
“You’ve done a great job,” I add.
Better than I expected, considering her self-proclaimed faults and lack of experience.
“Really?” she asks softly.
“You’re a quick learner, and you don’t stop with a task until it’s finished. Yeah, princess, you’re doing a good job.”
Her smile stretches, filling both sides of her face. “Thank you. I’m actually enjoying myself.”
“You look happy,” Lacey notes.
Millie leans back, either consciously or by accident, but stays in place. She doesn’t shove my hand off her arm and relaxes as if she’s comfortable like this. It’s a confirmation that I was searching for but wasn’t about to ask outright about.
“I like it here. The town and Shimmer Lake. Everyone has been really welcoming. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Small towns can get a bad rep sometimes,” Lacey confirms.
I run my nails over Millie’s arm. “They’re deserving of it most of the time.”
“Should I expect something bad to happen around here, then?” Millie asks me.
“It wouldn’t surprise me, but I’m hoping not. You didn’t come here to get sucked back into the drama.”
“It’s been a while since the last scandal anyway. Maybe Oak Point has matured,” Lacey suggests.
Millie scoots up in her seat, drawn into Lacey’s words. “What was the last scandal?”
I shake my head, hoping Lacey can read into my lack of desire to chat about this.
She ignores me. “Have you met the Whittman kids?”
“No? Who are the Whittmans?”
“Shelly and Kirk Whittman. She’s asking about their kids,” I clarify, shifting uncomfortably.
Millie glances at me, picking up on the movement. It’s a fleeting look, but a kind one. Like she’s checking in on me.
“No. I haven’t met them, but Shelly was telling me about them the other day,” she explains.
Lacey nods. “Ash’s best friend, Rowe, went to prison for a while for nearly killing a guy out by the campground.”
I scowl at Lacey when Millie tenses. “That’s a massive way of underexplaining what happened. It wasn’t that simple, and everything that guy got was deserved.”
“In your opinion. But he still lost the case and went to jail,” Lacey argues.
“So it doesn’t matter what happened prior to that? He’s guilty because he didn’t have an expensive lawyer or loaded legal team?”
“What happened before?” Millie asks, twisting in the booth and focusing on me.
“It’s not our story to tell,” I answer pointedly, hoping Lacey picks up on that fact. “Just don’t judge Rowe for what happened, especially when Tilly isn’t here to tell her side of the story.”
Millie searches my face for something before asking, “Is he still in prison?”
“No. He’s served his time.”
Lacey keeps quiet now, and when I look at her, I see her frown for what it is: shame for gossiping.
We don’t know each other that well, but I do know she isn’t someone to spread shit around town about anyone.
Millie has a way of opening everyone up in a way they’re not used to, so who am I to blame her for falling victim in the same way I have?
“Everyone whispers about it. Don’t feel guilty,” I tell her.
She tries for a smile, but it falls short. “You’re right. Tilly isn’t here to explain her side, and I’m not about to ask Rowe for his.”
“Don’t blame you for that. He’s a cruel motherfucker now, but I can’t say we should have expected any different,” I say.
“Are you two friends?” Millie asks.
“Yeah, we’re friends. I’ve known him and Ash since we were in diapers. I don’t see a lot of him anymore, though. He and Ash are close. He only comes around to see me when he wants to get something inked.”
Otherwise, he’s held up at Painted Sky. His family ranch is along the highway leading to the campground, but I haven’t stepped foot there in over a decade.
Not since before Rowe got locked up. I don’t know how the hell he’s been living back there, considering the way his family cut ties with him.
Blood doesn’t turn its back on blood, but his did.
The only explanation I have is that since he’s been back on the bronc-riding shit, they’re looking for an extra payday. Once he gets back in the circuit, he’ll be competing the way he was before everything went to hell.
“I won’t judge him until I meet him,” Millie declares, relaxing back into her seat. “It’s only fair.”
Lacey exhales. “I should do the same. It’s been years.”
“He’d appreciate that,” I say.
There’s a soft clearing of a throat from beside me that puts an end to the conversation.
The waitress, wearing the typical frilly apron that Maggie loves so much, smiles at us before introducing herself.
I sit back in silence while Lacey orders her breakfast and then listen closely while Millie does the same.
“I’ll do the french toast with a side of scrambled eggs, please. And another coffee.”
With a squeeze of her shoulder, I order the same thing. It’s a struggle to keep from teasing her about her order, but I’m having too great a morning to risk pissing her off already.
Not before getting her alone again, at least. Because once I do, I’m not leaving again until we’ve gotten to the bottom of what’s been eating her up. Hopefully, that will mean I’ve shared my list with her, and we can get started on it sooner rather than later.
Millie isn’t going to stay here for long, and I refuse to miss any more days waiting for her to come to me.