Chapter one #2
The two of us watch her walk away before Dallas slides onto the stool she just vacated. “You’re such a good friend,” he says in a feminine voice, imitating Astrid from before.
Glaring at him, I bark out, “Shut the fuck up.”
“I can’t. It’s in the older brother by-laws that I must give you shit about your unrequited crush every hour, on the hour. And getting a front row seat to your misery is just icing on the cake.”
“You’re a dick.”
“Yes, I can be.” Dallas grows serious now, slipping into his concerned, big brother role. “But I also just hate seeing you hung up on her like this.”
I shrug. “It is what it is.”
“It doesn’t have to be, man.”
I pin him with my eyes. “Yes, it does. I’m tired of having this fucking argument with you. Just drop it.”
He holds his palms up. “Fine. I’ll drop it, especially since this is her night and I don’t want to ruin it. But I hate seeing you waste time not going after what you want. It’s been four years, Penn…”
“You think I don’t fucking know that?” I cut him off, tired of having this same conversation with him over and over again.
For the past year especially, Dallas has made it a mission to give me shit about my feelings for Astrid.
I guess I thought I was better at hiding it than I was, and then a few weeks ago, I made the mistake of telling him that I had my shot with her three years ago and she said no. Now he really won’t let it go.
“Just because you’re happy and in love now doesn’t mean you have the responsibility to help other people get there, okay?”
He studies me over the rim of his glass as he takes a drink of his beer and grows serious, the teasing lilt in his voice gone.
“No, but if the past couple of months have taught me anything, it’s that life’s fucking short and ruminating on shit that we have no control over doesn’t solve anything.
All it does is force us to waste time we could spend being happy. ”
Our father died eight months ago now, and his death hit my older brother the hardest. Their relationship was tumultuous at best since my father, a retired Marine, never approved of my brother enlisting in the Marines himself.
He wanted to save him from the guilt and horror that serving could wreak on his mind, but Dallas didn’t listen.
Even up until our dad died, he and Dallas had animosity between them.
It wasn’t until Willow entered Dallas’s life and he was forced to face the truth behind our dad’s strong opinions that he finally found some peace.
I’m relieved he has because, as much as I hate that he’s hell-bent on being so involved in my life, I do it right back to him. It was time he started letting go of the anger and guilt he carried around. And Willow finally helped him do that.
But facing my own demons?
Yeah…I don’t have time for that shit.
“Things between us work. There’s no sense in messing with that,” I counter, feeling like I’m defending my friendship with Astrid like always.
Dallas scoffs. “Yeah, I thought things were working in my life, too. And then Willow stormed in and showed me what I’ve been missing.”
“You talkin’ about me?” The woman in question slides in next to my brother as his arm wraps around her waist.
He stares up at her from the stool, lovesick and fucking beaming. It’s sickening, really. “Maybe, Goose,” he replies, using the nickname he gave her shortly after she arrived in town and established a war with the geese that were out to get her.
“Good things?”
“Just how you’ve managed to make rainbows shoot out of his ass,” I answer before he can.
Willow snorts. “Oh, Jesus. I take it Dallas has pissed you off already this evening?”
“Naturally.”
“Penn is just sulking like normal. He’s mad because I keep telling him to make a move with…”
“That’s enough.” I cut him off, standing from my chair and draining the rest of my beer. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and when I take it out to see who’s calling, my pulse spikes. “Fuck, I’ve got to take this.”
“Secret girlfriend?” Willow teases.
“Like I have time for that,” I grate out, sending the call to voicemail so I can call back in a minute.
“Nope, all of his free time is held for Astrid, remember?” Dallas croons, drawing Willow closer to his chest.
Willow swats at him. “Oh, stop. Penn, don’t listen to your brother. I get it.”
“Get what?” I ask, eyeing her skeptically.
“Why you don’t cross the line.”
“Cross the line?” Dallas interjects. “He’s so far away from the line that he can’t even see the line. Hell, the line is a dot to him.”
Willow arches her brow at him. “Was that your attempt at a Friends reference, babe?”
Dallas grins. “Yeah, Goose. How’d I do?”
“Well, you didn’t quite use it in the right context, but I appreciate the effort.” Willow kisses his lips and then turns back to me. “We’ve been bingeing the series together because I make references to it and your brother has no idea what I’m saying.”
“Sounds exciting,” I say sarcastically.
Willow rolls her eyes at me. “It’s the best show ever, and just because you can’t appreciate it, doesn’t mean you should yuck someone else’s yum, Penn.
” I chuckle silently as her gaze softens.
“Astrid has been through a lot, and she’s about to take on an entirely new level of responsibility of owning a business,” she says, returning to the topic from before, even though I was hoping she would leave it alone.
Looks like I’m not that lucky. “Just continue to be there for her the way you’ve always been. She appreciates you, you know.”
Sighing, I nod. “Yeah, I know. Look, I’ve got to go. Make sure she gets home all right?” I say to Willow, standing from my stool.
“I will.”
With a parting jut of my chin, I head for the front door, but get stopped by Mrs. Hansen before I can leave.
“Penn!” she calls after me.
I spin around to face her. “What’s up, Mrs. Hansen?”
“I was wondering if you could stay later at the hardware store tomorrow?” she asks, batting her eyelashes at me. Elizabeth Hansen is older than my mother, so when she does this, I just get creeped out. But she’s my boss, so I hold in my reaction.
“Well, I have plans on Tuesdays…”
“I know, but Harold has a doctor’s appointment and he can’t drive himself afterward. He has to get his eyes dilated.”
Sighing, I agree. After all, it’s not like she can help that. And this is what I do. I help people when they need something. “Sure, Mrs. Hansen. I can stay late.”
“Thank you, Penn. Also, there’s a new load of lumber that’s coming in tomorrow that I’m going to need your help with too.”
“What about Vince?” I ask, referring to another employee who usually handles the outdoor area of the store.
“He hurt his back. Won’t be in for a few days.”
Shit. Between him and me, we usually handle the heavy lifting around the store, but without him, that means I’ll be the one that will take the brunt of the physical labor.
Nothing I can’t handle, but still.
“Okay. We’ll get it done. But you might want to think about hiring someone new,” I tell her.
“Oh. Yeah. I know.” She turns away from me, avoiding my eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Penn,” she says before walking away, back to Astrid’s party.
With one last parting glance, I push through the door of the restaurant and head straight out to my truck before I can get stopped again.
The sun is almost past the horizon in the distance, leading to nightfall.
Carrington Cove sits right on the coast in North Carolina, and the view of the ocean I’ve seen for my entire life never gets old.
Turquoise and dark blue waves crash onto the white sandy beaches, the last remaining daylight reflecting off the water in the distance.
Streetlights and neon signs begin illuminating the coast, and the Ferris wheel on the pier shines brightly against the purple and navy sky.
And as I drive, I hope that I don’t run out of daylight before I can arrive at the place that may be my own little venture in the near future.
***
“They accepted your offer, Penn.” Pam from Cove Real Estate smiles at me as I walk through the house.
“I can’t believe it.” I don’t think the reality has hit me yet, but as I walk around the space and make a mental list of everything that needs to be fixed, I’m sure it will feel real the second I start pouring money into the place.
It’s a good thing they took twenty thousand less than the asking price.
“Well, money isn’t everyone’s top priority. Tom and his wife knew you’d take care of the house, and I may have put in a good word for you as well.”
I spin to face her. “You didn’t have to do that, Pam.”
She lays her hand on my shoulder, our height difference making the gesture difficult. At six foot five, I’m taller than most everybody, so I’m used to it. “I know I didn’t, but you deserve this.”
Hearing those words from her only feeds into the anxiety brewing in my chest. For years, I’ve had this idea of flipping houses and turning them into vacation rentals for tourists in our town.
The Cove Inn only has so many rooms, which means many out-of-towners end up staying in the handful of rentals in town or finding accommodations in nearby towns instead.
It robs Carrington Cove of more revenue, and that’s revenue that I saw as an opportunity for a business, especially since I know just about everything about maintaining and owning a home.
And now that this house is in escrow, it seems like I finally have a chance to make something of that beyond my reputation as the local hardware store handyman.
But the threat of failure is still lurking under the surface.
“Thanks, Pam.”
“Not a problem. Since we opted for a fast escrow, the keys will be yours by Friday. Tom was eager to get out from under the mortgage.”
“Damn. This is really happening, isn’t it?” I mutter mostly to myself. Friday is only five days away.