Chapter seventeen Cashlynn #2
“And the white walls with those blue circles are going to be perfect for displaying the artwork.”
“I’m glad you like it. Most galleries stick with all-white walls, but I wanted to tie in the mural more. I think the little bit of color did that.”
Willow nods, moving toward the back of the space through the opening that separates the studio from the gallery. “The cabinets turned out great too.”
“Penn put those together so fast that I felt like I blinked and they were done.”
Willow laughs. “The man is a whiz with power tools. Believe me, I know from personal experience. He practically renovated my entire house.”
“I would love to see it sometime. I can’t imagine having the ocean as my front yard.”
She sighs. “It’s incredible and never gets old. In fact, why don’t you and Parker come over for dinner this week? You can see the house, and while he’s there, he can check on the geese for me.”
My eyes light up. “The viral geese?”
Willow clasps her hands together over her chest. “Yes, and I love that you saw those videos.”
“It was part of the reason I got him to agree to be my fake fiancé—to deter his new admirers.” I wink at her.
“And now I like you even more.”
A knock on the front door pulls my attention.
Through the brown butcher paper still covering the glass, I see the silhouette of someone waving like a lunatic.
Stepping closer, I peel back a corner of the paper and laugh when I see Hazel’s grinning face.
I open the door, and she shuffles in, balancing a tray of coffees. “Hello, ladies!”
“Hi.” I shut and lock the door behind her.
Hazel takes in the mural as she walks over to one of the high-top tables I have strategically placed around the room, setting the tray of drinks down before turning to admire the wall in its entirety. “I fucking love this, Cashlynn.”
“Thank you. It’s coming together slowly but surely. I honestly still can’t believe that this space is mine.”
Willow reaches for her decaf coffee and takes a sip. “Oh believe it, because in about a month, this place will be open to the public.”
I sigh. “Yeah, and then I have to come clean to my dad about everything.”
Hazel hands me my coffee. “How did lunch with him go the other day?”
I take a sip before answering. “The usual. He had a lot to say about my job, or lack thereof. He still thinks I’m working remotely, but he insisted that I speak with Timothy McDonald to try to practice law here.”
Willow flashes me a look of understanding. “I’m sorry, Cashlynn. Hopefully, when he sees what you’ve created, it’ll all be worth it.”
“I hope so. He saw paint on my hands and instantly chastised me about it.” Hazel shakes her head as I continue. “It made me so angry that I snapped at him.”
“What did you say?” Hazel asks.
“I asked him if he criticized my mom the way he criticizes me.”
Willow’s eyebrows shoot up. “Damn. What did he say?”
“His mood shifted instantly. He told me that there were times he expressed his concerns about her work but tried to support her as much as he could. So, I asked him to do the same for me. I almost told him right then and there what I’ve been up to, but I can’t.
Not yet. There’s still too many unknowns and I don’t want to jeopardize my side of my deal with Parker. ”
Hazel steps toward me, placing her arm around my shoulder, her eyes moving around the room.
“Just keep making this place the best it can be and hope that he can see all of the love you’ve poured into it.
If not, then maybe the man needs reminding about what it means to be a supportive father, and I have no problem giving him that with a knuckle sandwich on the side. ”
Willow rolls her eyes. “You beating up an old man isn’t going to solve anything, Hazel.”
She turns to face her sister-in-law. “You don’t know that.”
I squeeze Hazel from the side. “I appreciate the offer, but physical harm isn’t necessary.
He’ll either accept it or he won’t, but either way, at least I’ll have what I’ve always wanted out of this, and hopefully Parker will too.
I talked to my dad about his decision a bit during our lunch and told him he’d be stupid to pick Seth.
” I chew on my bottom lip. “I might have also told him that Parker has plans for the practice if he takes over though, and I’m not exactly sure that’s true. ”
Hazel rolls her eyes. “If I know my brother, I’m sure that it is. But you might want to give him a heads-up.”
“I’m going to talk to him about it tonight. He got home late last night, and we uh, didn’t exactly do a lot of talking before we went to sleep.” My cheeks flush as the girls gawk at me.
Hazel gags. “Didn’t need to know that.”
Willow takes a step closer to us. “So things are going well with him?”
“Yes, but he still hasn’t opened up about certain things. And he uh…has these appointments on Monday nights that make him come home late.”
“Okay…”
“But he won’t tell me what they’re for.”
“Have you tried sex again?” Hazel asks as I shove her off me, her laughter ringing out.
“No, and that’s not how I want to get him to open up. I’m hoping that, with time, he’ll want to tell me. But if he doesn’t… How can I trust him fully if he’s keeping secrets? And how can I avoid triggering him if I don’t even know what he’s dealing with?”
“Any idea what it could be?” Willow asks, turning to Hazel.
“Maybe he’s getting his balls waxed,” Hazel says with a shrug.
Willow and I stare at her in disbelief. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Willow demands, shaking her head at her sister-in-law.
Hazel holds her hands up. “Hey, it’s something a guy wouldn’t want to share with someone!”
“Don’t you think Cashlynn would know if Parker gets his balls waxed, though?”
Hazel’s hands drop to her side. “Good point.”
“Not that we should even be discussing this, but I know for a fact that’s not it.”
Willows blows out a breath, still shaking her head. “Okay, well… I’m sure it’s not something bad. I mean, all the man does is work and exercise. Is he going to a gym?”
I shake my head. “He has pretty much every piece of equipment you could think of in his garage. That wouldn’t make any sense.
And he doesn’t come home sweaty. But, his hair is always a mess when he walks in, like he’s been running his hands through it, or someone else has,” I say, my stomach churning at the thought.
Hazel takes a step toward me. “He is not cheating on you, so don’t even think it.” I nod as she continues. “My brother is a lot of things, but a cheater is not one of them.”
“I think so too, but I’m just in the dark, and he won’t talk to me about it. Everything feels very surface-level right now—except the sex. That’s still amazing.”
“Men are so fragile when it comes to feelings,” Willow says, running her nails absently across her stomach. “I can tell you this—my son won’t be afraid of talking about his emotions, not after the roadblocks Dallas and I have both overcome in that department.”
Hazel wraps her arm around Willow’s shoulders. “And women everywhere will be thanking you for generations to come.”