Chapter 20
Gavin
We enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning, spending hours tangled together in bed until hunger forced us to get up and find something to eat. For the better part of the day, we did the bare minimum and watched a movie together.
In the late afternoon, Cole headed over to his parents’ place for dinner, and I stayed behind.
A quiet house with a twinkling Christmas tree provided the perfect backdrop to get some words in on my still-untitled manuscript.
Over the past week, I’d made a lot of progress, and at this pace, I’d likely have a third of my first draft done within a few days.
I settled onto the couch, opened my laptop, and watched as my fingers danced across the keyboard. In my head, I pictured the scene:
Zach was standing at the far end of the bar after a long day of repairing the gazebo in the middle of town. He wore a red Henley instead of his usual work flannel. The moment he walked inside, Nico couldn’t stop staring at the way his faded blue jeans clung to him.
When he finally looked up, their gazes locked, and it felt as though an invisible wire was pulling them toward each other. Zach pushed off the bar top and crossed the room in long strides until he stood in front of Nico.
“Dance with me,” he said, wrapping an arm around Nico’s waist.
Nico’s brows lifted. “There’s no dance floor.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Zach pulled him out to an empty space between a couple of tables. The song playing from the jukebox changed to “I’ll Be,” and Nico’s chest tightened when Zach began singing in his ear. As they moved in a slow circle between the tables, Nico laid his head on Zach’s shoulder.
I read the scene back twice, smiling as I remembered watching Cole on stage, singing that very same song.
I’d changed some of the details, but there was no denying who Zach and Nico really were.
Hell, in the story, Zach was a handyman.
The only real difference was Nico had inherited a hardware store instead of an inn, so I had made that the backdrop of their meet-cute.
I tried to convince myself writing this story was just my job, but deep down, I knew better. The kind of love I was writing for Zach and Nico wasn’t just fiction; it was the future I secretly wanted with Cole. I just didn’t know if fate had brought me to Brookhaven for that exact purpose.
Just as I was about to start typing again, a text notification dinged on my phone. Picking it up, I saw the message was from Allie:
I’m at the inn. Where are you?
My brows furrowed. At the inn?
You’re in Brookhaven???
Surprise! I gave you plenty of time to report back about the tree lighting. My patience is gone
So you traveled over 4 hours to talk about it instead of calling me?
Will you just get your ass over here?
A few seconds later, another message from her came through:
Unless you’re too busy doing something else
Several smiling purple devil emojis followed.
Give me a few minutes and I’ll be there
* * *
When I pulled into the B&B’s parking lot, anxious to find out the real reason my best friend was in town, I spotted Ryan’s truck. I turned off the engine and slid out of my car at the same time that Allie hopped out of the passenger seat of the black Toyota Tundra.
She launched herself at me. “I missed you.”
“Me too.” I squeezed her back, then peeked over her shoulder and waved at Ryan, who was still sitting in his truck watching us.
He leaned across the console and gave me a grin. “Hey, man.”
“Hey. How’s it going?”
His eyes flicked over to Allie, and his grin widened. “Not bad at all, but I’ll let you two catch up.”
“Bye, babe. I’ll see you soon.” She blew him a kiss.
He pretended to catch it in the air, then backed out and drove off.
I turned to my friend and couldn’t hold in my laughter. “What the fuck was that?”
She smacked my stomach playfully. “Let’s talk inside.”
“About that.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “The place is in complete chaos right now. The plumbers have started replacing all of the pipes and the water heater. So, I know there isn’t any water, and Cole may have turned off the electricity already too.”
“Well, it’s too cold to stay out here.” She rubbed her hands together before bringing them to her mouth to blow hot air into them.
“We could go to the diner?” I suggested.
“Sounds great.”
We climbed into my car and buckled up before I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.
“So, if there’s no water or electricity at the B&B, where have you been staying?”
I glanced quickly at her, then looked back at the road. “With Cole.”
“Oh really?”
“In the spare room,” I added quickly, then sighed. “Allegedly.”
She gasped. “Oh my god. You’re sleeping with him!”
“Yes, but no one knows. He’s made it clear he wants to keep it a secret. You can’t say a word, not even to Ryan.”
She held up two fingers in a mock salute. “Best friend’s honor.”
“I mean it,” I pressed.
She squeezed my arm. “I know. I won’t tell anyone.”
I turned onto Spruce Street. “Now that I’ve spilled my secrets, it’s your turn. What’s going on with you and Ryan?”
“I don’t know.” From the corner of my eye, I could see the big smile spread across her face. “He called me on Friday afternoon, and I joked about him coming to visit me. Six hours later, he was at our door. We spent all of Saturday exploring the city and talking. He’s not what I expected.”
I arched a brow. “Is that a good thing?”
“It’s the best thing.” Her voice took on a dreamy tone. “I’ve never felt like this about anybody before.”
“Not even Seth Reed?” I asked, mentioning her boyfriend from our last year of college, whom she swore was her soulmate just a month before she broke up with him.
“Are you kidding me? Ryan is ten times better for me than Seth,” she huffed. “I think I can actually see a future with him.”
“Damn, Al, that sounds pretty serious.”
“Maybe we’ll both get our own small town romance story after all.”
* * *
After we got a bite to eat and Allie caught me up on everything going on in New York City, I dropped her off at Ryan’s with a promise to hang out the next day while the guys were working.
Once I got back to Cole’s, I took a shower, then slipped into a fresh T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. Not even thirty minutes later, Cole walked through the door and kicked off his boots.
“Hey.” He smiled when he saw me.
“Hey,” I replied. “How was dinner?”
“Hectic.” He chuckled, dropping onto the couch beside me. “My sister, her husband, and my niece were there. Then my cousin stopped by for dessert with his wife and kids. I wish I had half their energy.”
I snorted. “Sounds … fun?”
He nodded. “It was. I also told them you’re staying with me while the plumbing is being redone. Since Dad already knew what was going on, nobody acted as though it was strange. So that’s good.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, although I wasn’t sure how I felt about being treated like a dirty little secret. On one hand, sneaking around sounded hot, but on the other, it didn’t exactly feel like it had the potential to grow into something more.
Maybe this is all it’s meant to be.
“What’d you do while I was gone?” he asked, resting his sock-covered feet on the coffee table.
“Got a lot of writing done. Then Allie surprised me by showing up in town.”
He whipped his head around to look at me. “She’s in Brookhaven?”
“Yep. I guess Ryan went to see her in New York and then she came back with him.”
Cole let out a slow whistle. “Can’t believe Ryan actually went through with it.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You knew about him going to New York?”
He shrugged. “He mentioned in passing wanting to see her the other day.”
“Well, she was super happy about it. From what she told me, she’s pretty serious about him.”
“I’m not surprised. He’s not the player everyone thinks he is. I think he’s just been waiting for the right person to come around.”
His leg bumped mine, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “But enough talk about our best friends. There are other things I’d rather do.”