Chapter 9
Lauren
“A re you sure you’re feeling completely normal?” I asked Cole as we waited for our food at Charlie’s. “It’s only been a week since you got that flu.”
Cole looked good.
Too good.
He was wearing a dark-green, long-sleeved Henley shirt, a pair of jeans, and lace-up boots.
Every place in Crystal Fork was extremely casual.
I’d opted for jeans, a pink sweater, and a pair of cute ankle boots.
He shot me a small grin. “Are you worrying about me again, angel?”
My heart skittered.
That new nickname he used sounded slightly like an endearment coming from his gorgeous lips, but it was definitely a misnomer.
My thoughts were far from angelic every time I looked at Cole Remington.
In fact, they were downright carnal and totally sinful.
I took a sip of my water before I answered, “Maybe a little. You were pretty sick just a week ago.”
“I’m fine,” he assured me. “It took me a few days to get my energy back after you left, but I’m good. How was your week?”
“Busy,” I admitted. “But I’m finally getting close to catching up on my reports.
I’m going to start taking fewer projects this year so I can enjoy my spring and summer.
I’ve been so busy since I moved back home that I haven’t really gotten out that much.
Tanner gifted me a beautiful mare that he keeps at his barn.
I named her Daisy. I adore her, but I haven’t ridden her nearly as much as I’d like because I was buying and setting up a new home, starting a new business, and taking on too many projects.
I think it’s time for me to get a life of some kind.
I don’t want to work every day of the week anymore.
I don’t have anything to prove at this point in my career, and I make plenty of money.
The cost of living isn’t exactly high here in Crystal Fork. ”
He frowned. “You shouldn’t work every day of the week. It’s not healthy.”
He looked annoyed, but that wasn’t exactly unusual for Cole.
I shot him a skeptical look. “Please don’t tell me that you haven’t done exactly the same thing.”
“I have,” he confirmed. “That’s why I know it isn’t good for you, and it’s the reason why Asher and I finally sold our tech company.
We were both burned out after working seven days a week for most of our adult lives.
We were basically living in our offices.
Like you, I think we both just realized that we had nothing to prove. ”
“What made you come back to Montana?” I asked a little hesitantly.
Yes, we were chatting pretty easily, which seemed like a miracle to me after our earlier encounters. But I wasn’t quite sure just how much he was willing to share with me.
For some reason, he’d seemed a little distant with me since he’d picked me up earlier.
It was like his walls had come back up now that he was healthy and less vulnerable.
Things weren’t awkward between us, but I could sense that Cole’s edginess and defensiveness were back and securely in place again.
Cole shot me an amused glance. “You don’t think we came back for the warm welcome we knew we’d get from the town?” he asked drily.
I shook my head. “I think you knew exactly how the town would react, but you’re still here.”
He shrugged. “We did, but we really didn’t give a fuck.
We had unfinished business here, and the Remington land is in our blood.
Our father was an asshole, but our ancestors were some of the first settlers in this area.
That acreage has been owned by Remingtons for generations.
Being back on that land feels like home to us, even if the town doesn’t feel like welcoming us back with open arms.”
“I get that,” I said with a sigh. “I missed it here, too, and my roots in this area aren’t as deep as yours.
The East Coast never felt like home to me.
The people in town won’t always be this way, Cole.
There are a lot of good people in Crystal Fork, but the gossip and rumors have always been a way of life here.
You and Asher coming back was big news, and it stirred up a lot of old rumors.
People will eventually realize that you didn’t kill your father, and they’ll move on to newer gossip.
I know it might seem hard to believe right now, but there are plenty of people in town who never believed that you and Asher killed your father. ”
Unfortunately, the people who liked to spread vicious rumors just seemed to be heard more loudly than the people who didn’t.
Cole and I had gotten a few rude stares when we’d come into Charlie’s together, but there were a lot of people who had greeted Cole with a friendly nod of their head or an actual wave in his direction.
Charlie had actually hugged Cole and welcomed him back to Crystal Fork with genuine affection.
After the shock had worn off, he’d hugged the older woman back a little warily.
If Cole just spent some time in town, he’d find out how many allies he had in a very short amount of time.
“I think I’m just starting to realize that the entire town doesn’t think I’m a criminal,” he answered thoughtfully.
“That surprises you?” I asked.
He nodded slowly. “It does. We weren’t exactly a social family when we were younger. We didn’t come to town that often.”
I wanted to tell him that almost everyone in town knew that wasn’t Asher and Cole’s fault.
It was common knowledge that Cole’s father was a drunk and an asshole.
It had been an obvious assumption that he’d kept his boys isolated from the rest of the town most of the time.
“You’re a local,” I said simply. “That makes you one of them, even if you don’t hang out in town very often.”
Our conversation was interrupted as Charlie brought our order to the table.
I smiled as I saw Cole’s giant beef burrito. He’d gone for tonight’s special, and he was definitely getting his money’s worth.
My chicken salad was also ridiculously huge.
Charlie didn’t skimp on portions. The restaurant fed a lot of people who did very physical jobs during the day, like ranching and farming. She made sure they got the calories and protein they needed to nourish their bodies when they came to her restaurant.
“Can I get you anything else right now?” Charlie asked with a smile.
“I think I’m good,” Cole rumbled.
I nodded in agreement.
“Enjoy!” Charlie said cheerfully before she strode away from our table.
Cole shot me a grin that made my heart skip a beat.
Cole was already ridiculously handsome, but when he grinned like that, he was completely irresistible.
“I see that Charlie’s portions haven’t changed,” he commented.
I let out a sigh. “I’m never going to finish this salad.”
“I’m cleaning my plate,” Cole informed me as he picked up his fork. “I skipped lunch. That’s not a very substantial dinner. Maybe you should take some of my burrito.”
I glanced at my salad and then gaped at him. “This chicken salad is huge.”
“It’s lettuce,” he grumbled unhappily. “That’s not dinner.”
I laughed. “There’s chicken and a lot of things other than lettuce. I’m not going to leave here hungry.”
“Are you eating salad because you want to or because you think you need to?” he asked before he tucked into his huge burrito.
I picked up my fork and nearly told him automatically that I really liked salad.
That’s what I’d usually do.
But I stopped and really thought about his question.
I was starting to challenge some of my learned and mechanical responses these days.
Maybe being in the company of good friends and people who cared about me was starting to make me realize that my perception wasn’t always reality.
I wasn’t going to conquer my low self-esteem overnight, but I was learning to be more honest with myself.
“Probably a little of both,” I responded honestly.
“I do like salad, but I also need to eat healthy. Unfortunately, I love food, but I have to watch what I eat. I have a really sedentary job, and I really haven’t exercised much this winter.
I wish we had a gym here in Crystal Fork.
I think I could use a weight loss boot camp of some kind.
Truthfully, I probably would have gone for that burrito if my weight wasn’t an issue for me, but I do like my salads. ”
“You should eat what you want,” he grumbled. “Your body looks just fine.”
I sighed. “I really want to be more fit.”
“I can make that happen,” Cole said confidently after he swallowed a sip of his water.
“Come to my place every weekday morning at seven. If you want help getting to peak fitness, I’ll help you.
There’s nothing wrong with your body, but if you want to be fitter, get stronger, and build more lean muscle, I’ll get you there.
But only if you agree to eat what you want every weekend.
Being fit doesn’t mean you have to be regimented every single moment of every day.
Humans weren’t meant to live on lettuce every damn day. ”
His grimace made me laugh.
“I’ve always wanted a fitness coach,” I said wistfully. “But I was never brave enough to find a gym. I was too self-conscious about my less-than-fit body.”
He swallowed a large bite of his burrito before he answered, “Private gym. Private coach.”
God, I wanted to take him up on his offer.
I wanted to learn how to be fitter, stronger, and healthier.
The man was obviously well-versed in all things fitness, but…
“It will take time out of every weekday for you,” I protested.
“I’m there in my gym every morning anyway,” he countered. “It’s not exactly a sacrifice for me.”
I stabbed at my lettuce as I replied, “It’s still a lot. What do you get out of this deal?”
He shrugged. “You could ditch a future new client for me and evaluate one of my prospective investments instead.”
I let out a frustrated breath. “I already told you that I plan on taking you as a new client soon.”
That wasn’t a favor that I’d be doing for him, either. My services weren’t exactly cheap, and I did have room for him as a new client because I was wrapping up a ton of projects.
He shot me a mischievous grin that brought a massive lump into my throat before he suggested, “Bump me up to next in line for a project. I have one prospective investment that I really need evaluated sooner rather than later.”
That teasing look was freaking lethal, and it got to me.
I had a feeling that Cole Remington didn’t shoot that heart-stopping smile to just anyone.
I took a deep breath and discovered I just couldn’t say no to this man.
He was offering me something I really wanted, and I was trying to learn how to seize the moment and change my negative thinking about myself.
Seeing him every weekday morning was probably dangerous for me.
Cole Remington was almost irresistible, but I was going to have to learn how to control my lust when he was around. This would probably be a good opportunity to try to get used to his ridiculous hotness.
I’d see him every weekday morning.
He’d be my advisor.
Certainly that would help me get over my body’s heated reaction to him every time I saw him.
I’d figure out something nice I could do for him in the future.
Giving him priority treatment on a project was nothing special.
“Deal,” I said in a rush before I could stop myself or make up excuses as to why I couldn’t take him up on his offer.
It really wasn’t a bad idea, if I disregarded the fact that I was massively attracted to him. I’d be getting a huge benefit while I tried to achieve a future goal of mine.
I wanted to be friends with Cole Remington, and that was exactly what I was planning to do in the future.