Chapter 15
Landon
Old sheet rock fills the dumpster. The lead-rich cabinets and moldy carpets have been removed. The house is a skeleton. The potbelly stove and salvageable light fixtures are the only elements left after Collin’s team finished the first stage of the project.
Evidence of the night I spent with Zoe vanished like it never happened.
It’s been two weeks since I made her cinnamon rolls, and she’s as stubborn as day one. Returning my gifts. Ignoring my phone calls. Dodging face-to-face meetings.
I don’t know what’s left to try to earn Zoe’s friendship. I’ve lost hope that I’ll kiss her again.
So I focus on what I can control. The house and cottages. It’s time to build.
Collin and I are finalizing the floor plans for the cottages today. He extends his hand when I enter his office. “I have bad news.”
“Already?” I just walked through the door.
“The town council sent a message that we need to increase phase two to thirty cabins.”
“Zoe doesn’t have the guts to tell me herself?” The chicken.
We’ve bickered via text message.
Friends don’t bicker. They hang out and watch movies. They walk on the beach. They don’t return the Hermes scarves or Chanel handbags I send.
I hate fighting with her, but silence is worse.
Collin unrolls the blueprints with the site plan.
“This one was straight from the council.” He points to the cliff that takes full advantage of the Pacific views.
“They want them here, which doubles the amount of site work we have to do. Fortifying the cliff face for the weight and adding safe footpaths and guardrails will be a nightmare.”
“Then we don’t do it.”
“And if they fight us?”
“Send them to me. I’ve dealt with negotiations like this in the past. It’s my money, my name. They’ve already approved the permits for the house, so if that’s all I get, I’m still happy.”
“What about Zoe?”
“What about her?”
“I know you bring her coffee and breakfast most mornings. Why?”
“Because I want to.”
“I need a better reason that that.”
“What does this have to do with the cabins or the council’s demands?”
“She’s like a sister to me, so you do. People are starting to talk.”
“And?”
“When people start talking, usually it’s not a good sign. If you think you can buy her off, you’re wrong. She doesn’t have that kind of pull with the council anyway.”
“I don’t care about the council.”
“Then what’s with all the presents? The car? The food?”
“I don’t know.” I rake my hand through my hair. “I like her. That’s the answer you’re looking for. I want to take her on a date, but she won’t budge.”
I’m an idiot. We shared one kiss, and she ran scared. I should take the hint that she doesn’t want to have anything else to do with me. One kiss can’t determine my life, even if it invades my thoughts.
Even if every time I decide to move on and stop caring, I see her smile, hear her laugh, smell that sweet cinnamon scent she wears, and I’m back in the estate library kissing her like it’s the only reasonable use of my time.
How do you move on when one kiss makes the rest of your life feel pointless?
Collin watches my expression as my mind tumbles through a litany of irrational thoughts.
He nods. “You seem like a decent guy, but we don’t know you. Your reputation says you keep to yourself, but that means you keep a lot hidden. Your resources make it possible for you to do whatever you want. Zoe is fragile.”
“You don’t know her if you think I can break her.” She’s more likely to break me.
Collin shakes his head. “I’m not worried that you will hurt her. She’ll hurt herself proving she is the person everyone wants her to be. That’s how she’s always been. Don’t put her in a position to choose your happiness over her own, because she will never choose herself.”
Heaviness settles in my chest. That’s exactly what Zoe will do. It’s what she’s doing with the town council. “I want her to see herself the way I see her. Strong, capable, passionate. She’s a force to be reckoned with.”
He settles his hip on the edge of his desk. “And then what?”
“And then we see what she wants.”
“You won’t be able to whisk her away from Rainwater Bay. Her roots are too deep, and she needs community to give her purpose.”
“You know an awful lot about her.” Is his attachment more than platonic? Did I miss the signs that he’s in love with her?
He folds his arms over his chest and drops his gaze to his dusty boots. “She and I know what it’s like to live in burdensome shadows.”
“Your grandparents? Your dad?”
“Not something I’m willing to talk about.” He pushes off the desk and returns to his chair. All business, like our conversation about Zoe didn’t happen. “The electricians will be at the estate tomorrow to pull new wiring.”
“They know about the salvaged chandeliers and sconces? Can we bring them up to code?”
“They know, but I’ll double check.” He makes a note on his phone.
“Don’t worry about Zoe.” I rap my knuckles on the wooden surface. “I’ll take care of her.”
“She doesn’t need you to take care of her. She’s done that job well enough for the last ten years.”
“I disagree. Everyone needs someone they can fall back on. You’re her friends, but if she’s in trouble, she won’t call you. She won’t call anyone. She needs someone, and I want that someone to be me.”
“Be the man who deserves her.”
“I already am. I just need to find a way to prove it to her.”
“Don’t buy her presents. Spend time with her. Make her laugh. If she can relax, she’ll figure it out.”
“Make her laugh. I can do that.” I slide my sunglasses over my eyes and step out into the brisk day. I need to find Zoe.
Zoe
Landon
We need to talk about the cabin situation. 20 v 30?
Zoe
30. Problem solved.
Landon
Dinner at my place.
Zoe
I’m busy.
Landon
I didn’t say which night.
Zoe
Doesn’t matter. I’m always busy.
Landon
Liar.
Tomorrow. Come over and convince me 30 cabins is the way to go.
Zoe
The town council wants 30. You give them 30.
Landon
I don’t take orders from them, but I’m willing to listen to you.
Zoe
I don’t want to.
Landon
Yes, you do. You would have tackled the cinnamon rolls if you weren’t worried about someone seeing you. I’m a great cook. Let me prove it to you.
Zoe
No.
Landon
I’ll pick you up.
Zoe
No.
Landon
You’ll like my condo. Great view of the beach.
Zoe
When did you move?
Landon
Small town gossip didn’t share that tidbit?
Zoe
Whatever. I don’t care.
Landon
Tagliatelle with black truffle cream sauce and cherry mascarpone cheesecake are calling your name. Pick you up at 7.
Zoe
I can’t have dinner with you.
My message to Landon never changes from delivered to read, irritating the crap out of me. Why does he think he can boss me around?
Maybe because I let everyone else in town make my decisions for me.
Why is it easier to say no to Landon than it is to say it to Lucky or my father?
They tell me to jump, and I ask how high.
Landon tells me to jump, and I turn around and walk away.
How do I take the courage I feel when I’m around him and force it into the rest of my life?
I don’t know, but I want to figure it out.