Chapter 10 #2
I listened with half an ear when I did the mental math to try to figure out exactly who Elizabeth had been talking about.
Atlas. Atlas Carter, the goalie of the Portland Gliders. The same man that Bodhi and I had watched on TV for a few moments, before, well, before everything happened.
I was grateful that the girls hadn’t pressed on about what was going on between me and Bodhi.
For all they knew, nothing was going on, and that was probably for the best. I didn’t want that sense of pain that would enter the conversation whenever this thing fizzled.
Just like it had happened with Elizabeth.
I couldn’t imagine living in a small town where your ex-boyfriend was the town hero who came back every once in a while, after going all over the US as a hockey star. He would always be the bright light in this town’s eyes, and Elizabeth would be forced to witness it all.
Maybe small town life wasn’t for me.
“So when do you go back to L.A.?” Teagan asked as we dove into our nachos.
I swore the woman read my mind. “Soon. I think. But first, nachos.”
“Rune does like to add different things to the menu, so don’t get latched onto these. They’re only temporary,” Elizabeth explained.
“That’s a shame. And as for when we’re going back to L.A., I have around a month until we need to be in our studio. Although I think we’re going to be doing most of the recording in Gabe’s studio down in Texas. They have the space, and we usually stay on the Wilder retreat.”
“That’s a winery too, right?” Elizabeth asked.
“And they have amazing wines. Whenever I go down there to visit Briar, I bring some of Callum’s beers and do a trade.”
“That’s where I’ve had this before.” I shook my head, feeling like an idiot. “You brought the lager, right?”
Teagan nodded. “I did. Even though it wasn’t out on the market yet. Callum can be nice sometimes.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Because you did all of his books and marketing for years before he got an actual team.”
“It’s what I do.”
“You do marketing?” I asked, confused.
“No. I mean, maybe. I’m a manager at a gift shop.
Technically, the assistant manager.” She shrugged, though I couldn’t help but notice the frown on her face.
“I do well for myself, but most of my family decided to go into businesses for themselves, where they needed a manager. It’s what I’m good at.
I help Callum with the brewery, and thankfully, we have Felicity now to do the real accounting since that’s not my forte.
I’ve even helped Rune with the bar and grill, though he has it out on its own.
And then of course, Finnian and Sterling decided to start businesses of their own, one as a carpenter, the other when he opened up The Range.
Meaning they were all starting from scratch, and somebody needed to be there to ensure that they had another person to lean on.
I’m good at spreadsheets and the bottom line, so it’s what I did. ”
I had to wonder if the Ashford brothers knew exactly how hard Teagan seemed to be working to ensure that they didn’t fail. Did they realize that she was instrumental in all of their success?
I know Bodhi really appreciated her and always ended up sending her honey from his beehives, or other random things to ensure that Teagan never wanted for anything. But did the others appreciate her enough?
I hoped so. I liked the Ashfords, and Briar, though she didn’t live here, always spoke highly of her siblings. I wasn’t going to get in the middle of that because Teagan was strong enough to stand up for herself if she truly needed to.
“So are you writing music now?”
I looked up at Elizabeth’s question and sank my teeth into my lip.
“I’m sorry. Was I not supposed to ask that? Forget I said anything.”
I reached out and gripped her hand, squeezing it slightly before letting it go.
“No. I’m writing music. It’s just, well, after everything happened, it took me a while to get back into it.
This past year hasn’t been easy.” I’d finally told both of them exactly what had happened with Jeremiah, and they had been outraged on my behalf.
While they had known some of it, they hadn’t known everything.
The phone calls, the stalking, the fact that he was going after Max now.
I was truly afraid that the media, as well as Jeremiah, were going to find out where I was, and my time in Ashford Creek would be over.
I finally felt at peace enough to write.
“I think I have two songs in my head, sort of swirling around. They’ll come out eventually, and I’ll figure out if they work for the band or just something on my own.
I’m not a lead singer, nor do I ever want to be.
But I love being a drummer and helping Gabe and the others with background vocals. It’s what I do.”
“You’re so freaking talented. I’m only a little jealous,” Elizabeth teased.
“I’d say don’t be because the long hours are a little ridiculous, but then again, you’re a high school teacher, so I should be the one who realizes that my long hours have nothing on yours.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but sometimes I would like a full weekend just to myself.”
“Don’t worry. Summer is on its way. And it’s not like you have to work then, right?
” Teagan teased, and Elizabeth just snorted, before we finished our meals, and it was time to say goodbye.
I still didn’t have a car, which was fine.
You could walk most of the town, and a lot of people just walked home.
However, Bodhi lived out in the middle of nowhere.
I told Teagan she could drop me at the entrance, and she hit me with another curious look, but didn’t ask.
I was grateful for that because I didn’t have any answers.
“You can tell my brother hi,” Teagan teased.
My heart fluttered, and I ignored the damn thing. “I will. You can come in if you want. I mean, come into my cabin. I’m not inviting you into Bodhi’s space.”
“I think I’ve annoyed Bodhi enough recently with all of my emails and calls for work. I’ll leave you to it.”
“I’ll see you soon?”
“You’ve got it. I know you don’t have a lot of time here.
” There was a question in her words, and I was afraid that she would be far more worried once she realized what I was feeling for Bodhi.
But I just smiled and said my goodbyes, unable to voice what I was really thinking.
My time in Ashford Creek was almost up. And that meant leaving Bodhi, the Ashfords, and the friends I’d slowly begun to make here.
I wasn’t going to let it break me, I knew that. I had been through worse.
And yet part of me didn’t want to go.
I took my to-go bag with me and headed toward my cabin, wondering if I should stop by Bodhi’s or just text him. I didn’t have to think hard for long, though, because Bodhi was there, on my small porch, reading a book with his feet up on the railing.
Why was it that Bodhi Ashford looked so fucking hot right now? Was it the fact that he had pulled his Henley up to show his forearms? The reading? Or the freaking reading glasses?
Since when had Bodhi Ashford had slutty little glasses in addition to a slutty little nose ring?
This man was not fair.
“You’re back,” Bodhi said.
“I brought you dessert.”
He didn’t reach for it and tilted his head, his gaze never breaking from mine. “Since you have a bag in your hand, I take it that wasn’t a euphemism?”
I burst out laughing, some of the tension that had been riding me for the past forty-eight hours finally sliding away.
“Probably not.” I moved forward as he set his feet down and sank back into the rocking chair. I took a few more steps, and I found myself standing between his open legs, looking down at him.
“Hi.” He tilted his head, studying me.
“Hi.”
“Did you have fun tonight?”
I swallowed hard. “I did. I really like Teagan and Elizabeth.”
“They’re good people.”
“So…”
“So…” He cleared his throat. “I told you I don’t regret anything. I just want to make sure you understand that.”
“You haven’t said anything.” My shoulders tightened, then I licked my lips. His gaze went right to the movement.
“I thought I’d give both of us some space. But Kiera?” A pause. “I don’t regret it.”
I reached out and slid his glasses off his face. He just gave me an odd look before I stood back slightly. “I’m leaving soon. You know that, right?”
He nodded. “I know.”
“You’re going to have to be the one who tells me what you want to do. Because I’m out of my depth here, and frankly, I’m a little worried about putting myself out there.”
“I can see that. How about this? While you’re here, it’s just you and me. No one else.”
My heart thudded, even as my knees went weak. He reached out and trailed a line down my thigh. I swallowed hard.
“You and me? Okay. I can do that.”
“No ghosts either,” he whispered.
I froze, understanding what he meant. “Really?” I asked, my voice breaking.
“Really.” And then he tugged me down onto his lap, and took my mouth, and I let myself believe.