Chapter 31
CHAPTER 31
PUT THE BEST FRIEND HAT BACK ON.
Blair
“It’s entirely too early in the morning to be baking.” I yawn.
Thankfully, Cozy Cup even opened earlier than usual today. Lily grabbed us caffeine, but it still isn’t enough to wake me up.
Lily laughs as she puts a tray of chocolate chip cookies in the oven. “I know, I’m really not a fan of early mornings either. Especially when the sun hasn’t even peaked over the horizon yet.”
“Tell me again why we had to be up three hours earlier than normal to do this?”
“It’s Founder’s Day,” she exclaims.
“That’s right. I remember you briefly telling me about it,” I say, pulling a tray of cookies from the oven just to put another in.
From what I’ve heard through Lily and customers coming into the bakery over the last few months, the town festival is the biggest event Bluestone Lakes has every year. It’s a tradition for them to celebrate the town through a little market set up on Main Street, a carnival set up in front of the school, and ending the night with a fireworks display over the mountains.
I mean, that’s just what I’ve heard through the grapevine.
“It’s the best day of the whole year.” Lily beams with her arms out wide and a smile so big, you could probably see it from outer space.
I can’t help but laugh.
“It sounds like it. And from the look on your face, I can already tell it’s going to be a great day. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that—ever.”
She blushes at my realization, but the happiness in her features doesn’t waver.
“Tell me more,” I practically beg.
She jumps up on the counter next to where I mix the batter for an apple crumb cake.
“So it’s an all-day event, basically. People from all over come into town just for this day. Mostly it’s just the neighboring towns, but we’re certainly busier than usual,” she says. “We have tents set up right outside here where people set up tables to sell their homemade crafts and things. We’re going to set up right on the sidewalk.”
“That explains the extra early morning and triple the amount of baked goods.” I laugh.
“Yep.” She nods. “And even with all of this, we’ll sell out by ten in the morning.”
The bell over the front door chimes and Lily leaps off the counter. We both check the hole through the kitchen door and find Poppy walking toward us.
“It’s Founder’s Day,” she practically yells in excitement with her hands in the air, doing a little dance in the kitchen with Lily.
“Where are you going to be today?” Lily asks her.
“I’ll be at the school for the carnival rides this afternoon. But I have some time to kill and couldn’t sleep due to excitement, so I came to see if you needed an extra hand to set up your stuff.”
“Duh,” Lily replies, reaching for an extra apron and tossing it to Poppy. “We need those cookies on the table over there packaged up in the cellophane bags for individual sale.”
“On it.” Poppy salutes, before getting to work. “Oh, has anyone talked to Nan to find out who’s moving onto my street? ”
“Someone’s moving to your street?” Lily questions.
She nods. “She told Mom and Dad that it’s some kind of celebrity. She won’t give up a name. She won’t even tell us how or why he’s popular. Started throwing out some lies about how she had to sign a nondisclosure agreement, and everything is being done off the record so no one can even look it up.”
“That’s…strange,” Lily replies.
“I know. I thought the same thing,” Poppy says, turning to face Lily. “Like if this guy is a ‘celebrity’”—she uses air quotes to emphasize the word—“is it because he’s some type of criminal? I don’t want a criminal living on my street.”
“Have you asked Griffin if he knows anything?” Lily says.
The sound of his name causes me to fumble the whisk I was using. Enough that it crashes to the ground, sending batter flying everywhere.
“Shit,” I mumble under my breath and hoping they ignore me.
“Are you okay?” Poppy asks first.
“Yep,” I choke out nervously.
I turn to face both of them and I know my cheeks are bright red right now. For no reason.
Okay, maybe for a reason.
And it’s definitely not embarrassment.
“Have you asked Griffin if he knows anything?” Lily repeats her question to Poppy but looks at me curiously.
I feel the corners of my lips twist into a smile, so I quickly turn around, grabbing a new whisk to get back to work.
“Blair!” Lily shouts with excitement.
“Don’t do it, Lily,” I warn over my shoulder with a whisk in the air. “Don’t. Do. It.”
She grabs my shoulders, spinning me around and I’m met with the stares of both Lily and Poppy standing directly behind me.
I groan, letting my head fall back and closing my eyes .
“I said my brother's name twice.” Lily holds up two fingers. “And both times you got flustered. Explain.”
I look from her to Poppy and notice a knowing look on Poppy’s face already. Like she knows exactly what happened last night.
But how could she? I’m overthinking it because there is no way Griffin called his sister after that to talk about the things we did on his porch.
Just the memory of last night stirs something in my stomach.
Butterflies? Sure. Let’s call it that.
From the start of the night when he picked me up, until the very end before I went home, I felt everything building inside of me for him. More than ever before. I didn’t expect him to give me an orgasm while on his lap. It was my intention to stay and enjoy the beautiful night.
Truthfully, I just didn’t want to go home yet.
I enjoy his company.
I wanted to be near him, which is an entirely new revelation. Maybe it was that epic first kiss at the ranch. Maybe it was meeting his parents.
Maybe it’s just him.
It’s definitely all Griffin .
Lily snaps her fingers in front of my face. “Earth to Blair.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine, but you can’t say anything.”
She narrows her eyes.
“You can’t,” I say, pointing a finger in her face. “I know he’s your brother, but you have to hear what I’m about to say as my best friend.”
“Okay,” Lily says flatly, straightening her shoulders before she takes a hand and waves it in front of her face like she’s a character in a theatrical performance. “Tell me everything, bestie,” she adds in a more chipper tone.
I stare at her for a moment longer before I break out in laughter from her rapid change in tone and new personality in a matter of seconds .
But I stop myself quickly, realizing I’m about to admit this out loud.
“So…I think I’ve developed feelings for Griffin. No, scratch that, I have developed feelings.” I say everything at record speed. “And fast. I don’t know how, when, or why, but I did. Now I can’t stop swooning over him.” I get the last word out and quickly inhale a breath because I’m pretty sure I used only one to get all of that out.
“Did you just say swooning over my brother?” Lily deadpans.
“Best friend, Lily,” I groan, reminding her of what I said only minutes ago. “Put the best friend hat back on.”
“Fine.” She pretends to take off a hat, throws it across the room, and reaches for another pretend had to put back on.
“Is this the right one?” I laugh.
She rolls her eyes. “Yes.”
“And something happened last night.” I waggle my eyebrows insinuating the words I don’t want to say out loud. “On his porch. Just us. Well, of course it was just us, duh. But something happened.” Another string of words and sentences I said at rapid speed.
Lily says nothing as she stands there with her mouth parted in shock.
I turn to face Poppy, and she has a similar look on her face, but her features quickly morph into something that resembles happiness.
“I knew it,” Poppy breaks the silence first. “I freakin’ knew it. This makes me so happy,” she says with a fist bump in the air.
“Everyone having sex makes you happy,” Lily deadpans, turning to face Poppy. “Because you’re a virgin,” she whispers the last words.
“Whoa,” I say, hands out in front of me. “What?”
“Yes,” Poppy groans. “I’m a twenty-five-year-old virgin,” she tells me before turning to face Lily, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s not something the entire world needs to know, Lily .” She turns back to face me. “I’m a hopeless romantic, and this is a small town. It sounds boring, but I want to make sure it’s the right guy that I give it to.”
“I’ve been telling you, just give it up already?” Lily barks out a laugh.
“Can we not discuss my non-existent sex life and get back to Blair, please?” she asks Lily.
Lily turns to face me completely, arms relaxing at her side as she stares at me curiously. Like she has so much to say but doesn’t know how to even start. My stomach does a full somersault with nerves, wondering what she’s going to say next. Will it be my best friend talking? Or will this be Griffin’s sister talking?
“Can I ask you something?” Lily finally says, in a tone so soft I would have missed it.
I nod.
“Are you planning to stay?”
I almost rear my head back in confusion. Does Lily think I plan on going back to the city? Does she think I would go back to the life I tried so hard to get away from?
Does Griffin think I plan on moving back?
“Yeah, I do. Why do you ask?” When she doesn’t immediately answer, I continue. “I had planned to stay here for good. Unless something terrible happens, that would make everyone in this town hate me to where I have to leave because I wasn’t comfortable.”
“Well, lucky for us. Everyone in this town loves you,” Poppy says first, smiling from ear to ear with encouragement. “Nan never stops talking about you.”
“She’s been so great to me. From the moment I came into town and met her,” I answer Poppy before turning to face Lily again. “I don’t plan on leaving, Lil.”
“Does Griffin know how you feel?” she asks.
“I think so?” I answer in a questioning tone. “I’m not entirely sure how he feels. I mean, we’ve kissed and done thin?— ”
“Don’t go any further,” Lily stops me, covering her ears. “Even with the best friend hat on, I don’t need to know.”
“Noted.”
“Listen, Blair,” Lily starts, placing a comforting hand on my forearm. “I ask these questions, because if you really want him to open up to you and gain a better understanding of exactly how he’s feeling, he needs to hear you say that you’re not going anywhere. He needs to know that you’re in Bluestone Lakes to stay.” Lily pauses, and I see anguish flash in her eyes. “I don’t think he will survive being abandoned again.”
Then she turns and walks out of the kitchen without another word.
I know about his past and how his ex left him in such a terrible way. I’d never want to hurt him like that.
But I didn’t realize the effect it had on his sisters, too.
Or maybe just Lily.
Has she also been through something similar?
I definitely consider Lily one of my best friends here in town, but have realized in this interaction that I know little about her past. I can’t fault her for it though, because when I came to town, I didn’t want anyone to know about mine. I wanted to keep it under lock and key.
But everything she’s said rings true in my ear.
She’s right.
I need to tell him exactly how I feel and my plans, so he knows where I stand. I already know I want more with him. Even when I thought I didn’t, I did. Even when I tried to talk myself out of it because that’s not what I moved here for, I did then too.
“Everything Lily said was true,” Poppy breaks through my running thoughts. “He won’t survive another heartbreak like that, so you have to assure him. With that being said, I know he has feelings for you. I just didn’t want to say it in front of her.” She gestures toward the kitchen doors.
“He does? ”
She nods. “He confided in me recently about it. Said he needed to let it out. I don’t blame him. Sometimes when you feel something, it’s necessary to talk it out. Just like we did here today.”
“I appreciate you two so much,” I tell her honestly. “I definitely needed to get that out, and I know I need to tell Griffin all of this, too.”
“Good.” She nods. “Now, let’s finish up here so we can have the best day ever.”
I get back to work with only one thought in my head.
I need to see Griffin at some point today.