18. Henry
Showingup to the bed and breakfast and being led down to Gia’s room was not on my Bingo card for today. But now that I’m finished fixing the issue with her sink, I’m thinking it was another karmic sign of some sort.
If she doesn’t want to pursue something sexual with me, that’s obviously more than fine. But we could be friendly. She’s only in town for a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things. She needs someone to show her around.
To show her how magical Ever Lake is.
Once I pack up my things, I find her sitting at the small table that we shared the other night, scrolling through her phone. I grab my tools and walk over to her.
“Hey, so I’m all set here. No more leaking issues, and I made sure to clean up. Probably not as well as housekeeping, but I did my best.”
“Oh!” She looks up from her phone, turning over and placing it on the table. “Don’t worry about that. Thank you.”
We stay like that, looking at each other for a minute before I get the nerve to say what I want to say. I’m not exactly experienced at trying to be friends with someone I’ve slept with before. Especially not someone I’d still like to sleep with if she did.
“So, listen, I was thinking…”
Smiling, she crosses her legs and does the same with her arms. “Uh oh.”
“No, for real. I know you said you were here for work, but do you think you’d have time for a little tour? I thought it would be nice to show you around a little. Ever Lake has some real gems to see.”
Her smile dims slightly, and I watch her worry her bottom lip. It takes everything in me not to reach out and smooth my thumb against it.
“Listen, Henry, I meant what I said the other night.”
I have no doubt about that. She made it clear that she doesn’t think I’m capable of any kind of commitment. I don’t blame her, but it still sucks. For a minute there, I almost thought that she could be someone who saw me for who I really am. And yeah, maybe in the past I haven’t exactly been Mr. Commitment, but I could be. If I wanted to. For the right person.
“Of course.” Shaking my head, I hold up my free hand. “I’m talking as friends, nothing more. I just thought that you’d like to see the town, enjoy it a little while you’re here for work. And I—” I take a breath and almost don’t tell her. It’s probably too much. Probably not on the right side of friendship. But in the end, I say to hell with it. “I really like being around you.”
I stop short of qualifying it. Saying that I hope that’s not weird or anything. It’s not an overstatement. I’ve felt like this since that first night we met. Being around her, just sharing her space, makes me feel good.
And I’m going to go with that as far as she’ll let me. Sex or no sex.
Whoa, boy. That’s a lot.
“Oh.” Gia’s cheeks flush pink, then the color spreads down her neck. “That’s really nice of you to say, Henry. I might be up for a friendly tour.”
My whole body relaxes, and I hadn’t even realized it was tense. Her agreement has me grinning like a kid who just walked into a toy store with an unlimited amount to spend. She doesn’t say that she likes being around me too, but what the hell did I expect in that regard? “Yeah?”
“Yeah, I should have some free time this week or this upcoming weekend. I’m sure your schedule will probably be a little trickier than mine to work with.”
True that. “I’m actually finalizing the hiring process for my first employee by the end of the week, so this weekend would work just fine.” Just saying it out loud has me floating on up to cloud nine.
“Okay. Friends don’t kiss.” She blurts out the second part, and I can’t help but smile.
“No, friends don’t kiss.” As much as I enjoy kissing her, she’s right. “It’s a plan, then. I’ve still got your number, so once I’ve got a good idea on the day and time, I’ll let you know.” I almost say it’s a date but stop short. I don’t want her thinking that this is some elaborate plan to get with her in that way again.
It’s not. Not really at all. I just want to hang out with her. Get to know her a little more. Enjoy her in the way that I can.
As much as she’ll let me, I want to be in her life.
I couldn’t be happier. Couldn’t be more excited. I swear, everything has gone perfectly since the last time I saw Gia. I’ve got Lainey onboarded and ready to start working with me on Monday. We actually came to an agreement that has me even more revved up about my business than I ever thought I could be.
If things work out, he could end up being a partner, and that makes it feel incredibly real.
And I’m on my way to pick Gia up for our friend date. That’s what I’ve decided to officially call this.
Pulling up to the front of the bed and breakfast, I throw my truck into park and hop out. By the time I make it around to the other side, Gia is already stepping out from the wrought-iron gate and walking toward me. She’s wearing dark jeans with a black fuzzy North Face and has a smile on her face.
Just seeing her takes my mood higher, and that’s saying something because I’m already in a great fucking mood.
“Hey there.” I pull open the passenger side door for her and glance to her feet. “I’m glad you wore the sneakers I recommended.”
“Hi! Yeah, I figured I’d put them to good use. I don’t get to wear jeans and sneakers as often as I’d like. That, and I figured if you mentioned it, it was a good idea.”
Once she settles into her seat, I close the door gently and jog around to the driver”s side. Buckling up, I throw the car into drive and head out.
“I thought we could go check out the lake. It’s kind of our namesake, and it’s going to be nice, at least for the next couple of hours.”
“Sounds good.”
The radio is playing some old 2000s throwback, and we lapse into an easy silence as I drive us down to the lake. I decide to park on the back end, where it’s usually quieter.
Gia follows me onto the trail loop that will take us around the lake. We could walk the whole thing if we wanted to get in a few miles, but there’s also a nice spot where we can stop and double back.
“So this is Ever Lake, huh?” she asks, eyes drawn to the still waters of the lake.
You can see the snow up on the mountains in the distance, and the ground is still hard despite the sunny day. The beauty of Colorado is that even if it were to snow this afternoon, as long as it’s sunny tomorrow—which is always likely—the snow would melt pretty quickly as long as the temperature cooperated.
“It is. It’s always beautiful, but it’s amazing in the summer. Hot, wildflowers everywhere, everyone kayaking or paddleboarding.”
A couple walking a German Shepherd passes us with a hello from them and some excitement from the dog.
“That sounds great. I’ve always wanted to try paddleboarding.”
“Do you think you’ll be here in the summer? I never asked how long you’d be up here.” I’m secretly hoping she’s about to tell me she’s going to be here for six months. Or longer.
“I’ll probably be here until May at the earliest. Sometimes things take longer, and I could be here for the summer.” She turns toward me, her smile telling me that she wouldn’t mind that one bit.
“So what exactly are you doing work-wise?” I realize I haven’t asked her the specifics about why exactly she’s in Ever Lake. Not that I need them. I’m just glad that she is here in Ever Lake.
“Oh, you know.”
It’s a total non-answer.
She continues walking, pulling her eyes from me to the lake again. “Tell me how things went with your new employee.”
I almost push her for a real answer, but I’ve lived long enough with my sister to know when a woman doesn’t want to talk about something. Who am I to make her explain her job to me?
“Great. It’s a done deal. She starts Monday, and I’m going to have her kind of shadow me for a couple of weeks, maybe longer, if necessary, then my books are going to open up a bit.”
As we walk, we gradually gravitate toward each other. Our arms brush, and for a moment it feels like she’s reaching a hand out to me, but in the next second she’s moved further away.
“That’s amazing. You must be ecstatic.” She turns her head toward me, unleashing the full force of her smile. With the angle of the sun in the sky and the way the wind is blowing, she looks like she’s stepped straight out of a movie scene.
Her cheeks are slightly pink from the cold, and her eyes are bright and happy. She’s so damn beautiful.
“I am, yeah. I’ve worked really hard for this.” I steer her down a path that breaks away from the main loop. We cut in even closer to the lake as we make our way to my favorite spot. It’s a little gazebo that’s set right at the edge of the lake. Luck is on my side, and we’re the only two people here, at least for the time being. “This is one of my favorite places in Ever Lake.”
“The lake?” she asks, walking right up to look out onto the water.
“No. Well, yes, but I meant this little gazebo. It’s got the best view.” I don’t worry about explaining because she can see what I mean.
From the gazebo, we can see the whole lake and the mountains set behind it. It’s just one of several picturesque places in our little town, but this one’s by far my favorite.
After a few minutes of quiet, I inch a little closer to Gia and bump my hip gently against her side. She looks up at me with a small, serene smile. The moment is not ever really a moment at all, but it feels like it could be. If I just leaned down and kissed her.
But that would mean completely ignoring the boundary she’s placed between us, so I do one better.
“So, tell me about growing up in Boston.”