Chapter 17
EMERY
“You don’t have to help with the dishes, dear,” Knox’s mom says, handing me another plate to dry off.
“I don’t mind,” I say, wishing I would take the same approach to my own sink full of dishes at home. Although I am hoping that Eve will do them, as far as her free stay and weekend entertainment. And she has had plenty of five-star entertainment for the weekend. Trust me.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when Knox said he was bringing a girl home,” Crystal says, quickly rinsing off a cup and handing it to me. “Actually, I don’t think he’s ever brought anyone home.”
“Really?” I ask, gripping the dish in my hand a little too tight.
“Yes,” she smiles, turning off the faucet and drying her hands. “The fact that he brought you over is a big deal. He must really like you.”
I grind my teeth together, but try to keep my face relaxed. She has no clue how wrong she is. This is all an act.
“I really like him too,” I say. The words come out easier than I expect because they’re not a lie anymore—not really. The man has single-handedly shut down the whole “I hate Knox Cooke’s existence” club. Even my sister, the self-proclaimed president of the club, has resigned.
But even with that reasoning, I know there’s more to this annoying warm feeling buzzing under my skin every time I see him.
Crystal’s eyes soften as she turns toward me. “Good. He deserves someone who won’t give up on him. I know he isn’t perfect, but he has a big heart. He just hasn’t always known how to share it.”
I consider her words carefully, turning over each one in my mind.
Knox does have a big heart. He did, too, when we were kids.
Heartbreak seems to drown out the good memories between us, but there was a reason it hurt so much when he pushed me away.
I fell in love with the way he was soft behind closed doors and was always there for me in a way that I needed after my parents exiled me for the summer.
It was easy to think about how much I hated him for what he did.
What was hard was thinking about how much I loved him.
“I’m going to go find him,” I say, drying off my hands and carefully setting the towel on the counter. “Thank you for having me.”
“You’re always welcome here,” she says, opening her arms. I stare at them blankly, feeling frozen. “I’m a hugger. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah, it is,” I say, accepting the gesture. I can’t ignore the way my heart pounds as she pulls me in close. I can’t remember the last time my own parents hugged me, and it sends a jolt of unwarranted pain to my heart.
Once I pull away from Crystal, I make my way back through the hallway.
Eve left a while ago, wanting to head back to my place to pack up her things.
She has to hit the road early tomorrow morning and wants to get some rest. And she was exhausted from chasing around her new friend all night. I wasn’t Milo’s favorite for long.
I hear mumbled voices at the end of the hall, and I pause, not sure if I should interrupt. The closer I get, I realize Knox and his dad are having a conversation that I probably shouldn’t eavesdrop on, but then I hear my name, and I can’t pull myself away.
“Emery seems like she’s good for you,” Knox’s dad says, his voice low but firm. “Good for a lot of things.”
“Yeah,” Knox says before pausing, making me hold my breath. “She’s different.”
Different. What the hell was that supposed to mean? I crane my neck, trying to get my ear closer to the door.
His dad chuckles softly. “I hate to break it to you, son, but you’re screwed. You can play it cool all you want, but you’ve got it bad. You barely took your eyes off her all night.”
“Dad,” Knox groans, but he stops short of saying anything else. It makes my body go tense. Either he is a really good actor or—no, he is just a great actor.
“Don’t try to deny it,” his dad says with a soft tone. “Just shut your mouth and try not to screw it up. I’m already seeing a big shift in the way people look at you. Maybe we can make them forget about all that drama after all. A man in love is good for business.”
That last line makes me cringe, and it’s almost enough to make me interrupt, but I keep listening. I want to hear Knox’s response. I haven’t heard him talk about the incident, and I’ve been too much of a chicken to ask. All I know about are the tiny tidbits that Marie fed me a few weeks ago.
“Good enough to co-sign my loan?” Knox asks, immediately going in for the kill. My hands start to feel clammy as I grip the thin fabric of my jeans. If he gets the yes tonight, then our arrangement is over. I have my truck, and once he gets the sign-off, he has his shop.
I expect a quick answer, but all I hear is silence. My hands shake at my sides, wondering if I should go in and plead Knox’s case. If George knew how passionate his son is about the garage, then maybe he’d reconsider.
George lets out the world’s longest sigh. “Son, I’m still not sure. Just the other day, Rob was telling me how his mom went two towns over to get her oil changed because she didn’t want to be associated with a…”
“Say it,” Knox taunts him.
“A home-wrecker.” The single word comes out sharp and rough like sandpaper.
My stomach twists. It’s a word I’m familiar with, yet it doesn’t fit the man on the other side of this door.
Knox doesn’t respond right away. Instead, tension begins to grow quietly.
“You think I don’t know what people say about me?
” he says, his voice surprisingly calm and devoid of the sadness that should be there.
“I know exactly what people are thinking, but I know they’re wrong.
Sure, I didn’t help matters, but I wasn’t the one who—never mind.
It doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that I don’t want to do business with people who are that quick to turn on me.
I’ve worked my ass off for this and I won’t let one mistake ruin it all.
I just need you to believe in me. I just need this one small favor, and I promise you won’t regret taking a chance on me. ”
My breath hitches. For once, his words are raw and vulnerable. Every syllable feels like a promise that I don’t doubt he’ll keep.
“It’s not about believing in you, Knox. Trust me, if it was, I’d sign the papers tomorrow. But this is a business, and if you’re going to run your own, then you need to understand what a good investment is.”
“And I’m not a good investment,” Knox snaps, his voice low and strained.
“No, I—”
“It’s fine, Dad,” he says, cutting George off. “I’ll find another way.”
“Wait, Knox,” his dad pleads, but I can already hear heavy footsteps coming my way.
My pulse thunders to life, and I quickly scan all possible exits. But unfortunately, I have zero super spy skills and end up crashing into a thick wall of muscle before I can make a run for it.
“Bambi?” Knox questions, lifting my chin with his finger. “You heard everything, didn’t you?”
I nod slowly, not bothering to think of some lame excuse. Instead, I do an even more lame thing and wrap my arms around the giant, pulling him in for an unplanned hug. Crystal is rubbing off on me.
At first, his body is tense, and I worry he’s going to push me away.
But muscle by muscle, he eases into me until his arms are circling my waist, drawing me closer.
My cheek presses against his chest, where I can feel the steady beat of his heart beneath the cotton of his shirt.
The comforting aroma of amber and pine rises to meet me, causing something to twirl inside me.
All at once, I fight the urge to rip off his T-shirt. Not for nefarious reasons, but so that I can preserve that scent and keep it with me always.
“Are you okay?” I ask, but the words are muffled.
“No,” he whispers into my hair, “but I will be. I might need your services for longer than expected, though.”
I run my tongue against the roof of my mouth and count to five before giving up the comfort of a warm chest. I step back and look into his eyes when I say, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m too invested to give up now.”
His mouth twitches, but I crave to see his smile. “Haven’t you heard? Apparently, I’m a bad investment.”
“Lucky for you, I like fixer-uppers,” I say, hitting him with an unexpected wink and promptly receiving a victorious smile.
“That was so unbelievably cheesy, Bambi,” he says. “You’re stealing my thing.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t remind me.”
“Whatever. Let’s talk more about your investment,” Knox says, walking me to the front door. “Should I expect quarterly reports and performance reviews?”
“Please. You wouldn’t last one day with me as your boss.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. Let’s finish our current agreement, then we can renegotiate. Plus, you’re scary as a fake girlfriend. I can’t imagine you as a boss.”
“And don’t you forget it, Cooke.”
Little does he know that I’m the one terrified of him and the way I find it harder and harder to pretend that anything about this is fake.
I hate admitting Knox was right…but damn was he right.
The space in his garage is a complete upgrade from the hole in the wall I was working in back at the store.
And I didn’t have to worry about Klepto darting in and out of my projects and getting stains or paint on his fur.
I found out the hard way that he doesn’t like baths. I have the battle scars to prove it.
I was careful to show up when I knew Knox was working. I even drove by the garage to make sure his truck was there.
Was that excessive? Yes. But also, very necessary after the weird feelings I’ve been trying to grapple with over the last few days. At first, I thought it was nausea, but then I realized it’s something much worse.
But after nearly twisting my ankle trying to cart in a new piece that needed refurbishing, I swallowed my pride and took Knox up on his offer.