Chapter 11
BOONE
"You want to get a taco?" I asked, stopping in front of a food truck.
"Sure."
The one thing I knew for sure was that I needed to start focusing on me and what I wanted. If my parents wanted to follow a consultant's advice and go outside the family for the inn's decor, then I should be focused on building my business in other ways.
The more I thought about it, the better I felt.
I'd been waiting for my parents to make a decision.
But I didn't want to wait anymore. I wanted to take action.
I wanted to secure my future in a different way.
I wanted everyone to know that I was the guy to come to for handmade furniture.
I wanted to be known in my community. That was important to me.
I still wanted to see my furniture at the inn, but I wanted to stay open to the possibilities.
Kennedy ordered chicken tacos, and I asked for beef. Then we waited for our food off to the side.
When the food was ready, I said, "Let's sit at one of the tables. There're heaters under the tent."
We sat at a table and dug into our tacos.
Kennedy took a large bite of her taco, the lettuce falling onto her wrapper. She chewed and swallowed. "These are delicious."
I wiped my mouth with the napkin provided. "I thought you'd be more of a fancy-dinner kind of woman."
She laughed softly. "You've made a lot of assumptions about me. I love taco trucks. They're all over the place in Florida."
"I shouldn't make assumptions then," I said, vowing to be more careful when it came to Kennedy.
"I'm sure I've done the same with you. A man who's good with his hands and prefers hiding out in his workshop rather than being with people."
I took a swig of my water. "That's all true though. What you see is what you get."
She nodded. "Maybe. Or you're deeper than what you show to others."
Beck and Clara stopped by our table.
Beck looked from me to Kennedy. "What are you two doing here?"
I gestured at our food. "Eating dinner."
"We went ice skating first," Kennedy added.
"I love that they added the rink. It's perfect for this time of the year when holiday shopping season is over," Clara said.
"Boone mentioned that you own a shop here in town?" Kennedy asked.
"I own the Christmas Shop. It's just over there." She pointed to the sign on the corner. "I sell ornaments and holiday decor."
"I'll have to check it out."
Clara smiled. "We have options for beach themes too. In case that's what you have in Florida."
"I don't think I'll put up a tree next year. I don't want to block the view." She pulled out her phone and showed us the image from her condo windows. From what I could see, it was a wall of glass with the ocean in the distance.
"You must miss it," Clara said.
Kennedy set her phone on the table. "It's nice to see something different too."
"I guess we should let you get back to dinner since you're—" Beck waggled his brows as if he was insinuating that we were on a date.
"Showing Kennedy around town like Mom and Dad asked," I said wryly.
"Right," Beck drew out the word. "I'll let you get back to it. Behave yourselves."
"We always do," I grumbled, even though I was definitely breaking the rules with Kennedy.
Beck knew more than anyone about our true relationship.
But we hadn't discussed it again. He probably assumed we were still hooking up, and he'd be right.
What he didn't know was that I was falling a little more for Kennedy every day.
"Why does it seem like he knows something's going on?" Kennedy asked carefully.
"I might have talked to him about us. His relationship with Clara started with a one-night stand. Then he showed up at family dinner and discovered she was our sister. He was in town to help with the brewery. They thought it was wrong but still continued their relationship in secret."
She was quiet as my voice trailed off.
"I was freaked out when I realized who you were and was worried about my business.
I wanted to make sure I hadn't ruined everything.
" I didn't want her to think I wanted what Clara and Beck did.
I wasn't looking for a relationship, and if I was, a woman from Miami who was only in town for a short period of time wouldn't be at the top of my list.
"And what did he say?"
I huffed out a breath. "Not much that was helpful. Obviously, he started dating Clara and fell in love with her. That's not our situation."
She looked away. "Right. We're just having fun."
But that didn't feel right either. "Something like that."
"What do you want to do next? Should we check out Clara's shop?"
"If you want a memento to take back to Miami, that would be a good place to stop.
" I could let her go. I just had to remember that she was leaving sooner rather than later.
And she wouldn't look back at this time in her life.
Why would she? Her life in Miami was full.
She had friends, a new condo, and the beach.
I should build that cabin I'd always wanted next to the workshop. It was time. I couldn't keep living in this weird limbo where I wasn't building my business or my home.
Kennedy dug into her second taco. "What are you thinking about?"
"That I need to build my cabin."
Her brows raised. "I didn't realize you were doing that so soon."
"I was content with my place above the workshop. I don't have to go outside to work. It's convenient and comfortable. But it's also small and not ideal if I want to expand one day and move on to the next stage in my life."
"Which is?"
I let out a breath. "I might like to settle down, meet someone like Beck or Rowan did, and have a few kids. I think I'd like to teach them how to work with wood or how to play a sport. I don't know."
"Is this the first time you thought about that?"
"I was always focused on my family. But with my sister and brother meeting their significant others and getting engaged, I'm thinking it's time."
"Wow. That's great, Boone." She reached across the table and touched my hand. "I'm happy for you."
"I haven't done anything yet. I'll need to decide on plans and hire a contractor. It won't be quick or easy. But the best things in life rarely are." This thing with Kennedy had been quick. Did that mean she wasn't a long-term possibility for me?
"I think that's amazing though. You love being close to family, and you'll have the workshop next door."
"It's not a view of the ocean," I said to see how she'd respond.
She rolled her eyes. "Honestly? I love it, but it feels like a dream. Like I really didn't work hard enough to earn it. Or that I'll lose it at a moment's notice. What if everything I worked for falls apart?"
"You'd rebuild it. You did it once; you can do it again," I said with more confidence than I would have had for myself.
"You think so?"
"You already know how to do it. Even if the industry changes or no one needs a hotel designer anymore, you'll figure it out."
"It's nice to have that kind of confidence. I've always been worried about it, that one mistake will derail years of hard work."
"You've built your reputation, and you've proved that you're a hard worker."
"I hope you're right. I travel to neat places and then come home to Miami. I don't have a boss, and I take whatever jobs I want."
"I want that. Not the travel part so much, but I'd rather pick my jobs than wait for someone to pick me."
"You'll get there."
"Thanks, Kennedy." I cleaned up our trash. "You ready to continue the tour."
"Absolutely," she said.
I threw out the trash.
We started walking toward Clara's shop.
"I think I'm getting used to the cold."
"You will if you stick around. You'll forget what it's like to be on the beach."
"I don't know that I could ever forget that. It's in my blood. But I could see living here too. It would be ideal to go back and forth, wouldn't it? Winters in Florida, and summers here."
"But then you'd miss the snow." I'd hate to miss winters in Colorado.
"True."
We stepped into Clara's shop. There were lines of trees, each decorated in a unique theme: classic Christmas, kids, beach, and even vintage cars.
"I have to get an ornament for Jodi as a thank-you for housesitting." She took a picture of the store and sent it to Jodi. Then she chose an ornament with mountains and Colorado written on it.
After her purchase was wrapped, we headed outside.
We window shopped, and I told her a little about the history of the town.
How it had been stagnant for years until the sisters, Eve and Natasha Palmer, bought the town and revitalized it.
The shop owners who'd been here for a long time were reluctant to make any changes but slowly came around when they saw the increase in visitors.
The town was busy more often than not. It was a bustling tourist destination, but it had also become a stop for locals who frequented the coffee shop, bakery, and other stores. It wasn't quite as busy as Telluride, but it was getting busier all the time.
"I've never heard of anything like this. You know, a place that is Christmas year-round. What's it like in the summer?"
"It's a regular town that's always decorated for the holidays.
We do the traditional Christmas in July events, and Santa comes to town.
The only difference is that it's warmer and the ground isn't covered in snow.
They still get tourists visiting but not as many.
" Clara had discussed this part of her business with the family many times over the years.
"It's not like you can have an ice rink in the summer. It must be tough to bring in customers," Kennedy said.
"There are a lot of stores that aren't just Christmas: the puzzle store, the bookshop, and the restaurants. I think Clara mentioned that everyone is required to have a Christmas display of items year-round though."
Kennedy paused at Tempting Dreams. "Even the lingerie store?"
"I haven't been inside that one myself, but I think so," I said, wondering if she was going to want to browse. I wasn't sure I'd survive it if so.
"Should we go in and see?"
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," I said, but Kennedy had already grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.
She didn't let go of my hand as we stepped into the store. There were racks and tables of lacy satin panties and bras. It was a dizzying array of options.
Kennedy touched a pale pink satin negligee that was hanging on the rack. "Would you like to see me in one of these?"
I was warm all over and feeling a little dizzy. "Naked's good."
She gave me an amused look. "You don't care about this kind of stuff?"
"I'm not really paying much attention to it." I was more interested in getting her naked than reveling in the state of her lingerie. "But I can see the appeal."
"Hmm," was all she said as she continued to browse.
I stuck close, worried someone was going to think I was here by myself. I'd never been in a store like this before. No woman had ever dragged me into one, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I was uncomfortable but also a little aroused at the thought of her in all this lace and satin.
Maybe I did like this kind of thing.
It seemed like she had to touch everything to get a feel for it, and it was starting to drive me crazy.
Finally, she stacked a few items on her arm. "I'm going to try these on."
I threw a thumb over my shoulder. "I can wait outside." Where it was colder and I could cool down.
A slow smile spread over her face. "Oh, no. I need your opinion."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't think that's a good idea."
She laughed and headed toward the back of the store. I didn't mind seeing her in lingerie, but what if there were other women back there, showing off their finds?
What if my brothers found out I was here? I'd never hear the end of it.
"You want to try those on?" the saleswoman asked.
"Yes," Kennedy said with a smile.
The woman opened the door for her and hung the items on a hook. When she came out of the small room, she said," You can wait here. No one else is trying anything on right now."
Then she disappeared, and I fell heavily into the upholstered chair. "You're not modeling those for me."
Kennedy winked. "That's what makes this fun."
Nothing about this was fun. I'd much prefer she go shopping on her own time and show up at my place wearing something like this under her clothes. I didn't need to be a participant in her fashion show. "What if someone sees us doing this?"
Kennedy rolled her eyes. "Just say I made you come along. That's the truth, isn't it?"
I nodded my head. "Yes."
She laughed at me. "Give me a minute." She closed the dressing-room door.
I took off my jacket. The entire store was overly hot, as if the owner wanted you to strip down and feel comfortable walking around in your underwear.
A few seconds later, Kennedy opened the door and stepped out in a black lace negligee that was entirely see-through.
Her nipples were hard points, and her breasts were begging for me to touch them.
She turned in front of me, and the skirt flipped up slightly so I could see the bare curve of her ass.
But nothing was left to the imagination.
"You want to buy that and get out of here?" I asked, starting to stand up.
She laughed again. "I'm not done."
She disappeared into the changing room again, closing the door, and I tugged on my collar, starting to pace in front of the changing-room doors. I wasn't going to survive this. Was she torturing me on purpose? Was this something people in a relationship did?
I could see how it might be fun if we were in a committed relationship and everyone in town knew about it. But this felt a little dangerous and a whole lot risky. What if someone saw us and assumed we were sleeping together?
At the same time, my blood was pumping, and I couldn't wait to get her alone.