Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Preston
“Good boy.” I bent and gave the pup a rub on the head before he scarfed down the treat I held out for him.
Summit and I had been working on some basic commands, and he really was a smart pup. And eager to please. He was also highly motivated by the bag of treats I’d picked up for him at the pet store, along with about three hundred dollars’ worth of other supplies.
For a free puppy, he was turning out to be an expensive little guy.
Not that I minded too much.
So far, Summit came everywhere with me. I know I’d pressed my luck by bringing him into the brewery with me, but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be afforded the same leniency that my brother gave me with the coffee shop.
So, for the last few minutes, I’d been working on getting Summit to stay and calmly lie down outside while I went into the Bean Bag.
When I felt satisfied that he wasn’t going to cry and bark while I was inside for the first trail committee meeting, I gave Summit one more treat and slipped into the coffee shop.
Inside, I ordered myself a black coffee and joined Chase, Tilley, and Becky, who were already gathered around a table close to the window, which gave me a good view of the puppy. Not that I should be worried. He’d already attracted the attention of a passerby.
I almost spilled my coffee when the woman straightened up, and I saw it was Jess who’d been scratching Summit’s ears.
A sound dangerously close to a growl slipped from my lips, and Chase gave me a look. “You all right, man?”
“Fine. It’s just that we’re already running late.” I shot a look at Jess, who’d just joined us. “The meeting started two minutes ago.”
“Sorry I’m late,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “I was just petting the cutest—”
“His name is Summit.”
“He’s yours?” She dropped into the chair next to me.
“He is, and he’s in training. You shouldn’t have bothered him.”
I knew I was being a dick, but when it came to Jess, I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
“Anyway.” Chase cleared his throat. “Why don’t we get started. The purpose of this first meeting is to decide how we plan to go forward. Tilley, will you keep notes?”
“You know I will.” She raised a sparkly pen.
“Excellent.” Chase nodded before continuing. “First things first. We’ll need a plan for how we’re going to evaluate trail impact—”
“Easy,” I cut in. “I propose that as a committee, we walk the trails that are in jeopardy of destruction, so we can see firsthand the damage that the development would cause.”
“Or,” Jess countered, “we could walk them to see exactly how minimal the disruption would be and see exactly how beneficial the development will be to the community.”
Chase looked between us before looking at Becky, whose eyebrows were raised.
“Okay…” Chase took a sip of his coffee. “I actually think that walking the trails together is a great idea. Why don’t we start with a group hike and go from there? Preston and Jess, can both of you come prepared to show us the pros and cons for the area?”
It wasn’t a bad idea at all, although I couldn’t see how Jess could possibly convince this group that bulldozing trees and wilderness to replace them with concrete would ever be a good thing.
“I think that may—”
“Sorry to interrupt.”
The back of my chair was jostled as a man pushed past me to reach Jess.
“I know you’re all in the middle of a meeting, but I need to steal a few minutes of my beautiful fiancée’s time.”
Before I could object, Tilley swooned. “Aren’t you the sweetest. Of course,” she said. “Take your time.”
I bit my tongue and lifted my coffee to my lips, pretending not to listen to their conversation, although that was impossible considering they had it right in front of us.
“Trevor, what do you—”
“I just popped in to let you know that I’m headed into the city.”
“Now? But we—”
“Sorry, honey. I know it’s last minute, but there’s a meeting I just can’t miss.” Trevor raised his shoulders in a dramatic shrug that made me want to punch him. Especially because he either didn’t see the hurt on Jess’s face or didn’t care.
“But we have an appointment with Charli at the flower shop,” she said. “We need to make some decisions on the wedding and—”
“It can’t be helped.” He cut her off smoothly. “Besides, you don’t need me for that. Flowers are all the same. Pick out whatever’s pretty. You know I don’t care.”
I’d heard more than enough. This guy was a grade-A asshole. Jess might be my childhood nemesis, but she didn’t deserve this dickhead.
“If you don’t mind,” I interrupted. “We really need to finish things up here.”
He flashed me a look, his eyes narrowing. I pressed my lips together, daring him to challenge me. I wasn’t a fighter by nature, but I’d have no problem if he threw the first punch.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, he pasted on that slick smile of his and said, “Good luck, friends. I know you’ll make the right decision.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Jess’s head. “I’ll text you later.”
And with a cloud of aftershave, he was gone.
I glanced over as Jess worked quickly to compose herself.
“Nice of him to fit your wedding in around his busy schedule.”
“It’s not like that.”
I shrugged and picked up my cup. “Sure looks like that’s exactly what it is.”
She shot me a sharp look, but there was hurt flickering right under the surface, too. “You don’t know anything about my relationship, Preston.”
“Didn’t say I did,” I fired back, pretending her reaction didn’t hit me a little closer to home than it should have. “But I know what it looks like when someone’s treated like an afterthought.”
Her breath caught, but she didn’t respond.
And for some reason, that bothered me more than it should have.
Jess
I wasn’t supposed to be there by myself. Trevor was supposed to be sitting there with me, wasn’t he? Shouldn’t a groom be even slightly interested in the wedding preparations?
Between my fiancé’s abrupt appearance and subsequent departure from the committee meeting and the meeting itself, I was definitely not in the mood to be looking at lilies, roses, and other flowers I couldn’t name.
I stared at the open binder of bouquet photos, but the colors had all blurred together. A mixture of pale pinks, creamy whites, and soft greens. I was sure they were classic and beautiful and everything a bride was supposed to want.
Only, I couldn’t feel anything.
“Jess,” Charli said gently, tapping a glossy page with her finger. “You’re not even looking.”
I blinked as I realized she was right. We’d been staring at the same page for ages, and I hadn’t even actually seen the flowers. “These are nice,” I said in a pathetic attempt to appear interested.
“They are nice.” My friend raised her brow and sat back in her chair. “I’m actually surprised you think so, though. I didn’t think they’d be your style at all.”
For the first time, I looked at the photos in front of me. She was right. Although the flowers were gorgeous, because of course they were—all of Charli’s flower arrangements were amazing—the soft, subtle style with sprigs of baby’s breath tucked in everywhere was definitely not my style.
“Umm…you’re not wrong, Charli.”
“I know.” She reached forward and slapped the binder closed. “Now, maybe you want to tell me what’s going on before we waste any more time.” Her tone softened as she asked, “Is everything okay? I thought Trevor was going to come with you today?”
At the mention of his name, my shoulders stiffened.
I sucked in a breath, working hard to keep the pleasant mask on my face.
“He had a last-minute meeting in the city.” My voice was light and airy.
Too light. Judging by Charli’s expression, she didn’t buy it any more than I would have.
Still, I doubled down. “He really wanted to be here,” I continued, hating myself for the lies that were slipping so easily off my tongue. “He’s just so—”
“We could reschedule for another time when he’s free, if that works better?”
I bit my bottom lip, willing myself not to cry as I looked at Charli. She wasn’t stupid, and she knew me well enough to know there was more going on than I was saying. Fortunately, she was a good enough friend not to push.
I blew out a breath and shook my head. “No. I’ll take care of it myself.”
For a moment, I was sure she was going to say something more. I knew if she did, it might just be enough for me to crack and tell her everything that was on my heart and the concerns and questions that had been building up.
Instead, she reached forward and squeezed my hand. “Why don’t I make us a cup of tea?”
Before I could respond, she slipped away from the table and moved to the back room, giving me a much-needed moment to pull myself together.
By the time she returned, I was no longer feeling like I might burst into tears. “Thank you.” I accepted the mug of tea gratefully and wrapped my hands around it. “Do you remember when Noa ran out on her wedding?” I blurted the question before I could talk myself out of it.
Charli froze for a moment before taking the seat across from me again. “Of course I do,” she said slowly. “It was a pretty big deal.”
I nodded. “I remember hearing about it at the time, but honestly, I didn’t really think much of it since I didn’t know her back then.
” I looked down into my tea. “Do you know why she did it? I mean, I know she wasn’t in love with her friend who she was going to marry, but even so, it all seemed kind of dramatic. ”
Charli laughed. “Running out on your wedding is dramatic,” she agreed.
“I don’t think there’s a way for it not to be.
But you’re right. They weren’t in love. Not the way they should have been to get married.
I think it all just came to a head, and Noa knew that no matter what her reasons were for marrying him, none of them were the right ones.
Life was too short not to be happy. So she ran. ”
I let that sink in.
No matter what her reasons were for marrying him, none of them were the right ones.
Were my reasons the right ones?
I was pretty sure I knew the answer to that question.
“Honestly,” Charli continued. “People acted like she committed this huge crime. But really? She saved herself. And now she’s with the right person. And she’s happy.”
She’s happy.
“I’m not just saying this because Asher’s my brother, and I love Noa, too, but it hurts me to think about what might have been.
And more importantly, what might not have been.
Running the way she did opened her up and gave her the space to find the right one and build a life with him.
It just happened to be my brother who scooped her up in her dress and drove her to his little cabin in the woods. ” She laughed. “Lucky for him.”
“Very lucky for him,” I agreed, grinning. But my thoughts were lost to Noa, and how it hadn’t been luck at all, but strength for her to recognize that the life she was signing up for wasn’t right for her.
Could I be that strong?
Should I be?
But it was different for me. Trevor was a good man. He was successful, smart and charming.
I loved him.
At least I thought I did.
When we’d first started dating, he’d been attentive in a way that felt intoxicating. Huge bouquets of flowers appeared at my door just because. Texts throughout the day, telling me how smart I was, how beautiful, how lucky he felt to have found me. He called every night. Sometimes twice.
He never missed an opportunity to tell me how in love with me he was, and how sure he was about us together.
At the time, it had felt flattering and reassuring in a way I’d never experienced before. I’d never had a man choose me the way Trevor had.
Now, sitting in Charli’s flower shop with a wedding binder open in front of me and my fiancé nowhere to be found, a strange, uncomfortable thought crept in.
Holy shit.
I’d been swept up before I’d even realized what was happening.
Had I been love bombed?
I shook my head slightly, as if I could physically dislodge the thought. Because if I let myself believe that, then I would have to admit that I’d been incredibly stupid.
But what if I was just overreacting? Plenty of people were over-the-top romantic at the start of something new. A natural fading of that attention was normal. Love didn’t need to look like the movies with dramatic fireworks all the time.
What I was feeling was just pre-wedding jitters. And with everything going on with the development project and now the committee, no wonder I was feeling overwhelmed by it all.
With a sigh, I reached for the binder again. Planning something concrete felt easier than untangling emotions I didn’t quite know what to do with yet.
I flipped it open to a set of pictures featuring wildflowers making up the bouquets. Much more my style. Simple white daisies had always been my favorite.
“I like this,” I said honestly.
Charli nodded, but she didn’t seem excited that I’d finally made a choice. “Are you sure you want to do this today?”
“Yes.” The word snapped out too fast.
“It’s just…all the questions about Noa and—”
“Honestly, I’m just a little overwhelmed, that’s all. I’m sure I’ll feel better once I’ve scratched a few more things off my list.” I forced a laugh. “I’m just being dramatic.”
She didn’t believe me. I could see it on her face.
But she let me lie, because that’s what you do for someone who isn’t ready to tell the truth.
The worst part was realizing I wasn’t even lying to her.
I was lying to myself.