Chapter 15 Eve
FIFTEEN
EVE
Since I bought the camper, it’s chilled in the driveway while I lost myself in a research blackhole to learn how to renovate it.
Saved browser tabs are open across all my devices with links I’ve looked at between serving drinks at The Landmark, sitting up late working on my products, and going to Heston U’s home games.
I have so much information. Tons more than I likely need, yet making myself begin this project has been difficult.
If Cole didn’t offer to help me, who knows how long I would’ve put off getting started.
We’ve been at it for three afternoons in a row so far. When he’s done with work, he comes right over.
“Here.” He takes off his glove and offers a hand to help me up.
I ignore the tingle racing through me as his fingers curl around mine. He holds on until I find my balance, watching me. I make a conscious effort not to use his firm chest to steady myself. His comforting forest scent envelops me and his body heat seeps through my clothes.
It’s not exactly spacious inside the hull of the camper.
I slide my lips together. “Thanks.”
He releases me after a beat. Rather than paying attention to the section of flooring he wants to show me, I’m staring at his forearms. The sleeves of his gray henley are pushed up, the flannel he stripped off tied around his waist. The shirt stretches across his broad chest when he swipes the back of his wrist across his forehead.
I tear my gaze away, hissing out an uneven breath.
“See how this is all warped under the linoleum we pulled back?”
I lean over where he crouched in the cramped corner at the back. He puts a flashlight in his mouth and yanks on a loose board. My mouth goes dry at the way his upper back and biceps flex.
“Shit,” he mutters.
“Is it bad?”
He turns a grim expression on me. “There’s definitely water damage. Not the end of the world, but unideal. It means we’ll have to rip this all out to replace the floor.”
My stomach sinks as he gestures to the discolored piece he pulled up. I tug on the ends of my hair.
“Wow. This is going to take longer than I thought to fix.”
Sighing, I hop down to the driveway. He follows me.
“I don’t know, maybe I took on more than I was ready for.
The further we get into this reno project, the more we find wrong with this thing.
The rusted out siding let the elements in, and now we have to fix water damage.
There’s a tire that needs to be patched.
I’m pretty sure a family of field mice has moved into one of the storage compartments. ”
As I list off all the work we need to do, my breathing speeds up. My skin feels too tight.
I peel my hoodie off when the neck feels like it’s choking me. I get more agitated while I pace back and forth, as if moving will help me stay ahead of this problem. Rubbing my forehead, I fight the tightness in my lungs.
“Hang on.”
Cole catches me by my shoulders and keeps me still before I spiral out of control. His touch feels good. It distracts me from the thoughts piling up in my head, making me focus on him.
“Let’s take a breather for a second. Then we can tackle this one by one. Deal?”
I roll my lips between my teeth and force an exhale through my nose. “Okay. Yes, you’re right. One thing at a time. It’s impossible to fix it all at once. Thank you.”
He squeezes. “I’ve got you.”
A lump forms in my throat. Cole has a knack for recognizing when I’m overstimulated. It doesn’t frustrate him or make him dismissive. Not only does he ask me what’s wrong, he offers his support without making me feel bad about being overwhelmed.
The midnight kiss from my birthday has been on my mind the last few weeks.
We might be fooling around online together because it’s a much lower risk, but it means I still don’t get to have my brother’s best friend the way I’ve always wanted.
Our conversations online are full of wickedly delicious fantasies and show me a side of him I’m growing addicted to.
The new connection we have makes moments like this more special to me.
This is enough. His friendship. His support.
I promised myself not to involve our feelings in this arrangement. Because mine are so much bigger than his could possibly be. I have no doubt now that he’s attracted to me. That’s as far as this thing between us goes.
We’ll have our secret, no strings attached fun, then we’ll walk away once the snow melts.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Yes. Thanks for keeping my head on straight.”
He captures my gaze, his green irises swimming with something that makes my pulse flutter. My attention falls to his mouth. Am I moving in or is he doing that?
The alarm on my phone goes off, making me gasp. My pulse speeds up as I silence it.
It’s time.
I sit cross-legged on the pavement, pulling up the draft of my online store. Jittery butterflies fill me. Moment of truth.
“What’s that for?” He drops to the ground beside me, drawing a knee up to drape his arm across.
“A reminder for my launch. Today’s the day my shop goes live.”
“Yeah? Cool.”
His charismatic smile makes my heart skip a beat. He runs his fingers through his thick dark hair, then hands over my water thermos.
“Here, have some water. I’ve barely seen you drink any while we’ve been working.”
After glugging half of it to make up for my lack of hydration, I play with the straw and admit, “I’m pretty nervous.”
“Who wouldn’t be? It’s nerve-racking to put yourself out there.” He nudges his shoulder against mine. “Don’t worry. You’ve got this.”
I trap my lip with my teeth, keeping my gaze on him while I press the button to publish my listings. My eyes widen and a little scream leaves me.
“That’s it. I did it. My store’s live.”
His grin stretches slowly, eyes bouncing between mine. “Congratulations.”
I open the public link and dance at seeing everything I’ve been working on out in the world. It’s surreal.
When I look up, he’s studying me with something soft and unreadable swirling in his eyes again. It gives me goosebumps.
I hold up my phone. “Hey, can you see if this works for you?”
“Sure. Anything you need.”
“I’m texting you the link.”
He pulls out his phone and shows me my store open in his browser. Excitement buzzes through me.
“That’s so weird to see it launched. Still feels like I’m staying up too late in Photoshop to mock-up what I wanted it to look like.”
He climbs to his feet and grazes his fingers over one of my braids. “I’m proud of you for going after what makes you happy, Evie.”
My throat tightens with a swell of emotions. I blink back tears, feeling silly.
A notification on my phone distracts me from succumbing to my sappiness. I pop to my feet, grabbing his arm.
“Cole! Oh my god! I got my first sale already! I haven’t even posted that the launch is live yet!” I’m barely able to hold my screen straight, bouncing with joy.
He hums a quiet laugh. “Congratulations.”
I open the order and all the excitement halts. Oh. It’s from him. He bought the Heston U Hockey and Heston Lake themed sticker packs.
“Why didn’t you say anything while I was jumping around freaking out?” I cover my flaming face.
“Because you’re cute when you’re excited. I wanted to be your first order.” He gives me a dimpled smile while slipping his phone in his back pocket. “I had to support you.”
Warmth overflows within me. “Oh. Thank you.”
I put up the posts I drafted to announce my official opening to the social media accounts I made for Sweet Luxe. I also share them to my personal pages. Sales come in from my friends and family, along with texts to wish me congratulations.
“Okay, done.” I beam at Cole. “I’m all yours.”
His gaze snaps to me, eyes burning with an intensity that makes my stomach dip. We drift closer, lured by a taut invisible thread.
The moment breaks when Mom pulls into the driveway. She waves.
“Need help bringing in the groceries?” he offers, already grabbing a heavy bag for her.
“Yes, thank you,” she says. “I’m making chili tonight. Want to stay for dinner? I bet you kids are cold from being outside all day.”
He glances at me when he answers. “Sounds great. Thanks Mrs. Lombard.”
After we finish, we get back to work on the camper. While we’re looking up the flooring we need to replace, my phone goes off again. Twice. Three times. My features go slack when I find more orders, this time from people I don’t know.
I didn’t expect to get any sales when I launched. Cole proved me wrong about that, but I wasn’t sure if I’d get more from customers that don’t know me at all.
“Someone just ordered a pair of my french fry earrings!” I gush.
He slings an arm around my shoulders to give me a side hug. “That’s awesome.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“I can.”
My attention darts up from my phone. His eyes rove my face. I swear they land on my mouth for a beat before darting away. It’s funny how easy it is to act as we normally do, as though nothing’s changed. At the same time, the slightest touches are charged with an undercurrent of enticement.
“Never doubted you for a second. You’re amazing.”
His sincere stare pierces my heart. I’m at a loss for words. The best I manage is a wobbly smile.
He steps away, stealing all my air. It takes a moment to recover from dizziness.
Light snow flurries begin to fall. I tip my head back, closing my eyes.
It’s really happening. I don’t know if I’d be here without the people in my life pushing me to start my own business.
There’s a long way to go, but the possibility of growing it floods me with incandescent emotions. My dreams feel within reach, all I have to do is believe in myself to have the courage to make them come true.