Chapter 4
I am painfully aware of Dalton sitting next to me the whole drive into town. It’s impossible to pretend he isn’t there, but that doesn’t mean I have to talk to him. I don’t. I focus on what Lauren says and look at the things she points out on the drive down Meadow Lane. It’s a much more relaxing trip than the one I made going up it.
Avoiding Dalton is much easier at the restaurant. I’m not spared, seated next to him, but conversation quickly flows, and I prefer to focus on that than the way I can’t stop wanting to glance at this jerk. I’m distracted with ordering then talking, and it holds my attention.
Soon after we place our orders, Caleb and Lauren launch into a discussion about their plans in Colorado. I knew they liked the BB, but I hadn’t realized just how much until now.
“You’re going to take over the bed-and-breakfast?” Dalton asks.
“Yes,” Caleb replies. “It seems impulsive, but it’s our future. I haven’t explained much so far, but I’m going to relocate and spend the majority of my time here with Lauren and Marian instead of living in New York.” He gazes at my friend even though he’s talking to his, and his adoration is so evident I almost swoon. Anyone can see how smitten he is.
“I still have a lot to do in the city, but I’ve learned that with the right equipment, going remote isn’t so bad.”
“Hey,” I add, “it’s not like you’re going completely off the grid and working out of an RV.”
“Oh, my gosh. Caleb in an RV?” Lauren giggles. “I can’t see it.”
He kisses her cheek. “Neither can I. Anyway, Marian is all for our plans. We’re not commandeering anything. Our plans, as in she’s included. We’ll live here at the Goldfinch with her in the house until ours is built next door in the vacant lot.”
I think back to the open space I saw briefly when I arrived. When I reached the Goldfinch, I was so consumed with anger that Dalton would also be staying there. He took up my attention then, but I’m not worried. I will ignore him. I figure I’ll have plenty of time to explore the beautiful scenery that Colorado has to offer. I bet it’ll be gorgeous no matter what Caleb and Lauren want to build. It won’t be like the smog or sprawl of LA. Despite living in a city, I’ve prided myself on being outdoorsy. It’s harder to hack it when living among buildings and pavement, but I made a community garden at the school, and I got my little fix there. I can’t wait to experience the real outdoors here.
A tiny streak of envy fills me that they have not only a home to look forward to but also one set in such a glorious, natural place.
But she deserves this. If anyone needs the beauty of the outdoors to recover, it’s her. I’m glad she can have it.
“I would like to get the foundation and framing done before the winter,” Caleb says.
“We already have contractors lined up,” Lauren adds. “Marian’s late husband, John, had friends in the business around here, and Marian was quick to make suggestions for those steps of the build.”
“And Marian really is okay with it?” I ask. I know she said she’s on board, but still. It sounds like a lot. “She’s not put off with you two just barging in?”
“Oh, she’s fine.” Lauren grins.
Caleb smiles at her, nodding. “She’s like a new family member. While she will always have her opinion and we’ll respect it, she will definitely have a say in what’s going on, I secretly think she’s thrilled and glad that we’ll handle it all.”
“I agree,” Lauren says. “When I first arrived, she seemed so flustered and overwhelmed. And when I chatted with her about future goals and my ideas about the place, it all aligned with what she’d always wanted to do with her husband. I imagine if he had lived, they would’ve done just this.”
My heart hurts at the idea that the sweet older woman I met earlier could still be missing her husband. I hope she views Caleb and Lauren like a new start instead of lingering in the loss of the past and what could have been. They sure bring enthusiasm to the table, and maybe that had been absent.
“When you started posting on social media,” Caleb tells her, “business boomed. She has so many reservations that she’s admitted she didn’t know what she would do without us.”
I can see that firsthand. The Goldfinch isn’t huge and crowded, but I’m aware of the abundance of reservations because there is no spare room for me to switch into. I wish I could avoid sharing that connecting door with Dalton, but it is what it is.
I’m excited about this news, though. If business is booming, and Lauren will be busy with Caleb, there should be enough work and projects for me to sink my teeth into while I try to figure out what to do with my life.
“That’s not all, though,” Caleb says. “I also finalized the paperwork to purchase an old motel in Frisco.”
Dalton perks up at this. He’s been mostly quiet through the conversation, lurking. If I knew him better—or at all—I would’ve guessed that he prefers to listen, rather than to participate in discussions. Here, though, he sits up with attention. “Frisco? There’s a dependable market there?”
Market.I roll my eyes. Aha. Sure, he’ll be interested in the conversation when it’s about money. I will not forget that he is just another rich guy.
“Yes,” Caleb replies. “Frisco is lacking long-term housing.”
“That’s what you’d like to do with this motel? Instead of going completely into hospitality?” Dalton asks.
“Yeah.” Caleb smiles at Lauren again. “We’ll renovate it to be long-term housing. It’s a good winter project for Lauren. She can decorate.”
Ooooh. That would be perfect for her. Now she would be able to put her interior design knowledge to good use. I look forward to having a helping hand in it too.
“Sounds like a decent investment then,” Dalton comments.
Lauren furrows her brow. “What do you mean?”
“Dalton is very familiar with buying and flipping properties,” Caleb says.
Dalton smiles, but it’s not a confident, cocky expression. He seems almost humble about it, as though he wouldn’t have mentioned it himself if Caleb hadn’t brought it up.
“That’s how I built my income. I’ve spent a lot of time and effort into building a real estate portfolio that’s not limited to New York.”
“Always gotta have more and more,” I mumble under my breath.
“What was that?” Lauren asks.
I smile wide. “Nothing.”
“More?” Caleb asks, shaking his head.
Dammit. He heard me.
“You two have yet to get to know each other,” he says.
“Don’t hold your breath on that,” I quip quietly.
Dalton rolls his eyes while Lauren shoots me a stern look.
Caleb plows on. “Dalton is familiar with the real estate business not only for his career but also for his foundation.”
Lauren smiles at him. “What’s this foundation?”
Dalton clears his throat, shifting in his seat to look more directly at Caleb and Lauren, excluding me. “One of them is to help low-income or struggling people find affordable housing in the city.”
I refrain from smirking. Why would some rich guy have a heart for people with way less than what he’s had? He’s talking about people like they’re distant. Others. But he can’t realize I am one of these people. When my parents passed, I was lucky to have my scholarship for college and a state-funded financial assistance program for that building with the junky hinged door.
“That’s why we want to offer long-term housing instead of more vacation rentals,” Lauren says.
“You’re rubbing off on me,” Caleb jokes with Dalton. “It feels good to give back.”
Our plates arrive, and as we dig in, Lauren turns to me. “Aubrey, are you excited about this upcoming school year?”
Shit. I haven’t minded them talking about their plans and their futures, but mine is a tricky subject.
“You teach second grade, right?” Caleb asks me, then glances at Lauren.
I have no doubt she’s talked about me with him, but neither of them can know the truth about what I teach. In short: nothing, thanks to Jeremy. I haven’t figured out when would be a good time to tell Lauren about what her ex did, but it definitely isn’t now at this cozy restaurant after their promising plans.
“Meh.” I shrug, focusing on my food, but when I glance up, I find Dalton staring right at me. I furrow my brow, hating the way he seems to see straight through me as I dance away from answering Lauren.
“I, uh…” Crap. I have to say something. “I decided not to teach this year.”
Lauren coughs, choking on the bite she just swallowed as I shock her with that reply. Caleb pats her on the back as she sips water then clears her throat. “What? Why?”
Crap! This is the problem with lies. They keep spiraling and growing. “My contract ended.” It’s almost the truth. Jeremy got it ended for me, but hey, semantics.
Dalton still watches me closely, and having his attention like this unnerves me. The topic of my career does even more, and I’m eager to change the subject.
“So!” I smile brightly. “What’s there to do around here, anyway?”
“I imagine in the winter, we’ll go skiing,” Caleb answers, taking the bait unknowingly in this change of subjects.
I exhale in relief that we’re done talking about me. It’s a good break for me to avoid thinking about what I’d like to do next, never mind telling Lauren that I need something else to do and plan on.
The rest of the dinner passes companionably. Even though Dalton is still quiet, he pops into the conversation here and there. I get hopeful on the drive back that maybe he’s more tired than I am. Or, being the jerk he is, he’s antisocial. That would make it easier for me to avoid him altogether.
When we return to the Goldfinch, though, Caleb and Lauren leave us to go around to the cottage they’re living in behind the large house.
Dalton’s been so quiet, I figure I’m in the clear, so I’m surprised and peeved when he tells me to wait up before entering the house.
“Why aren’t you teaching this year?” he asks as he approaches.
Crickets chirp and the trees rustle under the breeze, but all my focus is on the way this man strides closer. Casual, yet not. Like a predator.
An enemy.
I cross my arms and lean my hip against the porch railing. It creaks, and I jerk clear of it, standing straight again. “What’s it to you?”
He shrugs. “I’m surprised.”
I scoff. “Surprised? You don’t know me to be aware of what’s unexpected or unpredictable.” And I want to keep it that way. So, back off.
He shakes his head. “Not true.”
I tilt my head to the side. “How so?”
“I looked you up online. When Caleb was rushing to crash Lauren’s wedding, I looked through posts of the first wedding and saw you in the bridal party. I skimmed through your profile enough to consider texting you to stall the wedding.”
He had done that. I shake my head. “Okay, that doesn’t mean you know me.” And won’t.
“But I saw how you posted teaching memes and things like that. You seem passionate about education.”
I still am passionate about it, and knowing it’s not an option stings. “It doesn’t matter.”
He raises his brows.
“I don’t owe you an answer.”
“Are you always this bitchy?”
I flip him off, but then I realize that’s only proving his point. “It doesn’t matter why I’m not teaching anymore.” It still sounds like a copout of an answer I don’t owe him. I shrug. “People change their minds.” Even though I haven’t. I’d love to go back to the classroom.
He looks at me again in that deep, pensive way that makes me feel so vulnerable and exposed. Like he’s peering right through me.
Then he shrugs, walking up the steps and strolling past me on the porch as he goes into the house.
Before he disappears inside, he pauses and replies without looking back. “I’m very familiar with that if you ever want to talk about it.”
I frown after him, staring at the screen door after it swings shut.
That’s assuming I want to talk to you at all.
And despite my resistance and determination to ignore him, I’m suddenly very curious about what he meant with that remark.