Chapter sixteen Willow #3
“Penn is coming by the house tonight and tomorrow, but I’m free at night.”
“Then come to the restaurant. I close earlier on Sundays. I can feed you and then maybe you can stay with me this time?” The lack of confidence in his voice has me fighting back a grin.
Was he nervous to ask me that?
“I think that might work.”
A triumphant smile graces his lips. “Then it’s settled. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
***
After a long day of painting and sanding cupboards, Penn comes up to me, wiping sweat from his brow. We both look like a mess, but the house is coming along nicely.
After the game on Saturday, he followed me home and helped me take the doors off the kitchen cupboards, preparing them for paint, and all day today we’ve been working around each other, trying to knock out the first coat on the doors and the frame of the cupboards in the kitchen before he starts on the hardwood floors this week.
“The cupboards are turning out great.” He eyes the slabs of wood lying on the floor I’ve covered with sheets.
“Thanks. I really like the navy blue. I think it was the right color choice.”
“I agree. And once the white marble countertops get here, the color contrast will be perfect for the house.”
“I think so too.” Pushing my hair out of my face, I stare up at him. “Any word on the roofing materials?”
“They should be delivered this coming weekend, so I can get that done next week. Dallas will probably come over and help me.”
It was only a matter of time before one of us brought him up. “Oh, good.”
Penn chuckles. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Was I supposed to say something else?”
He crosses his arms over his chest, staring at me intently. “I don’t know. How about you tell me what’s going on with my brother?”
“What has he said to you?” I mimic his stance.
“Nope. I asked you first.”
Sighing, I drop my hands and busy myself with cleaning up my mess for the day. The paint needs to dry before I can do my second coat, and I can’t look at Penn or he might see right through me. “Nothing is going on. We’re adults. We’re having fun.” I sneak a peek at him as his brow furrows. “What?”
“What about the house?”
I turn my back to him. “What about it?”
“You know what, Willow. He wants it, still does. But now?”
I spin back to face him. “He’s the one that pursued me, Penn. And for once, I gave into the moment. Do I regret it? No. But…”
Penn shakes his head. “It makes this complicated.”
“You have no idea,” I mutter under my breath as I stare out the front window at the ocean.
“If you’re going to leave, you have to sell this house to him, Willow. At least give him that.”
My eyes snap to his. “I haven’t decided anything yet, okay? And don’t you think Dallas would be pissed if he knew you were talking to me about this?”
“I don’t give a shit about what my brother thinks, but I am going to look out for him.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Penn drops his arms now, his expression softening.
“He’s different now, Willow, and it started when you walked into town.
My brother has been through some shit. Hell, my entire family has.
But since we were kids, he’s wanted this house, and when he finally gets the chance, you show up.
Dallas doesn’t let people in. Trust me, I know.
I’ve watched him keep blinders on for years, until you made him drop them.
” He runs a hand through his hair. “I guess I’m just asking you not to hurt him. ”
Swallowing down the lump in my throat that formed from his admission, I say, “What makes you think I’m the one that will hurt him?”
“Because I see the way he looks at you, and I know that look all too well.”
I tilt my head at him. “You mean the same way you look at Astrid?”
Penn freezes. “That’s irrelevant.”
“No it’s not. It’s very much the same.”
“Regardless,” he says, his jaw clenched, “this is about you and Dallas, which brings me to my next point.” He waves his hand out to the side. “I’m starting on these floors on Tuesday, and it would be a lot easier to knock them out if you weren’t here.”
“Are you kicking me out of my house?”
Penn chuckles. “Kind of, but I happen to have a brother that I’m sure wouldn’t mind you staying with him.” He winks over his shoulder as he heads toward the kitchen.
“Did you already speak to him about this?” I call after him.
“Nope. I thought it’d be better coming from you.” When he comes back to the living room, he says, “And I’d probably say something soon, you know, before you change your mind and chicken out.”
“I wouldn’t chicken out.”
Penn bobs his head from side to side. “I guess that’s debatable, huh?”
“God, you’re just as infuriating as your brother.”
“Nah, he’s still got me beat, but at least I gave you the courtesy of asking before he thinks I’d offer for you to stay at my place.”
“Do you have a death wish?”
Penn laughs. “Nope, and the fact you know what his reaction would be tells me all I need to know about how you feel about him too.”
***
I walk into Catch & Release just after eight o’clock, freshly showered and dressed in clothes that don’t have paint all over them.
Astrid flags me down as soon as our eyes meet. “What are you doing in here?”
“She’s here to eat,” Dallas answers for me as I take a seat at the bar.
Astrid casts him a knowing glance. “Are you sure that’s the only thing she’s here for?”
“Don’t you have tables to take care of?” he fires back, ignoring her question.
“I see how it is. You two are playing it close to the vest.” She mimics zipping her lips. “I understand.” Grabbing a tray full of drinks, she hoists it up on her shoulder and then saunters off.
After she’s out of earshot, I turn to Dallas. “Sorry about her, but she does know about us. I hope that’s okay.”
Dallas leans over the bar, bringing his head closer to mine and planting a swift kiss to my lips. “I don’t care who knows about us, Willow, but Astrid likes to give me shit just as much as Penn. It’s what we do.” He shrugs before standing tall again.
My shoulders drop with relief. “I can tell. Speaking of Penn,” I say, getting to the point of why I’m here. “He wants to start on the floors on Tuesday and says I should vacate the house. Says it will be easier if I’m not there.”
“Okay…” His brow furrows as he waits for me to continue.
“I think I’m going to head back to D.C. for a few days.”
Dallas’s shoulders tense up. “Oh.”
We stare at each other for a few moments before I finally clear my throat. “I’ve been gone for weeks, and honestly, I should really check in on my company.” Toying with the coaster in front of me, I focus on the distraction instead of meeting his eyes.
Dallas pushes himself off the bar and reaches for a towel, wiping off the bar. “Makes sense.”
“I’ll be back by Thursday, Friday at the latest…”
Our eyes finally meet. “It’s okay, Willow.
I get it. Your life is up there. The choice is logical.
” One of his employees calls him over, halting our conversation.
Dallas holds a finger up to him, and then says to me before he leaves, “I’ve got to get back to work.
We can talk more about this after we close. ”
“Okay,” I mumble as he walks away, just as Astrid comes back behind the bar.
“Everything all right?”
I groan, dropping my head in my hands. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
And after seeing Dallas’s reaction to my leaving, I seriously wonder if I’m making the right decision about a lot of things.
I know Penn suggested I stay with Dallas, but that would only make it that much harder to leave when my time here is over.
Besides the floors, the only things left are the roof and a fresh coat of paint on the exterior, a decision we came to before he left today.
If I’m going to put a new roof on the place, might as well spruce up the rest of the house, right?
With only those projects left, the timeline for renovations ended up being shorter than we anticipated, which means my time here in this magical town is coming to an end soon.
Going back to D.C. is inevitable, and even though every moment I spend here makes me fantasize about a life in Carrington Cove—with Dallas, Astrid, and those muffins—it’s just not possible.
My business is six hours away.
My life has been there for the past ten years.
I still don’t know what to think about my surprise visitor.
And I’m keeping a secret from this man that could destroy him.
I can’t be responsible for doing that to another person.
“What’s going on?” Astrid asks, pulling me from my inner turmoil.
“I have to go back home for a few days.”
“Okay…” She glances over at where Dallas is standing, smiling and talking to a few customers, and then it hits her. “Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you’ll be back, right?”
I lean back in the chair. “Yes, but not for much longer.”
Astrid takes a deep breath. “I hate to ask this, but does your offer to invest in the bakery still stand even though you’re leaving?”
“Of course, Astrid. I wouldn’t go back on that promise,” I assure her.
She sighs in relief. “Okay. Well, Greg and Jenny agreed to sell to me, and the bank said I wouldn’t qualify for the loan on my own. So, maybe when you get back this week we can meet up at the bank? You know, before the chaos of the Carrington Cove Games starts?”
“Oh, crap. That’s this coming weekend, huh?”
“Yes. And you can’t miss that.” She tilts her head at me. “Don’t worry about Dallas, Willow. He’s a big boy and I’m pretty sure he knew the score before he started whatever it is y’all have going on.”
“I know, but it still doesn’t make me feel great. I guess part of me feels like I’m leading him on.”
She tips her shoulder up, smiling. “Well, is there any chance that you might consider staying? And I’m not just asking for my own selfish reasons.”
“I—”
But I don’t get a chance to answer before another server comes over and places a club sandwich in front of me, along with a dirty martini with three olives.
“Oh, uh…I didn’t order this.”