If for Any Reason (Nantucket Love Story #1) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,78
“Congratulations, JoJo! You must’ve done very well to get that part!”
Jolie then raced over and kissed Hollis’s dad on the cheek and said, “I’m the Queen of Hearts, Grandpa!”
“Is that good?” Hollis’s father winked. “Congrats, JoJo!”
Hollis stood, expecting her to run his way next, but instead, she clutched her phone to her chest and closed her eyes. “I’ve gotta call Mom! She’s going to freak!”
She dashed out of the room, leaving him standing there, dumbly.
He glanced at his mom, whose expression told him she’d noticed the way Jolie had passed him over.
“She’s just excited,” Nan said.
“Yeah, for sure.” Hollis waved her off with a forced smile, a fake smile, which he was sure his mom saw right through. “I’m going to head out. I want to get some more work done on Emily’s patio.”
“Hollis . . .”
But he didn’t wait for whatever his mom would say in an attempt to make him feel better. He closed the sliding door behind him and started off toward Emily’s house.
He needed a distraction.
Emily’s backyard was happy to oblige. Thankfully, Jack’s crew seemed focused on the interior of the house, leaving Hollis alone with his thoughts—and his frustrations. He worked nonstop for at least an hour, taking out every last bit of frustration on the dense soil in what had once been the Ackermans’ prized rose garden.
He’d overheard Emily mention she wanted to bring it back. If he couldn’t get this parenting thing right, maybe he could at least do this one thing for the girl next door.
“You’re back.”
Hollis squinted up at Emily, who would be blocking the sun if she’d move about a step to her right.
“Yeah, I wanted to get here early because I’m taking Jolie paddleboarding again just after lunch.”
She smiled, and he felt something take hold of him. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“You know you don’t have to work on my house,” Emily said. “I hired a guy.”
He stood. “Yeah, I know.”
“So why are you here?”
“I came here to tell you thanks,” he said.
She grinned. “Jolie?”
He nodded. “She was beside herself when she found out.”
“I’m so glad.”
Hollis smiled. “You made her whole summer. And mine.”
“She texted me a little bit ago,” Emily said. “All caps and lots of exclamation points.”
Hollis made himself smile, though it reminded him that Jolie hadn’t celebrated with him at all. “So what are you going to make me build you?”
“Oh, I’ve got big plans.” She waggled her eyebrows. “We’re going to have so much fun.”
“I figured.”
“Now, why are you really here?” She stuck her hands on her hips and stared him down.
He shrugged. “Making sure everything’s okay. Don’t like the idea of a bunch of strange guys having access to your house all day.”
“Oh, you’re being ultra-overprotective, then.”
Man, he liked her. She was more than beautiful. She was smart and determined and broken and she had no idea how incredible and rare she was. She lived on purpose—like she used every color in the crayon box. The big box, too, with the built-in sharpener.
“Earth to the Miracle Man.” She waved a hand in front of his face.
“Sorry,” he said. “Yes, ultra-overprotective. And you can’t do anything about it.”
She shook her head, and he noticed she had a bag slung over her shoulder.
“You headed to the theatre?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’m nervous.”
“About what?”
“Everything,” she said.
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
She shrugged. “Surprise. I’m not as sure of myself as you think.”
The words sounded unplanned, and her nervous laugh was a poor cover-up.
“You’re going to do amazingly well, Emily,” he said. “I’m telling you, you’re a natural.”
“I’m going to go ahead and pretend I agree.” She moved her tote bag from one shoulder to the other. “Fake it till you make it, right?”
“Right.” Only he didn’t want to fake anything with Emily. He wanted to tell her everything he’d been thinking lately, about Jolie, about baseball, about her.
Mostly about her.
“Don’t work too hard,” she called over her shoulder.
She walked toward the shed, where her bike was stored. He watched. For several seconds, he watched. She must’ve sensed it because she turned around and smirked at him. “Slacker!”
He lifted a sweaty arm, waving to let her know he’d taken her point, and forced himself to get back to work.
But that didn’t stop him from watching her get on that bike and pedal off in the opposite direction.
He spent most of the morning weeding overgrown flower beds, and by noon, he was ready for a break. He thought back to the way Jolie’s eyes had lit like