it to lose its forbidden quality?
“Not any more awkward than his little sister asking me about it.” I smile around the bite of black beans in my mouth.
She grins sheepishly. “Sorry. It’s just that I’ve never seen Wes…” Her mouth twists as she searches for the word. “Happy. He’s not stomping around as much, and there’s something different about his eyes. They’re lighter. Not in color, I mean, but like whatever’s inside him that hurts doesn't hurt so much anymore. And”—she puts a bite of food in her mouth, then points her fork at me—“I noticed him driving to his cabin almost every morning for the past week.”
I nod slowly, trying not to let on how excited her words have made me. If this was Abby across from me, I’d be squirming in my seat and clapping in celebration. Since it’s Wes’s little sister, I feel there should be a modicum of self-possession. “Wes makes me very happy, too, Jessie. And it’s good to hear I’m having the same effect on him.”
“Well, that’s good,” Jessie snorts, “considering you’re getting married.”
I force a laugh. “True.”
Honestly, it feels like my relationship with Wes is developing alongside our deal, like there are two parallel tracks and we’re riding them both.
Jessie looks a little disappointed, and I can tell she wanted me to gush about my deepest feelings. I get it. When Abby and I were teenagers, we dissected every word our crushes spoke, every action they took if it was in a ten-foot radius of us. We were close as could be, lying in bed in our shared bedroom and gossiping at night until one of us fell asleep. It’s one of our favorite mutual memories, and—
Oh. Of course. How did I not see it? Not only is Jessie the only girl, she’s the youngest by fourteen years. She wants her own version of what I had with Abby.
“So.” I lower my voice like we’re talking about something secretive. “Tell me all about Eamon. Is he really cute?”
It’s just what she needs. She talks animatedly, her hands flying around in the air, telling me about every inch of his perfect face, his laugh and his favorite pizza toppings. She talks and talks, and I find myself laughing at her descriptions. I pay the check, and I don’t worry about having enough money to buy her lunch. It’s an incredible feeling. When we walk out to the parking lot, Jessie hugs me. She seems much happier now than she did when she pulled up on the jobsite.
Jessie drives off and I make a stop at the bakery. The cookies last fewer than five minutes around all those hungry workers. Good thing I snagged one for myself before handing the box over to Scott.
The rest of the afternoon is spent calling landscapers in the area, sending them my plans, and collecting bids.
My phone rings at four, and it’s Wes. The sound of his voice rockets through me, leaving no part of me untouched.
“I want to take you somewhere tonight,” he husks. I love that he doesn’t ask me if I want to go somewhere. He knows I do.
He tells me to be ready at seven.
I tell him to pick me up at six-thirty because I want to have a drink in the hotel bar first.
He chuckles to himself as he hangs up the phone, and I grin like an idiot at my computer screen and silently squeal.
Just like a teenager.
31
Wes
I have to admit, I like Dakota’s suggestion to meet for a drink, and not even because I want a drink. Because I like how she told me what she wants.
The hotel lobby is a little busier than the other times I’ve been here this week, probably because it’s Friday night. A majority of the people coming through the double doors are heading for the restaurant. Most of them look like couples.
I enter the restaurant and veer left to the bar. It’s full, but I manage to grab a corner seat when two people leave. I order a whiskey, and a glass of the same wine Dakota drank the night of the celebratory dinner.
I’m pulling out my phone to tell her I’m here when a hand slides over my shoulder and soft lips touch my ear. “Come here often?” The voice is low, sultry, vibrating in my ear.
I turn into the sound and look up. Dakota smiles down at me, her head tipping to the side. She wears a tight denim skirt, a white V-neck T-shirt