Page 43

“Want to come in for a nightcap?”she asked, eyelashes fluttering and insinuating much more than a drink.
God, I wanted to follow her inside, lose myself in her warmth, her laughter, her light brown eyes that looked at me as if I was worth something.
That look, that light, that’s exactly what stopped me.Because I wasn’t.Not now and maybe not ever.I was a failure of epic proportions, and I had purposely deceived her.
I forced my head to shake.“I can’t.”
That sexy come get me look withered.“But earlier you made it seem like—”
“I forgot I have something I need to do.”
Disappointment consumed her gaze before she masked it with a tight nod.“Of course.”
I hated myself for letting her know disappointment.For being too much of a pussy to stand up to my father.For allowing this to go on for as long as it had.For letting myself fall for her.I hated that I was already losing her, and I hated even more that she didn’t even know.
“Good night, Sherry.”I leaned across the console and pressed a kiss to her cheek, relishing in her softness, in her light floral scent.
She opened the door and slipped out without as much as a glance back.
I waited until she got in the house and closed the door.I waited even longer.Why?I had no idea.Maybe I hoped she’d come running back out, begging me to come in and breaking my resolve.The door never opened again, so I threw the car in reverse and headed home.
Chapter 14
Sherry
Ben took forever to pull out of my driveway, but as soon as he did, I grabbed my keys and jumped in my own car.Anxious energy flooded through me, making me wonder if I had finally gone off the deep end.Everything had been going so well.Then he got weird.
I pulled into Lainey’s driveway and hopped out of the car, making my way to her front door.I knocked hard several times, desperate for girl talk with my best friend.The door flung open, but instead of the bright smile of my best friend, I was faced with my brother’s ugly mug.
“Sher—?”
I grabbed his arm and yanked him out the door.
“Hey!”he exclaimed.“What the hell?”
“I need my best friend right now!You've been hogging her.Go hang out with Brady at the distillery or with the vets at the VFW.”While Nero wasn’t a vet himself, he had a strong bond with the men who were and who had strong ties to our grandfather.
He glanced at his bare feet.“Can I at least grab my shoes?”
“Oh Sherry!”Lainey appeared in the doorway.Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, her cheeks pink, and a smile curved her lips.“I was just going to text you about the Carmichael wedding.I scheduled a tasting with her for next week.”
“Oh good,” I said, trying to keep my sanity in front of Nero.
“What’s going on?”Lainey’s blue eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and concern.I should have known there was no fooling her.
“Your best friend is kicking me out,” Nero said.
Lainey met my gaze, and without a single word, she nodded, turned toward the house and came back with Nero’s shoes.She tossed them at him, and he scrambled to catch the pair.
“What the hell?”
Lainey hurried toward Nero, raised on her tiptoes, and he bent his six-foot frame to meet her five foot-one.She kissed his cheek, then patted the other one.“Love you, but please leave.”
“But I just opened a bottle of wine,” Nero protested.
“And it’ll be waiting for you.Later.Much later.”
“Or you can bring it with you,” I suggested.