Page 29

Spending the night in Jackson’s room is like going back into the past. I haven’t been in this room since I left for college and just being in here brings all of the memories back. The nights spent crying, the nights spent staring at a wall without a single emotion. But I also remember the nights that I wasn’t plagued by memories, the times when I would put my head on the pillow and fall straight asleep.

Tonight is one of those nights where all I do is toss and turn, not being able to switch my brain off. I can’t get Corey out of my head, the way his eyes watched me and studied my every move.

I smile as I think about him taking me outside to the cabin, armed with a tub of ice-cream. We didn’t talk much but it was the kind of silence that’s comfortable, the kind I only ever experienced with him.

Shaking my head, I try to get him off my mind, I’m thinking too much into things and wishing that things were there when they’re not.

Watching the sun rise through the window, still lying on the bed, I sigh. Two hours’ sleep is all I’ve managed and even though my eyes are sore, I know that there’s n

o point in trying to get back to sleep, not when I have so much filling up my brain.

Lifting off the bed, I walk to the bathroom that adjoins the bedroom and jump straight into the shower to get ready for the day.

Throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, I push my feet into my boots and go straight to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. The pot is fresh and I grin, knowing that it means Trevor is up and no doubt in his cabin.

Filling up my cup and pouring a fresh one for Trevor, I make my way outside and to the cabin, already being able to hear his power saw.

Pushing through the door, I walk right in front of him so that he’s knows I’m there. The last thing I want to do is startle him and make him have an accident.

“There’s my, Avie, I wondered how long it would take before you came down,” Trevor says, a smile on his face as he switches off the table saw he’s using.

I walk closer to him and hand him his coffee, his arm comes around my shoulders and he gives me a side hug, planting a kiss on my head. I smile and relish in the comfort that he brings me, especially after the night I had last night.

I’d spent so much time in here before I went off to college, I loved being in here and learning how to use all of the tools. There was never a dull moment when you were in Trevor’s company, he never failed to make me laugh.

His brown eyes are always full of warmth and even though he towers over me, like most of the men here do, I’m not intimidated by him. I just see him as a giant teddy bear.

“Hey, Trev.” I smile when I pull away and lift up onto the work counter. “What you making?”

“Dunno.” He shrugs then laughs. “I’m improvising.”

I chuckle and sit and watch him for hours, truly amazed how he can make something so spectacular out of a piece of wood. I love watching him and the silence and rhythm that he has while working, brings me a sense of peace.

By the time Jackson comes into the cabin, I’ve lost track of time. He announces that lunch is ready and we all file out, back towards the big house.

I fully intended to spend the afternoon with Elena but when she’s called out to help an injured animal, my plans are foiled and I’m left with nothing to do but sit on the steps on the front porch, watching the sky.

Trevor and Jackson left to go fishing just after lunch so I’m all alone. In the past, that would have scared me but right now, I feel the best I’ve felt in a while.

The sound of a car driving up the road has me on alert but knowing that it’s Charlie, I sit back on the step and close my eyes. Elena said she was going to call him to come hang out so I lean my head back, letting the warmth of the sun wash over me.

“You know you should always be aware of what’s around you,” the deep voice says out of nowhere, making me jump out of my skin.

“Shit!” my eyes fly open and I grab my chest, willing my heart to stop racing. “You scared the crap out of me, Corey.” I gasp, lifting my hand to try to shield my eyes from the sun.

He pushes his sunglasses up onto his head and my eyes follow his movements. “Sorry.” He shrugs stepping closer, shielding me from the glaring sun.

I swallow as I take him all in, his jean shorts grip to his legs in all the right places and his sneakers almost sparkle with how new they are. My eyes follow the path up and over his chest that’s covered in a dark blue t-shirt and I’m practically salivating at the sight of him. Nothing, and no one, has ever had this effect on me.

Stop, don’t think of him like that, I warn myself.

“I hear you have nothing to do.” He raises a brow and grins, causing his dimple to pop out. I nearly sigh at the sight of it, I shake my head to try to get rid of the thoughts. I’m not the kind of person to sigh over a dimple, at least, I think I’m not.

“And what would make you think that?”

“Someone may have mentioned it in passing,” he says, almost as if he’s been caught out.

He shuffles his feet and looks away, and my brows shoot up when he clears his throat. Is he... nervous?