Page 31 of Lovewell Lane (Honeyfield Dreamers #1)

Derek

My entire life, I’d prided myself on my self control.

I was the responsible brother who carried my entire family on his back when my mom died.

When my father got injured and mentally checked out, I made sure my younger siblings went to school and were clothed and fed.

My wife cheated on me and ran off with a rich asshole without any kids, and I just strapped in for the ride.

I never complained or struggled under the pressure. I just dealt with it.

Yet this woman living in my backyard was testing my self restraint more than anything had ever in my entire life. Margo weaseled her way into my life, wrapped her pretty little fingers around it all, and then let go. She only wanted to be friends, and I didn’t know what the hell to do with that.

We pulled back after the kiss, but hearing her say she didn’t want me out loud was like an electric shock to the heart.

She only wanted to be friends. I didn’t look at my friends the way I looked at Margo.

I didn’t think about them twelve hours out of every day.

I wasn’t reminded of them every time I looked at my bed.

I slammed another plank of wood onto the pile I was moving. Sam walked out from where he was hiding in the office. He knew I was in a mood and knew better than to poke the bear.

“Okay, what’s going on with you? Did you and Margo get into a fight? Slick said he set you up on a date,” Sam said with a rare annoyed face.

I ignored him and continued working. “I was going to give you space, but you’re about to break our inventory. Derek, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“Nothing is wrong,” I said under my breath. Annoyance bled into my tone.

Sam walked over and stood on top of the wood I was moving while crossing his arms. He looked just like he did when we were kids, and I wasn’t playing according to his rules.

“There is no ‘Margo and Derek’, we are just friends.”

Sam uncrossed his arms. “And that’s the problem,” he said.

I nodded. “That’s the problem.”

“Maybe we need to give you a makeover. Turn your attitude around. I’m sure Margo would be more interested if you acted a little nicer and less like an unsocialized alley cat.”

I chuckled coldly at his plan. “You’re an idiot.”

“From what I’ve seen, she looks at you the same way you look at her. What’s really the problem?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Don’t know. She wants to be friends.”

He sucked in a breath. “Friend-zoned, yikes. Welcome to my world, brother.”

I set down the wood I was holding to give him a deadpan look. “Get over yourself. Lila isn’t even your friend. You just follow her around like a puppy dog.”

Sam stepped off the wood and silently walked toward the office. “Alright, asshole. Figure it out yourself then.”

Just like when we were kids. At least I was left to work in peace. Unfortunately, the peace didn’t last long because I looked out of my window out of habit and saw Margo working in her diner across the street. A customer walked into the store a few minutes later to shake me out of my thoughts.

“Hey, Brady,” I muttered.

“Derek.” He gave me a short nod and walked down the aisles to pick out what he needed.

We met each other at the counter, and I started ringing him out. “Haven’t seen it this busy since when we were kids,” he said, gesturing at the sidewalk and street filled with cars and people.

“Yeah, the diner seems to have brought in lots of interest.”

He scoffed. “Hopefully not for long.”

I furrowed my brow at him. “It’s helping the community a lot and proves that new businesses can survive in Honeyfield. It’ll take some getting used to, but it’s good for everyone.”

“Glad you think so.” He dropped cash on the counter and left without another word. While my family was welcoming of newcomers, others in town didn’t always share the same sentiment. They’d come around eventually.

I glanced at Margo one last time before getting back to work. I’d deal with Sam after he blew off some steam.

At lunch, I couldn’t stop myself from walking over to see my new BFF. I walked into the diner only for Margo’s server to help me, I nearly balked when she asked what I wanted to order. Usually, Margo picked something out for me. I grabbed the menu and picked the first thing I saw.

Margo looked like a whirlwind as she walked back and forth past the bar with a purpose. It seemed like she was all smiles with everyone except for me.

Finally, she stopped at the bar counter I was sitting at to greet me. I looked up to say hello when I found her looking at the man next to me. I’d never even seen him before. She gave him a sweet smile and called him by his first name.

Was this the asshole she told me she wanted to be friends for?

I looked the idiot up and down as she walked away. He looked like he belonged in an office building fetching coffee for the real people in charge. His shirt wasn’t even tucked in, and he had a stain on his lapel.

What a fucking loser.

Margo came back to set down my plate in front of me and gave me a quick smile. “Hey, Derek.”

“Hey,” I said gruffly. I took an aggressive bite of my sandwich as I watched her turn to the loser and ask him how work was going.

The guy was practically falling over his words to talk to her. He leaned forward in his seat, hanging onto her every breath. I nearly lost my appetite. Only I could look at her like that, when anyone else did it, it was just plain pathetic.

“Are you coming home on time today?” I asked. I didn’t know what had come over me.

Margo looked surprised. “Yeah, should be,” she said like it was a question.

“Good, Tessa and I will be waiting.”

Her face turned from confusion to annoyance when she realized what I was doing.

I had no shame. If she was going to flirt with some loser in front of me, he needed to prove himself worthy.

Which was the exact opposite of what the guy did.

He looked over at me and quickly turned back to his salad—who the fuck orders a salad at a diner—and didn’t speak to Margo again.

-

Town hall meetings were always boring, useless, and painful. I walked into the building with a coffee and a book in hand. I always sat near the back, so I didn’t get called out for not paying attention. However, I still wanted to look present since Weston Farms was a pillar of the town after all.

Sam walked in soon after me and decided to sit on a different pew. The Town Hall building was built almost one hundred years ago. Its architecture was more reminiscent of a church rather than a government building.

I guessed Sam was still pissed off from earlier.

It didn’t help that Lila walked in soon after and sat right next to him.

When Margo appeared, I was shocked and leaned back in my seat.

I hadn’t seen her show up to any of these before.

She chose to sit across the room from me in the pew right next to Lila.

Sam looked over at me with a snarky smile that told me he felt like he’d won our argument.

Andy saved me from further embarrassment by sitting next to me. “Should be interesting today.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Apparently the Festival hasn’t sold many tickets. The mayor might have to cancel the Festival, whether you participate or not.”