Page 30 of More Than Words (Trickle Creek: The Lyons #2)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Delaney

T he Tamarack Inn always felt like a warm hug. The moment I set foot inside the main lobby, I could smell something delicious mingling with the comforting, subtle scent of wood in the fireplace.

I shifted the canvas bag of books higher up on my shoulder and stamped the snow from my boots before tugging them off and leaving them on the rack by the front door.

Avery and Reid had done an amazing job with the renovation work on the inn, creating a welcoming space where both guests and locals liked to gather. There were a few people in the main room playing cards in front of the fireplace as I made my way to the back of the big house to the kitchen.

“Hey,” Avery said from the stove when I walked in. “You made it.”

“I sure did.” I sat on a stool at the big island. “What are you cooking? It smells amazing.”

“A toffee glaze for a coffee cake.” She looked up at me as she continued stirring. “It will only be a moment. If I stop stirring, it’ll burn.”

“Don’t worry about me,” I told her. “I’m not in a hurry. Rochelle is watching the shop, and I have nowhere to be.”

Avery flashed me a smile. “Then settle in. There’s a fresh pot of coffee. Help yourself.”

I made myself a cup and settled back into my spot, watching my friend as she masterfully glazed the coffee cake on the antique glass stand.

“I had no idea you were such a baker.” I lifted my mug. “That looks incredible.”

“Honestly, I’ve never been good at baking,” she admitted. “But it turns out if you follow a recipe exactly, you have half a chance of it turning out edible.”

I laughed. “That looks more than edible, Avery.”

“I’ve been getting better.” Avery shrugged. “As long as the guests like it, that’s all that matters.”

She stacked the dishes in the sink, poured herself a cup of coffee, and joined me at the counter.

“How’s your holiday season looking?” I asked. “Are you booked up?”

“We are! It’s incredible,” she said. “Truthfully, this whole thing is exceeding even my wildest hopes. I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

I smiled warmly, happy for my friend. “You deserve it.” I lifted the canvas tote and set it on the counter. “I brought you a selection of some of the most popular books in the shop right now.”

“Thank you so much for bringing them over.” Avery slid the bag over and pulled the books out. “I’ll pop over and pay for these later.”

“No rush.” I waved her off. “I was happy for the excuse to get out of the shop for a bit.”

And out of the plaza , I thought with a grimace.

Having Ethan so close, yet so far away, was only getting harder instead of easier.

It was ridiculous, but I couldn’t stop staring at the wall we shared and remembering little things.

Like how the dust had flown out of the duct the day I’d stormed over to his construction zone and confronted him. Had it really been so long ago?

Or when he sat in the chairs in the nook and told me why Wheel of Time had been his favorite series since he was young.

I needed to move past it. Besides, it was better that I figured out who Ethan really was before things got even more serious.

It was what I’d been telling myself, anyway. Even if I didn’t quite believe it. Or believe it even a little bit.

I exhaled sharply and refocused on my friend, who was watching me with a concerned look. “Where is Reid today, anyway?”

It was the reason she said she couldn’t get away from the inn, precipitating my trip to her with the books.

She smiled and waved a hand. “He’s practically been living in his wood shop for the past few days.”

“Really? What’s he working on now?” Besides being the town handyman and helping Avery out with the inn, Reid had recently started up a fine woodworking business as well.

He’d created many of the pieces in the inn, as well as Ethan’s bar tops, and I knew his work was in high demand, but I hadn’t heard about his latest project.

“I’m not really sure.” Avery busied herself with the stack of books I’d brought, examining each title. “He didn’t mention the details,” she said vaguely.

I gave her a strange look, but she didn’t notice.

“How are you doing?” she asked after a moment. “You know, with?—”

“I’m fine.” I pasted a fake smile on my face. “Just keeping busy. You know how it is.”

“Delaney.” Something in her smile shifted. “Seriously. Are you okay?”

I blinked. I did not want to talk about just how not okay I really was. “Of course. Why?”

“You just seem…” She shrugged. “Off.”

“Ha.” I set my mug down and folded my hands under my chin. “Yeah. Well, it’s been a week.”

“I heard about the fundraiser.”

Of course she had. With Tilley at the helm, no doubt everyone in town had heard about the fundraiser and how Ethan and I had been stuck working together.

Not for one second did I think that was an accident, either.

If Tilley had hoped it would bring us back together somehow, no doubt she was desperately disappointed with how it had turned out.

“It was fine,” I lied. “We sorted jackets and gloves. Made some small talk.”

Avery tilted her head. “That’s a good thing?”

“It’s…not a bad thing, I guess.”

“Do you think that you and Ethan…” she started and then bit her lip.

“Just say it.”

“Okay.” Avery nodded. “I was just going to ask you if you thought that you and Ethan would ever be able to get past what happened,” she said quickly. “I mean, I know you’re upset and you have every right to be.” Avery held up a hand before I could interrupt. “I’d be mad, too.”

I sucked in a breath.

“I was just thinking,” Avery continued. “You two were so good together. Maybe he didn’t realize that he’d…well…you know.”

“I do know.” I chose my words carefully.

“And honestly, Avery, I wish we could get past it.” I blinked back the tears that threatened.

“I know it doesn’t seem like a big thing to some people.

But, you have to understand my past and how long it took me to get over my divorce and the fallout from it.

With Ethan, I thought that we could…well, it doesn’t matter what I thought.

The thing is, I’ve been down that road before,” I told her.

“I’ve loved and trusted and lost everything and…

” I swallowed hard. Ethan was not Ken. Logically, I knew that, but it was too hard to untangle the two in my head.

“Have you talked to him about everything?” Avery asked gently. “I bet if you heard him out, he’d?—”

“That’s the thing, Avery,” I said sadly. “He hasn’t even tried to talk to me about it. Or apologize, or even try to understand why I’m so hurt. And that…well, that hurts the most.”

I looked down into my mug of coffee and took a moment, because that was the part that hurt the most. I really thought we were building something together, but he had just let me walk away. Like it never even mattered.

Avery slipped her hand over mine.

When I finally looked up into her kind eyes, I didn’t try to stop the tear that slid down my cheek. “I’m just so tired,” I said. “Tired of trying to pretend it’s all okay, and I don’t still want it to mean something to him.”

She didn’t push. She just let me sit while the tears fell. After a moment, she stood and wrapped her arms around me in a gentle hug. “It’s okay,” she said. “You don’t have to pretend. Not with me, Delaney.”

Ethan

“I knew you were going to be a pain in the ass,” Reid grumbled without turning around. “You know, standing over me, watching everything I do, isn’t going to make me move any faster, Ethan.”

Reid turned and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at me.

I knew I was taking a risk by popping into my brother’s wood shop unannounced and unwelcome, but I could not sit at home or in the brewery for another moment just waiting.

“I’m losing my mind here, Reid. I can’t just do nothing.”

“That’s a you problem,” he growled. “I don’t work with an audience,” he told me. “So if you want me to finish this for you on the ridiculously tight timeline you’ve demanded of me, you need to go find something else to do.”

I opened my mouth to say something but snapped it shut again. Arguing with Reid about how fast he was working on the piece I’d commissioned was definitely the wrong move. Even through my clouded brain, I could see that.

“Okay, okay. I hear you.” I dragged a hand through my hair and took a step back from the workbench.

Reid grunted and picked up a rag. I watched while he ran it down the smooth edge of the piece, inspecting a tiny detail I couldn’t see.

I shifted my weight and shoved my hands in my pockets. “You think she’s going to like it?”

A sound dangerously close to a growl escaped my brother. “You already asked me that.”

“You didn’t answer.”

He sighed. The kind that said he was only barely controlling his temper, which was impressive considering Reid was not known for holding back. Either he really did feel bad for me and my situation, or Avery had made a bigger impact on him than I realized.

He turned and ran a hand down the back side of the piece. “I think she’s going to love it.” He wiped a speck of dust I didn’t see from the surface. “But that’s not the point, and I think you know that.”

I did.

I took a step closer, examining the piece Reid created based on my vision. The warm wood grain, the smooth beveled top, and the inlaid details of mountains and books on the front. It truly was a stunning front counter for Plot Twist. It was everything Delaney deserved.

“I just keep second-guessing myself,” I confessed after a moment. “Will this be enough?”

“No,” Reid said without hesitation. “This is a gesture. But it’s not the solution. You know that, brother.”

I did. I blew out a breath.

“But do you think it’s too late?”

With an exasperated exhale, Reid set the rag down and turned. “Honestly? No. I don’t.”

I raised one brow and waited.

“I think she’s hurt, Ethan. But she’s not gone. Not yet, and I think you know that, which is why you’re standing here, driving me crazy.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “I never thought I’d see the day when I was relying on you for emotional insight, Reid.”

That brought a smile to my brother’s face. “Don’t get used to it.”

We stood there for a moment, the smell of wood stain and sawdust filling the space between us, before I finally said, “She’s the one.”

Reid’s expression softened. After a moment, he nodded. “I know.”

Before I could respond, he punched me in the shoulder. “So grab an end and get this loaded up and over to Delaney so I don’t need to hear about it anymore.”