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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Declan

“It’s looking pretty good, don’t you think?”

I stood in The Roost, taking in the cabin’s transformation. Gray had been hard at work in the kitchen, and it now had knotty pine cabinets and a gorgeous white quartz countertop with bronze swirls that tied all the colors together in a blend of rustic and modern design.

The biggest renovation project was coming together nicely. Better than I could have imagined.

I had Cash to thank for that. Without him, I wouldn’t have even tried.

But instead of focusing on the newest improvements, all I could do was stare at my phone and the texts I’d just exchanged with Cash.

Cash:

Your bed is the only place I want to be, but I’ve got other offers.

Declan:

Don’t you dare take them. Come back to me.

My stomach somersaulted. I was glad I could be there when Cash needed a soft place to land. Damn glad. But I couldn’t stop wondering…

If I left Swallow Cove, who would Cash go to when he needed support? Would he crash with a friend or find someone to comfort him another way? A more…intimate one.

I hated the thoughts running through my head. Jealous, possessive thoughts.

He belongs with me.

He’s mine to comfort.

No one else should have him.

I barely recognized myself, but there was no doubting that I’d grown attached to Cash right when I should have been cutting ties with my life here.

“Declan?” Gray prompted. “Everything okay?”

I lowered my phone, refocusing on the kitchen taking shape before my eyes. “It’s looking really great.”

Gray grinned. “This place has so much potential. I’m glad Cash called me in on this. It’s been really fun to be part of its transformation.”

He glanced around, almost as if he was seeing it again for the first time. “It reminds me of my home growing up. The old man always had some sort of maintenance project going.” He chuckled. “And he was always dragging me into it.”

“I guess we have him to thank for your skills then?”

“Yeah.” His smile faded. “I guess that’s one thing he did for me.”

There seemed to be a story there, but I didn’t know Gray well enough to push. But if Cash was anything to go by, family dynamics could be complicated. I was lucky to have had a stable upbringing with parents who’d loved me enough to let me live with my aunt when the bullying at my high school had gotten tough.

They’d only ever wanted what was best for me, and I still saw them every holiday. My sister saw them even more often. They’d moved to St. Louis a couple of years ago to be closer to their grandkids.

Returning to Chicago would not only take me from Swallow Cove, but farther from my family as well. Why hadn’t I considered that before?

Gray cleared his throat. “We should be ready to move on to tile tomorrow, then refinishing the floors a couple of days after that.”

He continued talking through the rest of the plans for The Roost. I nodded along, but my mind was a thousand miles away.

Well, closer to four hundred miles away, give or take. It was past time I talked to Nathan and officially pulled the plug on the development deal he’d helped broker.

“…and once we reinforce the stairs to the deck?—”

“Sorry, Gray,” I cut in, wincing at my own rudeness. “It all sounds great. Really. I trust you. I’ve just got a phone call I need to make.”

Best to do it now before I lost my nerve. Nathan was bound to be annoyed by my wishy-washiness on this whole deal. I couldn’t really blame him, either. I’d dragged my feet, and now I was backing out.

But looking at the gorgeous remodel under way, I couldn’t regret my choice. Aunt Millie had a beautiful vision, and thanks to Cash’s optimism—and Gray’s know-how—I would get to bring it to life for someone who could fully appreciate it.

Thankfully, Gray wasn’t put off by my interruption. “Go ahead. I’ve got plenty to do until my afternoon boat tour.”

I hurried down the hill, eyeing the edging as I did. I might be stressed, but no weeds were getting in on my watch.

While I crossed the garden, I pulled up Nathan’s contact.

He answered on the first ring, which wasn’t surprising. The man lived with a Bluetooth headset on.

“Declan, about time you got back to me.”

I winced. I’d dodged a couple of calls, but I was done stalling.

“Hey, Nate, sorry,” I puffed out between heavy breaths. I guess I’d walked a little too quickly across the stretch of land separating The Roost and the B&B.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just walking while I talk.” I pulled open the back door and stepped into my kitchen. “I’ve been really busy with some renovations at the B&B.”

“Renovations? But why would— Oh, no.” Nathan was a quick guy. He put it together instantly. “No, man. Tell me you’re not backing out of this deal!”

“I’m sorry,” I repeated.

“Declan! I went out on a limb for you with this. These guys are pros, and they don’t dick around. They’re going to be fucking pissed.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that,” I said tightly. “It was your idea in the first place.”

“Which you agreed to,” Nathan said, voice gaining an edge. “You said yes.”

“But I didn’t sign anything?—”

“Goddamn it, Declan. I’m trying to be a good friend here, but you’re making it really hard. I thought you wanted to leave that B&B crap behind and come work for me.”

“Just a minute.” I filled a glass with water and took a long gulp. It cooled me down a little and calmed my nerves. “I do still want to work for you. That hasn’t changed.”

He exhaled. “Okay, then, what’s the hangup? Is it the terms of the deal? We can negotiate.”

“No, I, uh…I’m going to sell to someone who will run the B&B. I want to keep my Aunt Millie’s memory alive.”

The view from the window over the sink was stunning. Lush green grass, crimson rambler roses, purple petunias, and cheery little hibiscus blossoms dotted the gardens, leading into the strawberry patch, the herb and vegetable garden, and the wild blackberries that had cropped up.

It was all too easy to picture the greenhouse Aunt Millie had wanted on the grounds between the main house and The Roost, with the waters of the lake sparkling under a bright sun just beyond.

A sense of peace descended. Keeping this place alive—realizing its full potential—was the right choice.

“I can’t believe you,” Nathan said, voice dripping with disgust. “This is primo lakefront property. How do you know anyone you sell to won’t do the same as these guys? At least they’re being upfront with you.”

That was a good question. One I’d have to sort out.

“I’ll find the right buyer. It’ll have to be someone I know and trust. Someone with real ties to Swallow Cove.”

“Right,” he said testily. “And you’re going to manage that from Chicago?”

“Actually, I was hoping to work remotely from Swallow Cove.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

“In our industry, there’s no reason?—”

“No way. No deal. You want to pussy out on this deal? I can’t stop you. I can tell you that you’re making a huge fucking mistake and you’ll regret it?—”

“Nathan,” I said sharply.

“—but I won’t reward you with a fucking remote job you can work in la-la land. What the hell happened? I thought we were on the same page.”

“I met someone.”

There was a long silence. Then Nathan started laughing. “Tell me you’re joking. You met someone. You fucking met someone? Jesus, Declan. Come up here, and I’ll help you meet half a dozen someones who’ll blow your mind.”

“This is someone special,” I said. “It’s serious.”

“You’re going to throw everything away for a fucking woman?”

“No. For a man.”

There was a beat of silence. “Ah, well, whatever floats your boat. Just think about this, Declan. Think hard. Relationships come and go. Sex is great in the beginning and then it fizzles. And when it’s over, you’re going to be sitting in some podunk Ozark town with nothing but burned bridges, and when you try to sell that property—because you’re not finding some idiot to buy it for even a fraction of what we offered, I can tell you that, the whole value is in the land, not some B&B—you’ll be shit out of luck.”

“Nathan, we’re friends. I’m sorry I misled you. That was never my intention. It all happened a little too fast, and I wasn’t ready to make a decision. But I don’t want this to come between us.”

“We were friends. I thought we were. But you just yanked me around, and I don’t appreciate it.”

“I can do the job from here. I know I can.”

He snorted. “Maybe, but you won’t be doing shit for me.”

“But—”

“No fucking way. Don’t ask me for any fucking favors. Not after this shit. Not now. Not ever again.”

“Okay, if you really feel that way…”

“No, I take that back,” he said, making hope flicker to life.

“Really?”

“Yeah. You get one favor. You can change your fucking mind. You have two days.”

Click .

He’d hung up on me.

I set the phone on the counter and released a shaky breath. I hadn’t expected Nathan to take the news well, but I hadn’t expected that.

It had been his idea to contact those developers. His idea for me to sell and return to the financial industry.

I hadn’t even considered it until he planted the seed in my mind.

I’d assumed Nathan was merely a contact for this deal. His reaction made me wonder if he was more involved than it first seemed? If so, did he ever have my best interests at heart?

Nathan was a wheeler and a dealer. I always knew that about him. But I’d thought he’d genuinely respected me, too. Now, I couldn’t help wondering if he was only looking to close a good deal.

And if I wasn’t so hopeless at understanding people, maybe I’d have seen it way before now.

If I was so wrong about Nathan, could I be wrong about Cash, too? Did he really feel everything I did? Last night, when we were tucked into bed together, Cash had seemed so sincere, so vulnerable.

But my judgment had failed me spectacularly before. Not just with Nathan, but with every ex-boyfriend who’d promised he loved me only to cut me loose when I wasn’t everything he wanted in bed.

Cash wasn’t like that. I knew he wasn’t. Every interaction between us, every sweet touch that wasn’t demanding, every kiss that was on my terms, every cuddle that fed my soul told me that.

I needed to talk to him, to lay everything on the table once and for all.

But now wasn’t the time. Not when he was at odds with his father and worried about his sister. I needed to support him, not make demands of him.

I’d just blown up my only job lead and I still didn’t want to run the B&B. But if he cared for me the way I thought he did, I wanted to stay.

I wanted to stay for him, for this thing that was growing between us, for the sense of potential that had taken root here in this little lake town.

Happiness. Friendship. Love. Family.

I was so close to everything I wanted. Closer than ever before.

I just hoped I wasn’t deluding myself, as I so clearly had been with my only so-called friend in Chicago.