Page 7 of Sunny Skies Ahead (Watford Sweethearts #2)

Chapter four

Kameron

I don’t know what had possessed me to ask Imogen to come work at Winding Road.

Sure, I’d been thinking of it for the last several weeks.

It was clear, based on our conversations after the festival, that she felt like something had shifted for her the last few months.

She no longer felt that same connection to homesteading, and Lucas and I really needed some help in the administrative department, especially with Connor about to become a revolving door.

Given what I knew of Imogen’s history—namely that she’d left town to follow her now ex-husband shortly after graduating from high school—I knew she was attached to this place. It’s hard to let go of something that had been a haven for you after one of the worst times in your life.

Regardless, I felt like an idiot for ambushing her the way I did.

One heated game of Catan later, Abbie was yawning and leaning into Connor’s shoulder. Even Imogen, as determined as she was to kick everyone’s ass at her favorite board game, was fading .

“Ready to head out?” I asked Lucas. Lucas made a dramatic show of yawning and stretching his arms above his head.

“Might as well.”

We packed up the rest of the board game and shared sleepy goodbyes before heading out the front door. I made my way to the driver’s side door of my truck, taking a moment to look out at the stars above.

Watford was gorgeous. It was a small town, for better or for worse, but the view of the beautiful night sky, clear and undeterred by light pollution or skyscrapers, felt like a balm for my soul.

I’d always known I belonged in the mountains, and when I’d found the little stretch of land that eventually became Winding Road, I knew in my heart I’d made the right decision.

“You good man?” Lucas asked, and I shook my head, pressing the unlock button on my keys.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Kam!”

I spun around to see Imogen jogging down from the porch.

“Everything okay?” I asked, suddenly concerned that something was wrong.

That was how it had always been with Imogen, though she wasn’t a woman that needed my protection.

I didn’t feel this way about Abbie, or any of the women I’d dated in the past. It was scary to acknowledge that there was something about Imogen that felt different from anything I’d experienced before.

Which is why I didn’t dwell on it.

Most of the time .

“When do you need an answer by?” Imogen asked, tucking a stray black curl behind her ear. Something about the simple gesture soothed an ache in my soul. God, she was gorgeous. “About the job, I mean.”

“Take as long as you need to think things over,” I said, waving a hand noncommittally, feigning a nonchalance I didn’t feel. “The offer stands.”

Imogen pressed her lips together in that way she did when she was deep in thought, and I felt like I might pass out.

“If you take the job, we can be roomies,” Lucas said.

I scowled at him, not having realized he’d climbed over the center console to stick his head out of the driver’s side window like some kind of feral creature.

Imogen’s laugh was bright and beautiful, even in the night’s darkness, lit only by the faint orange glow of her porch lights.

“There’s no way in hell I’ll be moving into your house,” Imogen said with a shake of her head. “But I’ll think about the job offer. Thank you.”

“For what? Besides the job, I mean.”

Idiot . She obviously meant thank you for the job offer, and nothing else.

Imogen hesitated, as if considering the answer to that question herself.

“For caring enough to offer me a place to figure things out. That’s more than most people get in their lives. It means a lot.”

I wanted to say more, but Lucas Morales honked the horn with his ass as he climbed back over into the passenger seat, letting out a string of expletives and “sorry, sorry. ”

I sighed heavily, flashing Imogen my best attempt at an apologetic smile.

“I better go handle that.”

Imogen clasped a hand over her mouth. I put one hand on my hip and pointed an accusing finger in her direction.

“This is no joking matter, Imogen Phillips. I’ve got an hour long drive with this man child in the car.”

“I’m twenty three!” Lucas cried, indignant.

“I’d never laugh at such a horrifying prospect,” Imogen said, removing her hand and revealing a smirk that was equal parts the cutest and sexiest smile I’d ever seen on a woman.

“Talk soon?”

Imogen nodded. “Talk soon.”

I slid into the driver’s seat and pinned Lucas with a glare. I cranked the engine to life and headed towards the backroad that would lead us out of Watford and back towards the farm.

“Look, I’m not trying to be in your business.”

“So don’t be,” I said, trying to keep up the appearance of nonchalance.

I was the chill guy. I had always been the chill guy.

I was the guy who kept it together, even when everything else was falling apart.

I was the guy people came to when they needed someone to help shoulder their problems. I did all of that and more, and I did it gladly, because it really felt like my mission in life most days.

“You and Imogen. . . are you into her?”

Something strange and foreign twisted in my gut.

“Are you?” The question was more defensive than I meant it to be, but Lucas laugh took me by surprise .

“Good Lord, no. I can honestly say Imogen and I are far better friends than we would be lovers. Although we discussed it one time.”

“What?” I said, my knuckles tightening on the steering wheel. Glancing towards the passenger seat, I saw the classic Morales smirk and knew I’d exposed myself.

“Imogen and I have never once talked about sleeping together, but you seem rather put off by the idea that we had.”

“I’m not talking about this with you.”

Lucas fell silent for a minute, and I braced myself for whatever he might say next.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been interested in someone the way I was interested in Imogen.

I’d had a series of what I considered serious relationships during my time in the Marine Corps, but the women I’d dated always wanted something different.

They didn’t see me as a long-term option.

Many of them had dated military guys before, and they looked at me and saw the same thing most people do: a hot guy in uniform.

Good enough to hook up with, fun to date for a while, but not someone to trust with long-term plans. Part of that was my fault: I’d never seen myself as a white picket fence kind of guy, and I kept my past locked down tight. Neither of those things were conducive to a long-term relationship.

“I won’t sit here and tell you not to pursue her. I think it’s obvious to everyone but the two of you that there’s a connection there. But the two of you should level with each other before you do anything crazy.”

“Level with each other? ”

“Talk about your pasts. We saw that shit play out with Connor and Abbie, and let’s be honest, no one wants a repeat of that.”

I smiled fondly when I thought about Connor and Abbie, the love they had lost and then found again.

But Lucas was right: that wasn’t something I was keen on experiencing myself, nor did I want to put Imogen through that.

We were both adults who had been through some serious crap.

We owed it to each other to talk about the things that had impacted us so deeply.

If we wanted to date, that is. Which, from where I was standing, was an option Imogen was not interested in.

“Imogen’s ex-husband really screwed her up. He was. . .” Lucas’ voice trailed off. “If I ever see that man again, I’ll kill him.”

I let out a small laugh to diffuse the tension now present between us, but I knew he spoke true. Lucas was the class clown, but he didn’t screw around when it came to the people he loved. It was the thing I admired most about his personality.

We spent the rest of the drive back to Winding Road in contemplative silence. Lucas handled the music, and I kept my eyes on the road.

I ignored the pain in my chest when “Take Me Back to Eden” by Sleep Token came on over the speakers.