Page 34 of The Inn Dilemma (Give a Bookish Girl a Biker)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Holt

T he satisfying crack of wood splitting temporarily distracts me from the impending conversation I plan to have with Nova.

I neatly place the split pieces onto the growing pile.

The stack is double the size it usually is this time of year, but I needed something to keep my body occupied while my mind ran away with the memory of that kiss.

It was supposed to be fake. At least, that’s how I tried to play it off.

The reality of it, though…not a single breath of that kiss was fake for me.

I felt every brush of her lips, the way her fingers dug into my chest as if she was holding on to me with her dear life while branding me with her touch.

The way her body melted into me, telling me what I already knew, that she was my perfect fit—she is my perfect fit.

But when Reese interrupted us, the look on Nova’s face made me question if these feelings are all one-sided.

Tootsie and Titan jump up from their place under the pine tree and both give a happy yelp. They wag their little stubby tails like crazy as Chris rounds the corner of my cabin.

“Hey,” he says, bending down and giving Tootsie and Titan some scratches.

I swallow the growing lump in my throat. “Hey.”

“So you and Nova, huh?” He stands, and the pups trot off to lay back down under the pine tree’s shade.

“What about me and Nova?” I try to play dumb, but he gives me a look that tells me he doesn’t buy it.

I grab another log and sink the axe into it. The stubborn log only splits a little, so I do it again. This time, it splits in two.

He pushes his glasses up his nose. “If you think I came here to tell you to back down with Nova, you’d be wrong.”

I toss the logs onto the pile haphazardly. “Really?”

Chris nods. “Really. You’re the first guy Nova’s picked that I’ve actually approved of.

Not just because you’re a good friend, but because you let her be herself.

She doesn’t have to wear a front for you, and when she does, you see right through it.

It’s kind of scary that you seem to know my sister better than I do. ”

My throat tightens. “To be fair, I know you better than you know yourself.”

“And I know you. Which is how I know your feelings for my sister are more than surface level. You’re not one of those punks who were only out to use her, and she’s not out to use you.”

“She’s grown into an amazing woman. If I can get your approval and her interest, I’d really like to pursue her with forever in mind.”

He smirks. “I had a feeling there was more to your story when I found out you kept her secret from me. ”

I grimace. “Yeah. That was being stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

He slaps me on the shoulder. “I can imagine.”

“But we’re cool, and you definitely have my approval to pursue her.” Chris shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m glad I don’t need to give you the talk.” He lifts his hand to put “the talk” in air quotes then recrosses his arms.

I can feel my ears heat. “Definitely not. The last thing in the world I want to do is hurt Nova.”

“I know.”

He motions with his head toward the parking lot. “You want to go for a ride with the crew? You’ve apparently missed all of the messages in our chat.”

I pull my phone out of my pocket, and sure enough, have dozens of missed texts in our group chat. Chris looks at my screen and raises his eyebrows at the picture of me and Nova I still have as my background.

I clear my throat. “Do you mind if I bring the pups?” Usually when I ride with the guys, I go sans pups, but since the relationship with my new backpack is up in the air right now, I figure these two will enjoy the ride.

I had just rounded the corner of the house before coming out here, and I overheard Nova talking to Aunt Birdie, saying she’ll be working on the mural all afternoon.

“You know those mutts are always welcome. As long as I’m not the one strapping that little terror to my chest.” His shiver drives home his point.

I laugh at my friend’s description.

A few minutes later, I’m wearing Titan in his carrier on my chest and buckling Tootsie into her dog carrier on the back of my bike. Chris shakes his head.

I flip on my intercom. “Ready? ”

“Always,” Chris answers.

The rumble of our bikes pierces the silence as we pull out of the parking lot and head toward the highway. We’re only a few miles in before Thor’s booming voice fills my head.

“So the pirate has become the courter, I hear?”

I shake my head. “Not officially.”

“Dude. What are you waiting for?”

“He just got my blessing. Give the guy a moment to process before jumping on him,” Chris interjects.

“Yeah, Thor, just because you got engaged three seconds after meeting Clover doesn’t mean that’s how fast the rest of us work,” says Caius as he rides up next to me.

“To be fair, Chris got married like three days after meeting Roxy,” Thor throws back.

“That was completely different and you know it,” Chris defends himself.

“True, true,” Thor relents.

Another familiar bike comes into my mirrors.

“Who are we talking about?” Des asks.

“Holt and Nova. Even though they made out in front of all of Denver last night, he hasn’t asked her out,” Thor continues.

“It wasn’t all of Denver, and we didn’t make out! It was just a kiss.” Even I hear the lie in my rebuttal.

“No, just a majority of the Dragons, the old men, us, and our women,” Cauis piles on.

“Guys, that’s my sister,” Chris scolds.

I laugh at my friends. “I needed to do something extreme to get that other woman to back off.”

“That’s true. Before Clover, I couldn’t keep women like her away from me. Those types of women have a thing for strapping military men.”

“Aww, did you just call me strapping?” I ask.

“You may just be a SEAL, obviously not as awesome as us Marines, but I think strapping is a fitting term.”

“All right, guys, this is getting weird,” Chris says.

Thor and I laugh.

“It looks like we’re all backpack-less!” Chantelle’s chipper voice comes into the mix. “Well, except Holt and his sidekicks.”

As if he can hear her, Titan barks in approval, then comes Tootsie’s deep bark.

The whole group laughs, and we spend the next hour talking and ribbing each other while enjoying the bright fall day.

“Don’t be a stranger! Bring that pretty girl around more. I want to get to know her better and learn all about who you and Chris were as kids. It’s hard to imagine Chris as anything other than an ambitious businessman.” This from Chantelle.

“That’s pretty much who he was growing up too. Not a whole lot has changed,” I tell her honestly.

“I’m right here, guys,” Chris says.

“Am I wrong?” I tease.

Chris’s silence speaks volumes. The group laughs again.

I chuckle. “Will do. I can’t promise Nova will have anything more exciting to share though.”

“That’s fine. I’d still like to get to know her. Maybe she can make some covers for my future books.”

“Talk to her about it the next time you see her. I’m sure she’d be open to it,” I say. A new hopefulness fills my chest. My friends like her, and they want her to be a part of their lives, like I want her to be a permanent part of mine.

As we approach Rocosa’s exit, Des and I bid the group goodbye and veer toward home. The ride has been a great distraction, but I wouldn’t mind keeping myself occupied for a little longer.

“Do you need a hand with anything at your house?” I ask Des.

He raises his eyebrows. “Uh yeah, I can think of a few things.”

His answer makes me think he’s telling me this for my sake and not necessarily his own.

I feel bad that we haven’t hung out as much as we used to.

But with Maya now in the picture, his free time is mostly dedicated to her.

And with Nova back in town…there I go again, allowing my mind to drift to Nova.

Now I’m thinking about that kiss. I take off down Main Street too fast. Tootsie barks and Titan follows suit, waking up from his nap.

I slow down just in time to make the turn to Des’s tiny house.

I park my bike and remove my helmet before Des pulls in and parks. He helps Tootsie off the back of my bike while I let Titan down to stretch his legs. The pups are familiar with Des’s property and stay well within the bounds of his yard.

Des motions for me to follow him to his front deck. “There’s a squeaky plank.” He points to one of the boards.

I walk to it and shift my weight back and forth. Sure enough, it needs some TLC. “Can you get me your hammer and a few nails?”

Without a word, Des turns and heads inside. While I wait, I look around his property and see a stump that needs to be removed. It looks like he’s taken the axe to it a few times, but with all the nervous energy filling my veins, that’s the exact project I need to get my frustrations out.

Des comes back out with a box of nails, a hammer, and a bottle of water. He hands them all over to me. I thank him before taking a swig of the water, setting the bottle off to the side, and finding the spots on the board that need to be secured.

While I do that, Des fills a couple of bowls with water and sets them on the ground for the pups. They both bark in appreciation before I hear them lapping up water.

With a few nails pounded in, I stand and step back on the board. It’s as silent as the rest. I set the tools off to the side and wipe my hands down my thighs. “Well, that’s that.”

“Thanks.”

I motion with my head toward the stump. “Mind if I take an axe to that?”

“Be my guest. Would you mind if I grade papers while you do that?”

I chuckle. “Not at all. It’s your house.”

After taking off my leather coat, I help myself to his axe in the splitting log and get to chopping.

As each pass sinks deeper into the stump, a smidgeon of tension leaves my shoulders. Several minutes pass, and I can feel the sweat on my back growing with each swing. I turn around to check on the pups and find them lying on the deck, warming themselves with the last bit of the sinking sun.

I take another swing, and a large chunk breaks free, giving me a huge wave of satisfaction. Another few minutes pass before another chunk breaks free. I pick up the wood and toss it to the kindling pile a few feet away.

By the time the sun has nearly finished its descent, I’ve reduced the stump by half. I sink the axe back into the splitting log where I found it and wipe my brow with the back of my arm.

The outdoor lights turn on, and Des comes out to stand on the deck.

“Feeling any better?” he asks.

“I’m not sure.”

"Do you want to talk about it?”

I run my hands through my hair and grimace when I feel the sweat-soaked strands. “Not really. It’s just something I need to pray about, I think.”

“Prayer is never a bad idea.”

Nodding my agreement, I say, “Thanks for this.”

He laughs. “I should be thanking you for helping me.” Des holds up his hands. “I really need to get caught up on these algebra tests.”

I quirk a smile at that. “Fair enough. Call me anytime you need anything.”

“Will do,” he agrees.

“All right, I’m going to get the pups home.” I motion to the dogs, now fast asleep.

Des bids me goodbye after the pups and I are situated on my bike.

With that, I fix my attention on getting back to the Storybook Inn at the end of town and pray all the way for the right words and God’s guidance.

As much as I want to make Nova mine, and as sure as I feel about us, I know God has the final say, and I won’t push against His will for us.