Page 45 of The Summer for Us (Golden Falls #1)

WESLEY

I couldn’t wrap my head around how it was August already. Apart from summer slipping through my fingers, things were good. Really good.

I loved having Juliette in my house—she was the missing piece in making it feel like home. Everything was brighter with her around.

We had gotten into a routine. We had coffee together in the mornings, and we’d meet up for lunch somewhere downtown.

Sometimes she would bring lunch over to Lake Ridge or we would walk around downtown holding hands before heading back home.

I normally wasn’t big on public displays of affection, but I loved showing the whole town that Juliette was mine.

Lily still gave me shit whenever I kissed Juliette at Purrfect Blend, but that was to be expected.

No one in town was surprised to see us acting this way. Either word got around fast, or they saw it coming before either of us did.

I also loved hearing about Juliette’s projects and was amazed at both her talent and determination.

She had accomplished so much in a couple of months.

I loved how much she cared about this town, too.

I wasn’t the only one getting attached. Even Ruby today asked me if there was a chance Juliette would stick around.

I told her the truth—I didn’t know.

While at the start of the summer I was nervous about Juliette being a distraction, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

She was a motivation. On the nights I knew she was waiting for me, I was more productive because I wanted to get home.

Lake Ridge was in a good spot. All summer we had been able to handle the busy season, especially once Eliza started bartending.

Things were running smoothly, which made me feel better about hiring a head chef in the coming months.

The late night bites, as simple as they were, were already a hit.

When I talked with customers over the last few weeks about the idea of expanding the food menu and being open for lunch and dinner, the excitement was palpable.

Lunch and dinner would allow families, as well as couples and groups, to stop by before the atmosphere shifted toward drinks and music.

Maybe live music was in our future, too.

I knew hiring a head chef would further put Lake Ridge on the map in the Midwest, especially if we were able to attract candidates who were recognized in the culinary field.

It would be a challenge in its own way, because I still wanted Lake Ridge to have a welcoming, casual feel while serving delicious food. But I knew we’d get there.

I had a renewed sense of optimism lately, and something told me it had to do with Juliette.

I got to the cabin later that day to pick Juliette up for dinner at my parents’ house. She texted me earlier, saying the outfit she wanted was at the cabin and she decided to get ready there. She let me know she had left the door unlocked.

I knocked on the front door and reached for the door knob, pushing it open. “Hey, sweetheart,” I called out.

“Hi! I’m almost ready,” she responded from the other room.

“Don’t worry about it.” I walked over to the couch, sitting down.

I thought about the first time I had stepped into this place this summer and all the memories that came with it.

Now when I was here, all I could think about was Juliette and the new memories we had made and how she had made the cabin her own.

A weight had been lifted off my chest now that I didn’t have to be so guarded all the time. But maybe I’d thought that too soon.

As I reached into my pocket to pull my phone out, Juliette’s open laptop caught my eyes. I stared at the bright screen for at least a minute, trying to make sense of it.

It was a list of available apartments. In Chicago.

It felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped on me. Logically, it made sense. Her time in Golden Falls was wrapping up, and she would need a place in Chicago. But emotionally? I had been holding out hope that she would change her mind. That she’d stay .

We had a routine here. We could have a life here.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, tilting the laptop away from me and leaning back into the couch. She hadn’t even left yet, and it already felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest.

I didn’t blame her if she wanted more, but I thought this could be enough. I thought I could be enough.

Within a few moments, Juliette emerged in the living room, first looking through her purse and then looking over at me. The smile on her face fell immediately. “What’s wrong?” she asked, worried.

I didn’t realize my expression had been so easy to read. “I, uh,” I stammered, letting out a sigh. “Your laptop was open, and—” I started, and understanding dawned across her features.

She walked over, her heels clicking against the floor, and closed the laptop.

She sat next to me on the couch, a heavy exhale leaving her.

“Grant called me today. He got me out of my lease, which is good, but that means I need to start looking for a new place. He said apartments have been renting out really quickly and encouraged me to start looking. So…” she trailed off, looking down at her hands.

“I did some browsing today before getting ready.” I hated how small she sounded, and I didn’t like the guilt that was written over her face, either, because she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Hey,” I said gently, reaching for her hand. “It’s?—”

“Don’t say ‘it’s okay,’ Wes. I saw the look on your face. This…this hurt you, and I hate that. I’m sorry.”

While that was true, I could see it was hurting her, too, and I hated that more.

“It caught me off guard, yeah, but it shouldn’t have. We should talk about this and figure out what it all means for us. I don’t want you to miss out on a good apartment because we’ve been avoiding having this conversation.”

She nodded slowly. “Us talking about it is long overdue, huh? Can we…not do it tonight, though? I don’t want the conversation to be rushed before dinner, and I also want to enjoy this time with your parents.”

“Yeah, of course.” It made sense, but how long were we going to keep putting it off? We were nearly at the point where we couldn’t put it off any longer. “Are you still okay to head to dinner tonight? If you don’t feel up for it, we don’t have to.”

“I am.” She nodded again, a soft smile crossing her pink lips. “I’ve been so excited to see your parents again. I wouldn’t miss it.”

I stared at her for a moment, searching her face.

I could see in her eyes there was something she wasn’t saying, but I tried to let it go.

“You look beautiful, by the way.” Her brown hair was curled and pulled back into a ponytail, exposing the slope of her neck.

She was wearing a blue and white dress I hadn’t seen yet—a slightly longer one that hit below her knees.

“Thanks, handsome.” She leaned over, pressing a kiss to my neck, just under my jaw. Her lips lingered, and her grip on my hand tightened. Silence filled the space between us before she said, “Let’s get going.”

She was leaving at the end of the summer, but even that couldn’t stop me.

I was falling in love with Juliette Campbell.