Page 46 of Will Bark for Pizza (Bluebell Springs #1)

THIRTY-FIVE

KIRA

Sunlight warmed my skin as I lay back on my paddleboard.

Husker sat at the edge, perched and attentive like the captain of our board.

I allowed my fingers to dangle, dipping them into the water as I floated in the middle of Ghost Lake with Lila.

The clear sky overhead was the prettiest shade of blue, the water calm, with sprinkles of kayakers and paddleboarders, all content to keep to themselves.

Summer days didn’t get more perfect than this in Bluebell Springs.

Moving home felt right .

It felt like the peace I’d so desperately been seeking since I moved away.

“Okay, we can get the books in five weeks,” Lila said from Connor’s borrowed board. “It’ll be cutting it close, but I got you a deal on shipping.”

“You know, the point of being on the water is to disconnect,” I reminded her.

We’d been working around the clock at the bookstore.

With the help of several book club members, we inventoried every last book, identifying the oldest ones we’d use for a sidewalk sale that preceded our soft opening next week.

“I’m putting away my phone,” she said in surrender.

“And put it on silent.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“I think the biggest flaw of this local lake is that they insisted on having a cell tower nearby,” I mumbled. “You do know how to relax, right?”

“Ordering four thousand copies of your special edition books and getting them here on time with a shipping discount is relaxing to me,” Lila said, shooting me a cheeky grin to match her tone.

“I still think you ordered too many.”

“You thought a hundred of each was too many,” Lila shot back.

“What if no one comes?”

“Nope,” Lila said firmly. “You do not get to worry about that. That is my job. And I’ve been waiting two years for this opportunity. Trust me, I’m not going to mess it up.”

At the sound of an engine, I forced myself to sit up.

It wasn’t loud, but it was distinct. Uncle Karl would drive that old beater truck until the wheels literally fell off.

We all joked that the day it quit working, he’d retire from his auto body shop and spend all his free time trying to bring the old Ford back to life.

It was so strange to see him out at the cabin twice in the span of a week when he spent a decade avoiding it .

I wondered if today was the day he finally sold it.

“You okay?” Lila asked.

“Yeah, I am.” Though, the idea of buying the family cabin, of living on Ghost Lake and being able to paddleboard any time I wanted had its appeal, it wasn’t practical.

Taking over the bookstore was no small feat.

Dad promised to get things as close to the black as possible after the sale of the building closed.

But we both knew it wouldn’t be enough. I needed to set aside every spare dollar I had to revive Mom’s store.

I told Beckett as much yesterday, and gave him my blessing.

“You know, after your sexy handyman buys that cabin, you can still visit,” Lila said, her tone nearly as suggestive as her waggling eyebrows.

“It’s not like that,” I said quickly, remembering Pauline’s minor warning about Beckett making bad decisions.

Ugh, why did I want her to like me so much? Maybe if I dyed my hair dark brown, she’d have a change of heart.

“And why not?”

“Gee, let me count the ways.”

“You’re a romance author, Kira.”

“So?”

“It’s your job to figure out how to make forbidden romances not just work, but flourish into a happily ever after.”

“There is no romance,” I insisted, the word feeling far too intimate for my taste. “Not for me. Not ever again.”

“I know The Asswipe did a number on you, but he does not get to determine whether or not you find love. Real love.”

“Have you been talking to Luke?” It was the safest piece of what she said to focus on.

The idea of love still felt . . . broken.

Something possible for others, but unattainable for me.

Sure, I was attracted to Beckett. Very fucking attracted.

And there was little doubt he was attracted to me.

But that didn’t mean there was a future there beyond friendship.

And love? Yeah, that was farfetched. Maybe my characters fell for one another fast, but fate wasn’t just accepted in the type of romance I wrote, it was expected.

“I mean it, Kira. You deserve to be happy.”

“I’m working on it, in case you missed the memo. Bringing Mom’s bookstore back to life is making me very happy.”

“He’s a good man,” she said, doubling down.

“Then you should date him.”

Lila giggled long and loud, alerting Husker.

He popped to standing, his head tilting at that severe angle that would forever make him irresistibly adorable.

When we decided to take a break for the afternoon, it was mostly for his sake.

He’d been spending all his time at the farm because I was worried he’d bump into a stack of books and end up buried beneath them.

“What’s so funny?”

“You, babe.” She shook her head. “You’re so full of shit.”

She wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t going to admit that out loud. “Are you dating anyone?”

“Not at the moment.” She unfolded her legs and dipped her feet gingerly into the lake. “In fact, I’ve deleted all my dating apps. I’m on a hiatus. ”

“What happened?”

“Thirty-nine first dates and zero second dates. That’s what happened.”

“That’s rough.”

“I never liked dating apps.”

The very idea of downloading one made me shudder. I met Travis on a dating app. A complete stranger. Someone who could pretend to be whoever the hell he wanted because no one I trusted knew him. No one could vouch for his character.

But a lot of people could vouch for Beckett.

As though the mere thought of him manifested the man, a black truck pulled up and parked beside my Jeep. I pretended not to notice, but Husker damn near lost his shit and started to pace on what little surface he had.

“Oh, buddy,” Lila said as he started to whine. “You got it bad, too, huh?”

Beckett waved to us, and my entire body heated in a way that couldn’t be blamed on the direct sunlight.

His smile was fuzzy from this far out, but I could see it in my mind, clear as though he were sitting across from me on the paddleboard.

I hadn’t told anyone about the forbidden kiss on the dock.

A kiss that could never happen again but forever changed something inside me.

At least it would be good writing fodder.

“Are you sure you two haven’t slept together?” Lila pressed.

“No.”

Though, if my brothers hadn’t stormed into the bookstore apartment when they did the other day, I might have made a very poor decision. Because when I slid down Beckett’s body, I discovered just how many parts of him were hard.

“But you want to.”

“When did you say those books were coming?”

Lila giggled again, a little softer this time. “Nice try. I know you better than that.”

I stared at her for several beats, wondering if it would be the worst thing in the world to confess to the woman who became my closest friend during my darkest hours that I kissed Beckett. But before I could make that determination, Husker lost his balance and caused my board to wobble.

“Not again!” I shrieked.

I grabbed my dog two seconds before he face-planted into the water, jerking him to my chest. I held on tightly as the board rocked as if we were hit by a rogue wave in these otherwise calm waters.

By some miracle, when the board stilled, we were both still on it.

“It might be time to head back,” I said to Lila, wishing we could take the rest of the day off.

But we purposely took our break in the middle of the day to enjoy the best of the weather, with the plan to return to the bookstore later this afternoon and keep working.

Dylann promised to teach me about the buying process so we could get new, bestselling titles stocked as soon as possible.

“We don’t have to rush,” she said, reaching for her paddle.

“Beckett is busy.” I watched him disappear a few minutes ago into the tree-covered trail that led to the cabin to meet Karl.

“Tell that to Husker.”

We looked at each other and laughed.

“How’s the next book coming?” Lila asked, as though she were inquiring about the weather and not the topic I was hell-bent on avoiding.

“It’s not.”

“Not yet .”

“Not at all.”

“No,” Lila said, her tone friendly but firm. “You do not get to let The Ass Weasel determine your future. He lost that right a year ago.”

Despite the warm sun on my skin, a chill rushed through me, causing goosebumps to run riot up and down my arms. Her perceptiveness was downright frightening at times. “It’s not like I haven’t tried to write,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too defensive but certain I did anyway.

“ Keep trying.”

“I don’t know if I can write anymore, Lila. I mean it.”

“You’re just stuck.”

Dear God, I hoped that’s all it was. I remembered the notes I scribbled on a piece of paper, about giving my next book hero a woman who challenged him. But since that small spark of inspiration, there was nothing.

“Mateo won’t talk to me,” I admitted. “I have no clue who the heroine is. It’s radio silence in the Veltori world.”

“Except for all the moaning they do at all times of the day and night,” Lila teased.

I laughed. “I’m not going to apologize because my characters enjoy having great sex. ”

“All except one, currently.”

“Poor Mateo,” I mumbled.

“Babe, you know I wouldn’t push you if I thought you weren’t happy anymore, right?”

I smiled at her. “I know.”

“Writing is in your blood. It’ll come back. Inspiration could be anywhere. You just have to keep your eyes—and your heart—open.”

My gaze flickered back toward the cabin in the trees. The same one Husker had been zeroed in on since he spotted his new best friend. Beckett walked the property with Karl, and though I wasn’t an expert body language reader, I was willing to bet the sale of the cabin was a done deal.

“It’s so weird to see Uncle Karl out here after he avoided the place for a decade.”

“But it’s nice, right? It’s too sad to think that little cabin has been empty more than not.”

“Yeah.”

“You should help him fix it up,” Lila suggested.

“I’m not the handy one.”

Lila flashed me a wicked smile, wiggling her fingers suggestively. “Handy, handsy. It’s the same thing, right?”

I looked away, unable to fight the smile that spread across my own lips as I imagined the two of us all alone in that cabin.

Out here, no one would ever have to know.

Except, I did own a flashy red Jeep that the locals would quickly come to recognize as mine, now that I was staying in Bluebell Springs for good.

Maybe Pauline was right to be stern with me.

Friends, Kira. Just friends .

But that mantra was starting to sound a whole lot like the bullshit it was.

Friends . Some benefits ?

“You’re totally screwed,” Lila said in a fit of giggles.

She wasn’t wrong.