Pearl accepted the position and she’s real excited about it! I told her you’d be back around five to show her around.
I toss the phone on the seat next to me. “Great. Just what I need. A peppy girl hanging around getting in my damn way.”
An hour later, I’m pulling back into the cabin parking lot. I had to run to town to pick up a few things I didn’t already have to get the renovations started. I see Pearl leaning against a baby blue Volkswagen Beetle. Why the hell would you drive that car living in the Rocky Mountains is beyond me. She stands up and offers a hesitant wave as I back my truck in next to her.
I don’t have anything against the girl. Hell, she was always a cute kid, and she grew up to be a beautiful woman. You can tell she doesn’t realize it, though. She isn’t that obvious beauty that knows it and flaunts it. She’s demure. Her strawberry blonde hair is usually always swept back in some haphazard way with pieces falling out around her face. She has the biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. I remember her dad calling her birdy as a kid because of those eyes. I just don’t need the distraction of a million questions and some young smart-ass college grad who thinks they know how to run this business better than me.
“Pearl,” I say, giving her a curt nod before walking behind my truck to let the tailgate down.
“Uh, hey, hi, Blake. I’m sorry if I interrupted your schedule. Your mama said you’d be around to give me a tour and talk about things?” She seems nervous.
“No bother. Just need to unload this before the rain lets loose,” I say as I grab the two-by-fours and hoist them over my shoulder. I make my way toward the tool shed when I hear a small grunt. I turn around to see Pearl attempting the same move I just made and failing.
“Whoa! Whoa!” I drop the wood on my shoulder and run back toward her, catching her around the waist with one hand and grabbing the wood with the other. She was about four seconds away from falling straight on her ass.
“I don’t need your help with this, Pearl. Just wait over there and let me handle this.” My words come out harsher than I intended, but this is exactly the kind of situation I was dreading. The over-eagerness of a twenty-four-year-old making things harder than they need to be.
I glance down at my arm still halfway around her waist and pull away. Her warmth feels good against my chest and hips, and the scent of strawberries and vanilla wafts up from her hair as she half turns to look at me. I shake my head to clear the thoughts, most likely the result of not having been with a woman in almost a year. I grab the wood she dropped and take it back over to the other pile and carry them into the shed.
I finish unloading the truck and make my way back over to where Pearl is standing. I hadn’t realized how petite she is. Her jeans cling to her as if they’re painted on, and the cuffs are tucked into some hiking boots. She tugs absentmindedly at the sleeves of her light pink hoodie and squints at the setting sun. She’s gorgeous. I run my hands through my hair. I have no business noticing things like this with her. She’s way too young for me, and I know she’s always had a thing for my brother.
“You ready?” I ask her. She smiles broadly and walks over to meet me. I walk her around the property, showing her the cabins and giving her a brief rundown of our current reno plans.
“So, when does Trevor get home? Your mom told me he was coming home.” I’m surprised it’s taken her this long to ask.
“I spoke to him earlier, and he gets in tonight around eleven. I actually need to get a cabin ready for him. Well, it’s ready, I just need to make sure the water heater is on and the AC is set to a nice temp.” I run my hands through my hair again. I can tell I’m rambling a bit. I’m not sure what else to say to Pearl.
“Your mom said he’s single now?” Ah, there it is.
“You still holding out for that, huh?” I say the words before thinking, and I can tell I’ve embarrassed her.
“What? No, no. I was just asking. What do you mean still holding out?” She crosses and uncrosses her arms as she speaks.
I can’t help but smile and shake my head. “It’s obvious, Pearl, always has been. You’ve been in love with Trevor since you were a kid.” Her mouth pops open, but she doesn’t respond. “Now’s your chance, I suppose. Like my mom said, I guess he’s single now.” I turn and make my way toward cabin three to get it ready for Trevor. I pull the key from my pocket and slip it into the door.
“Do you think he’s into me too?”
I spin around to see Pearl on my heels, her hands in her back pockets. Jesus, I should have kept my damn mouth shut. I let out an audible sigh and step into the cabin.
“Hell if I know, Pearl. Now run along. I don’t need your help. I’ll see you on Monday.” I make my way through the back to check the water heater, but she’s still on my tail.
“Do you think you could ask him for me? Like, not tell him I’m asking, but maybe see if he would be interested in me?”
“Are you kidding me? What is this—high school? Pearl, I don’t have time for your silly crush. If you want something with my brother, you need to approach him about it. Now, for the last time, I’ve got a lot of work today. Our meeting is done.”
She spins on her heel and stomps out of the cabin. I feel a little bad. I might have hurt her feelings, but the last thing I need is to get involved in this childish stuff. I’ve got my own relationship issues to deal with.
Three
Pearl
“I’m going to tell him. I’m going to confess everything and finally tell him how I feel,” I say, downing the rest of my margarita.
“Are you sure, Pearl? I mean…that’s a huge risk, putting yourself out there like that,” Jade says. I wouldn’t expect her to understand. I wouldn’t expect anyone to understand. There’s more to it than just having a life-long crush on Trevor. I’ve kept myself for him.
“I mean, yeah, it is a huge risk, but the reward will be worth it. I…” I lean forward, looking around to make sure nobody can hear me. “I’ve been saving myself for him.”
“You’re a virgin?” Jade practically shouts as her eyes double in size.
I lunge across the table and slap my hand across her mouth, but it’s too late. A few people are staring our way. “Seriously? You couldn’t have read my body language when I leaned in that I was telling you a SECRET?” Now I’m the one whisper shouting.
“I’m sorry! I just…wow! Wait…are you saying you’ve made the conscious decision to NOT have sex so that you can give your virginity to Trevor?”
“Well, I mean, not exactly. You know this town. There’s nobody here and I—”
“You went to college in Boulder for four years, Pearl. You had plenty of opportunities. Don’t bullshit me.”
I let out a sigh and lean back in my chair. “I guess, maybe, yeah, I did hold out for Trevor. Er, have been holding out for him. I think I just…I got it in my head when we were so young that we’d end up together, and I just didn’t see the point in wasting my time with anyone else.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Jade reaches out and grabs my hands across the table. “You’ve really screwed yourself here. I guess that’s not the right way of putting it.” She laughs. “But seriously, you set yourself up for some serious heartache. I know you guys have always been best friends, but you’ve told me he’s been in a serious relationship for years and you guys drifted apart. What if he isn’t moving back here? You going to move to wherever the hell he lives?”