“Of him? Please, the guy’s an idiot. He’s so in love with himself, he doesn’t need a girlfriend; he just needs a mirror.”
“He’s not that bad,” she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. That dress really did make the color of her eyes stand out.
“Easy for you to say, Miss I Have a Headache and I’m Going to Get an Early Night. We were the ones stuck watching the first season of his dramedy on Netflix.” By the time everyone had cleared out, it was close to seven. They’d ordered pizzas, which Mr. I Have to Be Careful with My Weight barely ate. Ryder, the judge, and Joe made up for the asshat’s lack of appetite.
“You two gave me a headache with your male posturing. It was exhausting trying to keep the conversation in neutral territory. Plus, Spencer made me watch it three times when it first came out, and he has a habit of narrating the entire time.”
She leaned in to Nate and picked a large piece of eggshell from the bowl, then used it to scoop out the smaller pieces. She didn’t just look amazing, she smelled amazing too. And Spencer was going to be sniffing her all day, not him.
“Your perfume is a little strong. You should probably go wash it off.”
“That’s not what you said to me the other night.”
He’d said a lot of things to her the other night that he shouldn’t have. And he’d meant every one of them. “I’m not allergic to scent. Some people are.” Lame, Black. Really lame.
She sighed. “So not only do I have to have another shower, I have to find something in my closet to match Spencer’s white-on-white ensemble.”
“He’s wearing white pants?” he asked as he pulled a frying pan from the bottom cupboard.
“Yes, and he wants me to wear a white dress.”
Nate almost dropped the frying pan onto the burner. “How can you not see that the guy is still in love with you?”
“Didn’t you just say he’s too in love with himself to be in love with anyone else? And what does a white dress have to…Oh, right, a wedding dress. I didn’t think about that.” She wrinkled her nose. “I overheard him talking to his partners at Happy Ever After Entertainment before the pizzas arrived last night. Spencer mentioned that we’d been engaged. Maybe they suggested he make more of our current relationship than there is for the publicity.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?” It sure as hell bothered him.
“It just depends on how far he goes, I guess.” She tossed the shells in the compost bin under the sink and smiled at him. “And I can almost guarantee he won’t take it too far because you’ll be with me, and he’s afraid of you.”
“I can’t go. I’ve got a conference call with the task force. And Ryder, Joe, the judge, and I are going to get started on the cabins today. We’ve got less than a week to get the work done. I don’t want to leave you with another project to complete.”
The sparkle left her eyes, and he felt like a jerk for reminding her he was leaving. And then he remembered what she’d said when he’d bent her over his arm in the middle of the dining room yesterday afternoon. She’d said she’d already fallen for him, and as much as he’d tried to convince himself he was misinterpreting the meaning of those words, he knew he hadn’t. It was why he’d acted like an idiot.
The second those three little words came out of Ellie’s mouth, big red Danger signs flashed a warning in his head. All he could think was that he had to get out of there. He had to hop on his bike and ride like the wind, putting as much distance between them as he could. Instead, he’d taken her with him. And that was something he refused to analyze.
His sisters had shared their thoughts about it before they’d left. According to them, they were booking the chapel for this time next year. They’d considered booking it for Christmas, but figured he’d need some time to come to terms with his impending loss of freedom. It felt like an eighty-pound weight was sitting on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He wondered if he was having a panic attack.
“Thanks. I appreciate you taking on the cabins.” The smile she gave him was forced. “I should go get ready.”
He reached for her as she turned to walk away. “Ellie, I’m sorry. I—”
Without meeting his eyes, she shrugged. “You don’t have anything to explain, Nate. It’s not as if I expected you to stick around.”
She’d hoped he would though. He could see it in her eyes. He watched her walk away, wishing he could say something that would make things right. But he wouldn’t make her a promise he couldn’t keep.
* * *
Nate stood on the patio, checking for messages on his phone. Ellie hadn’t responded to the text he’d sent over an hour ago. He’d asked what she wanted him to make for dinner. He glanced at the time. It was six thirty. He’d thought she’d be back by now. He’d spent the better part of the afternoon watching for her from across the lake.
Flames shot up from the barbecue, and he put down his phone. The beef burgers would be as hard as rocks if he didn’t get his mind off Ellie and put it where it belonged. He moved the burgers and lowered the heat. She wouldn’t be happy he was serving Joe and the judge beef burgers, but he figured they deserved a treat. They’d put in a solid eight hours on the cabins with him and Ryder today.
Nate tested the centers of the burgers with the edge of the stainless-steel spatula. They were well done. He slid them onto the platter and turned off the grill. As he carried them inside, he was greeted by Ellie’s laughter. He smiled. The woman had an incredible laugh, but that wasn’t why he was smiling. He was glad she was finally home.
He put the platter of burgers on the kitchen counter and walked into the entertainment room, expecting to see her. What he didn’t expect was to see her on the big screen…with Spencer. Ryder had hooked up a laptop to the TV.
It looked like they were at the bookstore on Main Street. One of the four stops on today’s tour. The last stop, if he remembered correctly.
“Burgers are ready,” he said, unable to pull his eyes from the screen. Ellie and Spencer each held a book, taking turns reading the lines from Romeo and Juliet. They looked good together.
Joe patted the spot beside him on the couch. “Come sit for a minute. They’re almost finished. We have a bet on whether Ellie will kiss him or not.”
The eighty-pound weight was back, only this time it lay heavy in Nate’s belly instead of on his chest. “I’ll cover the burgers with foil so they don’t get cold,” he said, and walked away, bowing his head at the sound of Joe groaning in the entertainment room. The old man had lost his bet.
Fifteen minutes later, Nate scrapped his half-eaten burger into the garbage. His cell phone rang. It was Chase. “Hey. What’s up?” He heard music and laughter in the background.
“Where are you?” Chase asked.
“Here. At the inn. Why?”
“You need to get over to Highland Brew ASAP.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Ellie and Spencer are here. They’ve already overtaken Abby and Hunter in the Most Romantic Couple in Highland Falls contest.”
His gut twisted beneath the heavy weight. It was probably the kiss they’d shared at the bookstore that had put Ellie and Spencer over the top in the contest. “I’m not coming, Chase. I—”