Page 22 of Pillowtalk

“Maybe I am, too.”

Kennedy tugged at her hoodie, her pulse pattering in a frenzy. “I’m not sure how much help I’d be.”

Aaron waved the thought off. “Don’t worry about that. There will be so many people there.”

“How many people did you call?”

“Word gets out in a small town. And when Chelsea needs help, everyone comes running.” He grinned at the surprise on Kennedy’s face. “You’ll see.”

She tilted an eyebrow, debating taking him up on the offer. Jared’s ashes stood on the coffee table behind her, and though she didn’t have her eyes on it, she knew it was there, felt as ifhewas there still. Should she be playing with fire, especially one as increasingly dangerous as Aaron was? Her natural responses seemed to be beaten down every time by some outside force that she didn’t quite understand. Like last night, when she’d been resolute in staying up in her room, something outside of the storm convinced her that moving downstairs would be the better decision.

But that was nothing compared to the feeling she got when Aaron opened up about his past with Jared. What kind of friend sleeps with his best friend’s girlfriend? Her automatic response was to be repulsed by it, but somehow she’d found herself saying the complete opposite. And in hindsight, shefeltthe opposite as well. Like something or someone was screaming for her to understand, to forgive, to help him move on from it.

As a friend, of course.

“Let me change?” she asked, her voice still unsure if she was doing the smart thing.

Aaron nodded, and a smile spread on his lips, but he, too, looked unsure about the decision. Kennedy took a deep breath, slid her hands around the urn, and hurried up the stairs, looking back only once. Aaron had a hand in his tousled brown hair, scratching and pulling at it. She frowned and continued to her room. Apparently guilt would always be their third wheel, and only the heavens knew whom it would roll over and flatten first.

—

Aaron had been right; when someone needed help in a small town, the entire population stepped up to the plate. Removing the tree turned out to be a party, complete with little children running around delivering water and lemonade. Several awnings had been set up to provide much-needed shade, and foldout tables were set up with several snacks and beverages. Kennedy smiled as she stood up from her job of snapping off pesky branches, appreciating the camaraderie around her and how she’d been welcomed into it.

“Get this beautiful woman a drink!” a man named Sawyer called out when he noticed Kennedy taking a break. She laughed at his loud and confident antics, dubbing him the male version of Chelsea. A lot of Lyra Valley residents got a kick out of that description.

A sweet girl, maybe twelve or so, ran right up with an offer of either water or sports drink. Kennedy took the dripping blue bottle and thanked her before the girl ran off to provide refreshment to anyone else who was pouring sweat from the sun and physical exertion.

“Did you see them last night?” one of the girls on the opposite side of the tree asked her. Kennedy took a moment to answer, unsure if it was really her she was talking to.

“What?”

The girl smiled, standing up straight to pull her highlighted hair into a ponytail. “The stars. You’re staying at the B&B, right? That’s what the lake is famous for—the stars are absolutely unreal after a storm like the one we had last night.”

Kennedy tilted her head. “Oh! No, I missed it, unfortunately.” Her eyes went directly to her left, knowing that was where Aaron was. He’d shed his plaid overshirt and was now in only a sleeveless white tee that hugged his frame and showed off his muscular torso. He wiped his glistening forehead with the back of his gloved hand before leaning down to the end of the saw, nodding to Austin on the other end.

She bit back a sigh and ripped her gaze away. Watching the corded muscles in his arms was going to do nothing but cause more and more confusion in her already muddled mind.

“You’ll have to catch them next time,” the girl said with a smile. “There’s another storm blowing in. It’ll probably hit either tonight or tomorrow morning.”

Kennedy turned a frown up to the clear sky and hot sun. The girl laughed.

“I know. It looks deceiving, right?” She leaned against the trunk of the tree, resting her elbows against the rough wood. “Trust me. It’s coming.”

Kennedy mulled that one over, having no reason not to trust the girl, who obviously knew much more about the town than she did. The plan, after removing the tree, of course, was to put Jared to rest. After last night, she felt a little bit stronger than she’d been before. Talking about him, reminiscing and admitting to someone other than herself that she’d had a hard time letting go, actuallyhelpedher to let go…even if it was just a little bit.

Her gaze fell to Aaron again, and she cursed herself for letting it happen so naturally. His mesmerizing eyes met hers, and she blinked away, shaking her head for how ridiculous she was being.

“Hey, Kennedy!” someone called from that direction, and her stomach jumped during the brief moment that she thought it had been him. But it was Austin who was waving her over. “You wanna help me with this?”

Her eyes flicked between him and Aaron, the latter giving his brother a look that could freeze a person even in this heat. She bit back a laugh, propped herself up on the tree trunk, and swung her legs over. Austin grinned, face sweaty underneath a baseball cap. Seeing them both together, she could see the subtle differences between the twins, besides the apparel. Austin had broader shoulders, a more defined cut of his body; it hinted that he spent a lot of time doing manual labor. How she could help him with sawing a log was beyond her.

“I wanna show you how to do this,” he said as she wandered over. “You ever use this kind of saw before?”

“Can’t say that I have.”

“Excellent.” He took her by the hand and settled her right behind him. She locked eyes with Aaron, who was trying his best to keep a neutral expression. “Take a hold of this right here.” Austin’s hands wrapped around Kennedy’s, his skin warm, callused, and sweaty, and she let out a laugh at the memory of them in her hair digging out a clip when they first met. It seemed centuries ago instead of days, and she shook her head at how twitterpated she’d gotten in his presence. He was a good-looking man with a friendly smile and disposition, but as he settled in behind her, it wasn’t the fact that he played for the same team as she was that had her hoping for a different touch; it was the man across from her, watching with a focused, honey-colored gaze.

She ran a tongue over her lips, and hot flames licked up her arms as she noticed Aaron’s eyes drop to the action. He visibly gulped and wiped away dots of sweat along his forehead.

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