Page 125 of In Your Dreams, Holden Rhodes

“I’m fine,” I said, laughing lightly. “I’m totally fine.”

She pulled back to search my eyes. “I know. I was just so worried when I heard what happened.” Her gaze dropped to my arm. “You’re hurt.”

“No.” I rolled my eyes and laughed. “I’m fine. I promise. Please, sit. Do you want a glass of wine?”

“That would be lovely.” The worry lingered in her eyes.

“I’m fine,” I said with emphasis. “Ask Holden. He’ll tell you.”

“Oh, yes,” she said, beaming at him. “I heard.”

He pretended to watch the TV above the bar and I smiled and walked away to get Elizabeth’s drink. As I found the wine and poured her a glass, my heart squeezed thinking about how concerned everyone was for me. At least two dozen people stopped in to the bar to say hi and ask if I was okay. My arm was totally fine and the cut was minor but people treated me like I had been stranded for days and had to chop my own arm off.

I snorted at the ridiculousness of it. People cared about each other here. This town was weird and strangely obsessed with my alien dildo—notmyalien dildo—but they took care of each other.

Holden’s family treated me like I was one of them. Emmett and Avery rushed to the inn last night and insisted I come over to their place like it was nothing, like it wasn’t the middle of the night. They were worried about me and wanted to make sure I was safe, just like Holden.

I knew how rare this was, and how unlikely it was I would ever find this little bubble of love and warmth ever again.

Where would I even work in Queen’s Cove? I loved working at the bar but I missed interior design. The inn was filling that void for me right now but once it was finished, I’d want something creative and challenging to fill my time. The bar was fun but it wasn’t a forever thing.

I realized what I was doing and frowned at the wine glass in front of me. Holy shit. I was thinking aboutmoving here? I had wanted to work for Claire for years, and now I was giving that up while fucking over my best friend?

It would be for him. I clenched my eyes closed as I scolded myself. I was doing it again. Deeper and deeper I sank. I was staying with him. I dragged a breath in and anxiety constricted my lungs.

I wasn’t moving here. I wasn’t giving up my entire life for a guy, no matter how much I liked him. It wasn’t happening. I’d have no one to blame but myself and we weren’t going back to that.

I took one more deep breath before I brought Elizabeth’s drink over.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” she said and I couldn’t help but beam back at her. She put me in a good mood. Her gaze snagged on Olivia passing behind me with a plate of wings for a customer. “Hi, honey,” she said to Olivia.

Olivia stiffened and shot her a wary look. “Hi.”

Elizabeth rested her chin on her palm and studied Olivia’s pink hair, loose around her shoulders. “Your hair looks lovely. Did you color it recently?”

Olivia squirmed under Elizabeth’s perusal. “Yep. I gotta run these to a table.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Okay. Bye, sweetie.”

Olivia hurried off like she couldn’t wait to get away from Elizabeth, and I frowned.

A few minutes later, I paused while helping Olivia haul another keg out of the back room. “Why were you so weird with Elizabeth?”

Olivia didn’t meet my gaze. “I wasn’t.”

My eyes narrowed. I’d never seen them interact before, I realized. “Yes, you were.”

Her throat worked and she shrugged, picking at her nail polish. “I don’t know. She’s like, always trying to talk to me and make conversation and stuff.”

“What an evil bitch,” I droned.

She sighed and met my eyes. She pressed her mouth into a tight line and my heart twisted. Her eyebrows pinched with worry.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered.

She closed her eyes for a minute. “Don’t talk to anyone about this, okay?”

I nodded. “Of course.”

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