Page 94 of Resting Beach Face
I needed to talk to him, to lay everything on the table once and for all.
But now wasn’t the time. Not when he was at odds with his father and worried about his sister. I needed to support him, not make demands of him.
I’d just blown up my only job lead and I still didn’t want to run the B&B. But if he cared for me the way Ithoughthe did, I wanted to stay.
I wanted to stay for him, for this thing that was growing between us, for the sense of potential that had taken root here in this little lake town.
Happiness. Friendship. Love. Family.
I was so close to everything I wanted. Closer than ever before.
I just hoped I wasn’t deluding myself, as I so clearly had been with my only so-called friend in Chicago.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Cash
Skylar hovered nextto the front desk when Katelyn and I entered the resort lobby. A part-timer, Leo, was covering the phones, so I knew Skylar was there to meet me.
Brooks emerged from the direction of the bar with his adorable grandma. The deep grooves in his forehead gave away his concern.
“Either Grandma Kitty told Brooks she’s dating Chester or he’s worried I’m about to steal you away,” I joked. “He looks like he’s about to pop a blood vessel.”
Skylar didn’t laugh. “We’re worried about you. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine.” I nudged my quiet sister. “Right, Kit-Kat?”
She nodded, smiling faintly, and lifted the shimmery turquoise two-piece bathing suit in her hands. “Cash said I could use the pool. If that’s all right?”
“Anytime,” Skylar said as Brooks and Grandma Kitty reached us. “We’ve got a couple of rooms too, if you need?—”
“We’re all set,” I said quickly. Katelyn might want to take him up on it, but I wasn’t turning down Declan’s direct invitation to continue sleeping in his bed. “We’re going to stay at the B&B.”
Brooks arched an eyebrow. “Really? There’s plenty of space here, and you wouldn’t be an imposition.”
Grandma Kitty clucked. “He means to say we’dloveto have you.” She held open her arms. “Give Grandma a hug.”
I leaned in, letting her squeeze me. Comfort washed through me, the kind I hadn’t found anywhere other than Declan’s arms. I wished I could go cling to him for a few hours and forget that my family was falling apart, but that would hardly reassure Katelyn that everything was okay.
I pulled out of Grandma’s arms, forcing a smile. “Thanks, Grandma Kitty. You give the best hugs.”
Grandma Kitty smiled. “You come get one anytime you need.” She turned to my sister. “You get over here. Grandma’s not done.”
My sister rushed into her arms so quickly I worried she’d knock poor Kitty right off her feet. Kitty was sturdier than she looked, thankfully. She wrapped Kat in a tight hug, rocking from side to side.
“We’ve got plenty of rooms,” Skylar said tentatively.
I shook my head. “I’m working over at the B&B every day, anyway. It makes sense to stay there.”
Katelyn pulled out of Grandma Kitty’s arms and smirked. “Yeah,that’swhy we’re staying there. It has nothing to do with you sleeping in Declan’s bed.”
I elbowed her in the side. “Shut your piehole.”
She stumbled a couple of steps to the side, giggling. “Declan and Cash sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s?—”
“Okay, I should get to work,” I said loudly, speaking over her song. I patted the duffel bag over my shoulder. “I’ve got a changeof clothes in my bag. I’ll just hit the bathroom and get clocked in. Sorry I’m a little late today.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Skylar said. “If you need to take the day off, we can work something out.”
