Page 30 of Worth the Risk
“You closed on it so fast. You’ve been in town, what, a week?” Colt asks.
“I feel like you’re underestimating how fast I can close a deal when I set my mind to it,” he says it like he says most things, with a slight innuendo.
“Oh, I don't think anyone here is ever that surprised by how fast you close a deal…” I say. His grin drops a little.
“I’ve actually had my eye on this one since I was a kid and it just so happened to be for sale.”
“Win lives right next door in the little white cottage directly behind there.” Colt muses.
“Really?” he says and I know he already knows this. He spent all night talking to me in our adjoined backyards a couple nightsago. I go to say something about it but I see Mare look over my shoulder and turn just in time for a cute guy with light brown wavy hair to reach us and he’s looking at me.
“Hey there. I saw you earlier but you were talking with someone else and I didn’t want to interrupt. Do you think I could buy you a drink?” I blush and am flustered. I don't know what I’m going to say till I hear the words come out.
“Um, sure. That would be great.” I smile and he holds out his hand.
“I’m Jared. Do you wanna come with me to the bar so we can get to know each other?” I look back at the table and Mare is nodding yes and waggling her eyebrows. I roll my eyes and Colt tips his head letting me know he’s fine with it. I don’t look at Rhett, I’m sure he disapproves. I just take Jared’s hand and slide off the stool.
“I’m Winnie.” He grins and leads me to the counter.
After spending about 12 minutes with Jared, it’s obvious that we are not a match, but not wanting to face Rhett again just yet I stick it out for another 20. First of all, he doesn't eat sugar. He also keeps checking out every other woman in this place. I make an excuse about needing to get back to my friends. He doesn’t put up a fight, obviously he isn’t feeling it either. Before going back to the table I hit the bathroom.
I’m a tiny bit buzzed and looking at myself as I wash my hands. I sigh. Tonight wasn’t a complete waste. In just under two hours I had some good conversations and possibly a follow up with a cute guy. I dry my hands and check myself in the mirror one more time, feeling confident, then push the door open. I make it two steps when I catch my sandal on the floor. The floor that is completely flat. We’ve been here before, many times. I brace myself for impact on the hard wooden surface but instead of the bruised hip and elbow I’m expecting to feel tomorrow, Ifeel strong hands grip my upper arms and then land face first into a very warm, very muscular chest.
“Oof! I’m so sorry! If you knew me, you would know that it’s really not something I can help…” I’m babbling but trail off and stop talking when the smell of cedar and citrus hits me. I look up and see two green gemstone eyes looking back into my own. I forget how to breathe.Rhett.I swallow. Hard. He’s looking at me with a level of intensity that is usually reserved for when he’s on the ice. I take a shaky breath and try to regain composure. It’s absolutely ridiculous to feel like this just because I’m close to him…why does it feel this good to be so close to him?
“Hey, Rhett. Just tripped. Sorry, I’ll let you be.” He doesn’t release me though, instead his grip tightens slightly. He’s still staring at me…glaring at me, really. “Everything okay, Rhett?” I see his jaw tick and he opens his mouth, then closes it. He sighs heavily and his hands slip down to my elbows. “Okay, well I’m gonna head back out there.” I try to lighten the mood and move backward but it doesn’t feel like it’s working. He’s stone faced and I’m starting to think maybe I should get a glass of water for my dry throat.
“Rhett? I think maybe I need to get some water, I’m feeling a little light headed. I don’t drink very much and I’m remembering why right about now, I decided it would be okay since it’s my birthday and all but yeah—I don’t think I’ll be doing this for awhile.” He stops my rambling, thank goodness because I wasn’t feeling capable but when he speaks I have a hard time understanding his words…
“Winnie, if I have to see you making eyes at another guy in this bar tonight, wishing to God it was me, I’m gonna lose my damn mind.” His admission stuns me. I reach my right hand over to my left forearm and pinch myself. “Ow, shit!” So, he really did say that.
“What the hell, Winnie?! Why would you do that?” I stare blankly, trying and failing to absorb his words. He opens his mouth and I think maybe I’ll get a longer explanation when I hear footsteps approaching and Rhett’s hands fall away from my arms.
“Hey, there you guys are! Win, I settled our tab, are you ready to head out?” I nod and side step Rhett.
“Yeah, I’m ready to get home.” My voice is off but luckily Mare seems to also be a bit buzzed and doesn’t notice. Rhett clears his throat and I feel him move away.
“Can I stay at your place tonight? I’ll just get my car in the morning.”
“Of course, you know you don’t even have to ask. Let’s go.” I try to stop myself but can’t fight the pull so I look back to where Rhett was just standing, only he isn’t standing there anymore. Had I imagined that…? That’s more likely to me than him actually saying what he did. Wishing to God it was me…yes, surely my imagination has finally jumped off the deep end tonight, but I look at my forearm and see the red mark from pinching myself.
I say goodnight to Colt as we pass the table. He already has two girls sitting at the stools beside him. Not surprised by that—although I am a little surprised that Mare doesn’t look in his direction, actively ignoring him. Honestly those two are always fighting about something.
We talk about the guys at the bar as we walk home arm in arm. Laughing at the guy that hit on Mare tonight and called her sweetheart. She hates being called sweetheart more than she hates being called boring. We make it home just after 10. Mare crawls in my bed after removing only her shoes but I have to do my nighttime routine and change into pajamas or I won’t be able to sleep. I throw my hair up in a bun, wash my face and thencrawl in beside her. She already has some bad TV on and we settle in.
I’m halfway to sleep when I hear a husky voice repeating words I thought may have been a drink induced hallucination… “…I’m gonna lose my damn mind…” I try not to get ahead of myself though. I was better off not knowing what he meant or reading too much into it all. I guess it’s time to see how easy it was to avoid someone in a small town.
What the hell is wrong with me?A question that’s been on my mind for the last seven days. A question I do not have the answer to yet.What was I thinking?Is another one.That one is easier to answer. I wasn’t. It was pure impulsive instinct to tell Winnie what was going on inside my head. As soon as I saw her in AJ’s—sitting next to that guy, smiling at him, looking beautiful, she always looks so damn beautiful, I knew I wouldn’t last all night. I thought I had a handle on myself after he left but oh no, three minutes later and another idiot was dragging her away— she wouldn’t even look at me.
I thought I was going to snap, maybe I had. I saw her going towards the bathrooms and followed. I followed her and waited for her to come out…actually waited, like some creep stalking theobject of his obsession—I had no idea what I was going to say to her. Maybe I would just try to play it off that I happened to be there, too. Just to be near her, apologize for missing dinner and explain what had happened.
That was all I had wanted to do, but when I saw her walking out of the bathroom, flushed and smiling and heartbreakingly adorable, something loosened in my chest. Then she literally fell into my arms, her hair tickling my chest as I caught her. She smelled like vanilla and baked goods. She felt like home and longing at the same time. Then she looked up at me with recognition sparking in those warm amber eyes— I was done for. I realized in that moment, something I had been struggling with since I was 19 years old and my best friend's little sister was supposed to be off limits for me.
I wanted Winnie Parker and I was going to have to take a risk to get her.
About the time I came to that realization, she all but disappeared. I went back to our table to find Colt with two women I didn’t recognize. Alder was chatting up the bartender, but Winnie and Marigold were gone. That was a week ago. I decided the morning after her birthday that I was going to pursue Winnie and ask her if she felt at all what I did, if she didn’t yet, then I would show her that I could be worth her time.
I stopped by the bakery twice but Anna always had an excuse for why she couldn’t come out. She was out getting something, she was busy in the back, she was doing inventory, this morning she was supposedly sick—the excuses were endless and I was coming to the conclusion my patience wasn’t. Not about this. It felt like I had been waiting half my life already. I don’t think she has been staying at her house every night either. The lights have been off, except for the one on the porch. I called her twice, this afternoon alone I had sent two texts. I wanted—no I needed to talk to her. I needed to know if she thought she could take arisk with me. She could try to keep avoiding me, but it couldn’t last. Not only because there were only so many places she could dodge me in Silverthorne but because I wouldn’t give up on her. There was also the handy fact that I was her neighbor.
