Page 18 of Whisk Me Away

"I'm sorry, Eden. I just needed a moment to myself,” I pleaded with her, widening my eyes and pushing out my bottom lip. "Please don't be mad at me." I batted my eyelashes for extra effect.

"Oh, knock it off. You know I could never stay mad at you!" She gave me a smirk before plopping down beside me on the worn, brown leather couch.

I leaned my head over until it was resting on her shoulder. “That is exactly why I love you,” I giggled.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm the best. I know,” Eden laughed before patting my leg with her hand. "How was the rest of this week at the bakery? When I came in on Tuesday, I was shocked it was still packed."

The glint of excitement mixed with pride in her eyes had me fighting tears in my own. Eden had always been my biggest fan and loudest supporter. Even though I was the older sister, I looked up to her in so many ways. She was brave and fearless. She never really cared about what others thought, making space in her life for the things that she loved and brought her joy, even if no one around her liked those same things. In a lot of ways, I envied my sister. Her carefree spirit was something I always wished I had. She didn't get analysis paralysis when making decisions. She didn't seem to second guess herself after any decision. Sometimes, I just wished I had a fraction of her easygoing, confident attitude.

"I can see those wheels turning. What's running through that brain of yours?" Eden asked, lifting her shoulder that was beneath my head.

I took that as my cue to raise my head and meet her eyes.

"Just trying to figure out how to be more carefree like you and less of a control freak,” I laughed.

"We can't all be awesome,” Eden huffed out a laugh.

I rolled my eyes and laid my head back down on her shoulder.

"How's that boyfriend of yours? I didn't see him at church today.”

Eden had been dating this guy for quite a while, but he lived in the neighboring town. I didn't know the guy well, but from what I could tell, he was great to Eden, and she seemed happy.

"Oh yeah, he had to fly home to help his dad. I guess he had a minor heart attack last week, and his mom asked if Adam would fly home and help her get him situated."

The little I did know about Adam was that he grew up in Arizona and moved to Tennessee for college. He ended up loving it here (because, really, who wouldn't) and decided to stay.

"Oh, that's awful! Praying his dad is okay. That's great Adam was able to head back home and help his parents out. What did you say he does for work again?"

I was a terrible sister. I should remember those things, but I was choosing to give myself grace since I’d just started my own business, and my mind was mush at the moment.

"He's an architect. He started his own company with a friend, and it's going super well,” Eden's voice was full of pride.

"Wow. That's impressive. Maybe he can design me a house one day,” I groaned.

"House hunting not going well?" Eden asked.

"Not exactly. I haven't found anything worth buying or even renting, if I'm honest. My realtor told me the winter months aren't the best for the housing market here, so I may have to wait until spring."

"Geez, I didn't realize there were certain times of year when the housing market wasn't good. Is it so bad living with Mom and Dad for a few more months? It'll give you more time to save, right?" I knew she was trying to put a positive spin on the situation, and I loved her for it.

In reality, I didn't mind living with my parents right now. I knew most people would dread moving back home after being on their own for so long, but it really wasn't terrible. I loved my parents and they allowed me to come and go on my own terms. I also liked knowing I was there if Mom ever needed anything.

But it boiled down to a pride thing. I really wanted to be able to stand on my own. I wanted to be successful in my job and personal life. Living at home didn't feel successful to me.

"It's not. It's great, really. I’m just ready to be on my own but don't want to make a stupid decision and regret it down the road, so I’m waiting."

The office door creaked open just then, causing our heads to fling in that direction. It took a moment to register who was standing in the doorway.

Today, Brant wore a maroon button-up with the sleeves rolled halfway up, showing off his muscled forearms. He was wearing a watch on one wrist that didn't look the least bit fancy. His muscular legs were encased in dark wash jeans, and a pair of brown leather dress shoes covered his feet. I dragged my gaze up Brant’s body as quickly as possible before stopping on the dark stubble lining his jaw. It looked like he'd missed a few shaving days, and I didn't hate it. His brown hair looked short on the sides, and the top looked tousled in a messy yet expertly shaped way. When my eyes finally met his, the slight smirk tugging at the corners of his full lips told me he’d caught me ogling him.

Good grief, Karis. Get it together! I chided myself before tearing my eyes from his down to my hands that I was wringing together in my lap. I could feel the heat creeping up my neck and taking residence on my cheeks. If I didn't get this under control, my face would give away my thoughts. I needed to keep those close to my chest if I was going to keep from embarrassing myself.

The throat clear almost had me meeting his gaze. Almost.

"I was instructed to round up the Thompson girls and bring them to my Gram's house,” his deep voice flitted across the room, causing a chill to race up my spine. Why did everything about this man have to be so attractive? It really wasn't fair. How was a girl supposed to keep her wits about herself when she had all that staring at her?

I could feel as his gaze bored into the side of my face, daring me to look at him. Eden must have picked up on the extreme awkwardness filling the room at that moment and came to my rescue.