Page 56 of Chasing Home
“I’ve started to realize that,” I reply softly.
Poppy scoots her chair closer to the table and offers me a smile that feels almost special, like only a certain number of people get to bear witness to it.
“He’s smitten by you. Are you smitten by him?”
“Going right for the throat, Pops,” Bryce mutters.
Anna laughs lightly, watching me. “You don’t have to answer that question if you don’t feel comfortable. I know we’re all still getting to know each other.”
And not for their lack of trying. It’s been weeks of effort from them with little payoff.
My stomach tightens with guilt.
“He’s rebuilding my porch; did you know that?” I ask, unclenching my fingers to press my sweaty palm flush to my thigh, the receipt paper crinkling beneath it.
It’s Bryce who answers first. “I didn’t.”
“I was curious about the wood he dumped in the burn pile this morning, but I didn’t piece together that it was from your porch,” Anna says, and Poppy nods along with her.
“He insisted on doing these jobs around my house, saying it isn’t safe enough for me. I didn’t think he was going to start with something so big, but there was no stopping him once he pulled out a crowbar and got to work.”
My smile is small as I recount last night, but Bryce doesn’t miss it. She latches onto it with her icy-blue eyes until I can’t help but say more, suddenly compelled to divulge far more to these girls right now than I ever have before.
It’s a risk to open up, but maybe with these women, it’ll be worth it.
“We made a stupid bet too. Like children. I used my chance to win something that would help me do what I came to Cherry Peak to do, but he only wanted something from me. Yet when he won, he didn’t take his prize.”
“What did he want?” Poppy asks.
I ignore the sparks of nerves in my belly. “A kiss.”
Anna squeals and then slams a hand to her mouth as Bryce relaxes her features and leans back in her chair, laughing to herself.
“That’s fucking adorable,” Poppy says, a dreamy expression on her face.
Bryce glances at her best friend. “Adorable is for children, Pops.”
“I don’t care. Johnny’s always been adorable. And it’s really damn cute that that’s what he wanted out of anything he could have asked for.”
Anna cracks up, shaking her head at the both of them. “Did you think he was going to ask for something else? As if.”
“Would you have kissed him if he had tried to claim his win? Or would it have been an obligation thing?” Poppy asks me.
My first instinct is to lie, but I have no doubt Bryce would call me out on it instantly. Besides, I’ve already opened up about this. I might as well go all the way.
“I would have kissed him. And not because of the bet. I wanted to kiss him before we even made it.”
“That’s good, Rory. Isn’t it?” Anna asks gently, her lips curved into a small smile.
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “He’s young and rambunctious. I’m neither of those things.”
“Thirty isn’t old, and twenty-two isn’t that young either.” Anna shrugs a shoulder, unbothered.
“Eight years is one of the better age gaps I’ve heard of. You could always be one of those women who dates an eighty-year-old billionaire on his deathbed,” Poppy says.
Bryce snorts a laugh. “Clearly, Poppy has thought of taking that route before. She got lucky and found a thirty-year-old billionaire instead.”
“Don’t be jealous, you hag. And don’t talk about me marrying anyone else around Garrison, or he’ll get jealous and have me walking around bow-legged for the next week.” Poppy cuts herself off and smirks. “Okay, on second thought, maybe do bring that up to him.”