The Goodbye Guy (The Men of Lakeside)

by Natasha Moore

  “You’re a tease, do you know that?” He kept his voice light, enjoying this evening with Rachel too much to express his frustration and ruin the mood.

  “Patience.” She reached over her shoulder and handed him her elastic band. He secured the braid, then dropped a kiss to the back of her neck. She turned to face him, cupped his face in her hands, and softly kissed him. “It’ll be worth it.”

  God, he didn’t want to let her go. He’d gotten too close to her. He knew better and he’d still done it.

  She curled up beside him and picked up her knitting. He shouldn’t have been surprised she expressed her creativity in other ways besides interior design. She was knitting a lacy pattern with a soft, pale-purple yarn. It was a blanket for Katie and Carter’s baby.

  There was an old movie on the TV screen, but he wasn’t paying any attention. He was watching Rachel’s fingers fly, manipulating the yarn and needles smoothly in an intricate design. “I don’t know how you keep it all straight. The pattern, I mean.”

  She glanced up at him, only briefly pausing in her stitches. “Practice. Lots of practice.” She snuggled a little closer and stitched another row. “What a nice evening,” she murmured.

  Mocha nudged Rachel’s elbow with her head, and she indulgently dropped her needles to her lap so she could scratch the dog’s head.

  It was a perfect evening. “Probably a little boring for you, though.”

  She frowned at him. “Why do you say that?”

  “Nights in L.A. have got to be more exciting than here in Lakeside.” Didn’t she say there was nothing here for her?

  She looked at him for a moment, then picked up the needles again. “I suppose if you go out and experience the nightlife. I don’t do that as often as you’d think.”

  “What are your nights like, then?” He might not like the answer, but he was hungry for any bits of information about her life.

  “You mean when I’m not curled up on a cozy sofa with a sexy man and a cute dog, with knitting needles in my hands?”

  “Yeah. Then.”

  She kept her eyes on her knitting. “I might spend some time researching sources or sketching out a new design project. But often I’m curled up on a cozy sofa with knitting needles in my hands.”

  Alone.

  She was lonely. She had to be. Why did he think because her life was so busy that she wasn’t lonely? He kissed her hair. “I’m glad you’re here with us tonight.”

  “Me, too.”

  But on the heels of his contentment came the reminder that she wasn’t going to be here any longer. Tonight was it.

  Why was he torturing himself like this? It was Wednesday night already, and Holly was due back tomorrow. It was suddenly hard to breathe. He had to put some space between the two of them, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. He kissed the top of Rachel’s head again, then forced himself to shift away. “Do you want some help moving your stuff back to the inn?”

  Her graceful fingers froze. “No.” Rachel tipped her head to look at him through her lashes before she shoved her knitting into the blue and white tote and rose from the sofa. “I have only the one overnight bag with me.”

  He lunged to his feet. “You don’t have to leave right now.”

  “Yeah, I do.” The pain was clear in her eyes as she studied him, and he wished to hell he hadn’t said anything tonight. Tomorrow morning would have been soon enough. Although, maybe she was right. Why lie next to each other all night long, knowing that those touches and scents and tastes they shared would be for the last time?

  But what he wouldn’t give to make love to her one more time.

  She blinked and the pain was gone from her eyes, replaced by a determined strength he wished he had. “We never expected this.”

  “Nope.”

  “Or for it to last this long.”

  He studied her. “It wasn’t long at all.”

  She tipped her head in acknowledgment. “No, it wasn’t.”

  “Not long enough.”

  “No.”

  “Stay.” He never thought he’d be begging. “Please. One more night.”

  “Will it make a difference? Will it be any easier in the morning?”

  “Of course not.”

  She turned away and he followed her down the hall to his bedroom. She’d put her stamp on the space in just a few days. Scented glass jars were grouped beside the photographs on his dresser. Several pairs of colorful shoes peeked out from under the bed. The yellow dress he’d stripped from her body last night was still draped over the chair in the corner.

  She avoided his gaze as she stuffed the dress into her overnight bag, then swept the bottles into the bag on top of it, so unlike the careful way she’d set them on his dresser only a few days ago. She shoved the shoes on top of everything else and struggled to close the zipper. When she turned around, Beck was right there because he couldn’t stay away. He caught her shoulders when she stumbled back.

  “We don’t have to act like we’re never going to see each other again.”

  “I’m not coming back to Lakeside.”

  “You’re still in town for three more days. We have to film the reveal together Saturday morning. Holly is going to want to see you again.” He drew her into his arms and she didn’t resist. “I’m going to want to see you again.”

  She dropped her head to his shoulder. “I didn’t expect it to be this hard.”

  “I know.” He stroked her soft hair and touched his lips to the blue streak that had teased him from the beginning. “I can’t see a long-distance relationship lasting, though.”

  “I can’t see it working at all. We’d probably end up hating each other again.”

  He gently tugged the end of her braid. “I don’t want to hate you again.”

  She glanced up at him with a sad smile. “I don’t, either.”

  “Your flight is still scheduled for Saturday?”

  “I don’t have a reason to stay longer.”

  He huffed. “Yeah.”

  “But we can part as friends now, can’t we?” she pleaded. “We started this project hating each other and now we actually like each other. That’s a good thing, right?”

  There was nothing good about parting. “Right.”

  “And your bar is going to be extreme. So awesome. I can’t wait for you to see it.”

  “How about a peek?”

  She laughed lightly, not as if she was feeling it, but still amused. “Nice try.”

  “Stu mentioned the crew will be coming back to film the grand opening.”

  “I’m not needed, though.”

  I need you. “So you wouldn’t come back to Lakeside, not even for the opening of The Salvage Station?”

  She stepped out of his arms with a soft sigh. “I want to get to the inn before it gets dark.”

  “Holly is going to want to see you when she gets home,” he said again, walking beside her back down the hall. “I’ll have her call you, and if you don’t want me to be here, that’s okay. I can take Mocha for a walk or something.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  He wasn’t sure he wanted to be there. “Try not to promise her anything.”

  Now she frowned. “I’m not going to break your daughter’s heart. We can be friends. Just like you and I.”

  They were at the door. He stepped forward to give her a hug, but Mocha dashed between them and begged at her feet to say goodbye. Rachel dropped her bag and picked up the dog. She buried her face in her soft fur, then looked up at Beck, Mocha still clasped to her chest.

  “We’ll still see each other over the next few days.” Tears glimmered in her eyes. “This isn’t goodbye.”

  …

  It sure as hell felt like goodbye.

  Rachel was back at the inn, alone in the frilly bedroom with a view of the
colorful backyard garden. For the first time, the pillows and other items she’d brought from home didn’t help. She’d never felt so broken. Beck had asked her to stay one more night, but what was the point of that? She clearly remembered what he’d said about not wanting Holly to get too attached to a woman he knew wasn’t going to stick around. Rachel understood his worry. She was afraid she might already be too attached to Beckett and his daughter.

  But, like any time in her life, she had to examine her desires and be ruthless. Did each desire support her goals? Would giving in help make her dream come true? If not, it had to go. She couldn’t have everything she wanted. She couldn’t have it all.

  And she couldn’t risk losing what she had now.

  She wasn’t lying when she told Beckett that his place was going to be all kinds of awesome. She’d love to see it on opening night, full of customers, laughing and drinking and eating bar food. But she’d made a strong argument with Stu that she didn’t need to be there. She’d see Beckett’s reaction on Saturday morning. That’s all she needed. She could see the footage after the crew had been there at the opening. It would do.

  It would have to do.

  It was too early to go to bed, and she didn’t feel like knitting the baby blanket anymore tonight. So she pulled out her tablet to check social media. Rachel had been too busy with the project during the day and spending time with Beckett at night, so she hadn’t looked at anything recently.

  But before she’d had the chance to connect to the inn’s slow wifi, Mia called her. “Okay, Stu wouldn’t be happy I’m telling you this, but I wanted to give you a heads-up to some of the stories we’re hearing from people here in the village.”

  “The rumor mill in Lakeside is notorious.” Rachel could imagine the things Mia and Stu heard.

  “I gather.”

  “So what are they saying?”

  “Everyone seems to agree that you stripped for Beckett Colburn, on the fire pole in what is now The Salvage Station. Back in high school. Actually, you should have told us that one. We could have played it up.”

  Of course they could have. “Number one, I never stripped for Beckett. I never stripped for anyone. Number two, I don’t want that lie spread around anymore than it already has. Number three—”

  “What’s number three?”

  “Nothing.” It wouldn’t help anything to tell Mia it was Beckett who’d spread the lousy lie to begin with.

  “Well, a few helpful interviewees said that the word was you lost your virginity to Beckett after the striptease, on an old sagging couch in a make-out room upstairs.”

  The only truth to that statement was about the room.

  “In this day and age, that lie, even if it were true, shouldn’t make a ripple on social media.”

  “Ripples? Anything can make waves on social media if you spin it right. We have to decide if it will make the right kind of waves.”

  “They’re both lies, Mia.”

  “No one actually thinks less of either of you because of the gossip. You were kids. Then you got famous and so now it’s a cool story the non-famous people can feel special sharing. But then you left.”

  “I did. I left.”

  “From everything I’m hearing, Beck was the wild Colburn son. Ginny told me his parents had their hands full with the business and the two older boys. She thought he acted out to get attention.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Rachel said. Beckett told her that himself.

  “There’s another story I’m hearing.”

  “What story?”

  “It seems Beck dropped out of college his first year. Ran off. Disappeared. Some rumors say he was running after you. Others think he was running from something, but no one knows what.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “He never said anything to you about being gone for years…I mean, years, Rachel? No one can agree on exactly how long, but a long time. And no one knows where he went.”

  “No one knew?”

  “If his parents did, they didn’t let on. In fact they never mentioned any of this to us during the interviews. He didn’t, either, but then we didn’t have these stories yet when we talked to him. He never said anything to you?”

  “He said he moved away for a while. Not that he was hiding out or anything.”

  “Stu wants to do a follow-up interview to get his backstory.”

  Beckett would hate that. “Why? Wherever he went, whatever the reason, it doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

  “I get it. I do. But Stu is calling the shots.”

  He was still looking for drama. Rachel flopped back on the bed, her tablet still clenched in her hands.

  Mia gasped. “I’ve got a great idea! I’ll text Ginny and plan a girls’ night for the three of us for tomorrow night. She’ll give us the story.”

  Girls’ night? When was the last time she’d been out with friends? She couldn’t even remember. Did she want to ask Beckett’s cousin about his past? Shouldn’t she go directly to him? “A girls’ night sounds like fun, but I don’t like the idea of going behind Beckett’s back. Can’t we just have a couple of drinks and relax?”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  Rachel didn’t want to think about Beckett anymore tonight. As if she could help it. “Anything new online I need to know about?”

  “Same old buzz, but it’s building and building. It’s looking good for you, but there’s a reason we want to know more about Beckett. He’s getting as much buzz as you are. Maybe more. He’s hot, you know he’s hot, and your fans aren’t quiet about his hotness. They want more info. They want more pics. They love the thought of the two of you together.”

  Rachel shut off the tablet and tossed it onto the other side of the queen-sized bed. “They’re going to have to get over it. His daughter is coming home tomorrow so we’ve essentially broken up.”

  “No. No. Not yet.”

  “Mia, we’re not going to pretend to be together until the episode runs.” What torture that would be.

  “Just till the end of filming?”

  Still torture. “No.”

  Mia groaned.

  “We’re not fighting or anything. It’ll be fine. We’re still friends.” Did friends keep that big a secret about their past?

  Rachel thought she’d gotten to know the real Beckett Colburn, but it sounded as if she didn’t know him at all.

  …

  Beck was waiting at Davis’s house when the Escalade pulled into the driveway Thursday evening. He hopped out of his Jeep. Holly jumped from the car and threw herself at him. “Hi, Dad. I missed you so much. I had such a good time. Did you know that Emmie’s mom is going to live with them now? Isn’t that the best news? Come and meet her. She is so fun and nice, and really, really pretty.” She leaned in a little closer and whispered, “Almost as pretty as Rachel.”

  The hug from his daughter was too short, but Beck let her drag him over to the car, where the rest of the occupants were getting out. He’d seen pictures of Suzanna Dillon, but this was the first time he’d met her.

  Statuesque. The word popped into his head and, whether that was the correct description or not, his breath was taken away. Her skin was smooth, darker than Davis’s, her hair cropped close to her head. He wasn’t exactly sure what she’d done in her work for an international PR firm, but even in the casual clothes she was wearing now, he could see she would fit right in at glamourous hotel openings and meetings with influential clients. He couldn’t help but worry for his friend. How would life in sleepy Lakeside compare to what she was used to?

  Her smile was brilliant as she rounded the car and took Davis’s hand. She looked at Beck. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Same here,” he replied.

  “And Holly is a wonderful little girl.”

  “Tha
nks. We love Emmie, too.”

  Another car pulled into the drive. Beck easily recognized Rachel’s rental. He narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Holly.

  Her expression was the picture of innocence. “I called Rachel and asked her to come over to meet us.”

  “How did you get her number?”

  She tilted her head like that was a silly question. “I asked her for it when she was at our house. I’ve missed her, Daddy.”

  Me, too.

  Holly let go of Beck’s hand and ran to Rachel, hugged her as deeply as she had him. At least she wouldn’t have too much time to get attached before Rachel left.

  After introducing Rachel and Suz, Beck said it was time for them to go. It had been an intense trip and he knew Davis would need some downtime. Holly gave hugs all around and then after her bags were loaded in the back of Beck’s Jeep, she asked Rachel if she could ride home with her.

  “Um.” Rachel glanced at Beck. Of course, she hadn’t expected to be going back to their house.

  “You’re welcome to come over if you have the time.”

  “Just for a few minutes. We’re getting down to the wire.”

  “It’s almost done?” Holly bounced on her toes. “Oh boy. I can’t wait to see it. I bet it’s going to be awesome!”

  “Saturday,” Beck reminded her.

  “I know. Day after tomorrow. Let’s get home. I’ve missed Mocha so much! I can’t wait to see her.”

  Beck didn’t like the awkwardness between him and Rachel. Holly deserted them as soon as they stepped into the house. She wanted to let Mocha outside and then ran out to play with her. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “How’s everything going on The Station?”

  Rachel glanced at him, then anywhere else but. “Great. We’re right on track to be finished tomorrow night. We should be filming the reveal on Saturday as scheduled.”

  “This has been the longest week of my life.”

  Now she met his eye. “Seriously? Nothing has ever been harder for you than losing control of a bar design for a few days?”

  He remembered harder times, in the early days, weeks, months when he often lived day to day, never sure if he’d have a roof over his head or food for the next meal. He’d done it to himself but if he hadn’t, there would have been no Holly, and he couldn’t even imagine a world now without his daughter in it.