by Lori Wilde
“Okay. I’ll come to dinner since you’re cooking and buying.”
He grinned again. “Great. And I’ll help you run the store until it’s closing time.”
“I’m not going to change my mind, so you don’t have to stay and guard me,” she pointed out.
Trent seemed surprised by her statement. “I’m not guarding you. I happen to want to be around you.” His expression turned lecherous. “If I’m around you, then I can steal a few kisses.”
He leaned down and demonstrated, and Erin didn’t complain one bit. In fact, she was having so much fun kissing Trent that it took her a second to realize the bell over the front door had rung. “Oops, you’ve got a customer,” he said.
Erin sucked a deep breath into her lungs. Yikes, but that man could kiss. She only hoped she didn’t look as wobbly as she felt. Heading toward the front of the store, she found Zach standing by the counter. Delia stood outside, peering through the glass in the front door.
“Hi,” she said to Zach, who seemed to find his sneakers fascinating since he was staring at them.
“Hi,” he said so quietly that Erin had to strain to hear him. Then he blurted, “I’m the one who left you all that stuff. I’m really sorry, and I’ll never do it again.”
Erin knew confessing was hard for Zach, but she appreciated him doing it.
“Thank you for telling me, Zach. And I know you’re sorry.”
She glanced over her shoulder and watched Trent walk out of the back room. Zach looked up and saw him as well. For a second, Erin was afraid seeing Trent would make Zach nervous, but instead, the boy smiled.
“I did what I promised. I told my grandma, and I apologized to Erin. So can I be on the team now?”
“You bet. I’m very proud of how you handled yourself, Zach. You showed a lot of responsibility,” Trent said.
The boy beamed at the compliment, and Erin had to admit, Trent had handled this situation well. Not only had Zach learned his lesson, but he’d also learned how to take responsibility for his actions. Trent had managed all of that without making the boy feel badly about himself.
Oh, yeah, there were no two ways around it— Trent Barrett was one heck of a guy.
Trent popped open the top to the paint can and frowned. The paint was blue. A nice, ordinary, everyday blue. Dang.
“You don’t want to use this paint,” he told Erin. “It will make your bedroom look—”
“Normal,” she said before he could finish his sentence.
“Boring, not normal. I like the room the way it is. Why are you so gung ho on changing it?” He winked at her and walked over to slip his arms around her waist. “Seems to me we’ve had a lot of fun in this room. I like the mirrors and the disco ball and the bright-orange paint. They put me in the mood.”
To prove his point, he kissed her. But before he could woo her into a little hanky-panky, she gently removed his hands from her oh-so-soft body.
“As far as I can tell, anything puts you in the mood,” she said with a laugh. “Last week, you pounced on me when we were discussing the best way to cook shrimp.”
“Hey, cooking makes me hot.”
She laughed. “You’re insane.”
“Probably, but knowing my family, does that come as a surprise?”
Ha. He had her there, and he knew it.
“No,” she admitted. “Not at all. Now stop pouting and help me paint the room.” With a sexy little smile that got his blood pounding through his veins, she said, “The sooner we’re done, the sooner I’ll reward you for all your manly effort.”
“Incentive. I like that. What did you have in mind?”
She pretended to think. Finally, she said, “I know; I’ll make dinner for you.”
“Dinner? Not exactly what I had in mind. Try again. I’m going to need a serious bribe to get me to agree to paint these pretty orange walls a dull blue.”
With great exaggeration, she fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Why, Mr. Barrett, what could I possibly have that would be of interest to you?”
He chuckled. “I’m going to enjoy showing you later.”
“Fine. But first you have to help.” She poured paint into both of their trays. “You want to do the baseboards or start on the walls?”
“I’ll do the walls. If I’m not allowed to touch you until this room is done, then I want to get it finished in a hurry,” he said, meaning it. Although he liked just spending time with Erin, he also was burning with need for her. He’d been stuck at work late last night and hadn’t been able to see her. After only two days, he’d missed her so much it hurt.
He started rolling the paint onto the walls, figuring if he had to keep his hands to himself for the next hour or so, then he could at least use the time to talk to her about how he felt. Now all he had to think of was a subtle way to start a conversation about their relationship. Subtle wasn’t exactly his strong point, but there had to be a way to do it After forty-five frustrating minutes during which no brainstorms rained on him, he blurted, “So, Erin, what’s new with you?”
She was carefully painting the baseboard by the closet with a nice white paint. Now she turned her head and looked at him. “What?”
Yeah, he deserved the strange look she was giving him. Dang, he was handling this all wrong.
He admitted the truth. “I’m trying to find a nonchalant way to bring up our relationship.”
“Ah.”
That was it. That was all she said. Then she turned back to painting the baseboard.
Trent went back to painting the walls. But frustration churned inside him until, with a groan, he turned to face her. “So do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Want to discuss what’s happening between us.” Granted, he’d never before had a relationship like the one he had with Erin, but he’d always heard women liked to talk about their relationships. But, man, if the expression on Erin’s face was anything to go by, she’d rather be dunked in mud and hosed down with grease than talk about the two of them.
“Why can’t we just leave everything the way it is? Why does it have to change?” she asked softly.
“Because I’ve changed,” he admitted.
She tipped her head and studied him. “How?”
For a second, he almost decided not to tell her. After all, he knew she didn’t want to hear what he had to say. But he’d never backed down from anything in his entire life, and he sure wasn’t going to start now.
“I’m in love with you,” he said.
She blinked. A couple of times. Then she asked slowly, “You’re in love with me? Are you sure?”
Was he sure? Hell, yes, he was sure. “Well, I’m in love with someone, and it sure isn’t Brutus.” This wasn’t going at all the way he’d wanted it to go. He hadn’t expected her to say she loved him in return, but then again, he hadn’t expected her to look horrified by the idea, either.
“Erin, why are you so surprised? We’ve been dating for the last couple of months. We spend all our free time together. We spend almost every night together. Is it really so unbelievable that I’d fall in love with you?”
She nodded her head. “Yes. It is. I mean that was the whole point of us. We knew we wouldn’t fall in love. We agreed we’d keep it simple. No strings. Your being in love with me is a really big string, Trent.”
“Tell me about it. I didn’t do this on purpose. I’ve never even thought I was in love before let alone actually been in it. It’s...weird. I know I should feel panicky and nervous, but I’m not. Actually, the opposite. I feel good. Incredibly good. Like I’ve found a missing piece of a puzzle.”
Erin’s expression softened a little at his description, but she still didn’t seem too thrilled by the whole love thing.
Figuring he was in for some serious pain, Trent asked, “Don’t you feel anything for me?”
She set the brush carefully on the side of the paint tray and said, “Of course I do.”
Okay. That wasn’t much, but at least it was something. “
What do you feel?”
“I like and admire you, and I think you’re a great guy,” she said with a soft smile.
Although he appreciated the sentiment, those sure weren’t the words he’d wanted to hear.
“Erin, I’ve never told a woman I love her before. I’ve never even come close to love. My entire life, I’ve avoided it like a big old tar pit. But this much I know—we’re great together. And we’re great for each other. I can’t help thinking we’re meant to be together. You honestly don’t feel the connection between us? There’s a lot more going on between us than just killer sex, and you’ve got to know that.”
A light blush colored her cheeks. “Of course, I know we’re great together. But I also thought Don and I were great together. That we were meant to be together. That is, until he sprinted from the church.”
“Hey, I’m not Don.”
“I know that. But I’m still me,” she said.
She’d lost him there. “What does that mean?”
“It means, I need more time. Sure, things between us seem to be going great. But things between Don and me seemed great, too. I completely misjudged our relationship. Heck, I completely misjudged him, too. Do you know he’s divorcing the woman he left me for? I used to be so certain that Don was a steady, dependable guy. Shows you how bad of a character judge I am.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” Trent said dryly.
“You know what I mean.”
“I don’t think I do.” He wasn’t the type to get upset about things usually. In fact, that was one of the main reasons he found being chief of police enjoyable. He rarely got upset. But he sure was upset now.
“Trent, I just need time,” she said, coming over to stand next to him. “Is that so much to ask?”
“It is because you want this time so you can figure out that I’m not the same kind of jerk as your ex-fiancé. Well, you should know that by now. I shouldn’t have to prove it to you.”
“I don’t mean it like that,” she said.
But he knew she did. She needed time because she wasn’t sure. But he couldn’t help thinking she should be sure by now.
“Let’s forget about it and finish painting this room,” he said.
She didn’t say anything, so he turned his attention back to the walls, quickly finishing the painting. Then he set the roller down and headed toward the door.
“You know where to find me if you ever decide I’m not a jerk,” he said.
“Trent, wait.”
He stopped, turning slightly to look at her.
“I just need more time,” she said. “Maybe then I’ll change my mind and want a relationship.”
He sighed, feeling incredibly defeated. “You know, Erin, I never believed in love before I met you. Never believed there was one perfect person for everyone. But I’ve changed my mind. I now think that when something’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. And when you find something this great, you need to be brave enough to grab hold of it and not let go.”
He willed himself not to weaken when a couple of tears slipped free and rolled down her face.
“I’m not letting go,” she said. “You are.”
“That’s just because you’re not willing to hold on,” he told her.
Then he left.
“Mind if I join you?”
Erin glanced up from the menu she’d been studying. Megan Barrett, Chase Barrett’s wife, stood next to the table. The last thing Erin wanted to do at the moment was talk about Trent. She’d spent the better part of a week thinking about him. And even after all that thinking, she still wasn’t certain how she felt.
But good manners forced her to say to Megan, “Not at all. Please sit.”
Megan took the chair across from Erin and opened her own menu. “I never know why I look at the menu each time I come to Roy’s Cafe. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t eaten here a million times before. And since nothing on the menu ever changes, it’s not like I don’t already know what my choices are.” She smiled over the menu at Erin. “Guess I keep hoping something better than my current choice will appear.”
Erin frowned. Was that a veiled message of some sort or just a vocalized wish for more variety on the menu? She started to ask Megan, but the one waitress in the cafe stopped by and took their order. Megan ordered what she’d obviously ordered the million other times when she’d been here before.
After the waitress walked away, Megan leaned back in her chair. “Are you enjoying Honey?”
That didn’t seem like a loaded question, so Erin said, “Yes. It’s a nice town.”
“It is, isn’t it? Very friendly. Filled with wonderful people.”
Erin frowned again. Was Megan once more saying something without actually saying something?
It seemed difficult to believe considering that every time she’d ever talked to Megan before, the woman had been very open and friendly. Surely she wasn’t trying to nudge Erin in Trent’s direction. Was she?
“When I first moved here, I was eight years old,” Megan said. “I didn’t know a soul, and I had quite a bit of trouble with a town bully. But then one day, Chase showed up and scared off the bully for me. I fell in love with him in that split second, and I’ve never fallen out of love with him.”
Okay, this time there was no doubt. The woman was here on a mission.
“Megan, no offense, but I don’t really want to talk about Trent.”
“I wasn’t talking about Trent,” the other woman said. “Just talking about when I first moved to Honey.”
“And when you fell in love with your husband,” Erin added.
“Oh, yes. But I only mentioned that because I wanted you to know what a great guy Chase is.”
Erin sighed. “And naturally you think Trent is a great guy, too.”
“Yes, he is,” Megan said. They sat quietly while the waitress placed their lunches in front of them. As soon as they were alone again, she said, “He really is a great guy, Erin.”
“I take it he told you what happened?”
Megan nodded. “Sort of. Actually, his brothers dragged the information out of him, which is pretty much the way that family works. But yes, I know he’s in love with you, but you don’t love him back.”
Erin opened her mouth to respond, then suddenly realized the entire cafe had gone silent. Pin-drop silent. She glanced around. Everyone was obviously listening to her conversation with Megan.
What was with this town?
As softly as possible, she said to Megan, “I told him it’s possible I’ll eventually come to love him. All I asked was for a little more time.”
Apparently, she hadn’t been quite quiet enough because a low buzz of gossip erupted when she finished speaking.
“What’d she say?” someone in a far corner asked. Erin felt like banging her head against the table when someone answered, “She said she doesn’t love Trent.”
She looked at Megan. “You’d think if they were going to eavesdrop, they’d get it right.” Turning, she said to the crowd, “I said it’s possible I may come to love him. Eventually.”
The patrons of the restaurant pretended they were interested in their own meals and hadn’t been listening to her, but as soon as she turned back around to face Megan, she heard the person in the corner ask, “What’d she mean by eventually?”
“Don’t let them upset you,” Megan said gently. “They just really like Trent and want him to be happy.”
“Leigh already shared the hip-pocket philosophy of this town with me,” Erin said.
“It’s a mixed blessing,” Megan admitted. “So you were saying that you may eventually come to love Trent before we got distracted. What exactly does that mean?”
“It means I need time.”
Megan nodded, and for a second, Erin thought the other woman might understand. At least she did until Megan asked, “Time for what?”
“To figure out my feelings for him.”
“Okay. So you need time. Mind if I ask you a question?”
Truthfully, Erin minded this entire conversation, but at this juncture, she didn’t see much point in protesting. “Sure. Ask away.”
“What is Trent supposed to do while you’re figuring out whether you love him or not?”
Erin stared at the other woman, dumbfounded. She’d never considered that before. What did she expect Trent to do while she had more time to think about their relationship? Did she expect him to wait for her? To keep seeing her on the chance that she might one day love him, too? Or did she expect him to start dating someone else, someone who could quickly decide whether she was in love or not.
She honestly had no idea.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. Then listened while her answer was relayed to the person in the corner who was obviously hard of hearing. What a town.
Megan patted her hand. “Why don’t you figure that out. I think once you know what you expect Trent to do, then you’ll also know how you feel about him.”
With a nod, Erin turned back to her salad. She wasn’t hungry anymore because Megan had given her a lot to think about. But for the sake of appearances, she pretended to eat her salad.
But her mind wasn’t on food. It wasn’t even on the fact that the entire cafe was now openly discussing what she’d said. Most of the room seemed to be of the opinion that she should marry Trent. A few ladies, though, firmly maintained that Trent wasn’t the type to settle down.
But Erin couldn’t listen to them chatter at the moment. Her mind was on Trent. What in the world was she going to do about him?
She really had no idea. None at all. But she knew Megan was right. Once she knew what she expected Trent to do while she made up her mind, then she’d know what her feelings were for him. Right now, she had no answers. But hopefully she would soon.
For her sake. For Trent’s sake.
She sighed. And based on the heated discussions going on in the cafe, for the sake of the town as well.
10
Trent rubbed Brutus’ belly, glad the puppy had finally stopped throwing up. Man, but that dog had been sick. A couple of times during the last few hours, he’d been really worried about the furball. He’d ended up taking him to the vet just to make certain Brutus was going to be all right.
