We pay, and they all leave. I order the tacos and another glass of wine and bring out my notebook. The hole in the ceiling is fixed, but Eli still hasn’t given me an estimate. Tomorrow I’ll bring up the idea of working on the guest house so I can move in. I’ve been avoiding him this week, embarrassed by what happened at the cabin, but I need to get over that and talk to him if I ever want this renovation to finish.
My landlord agreed that he’d keep the security deposit as the fee for cutting my lease short if I move out before my contract is up. The guesthouse is in good shape, so it won’t take long to redo the bathroom and cabinets in the kitchen if we make it a priority. It will save me money that I can put toward paying the loan I took out for this place.
I finish my dinner, scribbling notes on the page, and avoid looking over at Eli and his pretty date.
“Hey.” I look up to see a guy standing by my table.
“Hi,” I furrow my eyebrows, trying to figure out if I know him.
“I’m Dylan,” he says with an easy smile.
“Averly,” I offer.
“I was wondering if you wanted to dance.” He points over his shoulder, and I notice people have started crowding part of the bar as they dance.
“Um…” I look toward Eli but notice the table is empty. Maybe he left. Just as I’m going to turn down Dylan’s offer, I catch a glimpse of his date on the dance floor.
“Sure, I’d love to.” I close my notebook and stand.
“Are you from Everton?” Dylan asks as he wraps an arm around my waist.
This is good. He’s cute with a boyish grin, messy, blonde hair, and brown eyes. I need to put myself out there. So here I am, dancing with a stranger, and enjoying it.
Dylan moves us in rhythm with the bass music, his hands touching some part of my body. When he leans forward, I don’t move away. Instead, I allow his lips to touch mine and kiss him back. He smiles against my lips.
“I’m glad I went up to you.”
“Yeah,” I nod, smiling. “Where are you from?”
“I’m originally from Richmond, but I live in Boise while I go to college.”
“College?” I freeze. Maybe he’s a graduate student.
“Yeah, I’m a Junior at Boise State. My friend turns twenty-one this weekend, so we came to ski at Oaks Resort and heard Everton was a great town to visit.”
“Junior?” I screech, no longer dancing.
“Uh, yeah?”
“Crap, sorry, I gotta go.” I race to my table and drop a twenty.
“Wait,” Dylan follows me. “Can I have your number?”
“Sorry, I can’t,” I throw my things into my bag, rushing out of the bar.
Oh, my God. I squeeze my eyes shut and jump into my car. As soon as the doors are locked, and the heater turned on, I call Poppy.
“Hello?” The confusion in her voice is unmistakable.
“I made out with a guy ten years younger than me, I’m officially a cougar. I was frustrated, and Eli was dancing with his date. She looked like she was from Hollywood or something, did you notice that?” I speak a mile a minute, roughly combing my hair with my free hand.
“Slow down. You kissed a guy ten years your junior?” Poppy sounds way too amused.
“Junior! Argh! That’s what he is, a Junior in college.”
“So?”
“What do you mean so? He makes me do that! He makes me so crazy I become a mess.”
“Who? The Junior?” Poppy giggles.
“You’re an ass. Eli. Instead, I kiss this guy in the middle of a bar, ten years younger than me,” I repeat in case the message wasn’t clear the first million times. “Now, I’m a cougar. And . . . And . . .”
“And?” Poppy prompts.
“And he wasn’t Eli,” I resign.
“This I can work with,” I hear the smile in Poppy’s voice.
“Eli kissed me,” I confess.
“What? When?” Poppy screams, and I hear her moving as she tells Harris she’ll be back. Her voice lowers to a whisper. “When did this happen?”
“On Saturday. He showed up at the cabin. Long story short, we kissed. It would’ve gone further had I not stopped him.”
“No wonder you were so upset about seeing him out on a date.”
“Nothing can happen with Eli.” I shake my head, tossing that idea out of my mind before I let it evolve.
“Why not?”
“Because he’s working on the bed and breakfast. He hasn’t had a serious girlfriend in a long time, and he’s a major flirt, which we both know doesn’t remain innocent.”
“We don’t know that. I don’t know Eli well enough to give in to your assumptions that any guy with a pretty face and charming personality is a jerk. One guy screwed you over. And thankfully, that guy left Everton.” Poppy sighs.
“Look Averly, you told me not too long ago that I should give Harris a chance. He was different than the idiots running that bet. I’m now going to tell you that not every guy is like Patrick.”
“I know—” I begin to argue, but she cuts me off.
“No, I’m not talking about those boring guys you’ve dated in the past. You don’t need someone with no personality who only knows how to talk about work. Patrick screwed you over, I agree, but you’re better than this. You’re better than to let him ruin your happiness for your entire life.”
“He used me,” I whisper.
I never really got over what Patrick did. He was my first real boyfriend in high school. We dated for months, getting more and more serious. He was the perfect boyfriend—considerate, patient, and romantic. He waited for me to be ready to go further in our relationship, and when he told me he loved me and promised me he’d wait an eternity, I gave him my virginity.
It wasn’t romantic like I imagined. It was in a guest bedroom at a crowded house party. But I loved him, or at least as much as a seventeen-year-old can love her first boyfriend.
The next day I went out with Poppy and saw him on a date with Jessica Moore, another classmate of ours. She made it a point to tell everyone at school that Monday that she and Patrick had slept together.
I’ve never felt more humiliated or devastated in my life. Patrick lied to me, got what he wanted, and then got it again from someone else. I don’t even know why he slept with me if he had someone else to do it with.
“Averly, don’t let him interfere in your life anymore. Even Jessica redeemed herself a little bit when she told you that Harris had nothing to do with the bet. If you could confront Jessica, then you can definitely release this fear Patrick instilled in you.”
I let her words sink in. She’s right, but I’m scared of getting my heart broken again. I’d never felt so out of control.
“Thanks, Poppy,” I whisper. “I should let you get back to bed. Sorry I called so late.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m here for you. Besides, Harris is already sleeping,” she giggles.
“I’m so glad to see you happy,” I tell her with sincerity.
“You can be happy, too,” she points out. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Until then, keep your cougar license put away.”
I laugh. “Cougar license?”
“Whatever, you know what I mean.”
“Bye, Poppy,” I chuckle. She’s always making up phrases that only make sense in her own mind.
I drive home, thinking about what she said. She’s right that I should stop letting the past interfere in my present. The first step is admitting to Poppy that I like Eli. The second step… I have no idea what the second step is. And maybe that’s a good thing, even for a control freak like me.
Averly
“Eli,” I call out to his back, hoping my voice doesn’t startle him while he’s swinging a hammer.
“Eli?” I repeat louder this time. It’s not impossible to hear me over the banging.
Ugh, is he seriously going to ignore me?
“Eli!” I yell, frustrated with his attitude. All I get in response is more banging of the hammer against the dr
ywall.
“Are you seriously going to be this immature? I thought we agreed to be professional adults around each other.” My hands land on my hips, and I tap my toe. Super intimidating, I know.
“Gah!” I throw my hands in the air when he doesn’t respond, and I tap his shoulder as soon as he removes the hammer from the wall.
“What the fuck,” he growls and turns around, eyes wide. He grips the hammer in his hand. The other hand flies to his ears and removes his earbuds.
“Averly, are you crazy? I could’ve hurt you. Don’t you know to never sneak up on someone with a tool in their hand?”
I cringe as I stare at him. “I didn’t know you had earphones on. I’ve been talking to you, and I thought you were ignoring me.”
“Goodness, what did I do to deserve this?” He lifts his eyes to the ceiling, but I have a feeling he’s trying to seek patience from heaven above.
“Well, considering our track record, I wouldn’t put it past you to blatantly ignore me.”
“We agreed to be civil.” His jaw slacks, and his nostrils flare. “What did you need?” Straight to the point, that’s Eli. Whether he wants to fuck you or get rid of you, he never sugarcoats his feelings.
“I wanted to talk about something.” I hate being at his mercy, but if I want the guest house to be made a priority, I’m going to have to play nice with Eli.
“What’s up?” He places the hammer on the floor, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. I try to ignore the taut muscles on his arms and focus on his eyes.
“I was actually hoping we could talk in the guest house.” Eli furrows his eyebrows. “Just follow me.” I wave my hand.
I walk through the back door and up the steps of the guest house a few feet away, trailing snow with me. The cottage is small, but it’s perfect for me.
The front door opens to the living room on the left and kitchen on the right. As we step in, I stare at the dirty carpet. Replacing that is non-negotiable. Thankfully this floor plan is open, so no walls will need to be removed.
“What do you need to say?” Eli crosses his arms and lifts his brows, waiting for me to speak.
“I know that we had decided to focus on the main house first, but I was hoping we can get in and work on the guest house, so I can move in sooner. I’ve been re-assessing my budget after the ceiling incident, and I can save money if I stop paying rent. Now, I’ll have to cut back on some of the things I wanted to fix in here, like the kitchen, and focus on the priorities, like the bathroom and this carpet. A fresh coat of paint will help as well.” I wait for some kind of reaction, but he simply scrutinizes me with narrowed eyes.
“Anyway,” I run my hand through my ponytail, twirling it around my fingers as I do so. “I think painting the cabinets in the kitchen will give it a fresh feel without having to spend money on a kitchen reno right now.”
Eli still makes no move or gives me a clue into what he’s feeling.
“Are you listening?” I raise my eyebrows.
“Yeah, but that’s not necessary. The ceiling will be fixed within the budget, so if you want to redo the kitchen, you can. If you want to save money on rent, then I can get a couple guys to come in here and work on the guest house.”
“It’s impossible that I’m staying in budget,” I shake my head, confused as to how it’s possible.
“Nope, it’s very possible.”
I narrow my eyes as I look at Eli. “My budget was planned to the last penny, therefore, having to fix the ceiling without removing anything else from the budget is impossible.”
“Can you trust me?” he sighs.
“I do, but the numbers just don’t add up. You haven’t even given me the estimate.”
“That’s because we’re staying in budget.”
“I want to see how much it will cost.” My hands land on my hips.
“You’re impossible.” Eli runs a hand across the stubble on his chin.
“Something isn’t adding up, and you’re acting weird.”
“How am I acting weird?” His eyes pop open.
“You aren’t talking back.” I take him in, plaid flannel with the sleeves rolled up, work glasses resting on the open V of his neckline from the undone buttons, and worn jeans.
“I’m tired, Averly. I’m trying to be mature here.”
“Are you not charging me for it?” My eyebrows pull in, my lips pinching together as I try to comprehend what’s going on.
“Just trust me,” he repeats.
“I’m not a pity case.” I cross my arms.
“I think it’s called charity case.”
“Whatever,” I roll my eyes. Poppy’s rubbed off on me.
“And I know you’re not. Listen, this is on me. I screwed up. I never should’ve given in to your demands when I know how the architecture of a house works. I messed up. Therefore, I have to pay for it.”
“You can’t do that,” I whisper, taken aback.
“Yes, I can. This is my company.” He crosses his arms again.
“I know, you remind me of it every time I try to consult you about something, and you shut me down or make me feel inferior.”
“Well, I’m the professional. I have the final say if you want this place to stay upright by the time we’re done. Look at what happened when I didn’t follow through with my gut. Just forget about it.”
“It’s just… Ugh!” I drop my head back, taking a calming breath.
“It’s why you hired me, Averly.”
“Actually, I hired you because you’re the only freakin’ construction company in town. You have a damn monopoly. Also, you were the cheapest. If you weren’t, I would’ve hired someone from Jackson Hole, but they charge a fee for having to drive out here on top of their price.” My throat burns, and my eyes sting. I don’t want any favors. I want to do this on my own.
“You remind me every damn day that I’m not your first choice, and I’m frankly getting sick and tired of it,” Eli’s voice booms.
I take a step back, stunned into silence.
“We’ll work on the guest house, and it will be ready within a month’s time. Is that soon enough?” Eli says, eerily quiet after his outburst.
“Yes.”
I watch him turn and walk out of the house, wondering what the hell just happened. Embarrassed, I walk through the cottage and cringe when I see the pink tiles in the bathroom. Yeah, those are another non-negotiable change.
It was foolish of me to think Eli and I were making progress, especially after he kissed me, and then I saw him on a date last night.
I’m not your first choice.
His comment somehow felt as if it meant more than just who I hired to renovate my bed and breakfast. He must’ve seen me kiss that guy last night. I grimace at the memory of my “cougar” moment.
That’s impossible, though. Eli was there on a date. Oh, my goodness, this is ridiculous. We’re not middle school kids. We’re in our thirties. If we can’t communicate what we’re feeling, then we have no business being adults.
Okay, that didn’t really make sense. Great, now I’m talking to myself in my head.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Before I leave, I walk through the kitchen to see the update on the ceiling, and it looks as if nothing happened. A temporary, metal pole stands in the center, keeping it from caving again.
Feeling as if I don’t belong in my own place yet again, I leave.
…
Eli
I watch Averly walk out of the farmhouse and sigh. I put my earbuds back on and continue working. She drives me insane. When I saw her kiss that guy last night, I wanted to kill someone.
If I told Averly that, she’d point out that I was on a date. I only went out with Tracy because she’s been cornering me ever since I worked on her grandfather’s house. I figured if I finally said yes, I’d have a good reason when I told her it wouldn’t work out between us.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Averly, though. She was distracted, not her usual controlled se
lf, but I never expected her to kiss a stranger in public.
That guy barely looked old enough to drink the beer he chugged before he approached her. Damn it, I have no right to be jealous. She isn’t mine. But damn it, I do want to make her mine.
I stop working on this wall and look for Tim to let him know I’ll be in the guest house. Taking a look around the space without distractions, I recall all the ideas we had talked about.
Eyeing the kitchen cabinets, I open one of the doors and pull it off its hinges, thankful I still have my work gloves on. I toss the door to the side and move to the next one, doing the same thing.
My muscles strain and pull as I remove the final door, sweat beads running down the side of my face. I go back into the main house to get my toolbox.
“Hey, boss,” someone calls out.
“Not now,” I grit out.
“Okay.”
I hold the toolbox in one hand and the sledgehammer in the other, stomping back to the guest house.
I use the claw of my hammer to lift the Formica countertop and add it to the growing pile of debris. Then, I break apart what’s left of the cabinets with the sledgehammer. Nineties country music blares through my earbuds as I get lost in the demo of the kitchen.
By the time all of the cabinets are removed, and the appliances moved out of the way, I’m panting. Averly had planned on buying new appliances as well, and because of my pride, I won’t let her settle for less than she deserves.
I wipe my face with the shoulder of my shirt and catch my breath, pausing the music with a double-tap on the earbud. Usually, a few hours of manual labor does the trick when I need to relax, but not this time. I’m still thinking about Averly and the confusion on her face when she left.
“I guess we’re working in here, too?” Tim stands behind me.
“Yup. We need this place done in a month.”
“A month?” He lifts his brows.
“Yeah, we’ll swap our schedule around a bit to accommodate, but Averly wants to move in next month. I’ll be working here, so choose two guys that you can do without over there and send them my way to start tomorrow,” I instruct.
Make You Mine Page 6
