“It’s fine, Jenna. Just... let’s just finish this.” Jo tied a double knot in the string, properly securing the suit before trotting back into position.
Another silent conversation went down between the Parker sisters, but I was too disoriented to try and interpret it.
Did we almost kiss?
“We finishing this or what?” Blake grumbled.
If it wasn’t for the fact it’d be like running into a rhinoceros, I’d have tackled him into the sand and pummeled his face for interrupting what I was pretty sure was a moment with Jo. A moment where we almost kissed.
It was, wasn’t it?
Or was I hallucinating that desire I could have sworn was in her eyes?
And thanks to Meathead, now I’d never know.
With a groan in part from my disappointment, and in part from the pain of our collision, I rose to my feet. “We’re finishing it.”
Jo and I avoided all eye contact while we finished the round, and I never felt better slamming that winning spike at that moment-ruining Meathead’s feet.
“Good game,” he said, then stumbled off the court for another beer I was certain he’d smash on his thick skull.
“Great game, guys!” Jenna trotted over and moved into the gap between Jo and me. A gap saturated with awkward silence. “So...”
“So.” Jo pursed her lips.
“So.” I clucked my cheek.
After a few moments, Jenna let out a breath. “Do you guys want to stick around? Have a beer?”
“No. We need to go,” Jo blurted. “Bye.”
Without another word, she spun on her heel and hurried back toward the jet ski.
I lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “Uh, I guess we’re going.”
“Bye, Matt.”
Jenna’s sympathetic smile told me she’d seen what had happened. Or what had almost happened. But I couldn’t figure out the meaning behind the expression. Was it a “sorry we interrupted your moment” smile, or a “poor Matt, she only thinks of you as a friend, you dumbass” smile? I glanced over my shoulder and saw Jo disappearing into the trees on her way back to the jet ski. It was time to go.
And I’d never know which sympathetic smile Jenna had given me.
“Bye, Jenna. I’ll see you later.”
The sympathy in her face only deepened, and with it my confusion.
With the weight of my disappointment heavy on my shoulders, I slunk after Jo and went back to the jet ski. When I got there, she’d already pulled the anchor and was sitting up front, her hands on the handles and the engine running.
“Ready?” she asked, but her eyes looked everywhere but mine.
That was my answer. And it wasn’t the one I was hoping for. My overactive brain had turned an innocent moment into one with meaning. But only to me.
Just friends.
“Ready.” I climbed up behind her, and this time I knew I wouldn’t have the same issue I’d had the last two times I’d been on a jet ski with her.
This time I didn’t feel anything but devastated.
Friends. We’re just friends.
But at least I had her as a friend again. At least she was in my life. Trying to remind myself I’d managed to survive her rejection once before, I wrapped my arms around her waist and shoved my feelings for her back inside the dark hole where they belonged. And where I hoped they would finally stay.
CHAPTER NINE
JO
It’d been three days since Matt had taken me jet skiing. Three days since we’d played volleyball. Three days since we... almost kissed.
We had almost kissed, hadn’t we?
For three days I replayed the moment over and over in my head, trying to determine if his lips had actually been headed for mine, or if mine had been headed for his.
Or both?
Groaning, I pulled a pillow over my face. For three days I’d been living that moment on repeat and I still had no idea what to make of it. Part of me thought I’d finally lost my senses and leaned up for a kiss... a kiss he no doubt wouldn’t have wanted.
Because we were just friends.
But he’d leaned toward me. Hadn’t he?
And the look in his eyes. That wasn’t in my imagination. Or was it?
With more confusing thoughts cluttering my mind, I pushed the pillow off my face and willed myself to get out of bed. Even though three days had passed, Matt and I had successfully avoided each other. With him working all day, and me heading off to work at night, it hadn’t been hard to steer clear of him. Each morning when I woke up, he was already gone, and each night when I came home late from work, he was tucked safely behind his bedroom door. I’d tiptoe into my room and close Petunia and I inside.
Two doors between us was better than one.
But today he had the day off. And tonight I was off early. So, unless I planned on abandoning my cabin and making for Antarctica to live out the rest of my days avoiding him, today was the day we had to put an end to our successful evasions.
Actually, the chill of Antarctica looked pretty good.
Did we almost kiss?
No. Definitely not. Matt had always been, and would always be, just a friend.
I stood up, and without taking off my tank top, I slid a bra on underneath it. A skill I’d perfected since Matt moved in. After that first morning he’d shown up and caught me in less-than-appropriate clothing, I’d been certain to cover all my goodies before opening my door each morning.
Petunia chirped and trotted to her mostly full food bowl, but this time I refused to cave in and fill it up again.
“No. That’s over. Finish your food, you ungrateful feline.”
Her eyes widened when she saw me heading toward the door without stopping to fill up her bowl.
Meow.
The sweet, sad tones stopped me in my tracks, and I made the mistake of glancing down at her. Even though she had no ears to flatten to her head and improve on her pitiful gaze, I caved to the big blinking eyes staring up at me.
“Last time, Petunia. I mean it this time.”
With a shake of my head, I reached up and grabbed her cat food bag. Happy chirps filled the small room while she wove between my feet, her body pressing against my legs.
After Petunia’s bowl was topped off to her satisfaction, I put the bag away and went to my bedroom door. Closing my eyes, I took a breath and prepared for the inevitable encounter with Matt.
The door creaked on rusty hinges when I opened it, and I peeked out into the empty living room.
Nothing. No Matt. Good.
As I stared into the empty space, I noticed my absent couch and coffee table. Furrowing my brow, I walked through the void on my way to the bathroom. Still jumping at every creak of this old cabin and expecting Matt to appear at any time, I finished washing my face, brushing my teeth, and getting ready for the day. When I came out of the bathroom, I did so with the same tentative moves I’d mastered over the past few days.
Peeking out into the living room, I once again saw it vacant.
Hmm. Maybe today wouldn’t be the day I had to face him again. The day I needed to look him in the eye and suppress all those feelings I had been scrambling to shove back inside. And if I did see him, maybe, just maybe, today would be the day I succeeded once and for all.
Maybe.
The sound of waves crashing at the shoreline drew me to them, so I made a cup of coffee and headed out onto my back porch. Pushing open the screen door, I paused, inhaling the intoxicating blend of coffee and the smell of fresh water. A perfume I’d bottle up if I could... just like how I felt about bacon.
A loud pounding jarred me from my tranquil moment and caused my eyes to snap open. My gaze skated across the rocky beach below and then slammed to a stop when it landed on Matt, hammering nails into a heap of driftwood.
A shirtless Matt.
A sweaty, shirtless Matt.
A sweaty, shirtless, impossibly sexy Matt.
Yeah. About those feelings...
Damn it!
Matt swiped an arm across his forehead, and I felt the lump sliding down my throat while I swallowed... or tried to swallow.
Just friends. Just friends. Just friends.
He turned, his eyes lifting to the porch and locking onto mine. “Hey, Jo! I hope I didn’t wake you.”
Sweet Jesus. Has he always been this hot?
When a smile tugged up his lips, deepening his dimples, my knees went weak, and I reached for the now non-existent railing. My hand swiped through the empty space and I teetered forward, catching myself before I plummeted off the edge.
“You okay?” Matt yelled, dropping his hammer and jogging across the rocks toward me.
“Uh, fine!” I called down, stepping safely away from the edge. “Just forgot that railing fell off.”
He arrived at the bottom of the stairs, and the sunlight glistening on his sweaty skin only amplified the definition of his muscles.
Antarctica. It looked like I’d be getting a couple parkas, some huskies, and hunkering down in an igloo for the rest of my life. No way in hell the feelings searing through my body would go willingly back into the hole where they used to reside. They were alive and well and enjoying their newfound freedom by doing cartwheels inside my stomach.
“Careful, Jo. I’m going to work on that railing today. My order for lumber just came in at Lampert’s Hardware.”
He came up the stairs, and with each step toward me, those feelings busted out new gymnastic moves in my belly.
“Did you notice the roof?” he asked, pointing above my head. My eyes tried to follow his finger, but instead they skated across every plane of his body, finally drifting along his tanned bicep and moving to where his finger insisted they go... which was in the opposite direction of where they’d spend all day staring if I let them.
When I looked up, I saw all the old shingles were missing, and a shiny layer of material covered the peaked roof.
“I figured it was dark when you got home last night, so you hadn’t noticed. I got all the old shingles ripped off and disposed of, and I got the underlayment down, so today I can finish putting up new shingles. You’ll have a new roof by tomorrow!”
“Holy shit, Matt.” My jaw dropped open when I realized just how much work he’d put into my cabin while I’d been slinging drinks. “You did all that last night?”
“Yep. I got home at four thirty and went at it until eleven. I just stuck some lights up there after it got dark. Luckily, it’s a small roof, and those shingles were barely hanging on, so they came off without much fuss.”
“I’m literally speechless. The contractor quoted me like several thousand dollars.”
“Matt’s Professional Puttering at your service.” He grinned wider, and the nerves I’d been feeling in anticipation of this reunion started to quiet down.
Matt seemed normal. Relaxed. Maybe it had all been in my imagination, and for three days I’d been hiding for no reason and building this molehill into Mount Everest.
But suddenly realizing that almost-kiss must have been all in my head stung a little deeper than I’d expected. If he wasn’t feeling awkward, then that meant the kiss hadn’t almost happened. And if the kiss hadn’t almost happened, then I’d been imagining that there was anything between us other than what I’d known my whole life.
Just friends.
With a deep breath, I tried to get my feelings for him to stop their Olympic gymnastics tryouts in my stomach. With the realization that kiss existed only in my mind... or only my lips had been moving in for the kill, I felt their antics subside.
“I can’t thank you enough, Matt. Seriously. This is the greatest gift ever.”
“You’re welcome, Jo.” His smile softened before spreading back out into a goofy grin. “Wait! If you think this is cool, just hold on.”
With that he trotted back down the stairs and disappeared around the side of the cabin. A minute later he reemerged, this time with a brown leather loveseat balancing on his back.
The sight of his muscles flexing beneath the weight of the loveseat sent the gymnastics team in my stomach hopping back into their floor routine. But after a second of soaking in the sight of him, I realized standing around staring while he schlepped a heavy piece of furniture solo was just poor manners. Even if I enjoyed the sight of it... a little too much.
“Oh my God, Matt!” I said, hopping into action to help him. “Let me help!”
I ran down the stairs, but he just smiled and kept on walking, that couch looking like it gave him no more trouble than the Superman backpack he’d sported every day of elementary school.
“I got it, Jo. Just grab the door.”
Jumping into action, I raced up the stairs ahead of him and pushed open the screen door. When he got to the doorway, the couch bumped into the doorframe.
“Shit. It’s too wide. Gonna take some finagling. Can I get a hand?”
“Yep. Of course.”
I stepped out onto the porch and watched his eyes narrow in thoughtful contemplation while his creative mind went to work.
“Okay. I got it. You take that end, we’ll flip it on its side, spin it around, then slide it in.”
Despite the innocence of the comment, my mind plunged into the gutter when I thought about the ways I wouldn’t mind him flipping me on my side, spinning me around, and sliding it in.
Ugh! Just friends!
Pushing the incredibly pleasant visual from my mind, I nodded and took ahold of my end of the couch. “I’ll follow your lead.”
We worked together to squeeze the big piece of furniture into the living room, both panting while we scooted it into place.
“Eh?” He smiled, stretching his arms out to showcase the new loveseat. “Not bad, huh?”
He hopped in the air and landed on it with a bounce, then patted the seat beside him. “Sit. Try it. It’s awesome.”
I slid onto the couch beside him and he leaned back, stretching his arms out along the distressed brown leather behind our heads.
“It’s great, Matt. Again. Thank you.”
“Sit back. Really get in there.”
Choking on my groan, I leaned back into the comfortable couch. His forearm brushed against the back of my head, and I tried not to close my eyes and inhale his salty, masculine scent. But when he threw his arm around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze, it was impossible to keep it from invading my nostrils.
He smelled like pure man.
So sexy.
“Whatdya think, Roomster? Not too shabby, right? We’ll be having Family Guy marathons without needing a walker to get around after.”
“It’s awesome.”
Petunia slunk around the corner, her tail puffed up like a raccoon while she examined the new addition to her cabin.
“Hey, evil cat.” They eyed each other up as she slunk away, hissing at him before she disappeared. “And the best part? It’s springy, so when she attacks me, I can leap to safety with ease.”
Matt bounced up and down on the seat beside me, and my mind climbed into the elevator that went straight back down to the gutter.
“You like it? Really?”
“It’s perfect.”
“I’ve got one more surprise for you. Come on.” He sprung up with ease from the couch that didn’t insist on holding us hostage, and I popped up behind him. Matt led me outside onto the beach, and we walked up to the intriguing clump of driftwood he’d been working on earlier.
“Check it out.” He waved a hand over the driftwood. “I’m turning this into a coffee table.”
Tipping my head, I looked it over. “It looks cool, don’t get me wrong, but where are we supposed to set our drinks? It’s all twisty and stuff.”
“Oh, yeah. I should have explained better. This is just the base. I’ve got a piece of glass coming that will attach to the top. Then we’ll be able to look down through it to this driftwood base I’m crafting.”
My eyebrows shot to my hairline. “Okay. Now that is seriously cool. You’re making this?”
“You could sell these. Like, seriously, Matt.”
He’d always been creative. It was part of why he had such a hard time sticking to one job. His mind was always demanding a challenge, and new and interesting stimulation. But this... this was a perfect combination – taking advantage of all his creativity and talent with his hands.
“You think?” He stepped back and stared at it.
“Yeah. I know. It’s beautiful. Like art. And I bet people would be falling over themselves for handcrafted Door County driftwood furniture.”
He scrubbed a hand down his face, and I saw those wheels turning in his mind. “You know... I bet I could figure out how to make more custom driftwood styles. Like chairs, tables, lamps, and other house décor.”
“Matt. You should do this.” I turned and looked at him. “Like, for real. This could be your thing. You get to use your creativity, your building skills, and you’d never get bored always getting to come up with different designs.”
Pursing his lips, he looked back over at his creation. “Jo, I think you may be on to something. I could start up my own handyman business and make furniture as well.”
“I got your back.” I bumped him with a hip.
“What would I do without you?”
“Try not to fuck up again and let’s hope you don’t ever need to find out.”
His smile softened, and he nodded. “You have my word, Jo. Never again. I know how much you value honesty, loyalty, and friendship. And God knows I know how you feel about cheating after...”
His voice drifted off.
After my dad.
He didn’t need to say it. I knew he understood how badly that had fucked me up. I hadn’t needed a therapist to tell me I had abandonment issues since my dad had walked out at a crucial time in his daughter’s life. Instead of a therapist, I’d had Matt. And though I was still a far cry from being capable of healthy relationships, I’d always had Matt to lean on when I’d tossed a stick of dynamite into my relationships when I’d gotten scared. It’d always been him who’d been there to help me deconstruct what I’d done. To support me and help me recover from each catastrophe.
The Other Room (Door Peninsula Passions Book 2) Page 10
