Changing Dreams (Bear Lake Dreamers Book 1)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  “Makes sense.” He reached down and caught her hand with his, giving it a good squeeze. “Go back and study, and I’ll work. I’m excited about spending some time with you tonight.”

  She smiled nervously. “Me too.” Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to his cheek, feeling very brave as she did so. Tim had hated her spontaneous shows of affection and had verbally beaten them out of her.

  “Feel free to do that anytime,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

  She was surprised at how good his words made her feel, almost completely blocking Tim’s voice out of her head for the moment. “Okay, back to studying.”

  “Back to laying tile.”

  It was hard to walk away from him, and that surprised her. She’d always been mildly relieved when she no longer had to spend time with Tim, but she’d wanted more time with him anyway. She was sure she’d been demented for the seven years they were together. There was no other explanation.

  It was just after five when Amanda came downstairs. “Time to get ready.”

  Alyssa frowned. “I have two hours.”

  “And we’re going to take every minute of that time,” Amanda assured her. “Up you go. Shower and wash your hair. I’ll be waiting.”

  “Fine.” Alyssa stomped up the stairs grudgingly. It wasn’t as if she’d never gotten herself ready for a date. She was perfectly capable of doing this with no help from her sisters. She truly wasn’t sure what their problems were.

  She took a long, hot shower, refusing to be rushed. When she was finished, she walked into her bedroom and was surprised at the fact that all three of her sisters were there. “Et tu, Taylor?”

  “I’m just here to watch the show.” Taylor grinned at her happily.

  “Great. Maybe if you guys film it, you’ll get some kind of award for the biggest transformation in the history of women.”

  “I think that went to Eliza Doolittle.” Lauren looked at her for a moment. “We’re starting with a facial. I know you don’t want it, but I really don’t care at the moment.” She walked to her sister and put some sort of gross cream on her face, slathering it everywhere. It took her more than five minutes to cover Alyssa’s face in just the way she wanted. “I have a little goop left. Sit up, Taylor.” Taylor had been lounging on Alyssa’s bed as if she owned the place.

  Taylor shrugged and sat up. “I can use all the beauty treatments you want to give me.”

  Lauren didn’t respond to that nonsense as she smeared the cream on Taylor’s face.

  While Alyssa watched the whole process, she was aware that Amanda was messing with her hair. She may not look like herself that evening, but that would be a good thing, right?

  Her sisters chattered around her as she sat and allowed them to pull and prod her for the next hour and a half. Finally, her mask was off, and her hair was finished.

  “Don’t look in the mirror until you’re dressed and your makeup is on,” Lauren said, waiting as her sister changed into the clothes they’d picked out for her night out with Nick. “Now sit again, and I’ll fix your makeup.”

  Alyssa sighed. “You guys aren’t going to do this every time I have a date, are you?”

  “Nope. We’re going to teach you to do it,” Lauren said. She looked like an artist with her palette as she held all the colors of eyeshadow she was using in one hand and a small makeup brush in the other. “Blink.”

  They barely had her ready in time. It was five minutes before seven when they finally let Alyssa look in the mirror, and she felt as if she was seeing someone else. Her lips were a much brighter shade of red than she would have put on herself, and her eyes were painted darkly. “I think it’s too much makeup!”

  Taylor shook her head. “No, it’s just the right amount. You look even more beautiful than usual, Alyssa. Don’t you dare wash your face.”

  Alyssa sighed, turning her head to one side as she looked at how her hair had been done. It curled softly around her face. “I won’t wash my face.” She picked up her purse. “I need to go down and wait for him.”

  “Oh, no you don’t. You do not need to look overly eager. Make an entrance,” Lauren said.

  “I draw the line at making an entrance. Making him wait would be rude, and that’s just not who I am.” Alyssa walked down the stairs, and the doorbell rang just as she got to the bottom. She walked over and opened the door, smiling at him. “Let me just get my coat.”

  Nick grinned, grabbing her hand. “Get your coat, but first let me tell you something.”

  She looked up at him. “What’s that?”

  “I think you always look beautiful, but tonight, you’ve knocked my socks off.” With those words, he let her go, and she hurried away for her coat.

  It took her a minute to calm her breath after his comment. How was she going to make it if it didn’t work out between them? Her heart hadn’t been broken when she and Tim had ended things. In fact, she’d been more relieved than anything else. With Nick, she knew it would be different. He was going to really hurt her if they couldn’t make things work.

  When she got to the door, he helped her put her coat on, and she looked back to see all three of her sisters watching them. They were ridiculous. “Go away!”

  Taylor smiled. “Don’t stay out too late. You need to be able to study tomorrow.”

  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Lauren added.

  Amanda just stood there grinning at them, looking like a lunatic. Why she loved her sisters was beyond her at that moment. All she wanted to do was get away from them and be alone with Nick.

  “Let’s get out of here,” she said.

  “Don’t keep her out too late!” Taylor said to Nick. Alyssa was sure she was moving onto Nick because she hadn’t been able to get a rise out of her. Whatever. She just needed to be away.

  “Ignore them,” Alyssa hissed under her breath.

  “I’ll take good care of her,” Nick told them.

  “Drive carefully,” Amanda said as they closed the door behind them.

  Alyssa shook her head. “All but that last thing was a joke. We’re always a little worried when one of us goes out after dark now.”

  “Why is that?”

  She looked at him with surprise. “You know our parents were killed in a car wreck in March, don’t you?”

  “No! I’m so sorry.”

  Alyssa shook her head. “Why did you think we were taking over the house?”

  “I guess I never really thought about it.” He took her hand in his and squeezed it. “I’ll be extra careful.”

  Twenty-Two

  Nick couldn’t believe he’d talked Alyssa into going out with him. She seemed a little too . . . well, a little too classy for him, but he was happy to spend time with her. He took her to a local restaurant. It wasn’t the nicest one in town, but it was the nicest that wouldn’t have a problem with him having paint in his hair, and the green just wasn’t coming out.

  He’d at least washed up, and he wore a pair of slacks and a collared shirt, realizing that though Kami had wanted him to dress nicer, and he’d refused, now he was dressing up for Alyssa without being asked. He wanted to please Alyssa in a way he’d never cared if he pleased Kami.

  When he walked into Hank’s Bar and Grill, he felt every eye in the place on him. He’d lived there for too long for him to get by with bringing in a new girl without everyone saying something.

  Hank’s place was very much a country restaurant. The place was wooden and looked very homey to him, and he always felt good there. There was music blaring from karaoke night in the corner, and people seemed excited as they sang along. No one was really dancing yet, but that usually happened on karaoke night. He wished he’d chosen a quieter place, but they would make it work.

  A short blonde who he’d known for years came over to seat them. “Hey, Nick. How’s it going?”

  “Good. How ’bout with you?”

  “I’m expecting again, and I’m sick all the time, so you really don’t want to ask me that.�
� She picked up two menus and led them around the tables to a quiet corner of the place. Well, as quiet as a local hangout could be on a Saturday night. “Stacy is going to be your server tonight.”

  “Sounds good. Hope you feel better.”

  Alyssa looked at him curiously. “I take it you know her?”

  He looked over at the retreating blonde. “Jennifer? Sure. I’ve known her forever, like everyone else in town.”

  She smiled, shaking her head. “It surprises me just how small this town is.”

  “It’s home,” he said softly.

  “Yes, it is.”

  He looked up and saw Ryan headed straight for them, a soft drink in his hand. “Hey, man.”

  Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Hello. And who is this lovely lady?”

  “This is Alyssa Romriell. She’s been a summer person her whole life, and she and her sisters are turning their family’s vacation house into a B&B.” Nick wanted to hide her away from the prying eyes of his friend, but he knew that wasn’t wise.

  Ryan looked at her curiously. “Now, I can’t imagine you being with Nick willingly. I want you to blink three times if you need help. If you want to be rescued by a gallant gentleman without green paint in his hair, I’m your man.”

  Alyssa smiled at that. “I really did agree to go out with him.”

  Nick shook his head. “This joker is my best friend, Ryan. We’ve been inseparable since we were both in diapers.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” she said softly.

  “Now go away,” Nick told his friend.

  Instead, Ryan snagged a chair from another table and sat in it backward, taking a drink from his pop. “He doesn’t mean it,” he told Alyssa. “He loves me like a brother.”

  Nick said nothing, just leveling a stare at his friend. “I do love you like a brother, but I’d love you a lot more if you were across the room.”

  “See how he treats me?” Ryan said, shaking his head sadly. “I don’t know how we’ve stayed friends all these years. I should have found a new best friend by now, don’t you think?”

  “No one else would have you, and you know it as well as I do.” Nick looked up as the waitress approached. “Hey, Stacy.”

  “Hiya, Nick. Good to see you out and about.” Stacy looked at Alyssa curiously. “You here with him on purpose?”

  Alyssa laughed. “You’re the second person to ask me that. I promise I do not need to be rescued, and we don’t need to have a secret signal like me blinking three times rapidly so you know to get me out of here.”

  “All right. If you say so.” Stacy grinned at her before turning to Nick. “What can I get you? Other than a tow truck for this reprobate, who should not be horning in on your time with the lady.”

  Nick glanced over at Alyssa. “We haven’t had a chance to look at the menu yet, but I’ll take a Dr. Pepper, and if I know the lady at all, she’ll have a Coke.”

  Stacy looked at Alyssa. “Does he know you?”

  “He does. But he doesn’t know that I drink Shirley Temples everywhere I think will have cherries and grenadine.” Alyssa shrugged, looking at Nick. “Sorry, but I had to follow my taste buds and not let you be right.”

  He sighed. “I’m never right.”

  Stacy laughed and hurried away.

  Ryan had to pick up the conversational gambit. “I have to agree with Nick. He is really and truly never right. If you don’t mind that, though, you two will probably get along fine.”

  Alyssa shook her head. “I’m glad Hannah is more supportive of me than you are of Nick.”

  “Hannah?” Ryan asked. “Not Hannah Baldwin?”

  “Yes, do you know her?” She laughed softly. “Why do I even ask? Everyone here knows everyone else.”

  Ryan shrugged. “Sure, I know Hannah. I’ve known her all my life.”

  “I have, too,” Alyssa said. “We met the summer before we both started kindergarten.”

  “Hannah is the one who told me about the job at the Romriell house, and she’s the reason I have it. I’m not sure Alyssa would have taken a chance on me otherwise.” Nick reached for the drink Stacy set in front of him, taking a sip. “Now, Ryan, if you’ll go away, the lady and I can decide what we’re having for our dinner.”

  Ryan frowned. “You want me to eat alone?”

  “You’re not here alone any more than I am. You’re either here with a girl or here with a buddy.”

  “I’m here with Billy Johnson from Georgetown. He wanted to drink and needed a designated driver, and he always calls me. He knows I won’t let anyone be on the roads drinking if I can help it.”

  “But you left him alone?”

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “He’s flirting with a barstool and calling her Sally. He’s totally wasted. We already ate, and now he’s on to the antic portion of his evening.” He stood up, smiling at Alyssa. “I’m glad I got to meet you. Welcome to living on the lake full time.”

  “Very nice to meet you,” Alyssa returned. “You can always tell something about a man by the way he treats his friends.”

  Ryan laughed. “Now don’t go dumping Nick for the way he treated me there . . . I was infringing on your date.”

  “This is our first date, so there would be no dumping. It would simply be a refusal to go out again.”

  “Well, don’t do that either!” Ryan lifted his glass in a salute, backing away from the table. When he was completely behind Alyssa, he caught Nick’s eye, giving him a thumbs up.

  Nick ignored his friend and opened his menu. “They have great fried cheese curds here. The burgers are to die for.”

  Alyssa smiled, opening her own menu. “Let me see what catches my eye, and I’ll ask if it’s any good.”

  “The only thing I don’t like is their country-fried steak. It’s no good.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” He watched her as she perused the menu, glad that they were finally alone—well, as alone as they could be in a room full of people. “I think I’m going to go with a bacon cheeseburger. How are the fries?”

  “It’s Idaho. All the potatoes are fabulous,” he said, winking at her.

  She laughed. “I’ve heard that somewhere before.”

  “Do you want to split a fried cheese curd to start off with?”

  “I’d love to.” She took another sip of her Shirley Temple before pushing it to the edge of the table.

  “You already need another?”

  “My body wants all the sugar it can get its taste buds on.”

  He reached over and took her hand in his, not caring that everyone in the bar was watching them. “I can understand that.” He frowned at her. “Tell me about your parents.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about that just yet. The loss is too recent. Why don’t you tell me about Ryan?”

  Nick smiled. “He really is like a brother to me. Our moms were friends all through school and they were pregnant at the same time. We were expected to be best friends, and we were. His parents were killed by drunk drivers when we were in high school, and he moved in with my family. My parents already saw him as another son, so it worked out perfectly.”

  “I can see that.” Alyssa smiled, squeezing Nick’s hand. “Sounds like your parents are pretty amazing people.”

  “They are. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”

  Twenty-Three

  After her real estate exam in Pocatello a couple of weeks later, Alyssa made the long drive back to Richland. She’d received texts from all of her sisters and from Nick asking how she’d done on the test, but she’d stayed radio silent, wanting to tell them in person.

  She loved this drive and the beauty of the area, though it was snowing as she made her way home. Why it was snowing again in mid-May was beyond her, but she really did hope it was almost done for the year. The snow felt better in Idaho than it ever had in Utah, but enough was enough.

  Walking into the house, the first person she saw was Nick, who was building a counter and a place to hang keys in the en
tryway. She didn’t meet his gaze and walked straight to the intercom. “I need to see everyone in the kitchen please.”

  Then she went to the kitchen and pulled out the things she needed to make a sandwich. She’d been so excited to tell everyone that she hadn’t wanted to stop and eat, and now she was famished. Maybe she’d have two sandwiches.

  Nick joined her in the kitchen, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “You wanna tell me how it went?”

  She shook her head, still avoiding eye contact. She was sure he’d be able to look into her eyes and see that she had passed. She wanted to tell everyone all at once.

  Within a minute, all of her sisters—except Kayla, who had found another leak in the house she was working on—were in the kitchen with her. She finished her sandwich and looked up, and she knew her grin was completely covering her face. “A perfect score.”

  Lauren laughed and walked over to hug her. “You and your perfectionism . . .”

  Nick waited until her sisters had all congratulated her before moving in on her. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet, spinning her in a circle. “You amaze me a little more every day, Alyssa.”

  Alyssa grinned up at him, wondering how she’d gotten so lucky to have a man like him interested in her. She felt like she was walking on air half the time. “I’m just glad it’s over, and I can move onto finding an office. You know of any place?” she asked Nick. He had so many more connections in the area than she did that it only made sense to ask him. If something was available, he would know about it.

  “I think I do. . . . Do you care if your office is on this side of the Utah border or the other?”

  “Not at all. I just care that I don’t have to drive more than thirty minutes.”

  Nick nodded. “I know just the place, then. We’ll go see it tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? What about the entryway?” Alyssa felt herself getting excited to have some time to do something with him during the day, but she didn’t want to monopolize him when there was so much work to be done.

  “I’ll have that finished today.”