‘He owns a few bars in the city already and found a space for another which he wants to work on with me. We keep in contact every now and again, but he reached out at the start of the summer and …’
Cherry settles herself next to me on the in bed, the worry in her eyes moments ago now extinguished and replaced with something bright and hopeful. ‘That’s amazing. A good opportunity, right?’
Tension swarms my chest. ‘I guess … Duke’s does well since it’s the only bar in town, but I’m nowhere near the richest guy in Willow Ridge. I can fuel my passion for motorcycles and keep my grandmother afloat so the opportunity to invest in and run a second bar could offer the extra cash that would make life just that little bit easier, while expanding my grandfather’s name andlegacy, but …’ I roll my lips together, trying to push back down the fears crawling up my throat. ‘It’s complicated.’
‘Right.’ Cherry tilts her head with a chuckle, then starts shuffling up the bed until she’s shifting herself under the covers. I was hoping to be out of the room before she got in, so I didn’t have the image of her in my bed etched into my memory. ‘If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. You always respect my boundaries when it comes to how I feel, so I’ll always give you the same grace. But I’m also always here to listen. I know you like to be the shoulder for others to lean on, but you’re allowed to speak your mind too. I’m your friend, Duke. You can trust me.’
Would it be so bad to let her into my thoughts? To see that I’m not as stable as she might think. What if she doesn’t want to lean on me anymore? I love being there for her.
‘Besides …’ Cherry’s chest deflates on a sigh. ‘I think I’m gonna struggle to sleep with everything running through my mind about tonight, so you’d be doing me a favour. Give me something else to focus on so I might manage to get some sleep in.’
When she puts it like that, it’s hard to turn down – the opportunity to make her feel better.
She flips the bedsheet back beside her and pats the mattress. ‘At least sit with me, though. Don’t be weird and hang on the edge of the bed.’
A raspy laugh leaves my lips as I go to protest—
‘Please?’ Her big eyes blink at me, glistening in the moonlight like pure magic. The bewitching kind that has me forgoing all my rules until I’m sidling up next to her, my legs under the covers, accidentally brushing hers andme wishing I wasn’t wearing sweatpants so I could feel the heat of her skin.
Cherry slinks down into the bed so she’s lying on her side, one arm tucked under the pillow as she looks up at me through her dark lashes. Calm floods my bloodstream seeing her there – warm, happy,safe.Inmybed.
‘So …’ She nudges my leg with hers, the small touch already sending sparks through my body. ‘Why’s it complicated?’
I pull down a long breath. ‘Do you remember what I said on the Ferris wheel?’
Her brows shoot up. ‘About the kiss?’
‘No, I—’ I’ve done a good deal to try to push that conversation about the firework kiss out of mind. But hearing that she hasn’t forgotten, that it’s her immediate association when I mention the Ferris wheel has my blood rushing quicker. Because,fuck, it sounded like she was talking aboutuswhen she described it. ‘No. About being scared of losing people.’
‘Oh …’ Cherry bites down on her lip, making it harder to forget the memory of watching her mouth form the wordsroughandhard, as her voice cascaded along my skin like a whispering breeze. ‘Right, yeah.’
I close my eyes and rest my head back against the wall, swallowing thickly. Each word starts off strangled but eventually becomes smoother the longer I speak. ‘I’m … worried that if I pursue this opportunity, I’ll have less time for people in Willow Ridge. The very people who propped me up after I lost my mom. I’ll have to spend some time in the city and then I won’t be around as much for my friends, or family, or the town, if I’m honest, andthey’ll hate me for that. That’s what I’m useful for – I’m always there for my customers, my friends, the whole goddamn town.’
I think back to how the whole town pooled together resources to help keep Duke’s afloat when my grandfather first fell ill and I had to take over, to how the Hensley’s helped me organise a fundraiser – Hunter performing, Wyatt’s mom baking – and then to how Wyatt came back from college for a few weekends even while he was in the midst of studying to lend a hand with busier shifts.
‘What if I miss something that happens with Wyatt or Wolfman because I’m working away? Wyatt, especially, he’s always been there for me, and what if I can’t help him out with the ranch as much? I owe that to him. I can’t lose anybody else—’
‘Oh, Duke.’ Cherry reaches over, filtering her fingers through one of my hands.
The bold, unexpected move makes me freeze. Alarms blare in my head – this is crossing a boundary, especially since we’re in bed, and I know it’s all my fault for being so lax and needy with the touches I took from her earlier. As if I’ve gone and brushed away the line between us in the sand.
But that doesn’t mean I let go.
I’m transfixed by her innocent dark eyes, glistening like they’ve just discovered a hidden piece of my soul, as she says, ‘You’re not gonna lose anyone. If anything, I think people would encourage you to go – you’re always looking out for everyone else, when was the last time you did something big just for you? When did you last letyourself have something you wanted without worrying how other people would feel?’
All I can do is shrug.
‘Come on.’ She squeezes my hand. ‘Tell me – what’s something you really want?’
You, you, you,my entire body sings, no matter how hard I try to fight it.
All I can do is level a look at her. Battle to keep my composure. A silence hovers between us as our eyes lock, Cherry’s dancing between mine, as she swallows.
‘I—’ Her hand tightens around mine. ‘I’m just saying you deserve to do this for yourself. Your friends and family – the whole of Willow Ridge – always want the best for you. You’ve done so much for everyone, you’re always there for them, no matter who it is that turns up at the bar. And I know you do more than just listen for this town – you’ve fixed cars, given out free food and drink, found motels for people when they were too drunk to get themselves home.’
Cherry’s gaze drops to our hands as she adds, ‘Even carried people to hospital after they’ve fallen from their horse … Maybe it’s your turn now, to be looked after by Duke. Besides,’ she says with a grin. ‘When you’re not around, you’ll be leaving Duke’s bar in capable hands.’
The chuckle rings out of me, and I can’t help but jest, ‘If that lap dancing escapade is any indication, then no, I don’t think I will be.’
