I wipe the sweat off my forehead and grab a towel off the bench, wiping my face and hands.
My heart falls to my stomach when I pick up my phone and see a photo in the sibling group chat from Beth.
Everything in me freezes when I take in the selfie of Beth and Caleb smiling at the camera, Isabelle squeezed in between them,her nose scrunched up as she laughs into her palm. What the hell are they doing?
BETH:
Dinner dates with my better halves.
MASON:
Rude! You told me you were busy tonight?!
BETH:
We’re at Chord and Coupe. You refuse to come here cos you’ve slept with every waitress… This is why we don’t invite you out, Mason.
I drop onto the couch, scrolling back up to the photo and zooming in on Isabelle. Her rosy cheeks, hair loose and wild around her face. She’s wearing yellow again, always wearing yellow, as if she is the damn sun.
I’m both excited and dreading seeing her in a few days.
I want to see her. I want to see if the impression she’s left on my psyche is just as captivating as I recall. But, at the same time, I don’t want the dark clouds of my soul to steal her sunshine. To taint her light when I don’t have the right words to offer. To shatter expectations, to give her reason to believe that there’s more to me than what I let people see.
Because after our weekend together, she looked at me in a way that no one’s looked at me before. Like I’m a man who’s capable of more.
But I’m not that man.
I can’t nurture people’s feelings, and I can’t protect them. And I won’t ruin any more lives by trying to be something different, no matter how lonely I feel sometimes.
Chapter nine
I fuss over the flowers in the vase, making sure everything is perfect. Almost everyone is here, mingling around the open floor of the old theatre. Beth happily takes over, currently talking to her grandparents and their friends about the design for Smoke and Barrel. I move through the room, almost tripping on my wedges when my eyes pass over Gage standing by the bar.
His hair is slicked back, but the longer length on top still holds a bit of those untameable waves. The dark scruff on his jaw looks like it’s been shaved slightly shorter. He’s wearing black jeans that have rips on the thighs, and if I ever wondered how far the ink on his arms, neck, and wrists went, I’d have my answer. Black swirls peek through the holes in his jeans, but not enough for me to decipher their meaning.
I see Caleb join Gage at the bar to get himself a drink, so I make my way through the crowd, drawing closer to them. I haven’t seen Gage in a few weeks, not since he came to the office all dressed up.
It’s crazy to think he’s worth as much money as his brother. They carry themselves so differently. Caleb is well accustomed to the business world. He knows how to work a room, always dressed to impress. Gage works in the bar he owns, and he’s always dressed so casually. I wonder how he spends his dayswhen he’s not at The Wayside. I wonder what he does to have fun.
I’m just about to reach the brothers when their dad, Thomas, steals Caleb away, leaving Gage alone. My steps falter, confidence fading at the thought of talking to Gage on his own, but then I remember he’s technically my client too, and I’m allowed totalkto him.
“Hi, Gage.”
He turns his head to look at me, and the green of his eyes is so deep, it’s haunting. There’s a heaviness there, but it doesn’t push me away. It almost pulls me in further, inviting me to get lost in its depths.
“Hi, Isabelle. The place looks great.” Chills erupt over my skin when he says my name. It’s so soft yet commanding, the way he seems to wield it.
“Thank you.” I smile.
“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble. But I appreciate it.”
“Every win deserves to be celebrated, no matter how big or small.”
I fiddle with a coaster on the bartop, spinning it against the surface. I start to feel my skin prickle and heat the longer Gage remains silent. Chancing a glance in his direction, I look over to find him staring at me.
“You’re right. This is something that needs to be celebrated.” My belly hops with his validation. “What was the last thing you celebrated?”
His question startles me. I wasn’t expecting his sudden interest, but my mind takes me back to a few days ago when I was at my parents’ house. “I bought myself flowers on the weekend. Then, I was having breakfast with my family, and when my sister and niece came into the room, Wren had the biggest smile when she recognised me. She’s fifteen months old, but the fact that shetakes one look at me and smiles like that?” I sigh happily. “I love being an aunt.”
