Denver lifted his beer in cheers. It was nice to see Ryder in a good mood, something rare this past year. Then again, if Denver had been engaged to a woman who cleaned out his bank account and disappeared on their wedding day with little more than a good-bye note, he might be upset, too.
“Well,” said Ryder, emptying the bottle, “should we get back to it?”
Another hour later, they lifted the final piece in place—the big, beautiful oak top that had lured Denver from the first glance. It was heavier than anything Denver had attempted to lift before, making him rethink his decision to give up running. He neededsomesort of workout routine outside of moving firewood.
“Just need those last screws.” Ryder nodded to the ripped-up bag of hardware. “Grab ’em?”
Denver handed them over, deciding after hours of internal debate, to spill it. They were getting along today, after all. “I’m going for it,” he said.
“Going for what?”
“Sophie.”
Ryder stopped mid-screw to give his brother a steady, disapproving glare. “Why?”
“Because it’s time.”
“Right.”
“It is.” Sometimes it felt as if their roles were flipped. That instead of being the oldest, Denver was actually the youngest. “Look,” he added. “I’ve got a plan. If it doesn’t pan out by the Moose Days Festival, I’ll give it up for good.”
Ryder sputtered a laugh. “Yeah, right.”
“I mean it.”
The finality in his tone must’ve gotten to Ryder. “You’re serious.”
“I love her, but I won’t wait forever.” It’d been the toughest decision he ever made, but if they stayed friends too much longer, they’d be stuck there. Eventually, when she found someone else, he’d lose even that. “I’m trying something subtle. But next weekend, I’m laying it all out on the line.”
“And if she turns you down—which I think she will—you’ll give it up?”
Despite all the back-and-forth contemplation of his decision, Denver realized something important. If he went for it and Sophie said no, things would never be the same. If she said yes, things would never be the same. “Yep.”
Ryder folded his arms, assessing Denver. “Good. I’m holding you to this, just so you know. You don’t tell her next weekend,Iwill. I’m tired of watching you make a fool of yourself.”
* * *
Denver pulled into the pick-up lane in front of the kindergarten building and cut the ignition.
He’d always wanted kids. A family. He’d known that for years now. But it didn’t stop him from being nervous about picking Caroline up from school today. By himself. He’d only gone with Sophie once before, and even then, he lingered by the car when she went to greet her daughter.
Reaching back, Denver gave the booster seat a solid wiggle, ensuring it was properly set.
He was fifteen minutes early, which gave him time to think. Though he should be using those minutes figuring out the deal with Malcom’s third dead body—or better yet, writing some actual words on the laptop he packed for just this purpose—he pulled out a notebook instead.
Sophie thought his notebook addiction was adorable, but in reality, he might have a problem. Despite a healthy love of paperbacks, Denver could sooner fill an entire bookshelf with the notebooks he’d collected over the years. Most of them held blank pages. But he’d sooner sell his fishing boat than get rid of a single one.
The one he had with him today Sophie had given him for Christmas. It showcased a fluffy white dog on the cover, wearing a Sherlock Holmes hat. The hard cover had a slight velvety texture to it. He’d had a hard time convincing himself to use it at all, not wanting to ruin it. But there was no better notebook on his shelf worthy of these notes.
He flipped five pages in—he never used the first four pages of any notebook as a precaution, because when hediduse a notebook, he tended to wear it out. The first three pages would inevitably fall out over time. Sometimes four. Fishing a pen from his glovebox, he added a couple things to his idea list:S’mores latte kit. Running headphones. Chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.
Denver didn’t want to get Sophie typical romantic gifts. The flowers were a no-brainer, a gesture to clearly show intent. But from here, each gift would be more personal. Over time, Sophie’d either think she had a stalker, or shehadto know it was him. No one, including her own sisters, knew her as well as he did.
Glancing up, the school grounds remained empty. He added two more ideas, crossed off a couple others. “Am I crazy?” he muttered under his breath, wishing he’d brought Sherlock along so it wouldn’t look as though he was talking to himself. Maybe a sane person would be direct and ask Sophie out on a date.
The bell rang, followed seconds later by the excited and eager voices of tiny humans. With a deep, steadying breath, Denver forced himself out of the truck. He wasn’t sure why this made him so nervous. He already thought of Caroline as his own daughter. He’d always protect her and look out for her as if she were, no matter what happened when Sophie learned of his true feelings for her.
Yet, he worried he’d somehow screw this up.
