“I’m such a jerk. I’m sorry. I haven’t been sleeping great because of those shutters and,” I scrub my hand over my face, “I must have fallen asleep on the couch.”
“That’s okay!” She twists her long blonde braid to the side of her shoulder and hands me a cup of coffee, steam still rising from the mug. “I still have a key, so I let myself in. You know,” she grins, “there’s this guy who you could use to get those shutters fixed really quick.”
My chest tightens as images of Duke leaning in for a kiss flood my brain. God, why couldn’t that be real? Then again, I should be happy it wasn’t real. I can’t even imagine the amountof drama my life would be cluttered with if I were screwing around with my dad’s best friend.
They did multiple tours together in the Army. They opened Blackrock Contracting together when they got home. They fish every Sunday at the same spot. Besides all that, there’s the obvious part where Duke would never be into me.
“Earth to Kit,” Charlotte says, curling up onto the couch with her drink. “You still dreaming? I heard a few sighs. Was it about Duke again?”
I don’t remember telling her about my dreams of Duke, but she is my best friend, and I do have a big mouth. “They’re just dreams.”
“No, they’re notjust dreams.Dreams are your mind’s way of working through things you’re too afraid to face in real life. Maybe you’d stop having them if you started owning your truth.”
I roll my eyes playfully. “Are you reading self-help books again?”
She smiles widely. “That obvious?”
“That obvious.” I smile and take a sip of coffee, letting the buttery notes from the creamer linger on my tongue. “Sorry to say, I don’t think your lessons are going to work here. I can’t face any of this in real life.”
“So,” she tilts her head back dramatically as another bang hits the side wall of the cabin, “you’re just going to have kinky dreams about the guy for the rest of your life and refuse all other men because no one can live up to the version of Duke you’ve made up in your head?”
“I like the version of him in my head just fine.”
Charlotte shrugs. “If you’re cool with it, I am. I mean, who wants a real life when you can imagine one?”
“Okay, let’s say I did tell him what I think… then what?” I laugh under my breath. “He dies laughing? He pats me on the head and tells me how cute I am? Somehow my dad finds out,and I become the laughingstock of Rugged Mountain? It doesn’t make sense to tell him.”
“I’m not saying you have to tell him. I’m saying you have to come to terms with reality. There’s a difference.”
“And have you put into practice this‘reality grasping thing’you’re so fond of, or are you still reading romance novels by the buckets?”
“Reading about fake boyfriends andhavingfake boyfriends are two completely different experiences.”
“He’s not my fake boyfriend. He’s just a guy I know that I happen to have a crush on. It’ll fade.”
“Right.” She nods, sarcasm in her voice as she says, “It’s not like you’ve been into the guy for a decade or anything. That’d be crazy.”
I’m about to launch into a lecture about how none of that is true when another knock hits the cabin. This time it’s at the front door, and I jump, spilling my coffee on the red Christmas sweater I haven’t yet retired for the season.
I glance toward Charlotte, brows narrowed as though I’m confused by the knock. I’m expecting her to look confused as well, but she has a Cheshire grin on her face that tells me exactly what’s going on.
“You didn’t,” I whisper, my heart slamming against my ribcage.
She stands from the couch, smile still intact as she sets her coffee on the counter and grabs her coat off the hook by the door. “You need sleep. Duke can help you sleep.”
“No… you’re crazy. My dad could’ve fixed the shutters.” I shake my head back and forth, but before I get out another word, she’s opening the door, disappearing into the night.
She’s disappearing, and I’m a puddle of mush, staring at the giant man I was just dreaming about.
Chapter Two
Duke
She stands in front of the door with big, doe eyes, a smile she bites back, and cheeks that pink the second she starts talking.
“Hey,” her tone is low and shy, though I know Kit is anything but, “sorry you came all the way out here. The weather is crazy right now. The shutters can wait.”
I set my toolbox by the door and kick off my boots. “Good, ‘cause I could use a cup of coffee first. I spent all day down at that new build for the Wilder brothers. We’re way off target for the due date.”
