I nod and try to feign indifference even though my thoughts are racing. “Yeah. It’s no big deal.”
His gaze drifts over me, slow and searching, the way it always does when he’s testing the truth of my words. The attention sends a familiar warmth through me, and I realize I’ve missed it. I’ve missed him.
In the city, everything is loud and crowded, and I haven’t been around him in a long time. Out here, it’s quiet and whatever I’ve been hiding from is exposed.
“Okay,” he says. “Let’s go then.”
The drive to my house on the other side of the lake is silent, the kind of quiet that sobers you no matter how much you’ve had to drink. By the time we pull into the driveway of my home, the tequila buzz has burned off, replaced by a heavy, pressing awareness that we’re about to spend a night together with no one else around.
When we step inside my kitchen, I feel suddenly raw and exposed, the weight of my choice for him to stay at my place finally settling in.
Boone is here now, in my space, and I can’t stop wondering if I’ve somehow made a mistake.
Chapter 16: Rosie
“So... this is my weekend house.”? I gesture awkwardly around the space. I don’t know what to do with my hands. Do I put them on my hips? Do I let them rest at my sides? I’m overthinking every word and every action now that we’re alone.
Boone steps inside and instantly the space feels smaller, his tall, broad frame somehow overwhelming the usual cozy vibe.
“It’s cute. I like it,” he says, glancing around. “You said you’re doing renovations on it?”
I nod. “Eden’s redesigning my den with her boyfriend. She’s a design major, and he’s studying architecture. They’re using it as their junior year project.”
“Smart,” he says, continuing his slow tour of the place, flicking on the kitchen light before wandering into the den.
When he returns, I’m in the kitchen, putting on a pot of tea to warm up. It’s freezing outside and since I haven’t been home in seven days, the heat was set to an ungodly level while the home was sitting empty.
“You live here alone every weekend?” he asks, leaning a hip against the counter and watching me.
“Yes.”
He arches a brow, his expression shifting to something between disbelief and concern. “I noticed that you don’t have a security system.”
“I know. But it’s a super safe, small town. I think Brookhaven was ranked number one safest town in the northeast last year.”
“That’s fine, but I’m still installing a security system in here soon.”
The casual authority in his tone sends a wave of heat rushing through my core. He’s not just making an observation for my safety; he’sdecidingthat he’s going to take care of it too. And for a woman who has to make decisions all day, every day of her life for other people, it's nice to have someone do it for me for a change.
Cain’s been on my case about getting a security system too, but I’d brushed him off, promising to deal with it “eventually.” Hearing Boone say he’ll handle it… it feels different. Like he’s looking out for me in a way I’m not used to, and it’s... unsettling in the best way because I wholly believe that he will take care of it.
“Do you want some tea?” I ask, trying to shake the feeling.
“I’ll just take a glass of water.”
I nod, grabbing a glass, filling it with ice and water from the tap how I know he likes before handing it to him.
“Thank you.”
The snow outside has started to pick up. It’s swirling against the floor-to-ceiling wraparound windows in the living room like itwants inside. The windows were one of the things that drew me to buying this home.
During daylight, you can see the lake that’s the heart of this town clearly. In the summertime it’s full of boaters, fishers and families enjoying the quiet simplicities of small-town life.
I motion toward the living room. “We can sit in here if you want to go over everything that I need to know about the Valentine’s Day ball.”
He nods and follows me, settling easily into the space. I take my spot on the sleek designer couch I splurged on—one of the few polished touches in this half-finished house. Boone sits across from me in the old love seat that Eden found at her family’s thrift store a couple of weeks ago.
It’s a piece that I never thought would fit my style, with its worn leather and vintage charm, but now, with Boone sitting in it, it feels like it was made for this room.
