“Don’t be too long,” Tally calls back. Then her voice seems closer. “Dinner’s ready.”
I’ve made it up only one step when I make the error of turning around and looking at her. She’s leaning against the doorframe, a kitchen towel over one shoulder, her wild hair up in a high ponytail with wisps escaping and framing her pretty face. Her arms are folded across her chest, highlighting the swells of her breasts, which spill out of the low-cut pastel pink spandex she’s wearing tonight.
“Where’s your mother?” The words come out scratchy, growled with a desperation I feel in the depths of my soul. Her mother needs to be here. I can’t sit across from her, or God forbid next to her, and keep my hands to myself.
Since the kiss, I’ve managed to keep my distance. But a man is only so strong. Especially when she’s looking at me with pouty lips that I just want to suck on. Lips that I know taste sweeter than any of the desserts she’s fed me.
“Out with the Liberty Ladies. They’re celebrating the start of the Daffodil Festival early.” Tally raises her brows. “So it’s just us tonight.”
Fucking fabulous. To avoid giving in to my desires, I double-time it into my bedroom to undress. Within seconds, I’ve got her sweet floral shampoo soaping up my dick as I work myself, hoping like hell this will hold me over until I get into bed tonight.
When I finally make it back to the kitchen, Tally has dinner set at the kitchen counter and she’s got an already open beer in front of my seat.
“This looks good,” I say as I pull out my stool and set my eyes on the fried chicken she’s got covered in some sauce.
Tally hums. “Thanks, trying a new recipe.”
I keep pushing closer to the wall until I’m up against it with nowhere to move, and she keeps shifting closer to talk to me as we eat. If I don’t keep shoveling food into my mouth, I’ll grab her and do ungodly things to her on this counter.
She fills me in on her day, giving me a list of five more desserts she plans to make this week, which all sound mouth-wateringly delicious. Then she asks about my day; about Quinn’s baseball game the night before and whether I think my sister would ever want to leave Quinn with her so she could have some alone time and go out.
“If Billie is leaving Quinn with anyone, it’s with me,” I say in response, to which she suggests we could babysit him together.
“Maybe after the Hall event,” I tell her, reminding her of why she’s here. “There’s only so much time to get the cottages ready.”
The Hall event is going to bring in a good amount of money, but since it’s so last-minute, the wedding party couldn’t find a hotel close enough that had availability. Tally had the genius idea of telling them we had cottages they could stay in. Although it saved the event, I’ll be busting my ass ’til the very last minute to get those cottages fixed up.
I’m having to dip into Frank’s loan to pay for the renovations. The furniture could easily be sanded and stained, but all the rooms need new mattresses and bedding, which aren’t cheap. Though, for the price the Halls are willing to pay torent out the farm for the weekend, it will be well worth it in the end. Especially if they tell their very well-off friends. We could use a few more high-end events in the calendar and then we might actually have a shot at making it through this season without having to sell some of the land.
“About that,” Tally starts, cutting through my thoughts.
It’s clear from her voice that she’s nervous and priming me for something I’m not going to like.
“Ruby Simmons says her husband’s looking for work. She said he could help get the cottages ready.”
“And where exactly do you think we’d get the money to pay him?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I could try selling some of my desserts at the farmers market. And the Daffodil Festival.”
I hate how hopeful she sounds. It’s naive as hell to believe that some desserts could cover the cost of a contractor.
“Have you been baking all week just so you could pitch this to me?”
The girl would be terrible at poker. It’s written all over her face: the light sheen of sweat and the flush of her cheeks that come with the surprise that I caught on so quickly. “No.”
For the first time since I met her, Tally reminds me of my ex-girlfriend Gina, and lead settles in my stomach. Gina was conniving. She’d do things with a purpose. And the purpose was always to get her way.
Offering to take my sister prom dress shopping, only so she could send me pictures of herself in a wedding dress. Cleaning every room in our tiny little apartment—that she didn’t live in—just so she could point out that Billie wasn’t doing her fair share and it was time my sister got a college dorm.
After Quinn was born and I told Gina I planned to helptake care of the him, and that my sister wouldn’t be moving out anytime soon, Gina’s true colors shown through and I finally realized that everything she had ever done had been so she could get her way. She didn’t really care about me or my sister. She was only interested in setting up her own future.
I don’t like the way my body buzzes right now, alerting me to someone else bullshitting me.
“Tally.” I grunt and stare down at my damn plate. I take a deep breath and then glare at her.
She sighs and her face scrunches up in annoyance. “I’m trying to help.”
“You’re trying to con me into getting your way.” I throw down my napkin, annoyed.
