I took a step toward him. “And that’s why I think?—”
“You’re so cute.” He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me and pressing a kiss to my forehead. “But your job isn’t to think about the business side of things.”
I bit back a sharp retort. I didn’t want to fight with him—again. Not on what should be a happy day. We’d been doing far too much arguing lately. I was exhausted.
“Your job is to sell the people of Trickle Creek on what a good idea this is,” Trevor continued. “And how much it will benefit the town. And then, you can sell the lots and units themselves.” His smile dazzled me. “After all, that’s your area of specialty, isn’t it?”
He released me, and I swallowed down my concerns the way I’d been doing more and more of lately, and lifted my left hand to look at the huge diamond on it.
I still couldn’t believe I was engaged to be married. It had all happened quite quickly and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have my doubts. But Trevor was a good man, and we did make a good team—most of the time.
Even if I wasn’t feeling the explosive fireworks and butterflies that IthoughtI should be. That didn’t mean it wasn’tright. That only meant it wasn’t a fairy tale or some romance novel.
“Come on, Jess.” Trevor grabbed my hand. “We need to celebrate. This is a big deal. Now that we have a proper sales office, we can?—”
“But the development hasn’t even passed the council vote yet,” I said as he tugged me along. “Shouldn’t we?—”
“Nonsense. That’s just a formality.” Trevor pressed his lips into a thin line. “There’s no way it won’t pass. After all, you’re a born and raised local, and you’re on our side. That carries a lot of weight in places like this. I’m not worried.”
I was. But I didn’t bother telling him that. Ihadbeen born and raised in this town, but that didn’t mean I could change the minds of people who were firmly against new developments moving in.
As if I’d conjured him with my line of thought, my eyes caught on the one man in town who was the most actively against the development my fiancé was currently so excited about.
Preston Lyons.
He was on the far side of the plaza, walking toward us. Dressed in his red SAR puffy jacket, with a charcoal-gray toque on his head, he looked as if he’d just come straight off the mountain, which he likely had.
As long as I’d known Preston, he was either in the mountains, talking about being in the mountains, or dreaming about being in the mountains.
Even when we were kids, Preston preferred to spend his time climbing trees, rolling in the dirt, and scaling boulders. The exact opposite of how I’d like to spend my time back then.
And now.
Of course, you couldn’t grow up in a town like Trickle Creek and not develop a healthy love of outdoor activities. While Preston had only become more feral as we’d grown up,my tastes had become more refined. A day on the slopes, or swinging a nine iron on the tenth hole, was more my speed.
Sure, I enjoyed a hike that rewarded me with stunning views. But then I’d happily go home to my cozy bed and a warm bubble bath. Preston’s idea of a good time was bedding down under a tree on a pile of pine needles, leaving himself exposed for whatever bear or wolf happened to wander by.
No thanks.
When Preston glanced in our direction, I raised my hand in greeting. But if he saw me, he didn’t return the wave. Instead, I saw him shake his head and could almost imagine the string of curse words he was likely muttering under his breath at the sight of the development sign.
“Are you ready?” Trevor slipped his arm around me and pulled me back to the moment.
I stared at him blankly. “For what?”
“To celebrate.” He laughed. “This is a big day. I made us reservations at Creekside.”
Preston
“Seriously?” I tugged the toque off my head and slammed it down on the bar with more force than was necessary. “They have an office? A fucking office?” I tugged my zipper down roughly and pulled my parka off before dropping onto a stool.
The puppy curled around my feet and, exhausted from his adventures, promptly fell asleep.
My brother lifted his brows and gestured in the direction of the dog, but I had bigger problems. “It’s right here in the plaza, Ethan.”
He sighed and calmly lifted my wet toque and swiped his cloth over the shiny surface of the bar before dropping a coaster down in front of me. “I assume you’re talking about theTimberstone sales office?” He put a freshly poured pint in front of me. “You’ll like this one. It’s a new IPA I’ve been working on. I know you like them hoppy.”
He was trying to calm me down. I lifted the glass and took a sip of the delicious brew. My brother was an excellent brewmaster, and the opening of his brewery, Peaks & Brews, had been the best kind of addition to town and the pedestrian-only plaza that was the heart of Trickle Creek.
