He nods, seemingly satisfied.
My phone buzzes again, and I tell myself to ignore it. But of course I don’t. This time it’s just a reaction to my message. A thumbs up.
Lame.
It’s not long before we call it a night. Hollis has an early morning on the ranch, and I don’t want to leave Lukas alone for too long at a time, even though he insists he’stotally fineby himself—his words, not mine.
As I leave Hollis’s driveway, the gravity of the situation hits me, sitting on my chest like a hundred-pound weight. All I’ve been able to think about since that night is the waysomethingalmost happened and how badly I want it to actually happen again. But for the first time since it happened, it feelsreal, and the guilt kicks in. I almost crossed a line around with my best friend’s dad, and I want to again. And I’m keeping it from him. Lying about it, in fact. Does that make me a terrible friend? Will Hollis forgive me if, or when, he finds out?
The idea of losing my best friend makes me want to throw up.
But the idea of never getting to experience a kiss from Gentry Moore—the man I’ve been pining over since I was a teenager—doesn’t fill me with much joy either.
Yup. I’m a terrible friend.
Twelve
Remi
“Who all will be there?”
“Gentry, for sure. He’s the owner and my best friend’s dad. Hollis may or may not be there. He and Ford, his fiancé, went fishin’ this morning, so I’m not sure if they’ll be back yet. And we might run into Finn, Hollis’s brother, too.” I glance at Lukas in the passenger seat of my truck, noting his bouncing knee and his hands clasped together in his lap as he picks at the skin around his thumb. “Don’t worry, they’re all really nice.”
We’re on our way to Gentry’s so he and Lukas can meet before Lukas starts spending time over there and helping out. I know he’s excited because he’s been counting down the days, but he’s also nervous. These are all new people to him, and I want him to be comfortable.
“Do they all live on the ranch?” he asks.
I nod. “They do. But not all together. There’s multiple properties on their land.”
“That’s kinda nice, havin’ their family close by.”
“Yeah, it really works for them. I’m sure it wouldn’t work for all families, but they’ve always been pretty close-knit.”
“And you’ve known them for how long?”
“Hollis and I have been friends since elementary school, so I’ve known the family just as long. Practically grew up on that ranch.”
I park in front of the barn once we get there, and Gentry is out of his house and down the stairs by the time we’re out of the truck. My mouth waters as I take him in.
Gentry isn’t a small man by any means. His six-foot-four stature has him towering over almost anyone he meets—he’s got at least a couple of inches on both his kids. He’s wearing a pair of light-wash Wranglers that fit him like a glove, a faded pair of brown boots, and his red and black flannel hugs his broad chest and huge arms in a way that makes my mouth water. The sleeves are rolled up, revealing the delicious, corded veins running along his forearm.
Tipping his tan hat as he approaches us, Gentry says, “You must be Lukas, son.”
“Uh, yes, sir.” Lukas’s voice is shaky, and I wish I could take some of the jittery nerves away from him. Extending his hand toward Gentry, he says, “It’s n-nice to meet you, sir.”
A chuckle rumbles from Gentry’s chest as he shakes Lukas’s hand. “Enough of that sir stuff. You can call me Gentry.”
“You should feel special,” I drawl, glancing at Lukas before shifting my gaze to Gentry. “It took years before I got to switch from Mr. Moore to his first name.”
Lukas chuckles, but Gentry doesn’t look amused. His jaw pops as he scowls at me. It’s been a week since the private pottery lesson, and just as long since I’ve seen him. He left in a hurry that night, but I’ve replayed the whole lesson a hundred times over in my mind, switching back and forth betweenthinking he felt the supercharged energy between us, like I did, and thinking I made it all up in my head.
The latter, honestly, is more believable, but I refuse to let go of the former. I swear, it wasn’t all in my head. My hands on his at the wheel, the way his breath hitched, the way he looked at me… He’sneverlooked at me like that before. I desperately want to get him alone and test that theory, but the odds of getting him back in that studio are slim to none. I’m still shocked he came back in the first place.
Gentry doesn’t bother responding. Instead, he focuses his attention on Lukas. “You want a tour?” he asks. “Can take ya out to see the cattle, if you’d like.”
“Really?” Lukas’s eyes brighten. “That’d be awesome!”
A smile splits my face, and my chest warms at the excitement in his voice.
