Faye beams up at me. “I’m going to hold you to that promise, cowboy.” She grabs my arm, flips my hand over, and runs her fingers over the calluses in my palm. Does the proof of my manual labor turn her off? If her last boyfriend was a computer geek, he must’ve had soft hands. But Faye dispels those doubts with the heat in her gaze when she glances back up at me. “What else did the therapist say about dating?”
“That I shouldn’t introduce anyone to Rhys as a romantic partner unless I’m sure we’re in it for the long haul. He’s already lost one parent, and adding someone new to his life only for them to leave would do more harm than good. Especially since he already has an emotional attachment to you.”
“That makes sense.” Faye ponders, then her eyes light up. “Does that mean we have to sneak around?” She skims her fingers over my thigh, tracing idle patterns through the denim. “That could be fun, but how would it work?”
I smother her hand with mine, holding it still before I lose my sanity. “You can’t ask big-picture questions while touching me like that.”
She lifts both hands in surrender, grinning. “My bad. Go ahead.”
“My family would know.” I shake my head, chuckling. “Gosh, my siblings are going to be insufferable. But they won’t tell Rhys. And we’d keep it quiet in town. Blue Crescent Harbor isn’t great at minding its own business.”
Faye smirks. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”
“We’d be low-key. No big public displays. Just… us. Figuring this out.”
I watch her absorb this. Is she getting overwhelmed? Realizing it is a lot?
But then she asks, “And how will we know when we’re sure enough to tell Rhys?”
“The therapist suggested dating at least a year before bringing him into the loop.”
“A year?” she repeats slowly, as if trying on the idea for size. “That’s a long time to keep a secret.”
“Is it too much for you?”
She thinks for a moment before shaking her head. “No, I’m not in a hurry.”
We sit quietly with the magnitude of what we’ve agreed to settling around us like evening mist. The sun is gone now, the sky a deep purple bleeding to black.
Faye breaks the silence. “A year feels like enough time to figure out if we’re compatible. If this is deeper or just… heat.”
“And what if it’s just heat?”
“Then we’ll know.” She shrugs. “And we’ll handle it. I only need you to promise me we can coexist in this town even if we break up.”
“That’s an easy yes. I spend half of fall flipping burgers next to the husband of the girl who took my virginity.”
Her eyes bulge. “Why?”
“He’s my grilling partner before every Bobcats game. Our tailgate booth always pulls the biggest crowd. Sometimes we carpool for away games.”
Faye scowls. “Cozy.”
I already love the possessive side of her. “Just shows how great I am with my exes.”
Her mouth twitches like she’s deciding whether to kiss me or kill me.
“All I ask is that if a relationship has run its course, you tell me. Maybe not with a note.”
Faye turns serious. “That I can promise.”
“So, are you in?” I ask, all humor gone for me, too.
She looks at me for a long moment. “I’m in,” she says quietly. “But I’m scared.”
“Me too.”
“You are?”
