Page 16 of The Scars We Heal

“You’re good, bud,” Colter replied, and Hayden gathered his things, walking with Sierra to load up his horse, Peanut Butter.

I stood, stretching my arms to not seem too eager. “Think I might head out then, too. See what’s going on at the house.”

Colter offered me a mock salute, a stupid grin plastered on his face. “Have fun.”

Oh, I will.

I pulled back into the driveway about fifteen minutes later and immediately noticed Caitlin struggling to carry boxes into the guest house.

“Do you need help bringing those in?” I jogged across the lawn to get to her, not waiting for an answer before I picked up one of the boxes next to her car.

A subtle flush crept into her cheeks. “Oh, thanks.”

She fumbled with the box as she tried to open the door, so I maneuvered around her to reach the handle.

“Here, let me get it for you.”

Her head dipped in thanks as I pushed the door open, holding it for her so she could go inside.

“Where are you putting these?” I asked, following her through the entryway.

“My bedroom is fine,” she replied before elaborating. “Er, it’s the front bedroom facing the lawn. You can set it down anywhere in the room. Just make sure it’s out of the way so I don’t trip on it later.”

“Aye aye, captain.” I nodded.

While the guest house had already been decorated with a female gaze in mind, now there were little pieces of Caitlin and Whitley sprinkled around the house: a stuffed animal in the corner with a yellow backpack, a cream-colored cardigan on the sofa, a few simple gold rings on the coffee table, and a Dutch oven on the counter by the stove.

However, it didn’t really give the impression that it was her house. It still gave off the vibe that she was a guest instead of a resident. Which, if you wanted to be technical, it wasn’t her house, but for all intents and purposes, while she was staying there it was.

Caitlin’s bedroom felt more like her. Bright, cozy, and warm, with smatterings of color against the otherwise plain cream-colored walls. Her comforter was a pretty shade of green, and it looked like she had bought some plants, too.

Photos of her and Whitley in frames decorated the top of her dresser, and various pieces of jewelry lay next to them.

Not wanting to intrude on her space for too much longer, I set the box down by the closet. As I turned to leave, my vision caught on a bright-blue object on the nightstand. My eyes widened, and as much as I wanted to look away and not draw attention to it, I couldn’t.

Caitlin must have noticed me staring, because her gaze shifted in the same direction before her cheeks turned bright red.

My lips curled into a subtle smirk, but I played coy and raised my eyebrows as if to ask, What’s that?

But the words that actually left my mouth were, “What’s with that look on your face? You don’t have to be embarrassed. Nothing wrong with a little self-care every now and then, am I right?”

She snatched the toy off the nightstand, stuffing it into the drawer. “Nothing, it’s nothing.” Letting out a nervous laugh, she added, “And it’s…uh…it’s broken anyway. I can get the rest of the boxes, actually, but thank you for your help!” while ushering me out of the bedroom and into the living room.

“Are you sure?” I raised my brows while doing my best to suppress a grin. “Those boxes out there look pretty heavy. Not that you can’t handle it yourself, but I’m not doing anything the rest of the day.”

“Yep.” She popped the P.

We were by the front door now, and she reached around me to open it, practically pushing me onto the front porch. “Bye, Jake!”

I chuckled as I gave her a wave over my shoulder. “Bye, Cait.”

The door immediately slammed the moment I turned around. Shaking my head, I made the short trek across the lawn back to my house.

CHAPTER SEVEN

caitlin

Acouple days had passed since Jake helped me move boxes, but I hadn’t been able to dwell on the awkwardness of the vibrator situation other than having a fleeting moment of, “It’s broken anyway” was the best response you had? because I’d been busy planning a birthday party for Whitley. It was going to be small—just Colter, Ellison, my mom, Jake, Reid, Mikey, and Hayden and his girlfriend, Sierra—but I still wanted it to be special.