Page 113 of Somewhere You Belong

“Um, not really. I was just making lunch for me and the boys.” I point above me to the roof.

“I heard them hammering away out there. The improvements look amazing.” Pam steps inside the house, the couple trailing her closely. “In fact, McKenzie and Dylan here are looking for a vacation home in Carrington Cove, and I know you haven’t officially listed the house yet, but I thought they should see it. I mean, heck, we could eliminate listing this place altogether if they fall in love with it, right?”

Oh my God. She brought these people here to look at the house?

“Well…I, uh…”

Pam waves McKenzie and her husband toward the living room. “Take a look around, you two.”

“Uh, Pam…” I try to get her attention, but she’s too busy talking about the breathtaking views, refinished hardwood floors, and new bathroom remodels. “How did you know about everything I’ve had done?”

Pam turns to me now. “Penn told me. I ran into him at the hardware store, and he mentioned that the house will be done this week, so…”

“Uh, sorry to interrupt.” Dallas and Penn both stand in the front doorway, still shirtless, as all eyes in the living room turn to them.

“Not at all! You two must be hot and hungry. Just ignore us.” Pam leads the couple up the stairs to check out the bedrooms, leaving me, Dallas, and Penn alone.

“What is she doing here?” Dallas asks, reaching for his shirt off the back of one of the dining room chairs. Penn follows his lead. You can hear Pam showing the master bedroom as we speak.

Thank God I made the bed this morning.

“Apparently, she’s showing the house to this couple that is looking to buy a place out here.” I turn to Penn. “She said you told her I was looking to sell.”

Penn flicks his eyes between me and Dallas. “Well, aren’t you?”

“She hasn’t decided yet,” Dallas answers for me.

Oh God. Is he still hoping I will sell it to him?

Have I read this entire relationship wrong?

“This home is beautiful!” McKenzie exclaims as the three of them come back from upstairs, interrupting our conversation. “The view from the upstairs balcony is reason enough to make an offer. I could see myself writing a lot from up there.”

“You’re an author?” I ask.

She smiles proudly. “Yup. A romance author, and this house could be the setting for so many perfect stories, especially with that view.”

“I know. It’s one of my favorite parts of the place.”

Dallas pulls me into his arms, spinning me to face her. “Mine too,” he says. I can feel my cheeks flush when I think of what he did to me out on that balcony this morning.

“How did you come about owning the house?” McKenzie asks, watching us. I can feel myself tense in Dallas’s arms, but he squeezes me tighter.

“Oh, I inherited it.”

Her eyebrows rise. “Wow. What a nice gift.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty beautiful.” I look around the first floor, knowing that I can’t leave this place like I thought I’d want to two months ago.

“It’s going to be even more stunning when it’s done.” Dallas plants a kiss on my cheek, releases me, and then nods at McKenzie and her husband. “We’ll wait outside.” Penn follows him back out front.

My eyes trail him as the two of them engage in conversation about the house as Dallas points to the eaves.

But all I can hear in the back of my mind is that I’m not being honest with him about everything, and now this sudden visit isn’t making me feel any more confident about our future.

“And why are you selling?”

“Huh?” I spin back to face her. “Sorry. I was distracted.”

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