Page 96 of Somewhere You Belong

“Regardless,” he says, his jaw clenched, “this is about you and Dallas, which brings me to my next point.” He waves his hand out to the side. “I’m starting on these floors on Tuesday, and it would be a lot easier to knock them out if you weren’t here.”

“Are you kicking me out of my house?”

Penn chuckles. “Kind of, but I happen to have a brother that I’m sure wouldn’t mind you staying with him.” He winks over his shoulder as he heads toward the kitchen.

“Did you already speak to him about this?” I call after him.

“Nope. I thought it’d be better coming from you.” When he comes back to the living room, he says, “And I’d probably say something soon, you know, before you change your mind and chicken out.”

“I wouldn’t chicken out.”

Penn bobs his head from side to side. “I guess that’s debatable, huh?”

“God, you’re just as infuriating as your brother.”

“Nah, he’s still got me beat, but at least I gave you the courtesy of asking before he thinks I’d offer for you to stay at my place.”

“Do you have a death wish?”

Penn laughs. “Nope, and the fact you know what his reaction would be tells me all I need to know about how you feel about him too.”

***

I walk into Catch & Release just after eight o’clock, freshly showered and dressed in clothes that don’t have paint all over them.

Astrid flags me down as soon as our eyes meet. “What are you doing in here?”

“She’s here to eat,” Dallas answers for me as I take a seat at the bar.

Astrid casts him a knowing glance. “Are you sure that’s the only thing she’s here for?”

“Don’t you have tables to take care of?” he fires back, ignoring her question.

“I see how it is. You two are playing it close to the vest.” She mimics zipping her lips. “I understand.” Grabbing a tray full of drinks, she hoists it up on her shoulder and then saunters off.

After she’s out of earshot, I turn to Dallas. “Sorry about her, but she does know about us. I hope that’s okay.”

Dallas leans over the bar, bringing his head closer to mine and planting a swift kiss to my lips. “I don’t care who knows about us, Willow, but Astrid likes to give me shit just as much as Penn. It’s what we do.” He shrugs before standing tall again.

My shoulders drop with relief. “I can tell. Speaking of Penn,” I say, getting to the point of why I’m here. “He wants to start on the floors on Tuesday and says I should vacate the house. Says it will be easier if I’m not there.”

“Okay…” His brow furrows as he waits for me to continue.

“I think I’m going to head back to D.C. for a few days.”

Dallas’s shoulders tense up. “Oh.”

We stare at each other for a few moments before I finally clear my throat. “I’ve been gone for weeks, and honestly, I should really check in on my company.” Toying with the coaster in front of me, I focus on the distraction instead of meeting his eyes.

Dallas pushes himself off the bar and reaches for a towel, wiping off the bar. “Makes sense.”

“I’ll be back by Thursday, Friday at the latest…”

Our eyes finally meet. “It’s okay, Willow. I get it. Your life is up there. The choice is logical.” One of his employees calls him over, halting our conversation. Dallas holds a finger up to him, and then says to me before he leaves, “I’ve got to get back to work. We can talk more about this after we close.”

“Okay,” I mumble as he walks away, just as Astrid comes back behind the bar.

“Everything all right?”

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