Page 39 of Fifty-Fifty

What the hell am I going to do?

The festival is a couple of days from now, and we’re ready for the crowds that are going to start checking in today through the next few weeks.

As I stand outside of the inn, I can’t help but admire the fruits of our labor. It’s amazing what a little elbow grease will do to a place. It’s like we’ve finally blown some life into the building. When I see Beau hanging a sunflower wreath on the door, I nod my approval.

“Nice touch.”

“Thanks.” She blushes.

“When are our new customers going to be here?” I surprise myself by saying “our” instead of “your,” but over the past few weeks, this place has slowly come to mean something to me, too.

Regardless of how things shake out, whether we have to sell it or Beau stays here to manage everything, I’m going to miss it. I’ve never had a home before. Not really. My parents got divorced at a young age and my dad was in the Navy, which meant I got to move around a lot as a kid. And without a mom there to make the transition smooth, it was pretty shitty.

I got along fine, I just didn’t know what I was missing.

As I glance toward the front door where I see Beau smiling over at me, it makes me wonder if I wish I could go back to before I met her. Before I came to this place. So that I don’t have to experience the loss, choosing to live in blissful ignorance instead.

“They’ll be here in a bit. Why don’t you go shower while I read a story with Mac. It seems like we’re pretty much caught up on everything. Which is a miracle, by the way. I don’t think I’ve ever said that when it comes to this place.” She grins, her eyes wide with surprise.

“You’re welcome,” I joke as I make my way up the freshly swept steps before grabbing her slender waist and kissing the shit out of her. She giggles at my playfulness before gripping my bicep and deepening the kiss. Like her life depends on it.

I love that she craves me the same way I crave her. That she shows me when she needs me. It’s been a slow process over the last week or so, but she’s finally starting to open up. And I love it. When the guilt isn’t eating me alive, anyway.

By the time I pull away, she’s breathless and her eyes are somewhat glassy, like she hasn’t come back down to earth quite yet.

I love that I can do that to her. That I can take her to heights she never imagined with a simple kiss.

Pressing my lips on her nose, I head inside to shower.

* * *

My hair is still damp from the water, but the vaguely familiar voices from the main floor are enough to grab my attention.

I guess the customers are here.

The same noisy floorboards creak as I step down the stairs only to be knocked on my ass by the surprise waiting in the family room.

“What the hell?” I mumble under my breath as Beau serves Slater, Shane, and freaking Ricky a plate of cookies.

“Hi! How was your shower?” Beau greets me. She’s got her signature red frilly apron strapped across her waist and her hair pinned up on one side, looking like a high-class pin-up girl.

My breathing is shallow as I try to find my voice. Before I can utter a single word, Shane saunters over to me like he owns the place, tossing his arm around my shoulder and patting me on the back.

“Hey, man! Why haven’t you been answering my calls? I wanted to fill you in on our little visit.” Shane is so casual about the whole thing that I’m taken aback from it.

“What the hell?” I repeat, as my gaze bounces around to everyone in the room.

“Now, is that the way to greet a few of your old friends?” Ricky asks with a smirk.

“Old friends?” Beau interrupts. “I didn’t know y'all knew each other…” I can tell she’s trying to be polite, but she can also read me like an open book, which means she can tell I’m not comfortable with this. “Y'all shoulda said somethin’ when ya booked the room. I woulda given ya a free upgrade.”

“Aww… that’s so generous of you. Ya know, because of the strugglin’ inn and all. Plus, Noah likes surprises. Ain’t that right, Noah?” Ricky looks over at me from his seated position on the couch.

The bastard has never said ain’t a day in his life. He’s making a dig at Beau.

That cocky sonofabitch is about to get his balls ripped off if he keeps this up.

Thankfully, Beau’s able to soothe the raging beast inside of me with a simple look from across the room.

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