Page 19 of Wood You Knot

“Another time, for sure,” Nix said, his eyes sparkling as he looked at me. There was a promise in his brown irises that confused me. “You ladies have a good night, now,” he added, dipping his chin in farewell before he left the diner.

I watched him go, appreciating the view of his muscular back and how he filled out those Carhartts.

Unfortunately for me, Emily picked that very moment to stop by our table and check in on us, and she caught me ogling Nix’s retreating form.

“How is everything?” she asked, pulling my gaze from Nix. She gave me a knowing smile.

“Great,” I managed, my cheeks heating with embarrassment at being caught.

“Awesome. Let me know if I can get you anything else.” I nodded, and Emily went off to check on her other tables.

* * *

Half an hour later, we left The Hungry Hub and walked toward the beach, the musty, earthy scent of the lake enveloping us. Our stomachs were so stuffed that we were moving at a snail’s pace as we explored the beach, but that didn’t matter.

The wind was a little chilly, but that didn’t stop Daphne from playing in the water and looking for stones. I got my camera out and snapped a few photos of Daph playing on the shoreline before the sun started to set over the water.

I snapped picture after picture of the sun slowly sinking. I’d forgotten how breathtaking the sunsets were in Hartwood Creek, and I was thankful Nix had reminded me to check it out.

Seeing it—and him—again reminded me of the summers of my childhood when I’d come here to visit. The last time I’d visited, Nix and I had ended up as partners on the Summer Vibes Festival scavenger hunt.

We’d come so close to winning that summer, but a moment on this very beach had cost us our win. Paxton and Preston ended up reaching it before we could.

Still, I wouldn’t exchange that moment for the win, even if nothing had come of it then. I still remember the way I felt with Nix’s soulful brown eyes on me. I’d thought for sure he was going to kiss me. He’d even moved in a little closer, but the kiss never came.

The disappointment had, though. The whimsical romantic in me had wanted that kiss so badly, but Nix wanted the win more. He’d spotted his brothers getting closer to the treasure and grabbed my hand, tugging me along.

Seeing him again today made me realize I had to get a hold of myself. Sure, he’d gotten even hotter with the scruff along his jawline, but I refused to let my attraction to him matter in any capacity. I wasn’t here to immediately fall into a new relationship. I was here to rebuild our lives.

Shaking my head, I forced myself back to the present. “Time to go, Daph,” I called out.

“Aww!” Her cry of disappointment could be heard over the waves crashing onto the shore.

“Don’t worry; we’ll come back. We live here now, remember?”

“Oh, yeah!” At the reminder, Daphne collected all the cool rocks she’d found and joined me on the beach. She picked up her sandals, carrying them as we walked back to the apartment.

Chapter Seven

Nix

My muscles were aching something fierce. I’d been on-site all day, working hard to keep this job on track since we were down a couple of men. Kaleb’s wife was in labor at Springwood Hospital, so he understandably wouldn’t be coming in this week, and Gus was out with a bout of the flu, leaving our usual five-man crew down to three.

I loved building, and I loved creating something out of lumber. This project was a beautiful one—a historic two-bedroom, year-round cottage on the lake that had sustained some damage after a particularly nasty summer storm. We’d had to reframe the main area of the cottage after an ancient silver maple tree crushed half of it.

I didn’t feel like cooking dinner, so I grabbed some takeout from The Hungry Hub. Luck seemed to favour me, and I ran into Sage and Daphne. The little girl was a carbon copy of her mother, down to her hopeful green eyes when she’d invited me to join them.

I’d wanted to say yes, but I hadn’t gotten the vibe that Sage wanted me there. Her eyes had widened with shock, and she’d rushed to answer before I could. “Maybe another time, Daph. I’m sure Nix wants to get home and unwind.”

I hadn’t wanted to impose on their evening, but now that I was back in my quiet apartment, I kind of wished I’d said yes.

After a quick hot shower, I put on the game and dove into my dinner. I stared at the television screen, not really seeing it. My thoughts on Sage and how I couldn’t really get a read on her. Was she interested in me like I was interested in her? It was hard to tell. Sometimes I got the impression that something more lingered between us, but that could just be my blind hopefulness.

She wasn’t cold toward me, but she had her defenses up. I had a feeling it had something to do with the reason she’d moved to Hartwood Creek, alone.

* * *

Gravel crunched beneath my tires as I pulled into the lumberyard Friday afternoon. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining, and after a week of steady work, we were miraculously ahead of schedule at the jobsite, so I told the crew to take the afternoon off at lunch.

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