Page 71 of Someone You Deserve

“Yeah. Why is that a surprise?”

Grady eyes me wearily. “Uh, because you two spend every waking minute together and I assumed she’d know.”

“Well, she didn’t.”

“Grumpy today, huh?” He grins at me. “Shouldn’t you be in a better mood after your championship win?” Then he snaps his fingers and I have a feeling I’m not going to like what comes out of his mouth next. “I know what it is. You need to get laid, don’t you?”

I nearly choke on my own saliva.

If you only knew, Grady. If you only knew.

“My sex life is none of your concern,” I reply, wanting him to drop this topic before it gets really awkward, really fast. I know I’m going to have to talk to him eventually about how I feel about his sister, but now is not the time, especially since Astrid and I haven’t even defined our relationship yet.

Fuck. Are we in a relationship now?

“I’m just looking out for you. I mean, maybe Astrid was right.” He takes his beanie off his head, runs his hand through his hair, and then replaces it, sighing out loud. “Maybe we should start dating.”

I eye him wearily. “Each other?”

He flips me off and I laugh. “You know what I mean.”

“If that’s what you feel likeyouneed to do, then by all means, do it. But I’m not interested.”

“Yeah, I guess you do have your hands full with this place now, huh?”

“Exactly.”

“Does this mean you’re quitting the hardware store and the restaurant?”

“Not yet.”

“Why not? You’re telling me that you’re going to continue working at the hardware store, helping out at the restaurant, chasing my sister around,andrenovate a rental property?” Grady shakes his head.

“Yeah, I am. I can handle it.” I choose to ignore the comment about his sister.

He blows out a breath. “You’re fucking crazy, man.”

“Well, this is the only option I have right now.” It’s the only option that’s going to keep me from flipping out entirely over the risk I’m taking, that is. Can I keep up with it all? Is this how my life will always be? Chaos wrapped up in duty? The feeling of having to be there for everyone else because that’s what I’ve always done—what my father taught me to do?

I just wish I felt more secure, more confident that the choices I’m making won’t come back and bite me in the ass. My anxiety is through the roof and my adrenaline is fueling me because otherwise I’d probably collapse from the exhaustion of it all. Lifehasbeen crazy—coaching soccer, renovating Astrid’s bakery, balancing two jobs and now this place, plus trying to start something with the woman I want more than anything.

Will being selfish for once ruin the relationships I’ve made in my life and the reputation I’ve built for myself? Will going after what I want actually make me happy? Or will the foundation of my comfortable life shatter completely and leave me standing on nothing but fragments of who I was and what I wanted?

“I’m gonna get out of here. The gym gets too crowded if I get there after nine,” Grady announces, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Have fun. My workout is here.” I motion to the mess beside me.

Grady laughs. “I can’t wait to see the place when it’s done.”

“Let’s just hope I can find some tourists to book it.”

“In Carrington Cove? That shouldn’t be a problem at all. But I’ll wish you luck, nonetheless.” Grady shakes my hand and leaves, granting me silence again. But the silence only makes my thoughts spin more, so I turn on my music, strip my coat off, slide my safety goggles on, and get to work, trying not to think too hard about what I’m going to say to Astrid later tonight, but eager to see her nonetheless.

***

“I’m fairly certain this is where my childhood anxiety came from,” Astrid says as she slowly lowers the tweezers to the Operation game board, trying to extract the wishbone, which is the hardest one to grab, in my opinion.

“It was either from this or Perfection,” I reply, watching her jump as soon as the buzzer goes off because the tweezers touched the board.

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