Page 26 of Wildly Inappropriate

“One of the perks of being a local: They know your order. And they know that I won’t drink a whole cup of coffee, so they just give me one of the kids cups.”

“They obviously aren’t worried about you skipping out without paying either.”

“I have a time or two on accident, but they just write it down and I pay the next time.”

“Small towns are so weird,” I say.

Kelsey nods. “That they are. I always thought I would be one of the people who moved away and never came back, but after moving regularly with the military, I realized I needed Wild Bluffs.”

“Really?” I ask. “It seems so lonely.”

“Lonely? That’s not…ahh.” Her face changes from one of confusion to a small knowing smile. “Let’s be clear, staying for a couple of weeks at the country club is not the same as living and working in Wild Bluffs. When you’re part of the community, it can be, well, honestly, smothering at times. Everyone knows everything about your business, and everyone has an opinion about what you should or should not be doing. Now, staying out at the course, I can imagine that’s lonely.” She plays with one of the wisps of hair that has escaped from her blonde ponytail and now hangs next to her temple. “How’s Lila handling it?”

“Fine, I’d imagine,” I say. “You’d likely know more than I would.”

"I doubt that. I don’t really ask her about her personal life—not because I don’t care, but because I’ve never had an employee I see in person every day, let alone one I’m likely going to be related to. I’m still trying to figure out the balance, and I’m not sure I’m handling the line between personal and professional well."

Kelsey doesn’t seem like the type to share personal information very often, let alone hint at a weakness, so I decide to share my own truth. “We don’t really interact much.”

“Oh really? Why’s that?”

“We’ve never really gotten along.”

“Huh.”

“What’s that mean?” I ask, leaning forward to rest my elbows on the table between us.

“Nothing.”

“Oh, come on. It meant something. I promise not to cry if you tell me,” I joke.

She rolls her eyes but decides to answer me. “That’s just not how I would’ve described it. But what do I know? I’ve been around the two of you together a grand total of two times. If you say you don’t get along, who am I to say otherwise? You both just seem to be friendly, outgoing people, and you are her brother’s best friend…and you’re living together for the summer…so I assumed you guys would at least get along somewhat well.”

“Yeah, well, Jameson thought it would be fun to not tell either of us that we’d be staying at his house.”

“That sounds like an awkward surprise. Does he know the two of you don’t get along?” Kelsey asks.

“Honestly, it feels like you’re the only person who has ever been around the two of us together for more than a minute without picking up on the fact that we drive each other crazy.”

“Oh. Huh,” she says again, her nose crinkling as she looks at the ceiling.

“You said it again.”

She rolls her eyes but doesn’t make me ask again this time before answering. “That time you said you drive each other crazy. The first time you said you didn’t get along. They’re not quite the same, I guess.”

Are they not the same? I’ve never really considered it before. Lila and I push each other’s buttons, that’s for sure, but I was pretty shocked in the car when she thought I hated her. If anything, being around Lila is like a session in an ice bath—all of my synapses fire at once, the feeling so overwhelming, I just want to jump out, but once it’s over, I feel energized and like I’m back to the real me. No one likes an ice bath, but you understand the role it plays. You don’t hate the ice bath for being an ice bath, but that doesn’t mean you want to spend all your time in one.

“Huh.”

“Now you’re saying it,” Kelsey jokes. “Well”—she gathers up her little cup—”I’ve got to get back for a meeting with my East Coast team, but if you ever need a friend…well, my dad and I could probably come out and golf.”

It was almost a friendly offer. I appreciate that she threw her dad into the mix too.

“Thanks, Kelsey.” I get up as well, following her to the place by the door where you can bus your own dirty dishes. “Hey, do you know if any of the Ferguson brothers are in town?” I ask as I hold the door open for her on our way out of the coffee shop.

“No. I think Bryn mentioned that Conrad would be out at the club sometime this summer, though. You would probably have better luck asking out there.”

As we turn out of the corner store and onto Main Street, I spot Lila talking to the woman who tried to set me up with her daughter the last time I saw her. Lila is wearing a pair of black pants today, the ones that are wide from her thighs to her feet. She has a striped, short-sleeved shirt tucked into it, giving her a nautical feel. I’ve made sure to stay out of her way since the Harpers’ party last week, so I can’t help but absorb the details about her even as I continue walking. She has a smile on her face, and her hands are moving animatedly as she talks. The women are far enough away they don’t seem to notice Kelsey and me. Lila’s smile somehow grows with whatever Janice says. I make for my vehicle, doing my best to avoid both women. Just as I’m climbing into my vehicle, I hear Lila say, “That sounds amazing. I’d love to meet Matthew.”

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