Page 40 of Wildly Inappropriate

Ken nods. “Well, that’s the thing about small towns. We may know far too much about each other, but when things go sideways, we come together.”

The work goes on, and I find myself surprisingly content in the rhythm of lifting, hammering, and chatting with the people around me. After a while, I take a quick break and snap a photo of the group hard at work, sending it off to Sam. A few seconds later, he responds:Nice work, man. How much are you thinking of donating?

I stare at his message, and it takes me a moment to realize he’s right. Sure, the nursing home’s insurance will cover the repairs, but something about today, about the people around me, makes me want to do more. I type back a response, telling him to set up an anonymous donation, something that feels substantial enough to make a difference.

As the day wears on, the shenanigans inevitably start. At one point, Ken and another guy, Dale, start arguing over the best way to nail the plywood, and I can’t help but laugh as they bicker like a married couple about it. Lila and Jen catch on and start placing bets on who’ll give in first. Unfortunately for Ken, Dale never backs down, and I’ve never seen someone more committed to winning a bet involving a hammer.

When we finally finish boarding up the last window, Lila and I meet up near the entrance, both of us covered in dust and probably looking as exhausted as we feel. She grins, brushing plywood dust off her shirt. “Not bad, Johnson. Didn’t think you’d last this long.”

“Oh, please. I did all the heavy lifting,” I tease, nudging her shoulder with mine.

“Maybe so, but I’m the one who kept everyone hydrated,” she says, flashing that smug smile of hers. “Dehydration is theenemy, JT.”

The rest of the crew starts gathering their things, and Ken walks over, clapping a hand on my shoulder again. “Good work today, JT. You know, you might just make it in this town.”

“Thanks, Mr. Harper,” I say, feeling a strange warmth in my chest. “Means a lot coming from you.”

He chuckles, giving me a nod. “Anytime, son. And hey, you ever get tired of golf, there might even be room on one of these construction crews for you. It’s going to be a long time before everything is repaired from this storm.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

As we head out, the group of us tired but satisfied, I glance back at Sunshine Hills, at the work we’ve done today. It’s hard to explain, but something about it feels right, like I’m finally where I’m supposed to be.

Chapter twenty

JT

“I’m working with thepilots to get your flight finalized,” Sam says Monday morning as I’m on my way back from dropping Lila off at work. Her car is inoperable, and as all the rental cars in the area—what few there are—are being used by other people whose cars were damaged beyond repair by the hail, I told Lila I was happy to be her driver.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you not…are you not planning to go back to California?”

“No. Why would I?” I ask as I pull into the driveway of Jameson’s house.

“Well, because you can’t golf at Wild Bluffs right now,” Sam’s confused reply comes through.

Huh. I hadn’t even considered the fact I can’t practice until the grass on the golf course recovers from the damage done by the hail. Lila and I had walked down to the restaurant yesterday after finishing up with the town cleanup crew, and I’d been shocked by how much damage an ice pellet the size of a baseball could do to a fairway, let alone the more fragile area on and around the greens. But the fact that I’m supposed to be returning to golf in less than two weeks hasn’t crossed my mind once since the storm started.

“I’m sure I’ll be able to practice soon,” I reply. “No need for me to head back to California. Plus, I’m Lila’s ride right now, and I wouldn’t want to strand her without a vehicle.”

“If she drops you off at the airport, I’m sure I can get your rental switched over to her name.” Of course he can, because Sam is the most competent person I’ve ever met. Unfortunately, I’m actively not looking for ways to solve this problem right now. Similar to Lila and I sleeping in the same bed the last two nights. Did I realize as soon as we walked into Jameo’s glass-free room that Lila could stay there instead of with me? I sure did. Do I also suspect that Lila has realized it as well? I can’t imagine it hasn’t crossed her mind. And yet, we both pretend like it’s her only option and that she’ll be moving back into her room just as soon as they can get the glass out of her bed.

They had the window covered the first afternoon, but the cleaning crew has been extra busy trying to get the common areas to be glass-free, which apparently takes a professional-grade vacuum making multiple passes over an area and then it being mopped if possible. After seeing how long it took to get our living area to be usable, not to mention listening to the sound of the vacuum for that long, we assured the cleaning crew that Lila’s room could wait.

I’m trying to smother the part of me that hopes it never gets cleaned, but every time I wake up with her ass snuggled into me as I spoon her and a huge fucking smile on my face, it gets harder and harder to deny. It turns out the spark between us can ignite more than just annoyance and bickering.

“That’s okay,” I say in response to Sam’s suggestion to switch the car over to Lila’s name. “I’ve really dialed in my game out here, and I don’t want to get out of this headspace before my first tournament back,” I lie to Sam.

“Oookay. You sure there isn’t something else going on that I should know about?”

I roll my eyes even though he can’t see me. Sam doesn’t need to know about the personal goings-on in my life, but unfortunately for me, our relationship often strays into the realm of TMI. He’s really more like the brother I never had than my assistant.

“I’m not sure what’s happening, but I just feel like I can’t leave right now.”

“Are you finally rethinking your stance on relationships?”

I scoff. “Please, Sam. Let’s not get carried away here. You know I need to be focused on my game now more than ever. My cashflow needs an infusion, and on top of that, my parents have an investment they need additional funds for. Besides, I’ve stuck around cities before when I had someone I was enjoying spending time with. That’s all this is.”

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