Page 59 of Someday You Learn

“That’s what you have Willow for. Be patient. Building a business will take time.”

She bites her bottom lip. “I know, but now that I have a space, it all seems so real. What if I fail, Parker? What if my dad is right and trying to make a living out of art is way too farfetched? That having a stable job like a lawyer is best. That’s why he pushed me into that career. I mean, I have my law degree still, and I can always take the North Carolina bar as a backup in case this fails—”

Before she can spiral further, I press a finger to her lips. Her eyes widen as I crouch slightly so I can speak to her at eye level. “We have not come this far for you to start thinking about a backup plan,” I tell her, my tone allowing no argument. “Remember what you told me about regrets?”

She nods once, her lips brushing against my finger, but I don’t let her say one word in response.

“You don’t want to live with them, right?” Another nod. “Then manifest this, Cashlynn. Think positive, envision what you want, and then work your ass off to make it happen. That’s why you’re here. And I’m not going to let you quit.”

Her gaze locks on mine, her lips parting slightly as I drop my hand.

If Cashlynn and I don’t get what we want out of this arrangement, it will have all been for nothing. And I hate seeing her doubt herself. She did it on the plane, and I’ve seen her do it too many times since she arrived in Carrington Cove. This woman is a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for, and I refuse to see her give up on herself when her vision is just getting started.

She blinks up at me, as if she’s searching for the right words, but Penn’s voice breaks the moment.

“Okay, so I don’t think what you need done will take longer than a week or two,” my older brother says, strolling back toward us like he owns the place.

Cashlynn twists to face him, brushing her hair over her shoulders and walking in his direction, leaving me rooted in place. “Okay. That’s not bad at all.”

“It should be easy. And then once I’m out of the way, if you need help with decorating, wiring, or whatever, just let me know and I can send Gary, my top guy, over to help you.”

“I appreciate this so much, Penn.”

He clasps his hand on her shoulder, and even though the gesture is innocent, seeing him touch her makes me want to rip his tool belt off and beat him with it. “Nonsense. You’re practically family now, right?” He glances up at me and winks.

Fucker.

“That was some speech,” Willow says as she walks up to me. Cashlynn and Penn are deep in conversation now as she talks through the rest of her ideas.

“Well, she needed to hear it.”

My sister-in-law squints at me. I glance over at her before rolling my eyes. “What?”

“Nothing,” she says, folding her hands across my nephew growing in her stomach.

“Sure doesn’t seem like nothing,” I grumble. “It seems like you have something you want to say.”

She shrugs. “I just want you to know that I’m genuinely amazed at what you’re doing for her.”

I shove my hands in my pockets. “It’s not like she gave me much of a choice.”

Willow nudges me with her shoulder. “You could have said no. And you could have had nothing to do with her business venture. You could havenotsuggested that we talk, you could havenotsuggested that she check out this building, and you could havenotgiven her a pep talk just now when her self-doubt came up.”

Looking at her, I arch a brow. “Your point?”

She rests a hand on my shoulder. “I think she’s affecting you.”

“Is not,” I say, sounding childish even to my own ears.

Willow laughs. “Okay. Deny it all you want, Parker, but this woman brings out your softer side,” she says as she takes a few steps forward, then adds over her shoulder, “and I don’t hate it.”

I watch my sister-in-law join my brother and fake fiancée as they talk about the light fixtures.There’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.

And that’s when it hits me—Cashlynn may have crashed into my life here, but she slipped into it almost seamlessly.

Sasha never did.

Everything with Sasha felt forced, like I was always checking in, trying to make sure she was happy. But deep down, I knew the truth.

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