Page 34 of Knot on the Market

"I'm getting at the fact that you've been thinking about this girl for days, and now you're surprised that other people are noticing how special she is." Maeve's voice carries that particular brand of gentle exasperation she reserves for family members who are being stubborn. "If you care about her, show her. If you don't, step aside and let her figure out her own path."

"It's not that simple."

"It's exactly that simple," Maeve counters. "Complicated is what happens when you wait too long to be honest about what you want."

After I hang up, I sit in my kitchen staring at my phone and thinking about what Maeve said. About showing Lila I care instead of just hoping she'll figure it out. About whether Saturday's furniture shopping trip is an opportunity to spend time with her or just another way to avoid being honest about how I feel.

The front door opens with the familiar creak that means Levi's back early from opening the bookstore for his part time worker. I hear him drop his keys in the bowl by the door, the soft thud of his messenger bag hitting the couch.

"Dean?" he calls. "You look like someone ran over your dog. Everything okay?"

I walk out to the living room where Levi's settling into his usual spot on the couch, already reaching for the book he's been working through this week. He glances up at me with that quiet way he has of seeing more than people expect.

"You look like someone ran over your dog. Everything okay?"

"Something like that." I drop into the armchair across from him.

"Rough shift?" he asks.

"It's about Lila."

Levi sets his book aside, which tells me he's picked up on something in my voice. "She seems nice. Came by the bookstore a couple days ago, bought some home repair guides. Julian spent a lot of time helping her find what she needed."

"Julian was helping her?" I ask, something uncomfortable settling in my chest. "How much time are we talking about?"

"They were there for a while. He seemed... interested in making sure she got exactly what she needed." Levi's tone is carefully neutral, but I catch the implication. "And then he dropped off more books at her place later that same day. Right before you went over there to cook dinner, actually."

"Oh." I process this for a moment. "Well, Callum was there yesterday afternoon too. Teaching her to use a hammer."

Levi's eyebrows raise slightly. "And that's a problem because...?"

"It's not a problem," I say quickly. "It's just... I don't know. I went over there to bring her food from Maeve, and they were working on floorboards together. Looking comfortable. Like they'd been doing it for hours."

"Ah." Levi leans back against the couch cushions. "You really like her."

It's not a question, and I don't bother denying it. "Yeah. I think I do."

"And you're worried Callum likes her too."

"I know Callum likes her too. It was pretty obvious." I run a hand through my hair. "I don't want to compete with him, Levi. That's not... that's not who I am."

"No," Levi agrees quietly. "It's not. So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to keep being myself," I say finally, and I can hear the excitement creeping into my voice despite my attempts to sound casual. "Help her with furniture shopping on Saturday. Be there when she needs someone. Let her figure out what she wants."

I'm probably bouncing slightly in my chair, but I can't help it, the thought of spending a whole day helping her makes me feel like a kid planning something fun.

"That sounds like a good plan." Levi picks up his book again but doesn't open it. "Just be Dean, man. That's always been enough before."

The problem is, Callum cares about her too. And he's probably better at the whole home repair thing than I'll ever be.

But maybe Levi's right. Maybe being myself is enough. Maybe I don't need to be better than Callum. Just different. Just Dean.

Which means Saturday's furniture shopping trip just became more important than I want to admit. Not because I'm trying to win some competition, but because I want her to know I'm here. That I care. That she can count on me for the things I'm good at, even if I can't teach her to use a hammer.

I spend the rest of the morning trying to distract myself with unpacking gear and doing laundry, but my mind keeps wandering back to Lila's house, to the way her scent had changed when we were close together, to the sound of her laugh and the feeling that something significant is beginning whether I'm ready for it or not.

By the time I finally fall asleep, I've made a decision that feels both scary and right. I'm going to stop pretending this is just neighborly concern. I'm going to be honest about caring about her, without trying to push her toward any particular choice.

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