Page 118 of Resting Beach Face
While he caught Sawyer up on our progress, I drew Katelyn toward the doorway a few feet away. “Are you okay going home? You seem worried.”
She looked surprised by the question. “It doesn’t really matter what I think.”
“I disagree,” I said. “What you want matters. You and Cash both.”
Her expression turned knowing. “Cash doesn’t have to come back with me. He’s an adult. He can move out and be with you.”
“That’s not what this is about.”
She patted my arm. “Thanks for letting me stay as long as you have. I know I’m not your problem.”
I wanted to argue, but Cash joined us then. “Hey, my friends are having a cookout. How about we go celebrate finishing up this paint job? Ash is grilling, so the food will be good.”
Katelyn brightened. “That sounds fun. Maybe Shua will be there again.”
“They probably will,” Cash agreed. “They hang around Sawyer’s place all the time.”
“Cool. I’ll go change!”
Katelyn took off down the hill toward the main house, weaving right to avoid the stacks of supplies that had been delivered for the greenhouse we’d be building over the next couple of weeks. My stomach fluttered. That was one project I never thought I’d see.
It would probably be smarter to finish all the maintenance on the property first. Hell, it would probably be smarter not to build it at all. It was part of Aunt Millie’s dream vision, yes, but hardly necessary to sell the B&B. The new owners might not even want to use it, but…
Once I’d imagined it, I just couldn’t seem to let the idea go. There was plenty of space and it couldn’thurtproperty value any, so why not just get it up? It would be fun to stage it for sellers. I could build raised beds, bring in soil, figure out a hydroponics system and which varieties of vegetables I could plant—er, which ones thenew ownerscould plant—for the best results.
“I haven’t seen Kat that happy in a while,” Cash said.
“Yeah. She’s less happy about going home.”
He grimaced. “The feeling is mutual.”
“You don’t have to go. Either of you.”
Cash shook his head. “Declan?—”
I held up a hand. “And before you jump to the conclusion Kat did, no, I’m not just saying that because I’ll miss you here. I’m saying, you’re an adult, and if you take responsibility for Kat, maybe you could both have a better situation.”
Many of those little chats in the dark had filled me in on just how toxic their home life had gotten. Cash knew it was bad, but I wondered if he realized justhowbad. After all, sometimes when you were just getting through each day, you didn’t see the bigger picture.
“But youwillmiss me, won’t you?” Cash teased.
“That’s not the point.”
He tapped my nose playfully. “Say it.”
I sighed, exasperated. “Yes, of course I’ll miss you once you’re gone. Hell, I’ll miss you tonight while you’re out at that cookout too, but you deserve to go have some fun after all this work.”
He squinted. “Why would you miss me? You’re coming too.”
“What? But?—”
“Declan,” he said with a laugh. “You’re my boyfriend, right?”
“Yes…”
“So, any invitation to a cookout at Sawyer’s includes you too. Besides, I haven’t really gotten to show you off to my friends yet. I need to rub it in their faces because I took alotof crap for the silly crush I had on you.”
I snorted. “So I’m going as arm candy?”
