Page 60 of Deception & Daylight
“Good morning,” she says, a glint of amusement in her eyes. “Sleep well?” My cheeks flush and she chuckles into her tea. “We have some to go over before I let you take over today. I have a few check-ins due this afternoon.”
I nod in understanding, helping myself to the book. “You still keep a guest log?” I ask, staring in amazement at the delicate handwriting scrawled along page after page.
“I do. Every guest signs at the end of their stay,” she explains, pointing to the column of dates. There are signatures going back twenty years with little messages about their stays. Some of them are short and to the point, and others go into detail about the accommodations. What strikes me is the fact there isn’t one negative message that I can see. Every guest in this book adores the inn and, by extension, Lucy. It’s a sentiment I wholeheartedly share. It’s clear she’s put her heart and soul into this place, and this is the closest to home I’ve ever felt.
“This is incredible. It’s like holding a piece of history in my hands.”
My fingertips trail over a familiar name, dated March 1999 — Eleanor Watson.Mom. I don’t know how I know it’s her, but I do.
I blink back tears, closing the book and placing it back on the coffee table. I think that’s enough history for one day. “So, what do you need from me today?”
“You’ll check the online registration, take an incidental deposit, then hand over the keys to their rooms. There’s a drawer beneath the check-in desk with the pamphlets and tourism information, as well as a card with the Wi-Fi info. You got the same packet when you checked in, so it should be pretty straightforward. I have a follow up appointment to get to, but Miles will be here to talk you through the system.”On a list of things I want Miles to talk me through, a computer system is dead last.
“Follow up appointment, huh? Is that a code word for a check-up with Dr. Nate?” I tease. Lucy’s cheeks flush and I know I’m not far off the mark on that one. “We’ll be fine. Go enjoy a little time away.”
“Thank you, sweet girl. I don’t know what I’d do without you. And don’t think I haven’t noticed a change in Miles since you got here. My boy is happier than I’ve seen him in a long time and I have you to thank for that, too. We’d be lost without you, Mags.” Now it’s my turn to blush as Lucy pulls me in for a hug. “Tell me you’re thinking about staying.”
I sigh, wishing I could do just that, but I’m still wavering. “I haven’t decided,” I respond, my voice slightly hesitant.
“Promise you’ll give it some thought? Whatever you decide, you’ll always have a place here.” Lucy squeezes my hand, her touch grounding me in a way I haven’t felt in a long time. I might not be certain about staying in Oak Ridge, but I know for damn sure I’ll miss Lucy Barlow if — when — I decide to leave.
“I promise.”
Miles
I feel like such a dick having lied to her about running an errand, but I needed an outlet and a little breathing room to sort out everything I’m feeling. Unfortunately, pummeling my fist into the heavy bag while imagining my brother’s smug face isn’t doing what I hoped it would. It seems like every time we start to move on from the past, I’m thrown right back into it with yet another little crumb of betrayal.
Everything I confessed to Maggie was the truth, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve been lying to her. For better or worse, my brother still has the upper hand. We’re walking a thin line, and it feels like it could break beneath the weight of my deception at any time. If I were a better man, I’d let her go.
Distracted by my shame spiral, my fist makes contact with the leather before I can correct the angle, sending a shock of pain radiating through my wrist and up my arm. A string of curses flies out of my mouth as I sink down on the weight bench nearby, unwinding the hand wraps to assess the damage. “You like pain, Barlow? That’s the second shitty hit you’ve thrown.” I glance up to find Liam leaning in the doorway to his home gym, arms crossed over his shoulders.
I smirk. “Fuck you Liam.”
He chuckles in response. “Think I’ll pass. Don’t know what you’re doing here when you’ve gotthe girl of your dreams waiting on you. Is there a reason you’re busy punishing yourself when you could be balls deep in the girl you’ve been pining after for the better part of three years?”
I grip my wrist, feeling around for any discomfort or swelling. It’s slightly tender, but it should be fine in a day or so. “It’s complicated, man.”
“So uncomplicate it.”
“Easier said than done. There’s a lot of fucked up shit that I don’t think I can come back from,” I admit. His brow furrows and I realize just how much I’ve needed someone to confide in about all of this, but I’ve kept myself locked down out of fear that it would negatively impact Mags. Knowing Liam is a vault of information, I decide it’s time to come clean. “Two and a half years ago, I met Maggie on the same dating app where Cade met Paige. Only it wasn’t me, it was Matty. He was pretending to be me, and while I don’t know everything that went on between them, I know she trusted him and maybe even fell for him.”
Liam joins me on the bench, elbows resting on his knees. “So he was catfishing her. Where do you come into play?”
“At the same time, I was spending a lot of time with Cade while he was getting to know Paige. There were FaceTimes and phone calls where I’d caught glimpses of Mags, and I developed a bit of a crush. Eventually, I caught on to Matty’s game, and when I found out she was on his list of victims, I kicked him out. He threatened to release her nudes if I told anyone. She thinks I ghosted her.”
Liam shakes his head, nostrils flaring. “Fucking hell, Miles. You’ve kept this shit to yourself for two years?”
I sigh, raking a hand through my sweat-dampened hair. “It seemed like the best option at the time. But the longer I have to lie to her, the worse it feels. Iwantto tell her the truth and leave the past where it belongs, but I don’t know if she could ever forgive me. Hell, I wouldn’t.”
“You won’t know if you never give her the chance. Don’t you think Maggie’s had enough choices taken from her recently?” Silence stretches as his words hang in the air between us. “Think about it. In the meantime, hit the shower. You smell like ass.” Liam claps me on the shoulder and strides out of the room, leaving me to stew over the bomb he just dropped.Don’t you think Maggie’s had enough choices taken from her recently?
He’s right, and I’m a selfish prick for going as far as I have with her without revealing the truth.I don’t deserve her.
Maggie’s behind the check-in desk when I return to the inn with coffee and pastries in hand. Her eyes light up when she spots me, and fuck if that isn’t a goddamn miracle. I can’t tell her — not now that she’s looking at me like I might be worth a damn.
“Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll have you bent over that desk before you can say ‘Welcome to Willow Creek Inn’,” I tease.
“I wasn’t looking at you like anything, Barlow. I was, however, eyeing the bag with the Rosie’s logo and the delicious smell of chocolate wafting out of it. Gimme.”
