Page 60 of Sunshine with You
Kayla rounds the corner, folding her arms in a huff. “Leave, Hunter.”
“No,” I say simply, knowing it will only add fuel to the fire blazing from my sister.
“No? Ashlie’s inconsolable. What thehellis wrong with you?”
“Look, I don’t know, but yelling at me isn’t gonna help me figure it out. And that’s the only reason I’m here.”
“Like you didn’t know what you were doing. First the lodge, and now whatever shit you pulled this morning? Get out of here with that, Hunt!”
“You told her about the lodge?” I turn to Chase, and the daggers he shoots from his eyes as he shakes his head make me take a step back.
“Oh, youknew?” Kayla sets her blazing glower on her fiancé. “You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”
“…Yep…” he says tersely, nodding and shooting another glare at me in the process. He scrubs a hand over his face, stopping to stroke the hair on his jaw.
“Here.” Kayla walks to the coat rack and tosses Chase his jacket and keys. “You can go with him. Both of you, go somewhere else.” She opens the door, staring us down until Chase walks through and I follow. When I pass her, she stops me with a hand on my shoulder. “Fix this.” Her indignation softens as sympathy flickers crosses her face. Somehow, that’s even worse.
The air from the slamming door fans over our heads like a tidal wave, and I turn to Chase with a nervous grimace.
“Come on, Casanova. I’ll drive.” He clicks the remote with a sigh, and we climb into his silver crossover. The engine roars, but he makes no moves to drive. “What happened to leaving her alone?” His exasperated tone has me dropping my head in my hands.
“I can’t.” I groan, dropping my head back against the seat. “I tried, and I can’t make the feelings go away. She’s everywhere, even if she’s nowhere near me. The only highlight to my week is seeing her. Hell, even texting her is a high point. I don’t notice anyone else when I’m with her. It’s just her.”
“And you told her this?”
“…No?”
“Bro,what?” He laughs, shaking his head like I’m the biggest dummy on the planet.I might be. “You feel all of that for her and didn’t tell her? Whatdidyou say?”
“I said I could maybe try with?—”
“Maybe?” His eyes widen at my daftness. “Man, you really are bad at this.”
“Bruh, you think I don’t know that? I fumbled my way through this morning. I can’t blame her for kicking me out.”
“Listen, man… With women like Ashlie, you can’t dangle a ‘maybe’ in front of their faces and expect them to follow you into the unknown. You have to be focused and intentional. Make plans and follow through. She spooks easily, so you need to go slow. You can’t expect her to believe a word you say when you haven’t shown her you’re willing to put in the effort.”
“So what the fuck do I do? I’m not good at this shit like you are.”
“You date her.”
“Huh?”
“I really have to spell this out for you?”
I blink at him, completely at a loss.
Chase taps his fist on his forehead in frustration before taking a breath. “You take all the complicated things out of the equation, and you date her. Woo her. Show her you’re serious. And most importantly,tell her how you feel.”
“How do you know any of that shit will work?”
“Have you met your sister? Do you remember how many hoops I jumped through just so she’d give me the time of day? I knew she was worth it, and I did everything I could think of to let her see that.”
“And what if I put in all of this effort, and she still walks away?”
“That’s the risk you take, man. But at least you stop wondering. At least you tried.” He lets his advice soak in for a couple minutes, then, without warning, throws the car in reverse.
“Where are we going?”
