Page 49 of I Choose You
Reid handed me a blanket to cover my lap because he saw that I was fidgeting in my dress. He must have thought my reaction to his simple gesture was insane, but it brought back memories of a party with Will.
It was a Halloween party with a bunch of people that I didn’t know. I had wanted to wear a cute giraffe onesie, but Will wanted me to wear a sexy nurse getup to match his doctor costume. Strange men kept putting their hands on me, touching my waist or grabbing my ass. I told Will that I wanted to change, that they were making me uncomfortable, but he begged me not to. It would ruin the couple’s costume. He wanted to show me off, like I was a prize that he had won.
Reid wasn’t covering me up or showing me off. He was simply giving me an option in case it made me more comfortable. Fluttering broke out low in my belly as I took the blanket and laid it across my lap.
The Wilder house was filled with people from all over town. People were milling about with plates of food, laughing and talking with neighbors and friends. It was loud and warmand perfect.
Over the last few hours, I couldn’t count the number of people who greeted and chatted with me. After my third—or maybe fourth—glass of wine, I was starting to overheat. I needed a little air to cool down and clear my head a bit.
“Hey, I’m going to step outside for a minute,” I told Reid.
“Yeah, sure.” Reid started to get up too, but I stopped him. He was part of the reason I needed the fresh air. I didn’t even think he realized he was doing it, but he’d had his arm draped across the back of my chair all night. The feel of his fingers playing with my hair was messing with my head.
“Stay here. Guard our seats,” I told him with a smile.
The bite of cold air made my throat sting. This was exactly what I needed. Music and laughter filled the air, but the muffled noise reminded me that I was an outsider here. These people had been nothing but lovely to me, but I wasn’t one of them. A townie. I started to conjure images in my mind of what it would be like to live here, to make this place my home, to walk along Main Street and grab a coffee from the Flour Power Cafe or pop into the Pine Street Market for groceries and stop to talk to my neighbors while I was there.
It was a pretty picture, but this wasn’t my life. Rubbing my hands together to keep the cold at bay, I racked my memory for the last time I’d felt really at home somewhere. Maybe before my parents and I moved into the house they had now? What was I, thirteen years old then? Their current house had certainly never felt like a home to me. It was far too cold for any sentimentality. My college dorm was always supposed to be temporary, no permanence there. With Will, I had moved into his place, always feeling like a guest in his space.
If it weren’t for my career, I would consider just neverleaving Calla Bay. But there was no way Andrew would let me work remote permanently.
The sound of the screen door closing pulled me back to the present. I looked over my shoulder to see who was willing to risk the cold like me.
“Hey,” the newcomer said. I had seen him inside earlier. He was an attractive guy in his mid-thirties. His sandy-blond hair was styled perfectly, and paired with his wool coat over a sweater and a pair of jeans, he looked like he’d just stepped out of a magazine. He smiled at me, showcasing his straight, white teeth. “I’m Matt. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”
“Claire,” I introduced myself, extending my hand to his. “I’m not from here. Just passing through.” A shiver racked my body. I bundled my arms around myself, rubbing the sleeves of my sweater dress to try to create a bit of warmth.
Matt took off his coat, handing it to me.
“Here. You look freezing. Take this.”
I put his coat over my shoulders like a cape. “Thank you.”
“So, what brought you to our sleepy little coastal town?” he asked. He came to stand next to me at the railing, his eyes making a slow sweep up and down my body. He was an attractive guy, no doubt about it. But I didn’t get butterflies in my belly when I looked at him.
“I’m working on a project. The Delano Library.”
“Ah. That explains how you know the Wilders. That’s Reid’s project, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. He’s the craftsman and contractor.” I smiled at him, as I did when I was making conversation. He took a step forward and leaned his arm on the railing, only inches from me.
“And what do you do for the project?” he asked quietly, his low voice making him hard to hear. I had to lean in to catch his words, which was probably his plan.
“I’m the historical preservation designer. I work closely with Reid to ensure the historical integrity of the building remains throughout the renovation. What about you? What do you do?”
“I’m a police officer here in Calla Bay. I actually work with a Wilder as well. Luke and I are partners.”
“Oh, wow. I bet you have a lot of crazy stories. You weren’t on-site at the Cove’s End Motel a month ago, were you?”
“I’m at that dump on the regular, but do you mean the night that fucking Rusty Burgess pulled a gun on the joint?”
“Yeah, that night. That kind of thing happen often?”
“I was on the scene that night. And no, it definitely doesn’t. Like I said, we’re a pretty sleepy town most of the time.”
“So, no crazy stories, then?” I teased.
“Oh, I’ve got a few good ones. Why don’t I take you out to dinner next week and I’ll tell you all my wildest callouts.”
