Page 262 of Castleton Hearts Boxed Set

Right now, Alivia didn’t need someone to fuck. She needed a friend. I could be her friend.

I pulled back from the hug and watched as she wiped a few tears.

“I don’t normally cry on my runs,” she said.

“I don’t normally run into beautiful women in the woods,” I said.

That made her roll her eyes. “If I see one of those, I’ll let you know.”

“Come over for dinner,” I said. I didn’t want her going back to the inn to be alone again.

“I can’t. I need to go see my parents, but thanks for the offer. I’ll see you on Saturday, okay?”

I felt her pulling away from me again, hiding behind those walls. The intimate moment was over.

“Yeah, do you want to just meet me at the lighthouse?”

“Sure,” she said, and then she was off like a startled deer and I was left with a whole lot of complicated feelings.

* * *

Esme texted me on Friday and asked if I was at the bakery. I said I was and asked why. She didn’t answer, so I was puzzled. She showed up an hour later, along with Em, and dragged Linley back to my office.

“What is going on right now?” I asked.

“Do you have it?” Linley asked, practically jumping up and down.

“Yeah, it finally came in,” Esme said, pulling a box out of her bag.

“What’s going on?” Em asked.

“So, I had this brilliant idea that I’m going to propose to Paige at Linley’s wedding reception, and she thought it was a great idea,” Esme said.

“Shut the fuck up!” Em screamed and then threw herself on Esme.

What ensued was a laughing and crying group hug before Esme could even get out the ring to show us. Just one stone, a square-cut sapphire set in white gold. On closer inspection, there was a repeating design carved into the band that looked like ocean waves. It was unique and gorgeous.

“I love this idea so much,” I said. “There’s no way she’s going to expect it, which is what makes it so perfect.”

“It’s going to be amazing. I mean, I’m excited for my own wedding, but I might be more excited about this. I can’t wait to see her face,” Linley said with a little squeal.

“She’s going to be so mad,” Esme said, beaming.

We all laughed and then had to get back to work, but I was so thrilled for Esme. She and Paige were just perfect. So much was happening in such a short period of time. One friend getting married, another probably getting engaged, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Em and Natalie announced they’d found a house.

And then there was me, with nothing going on. Well, not nothing. A thriving career. And then there was whatever was happening with Alivia. Friendship, maybe. That was all we could be right now. We’d figure shit out after the wedding. And hey, she said she wasn’t sticking around so it might not matter anyway.

I tried not to think about what it would be like in Castleton without her. Sure, I’d been here for a long time before I knew she was here, but now that she’d crashed back into my life, I didn’t like thinking about this town without her.

* * *

On Saturday I had to park on the road near the lighthouse because the parking lot was filled with all the booths for the craft fair. I looked around and realized I didn’t know what kind of car Alivia drove. She was always just running everywhere.

“Charli,” a voice said, and I turned my head to find her standing next to a sleek black SUV with the inn’s logo on the side.

“Nice ride,” I said.

“Yeah, my car has been turned into a taxi to pick people up from the airport and train stations,” she said, patting the decal. “Fortunately, that’s not my job very often.”

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