Page 66 of Spotlight on Poppy

"And I suppose you won't tell me what he said."

He shook his head.

"Okay."

"Really, you're going to drop it?" He shot her a surprised glance before returning his eyes to the road.

"Yeah, I am. I trust you," she said plainly.

Blowing out a shaky breath, he took the hand he was holding in his lap and brought it up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to it. "I really do love you, Poppy. I meant it when I said that last night."

"I love you too" She slid across the big bench seat of the truck and snuggled right into him. He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

"It's only nine AM and it's already been one helluva day," she said, resting her head on his shoulders They drove the rest of the way home in a comfortable silence, ready to finally be back home.

CHAPTER29

Josh

After they got back from the city, Josh and Poppy settled into a nice rhythm. Poppy worked at the orchard, and Josh did his handyman work around town. He had pulled back on driving Uber because he and Poppy were spending their evening together. Some nights he would make her dinner, other nights they would eat with her family.

He really enjoyed those nights. The tight knit but inviting nature of the Smith family was something he had craved most of his life. He was really starting to feel like he belonged there. The whole family had been so wonderful and welcoming. This is exactly what he had dreamed of his entire life, and he had to pinch himself to make sure this all wasn’t a dream. Josh had never been happier.

He was hoping to hear about the house soon. He and Poppy felt like they were kind of in a holding pattern, it was a wonderful pattern with lots of holding, but he was ready for them to take the next step. They were both adults still living in their childhood homes. It didn't really lend itself to healthy adult relationships.

While his sister was more of a roommate than anything, Josh couldn't help but feel like he would be abandoning her. She had put off so much of her life to take care of him, to make sure they had a good life. She took on so much grown up responsibility at a young age. And now, even though she was more financially stable, he worried that she would never be able to fully get out of the survival mindset.

He knew he shouldn't feel guilty about their situation. The only person who could be blamed for all of this was his father who left them to fend for themselves. The entire situation was so unfair to both of them, but he knew she took the brunt of it. He knew she did things to protect him he probably wasn't even aware of. Now he was leaving. While the thought of living with Poppy and starting their life together both thrilled him and filled him with a deep sense of peace, there was always needling guilt in the back of his mind.

Josh was on his way to his shift at the Lucky Saloon and decided he would take his sister some lunch. He had made toasted turkey with brie and cranberry relish sandwich for her.

As he was walking in, he noticed a loose floorboard on the porch and made a mental note to stop by and fix it tomorrow.

"Hello Josh, dear, I didn't know you were coming in today," said Aggie. Josh could never have guessed her age because she looked the same since he was a kid. Aggie had been cleaning rooms here ever since he could remember.

" I'm just bringing Lexi some lunch," he said, holding up a lunch tote.

"You're such a thoughtful young man. She’s in her office."

Josh made his way past the front desk and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in," Lexi called.

Josh gently opened the door and peeked his head in.

"Hey Josh, what are you doing here?" she asked with a smile.

"I brought you some lunch," he said, setting the bag on her desk.

"You’re the best, I’m starving." She opened the bag and took out the sandwich. "This looks so good."

Josh sat in the chair across from her. "I'm on my way to work, but I was hoping that we could spend some time together. Do you have any time off coming up?"

She looked up at him with a mouthful of sandwich and held up a finger indicating she would answer when she finished. She swallowed and took a drink of her water.

"That's so freaking good, you are a sandwich artist." He smiled at her appreciatively. "Yeah, I'm off tomorrow. I'm ready with all the doubles I've been pulling. Aren't you spending the day with Poppy?"

"Can't I just want to spend time with my sister?" He asked.

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