Page 63 of Once Upon a Beast

“True.” He took a drink of the sweet tea she’d made them earlier, trying to stay cool on another warm, early fall day. “A comfortable, reliable recliner is hard to come by.”

Not as hard to come by as a woman like Delaney. If only there was a way to convince her to go back east with him. Though, she’d probably be miserable out there without a house of her own and a backyard like this. Heck, he couldn’t even imagine how much it would cost to replicate what she had there or how far from the city such a property would sit. He’d spend hours commuting back and forth each day.

To keep her with him, though, it’d be worth it.

“Could you ever leave Bourbon Falls?”

“Why would I?” she asked, reaching for her glass. “My whole world is here.”

He’d expected her to say as much. “But what if everything weren’t right here? What if you woke up one day and realized there was more waiting for you out there?”

“I guess I hope I never wake up with that realization, because I can’t imagine ever leaving my hometown. Too many people here count on me, you know?”

He did know, all too well.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t travel from time to time. Go on some adventures.”

“I used to travel.” She stared into her drink. “When I was seeing Jonathan, he took me to all sorts of places. Some historic, some exotic. I developed a pretty bad case of wanderlust there for a while. And I loved the traveling and adventures we went on, but deep down I knew I’d always come back home. I think that’s probably the reason he ultimately chose her over me.”

“I can’t say why he did what he did, nor can I imagine being able to live with myself, leading you on like he did. But there’s one thing I am absolutely certain of.”

She met his gaze. “What’s that?”

“He chose wrong, and I’m selfishly glad that he did.”

A smile tugged at her perfect pink lips. “Me too. It took a while, but eventually I was able to see I’d dodged a major bullet when he skipped town. The man snored louder than anyone I know.”

“Worse than me?”

“You don’t snore. Now, Louie, on the other hand…”

Isaac’s bulldog looked up from underneath the chair across from them, his preferred napping spot for the afternoon, and snorted in their direction.

“Yes, I’m talking about you, buddy.” Her cell phone vibrated with an alert on the end table beside her, and she twisted to reach for it. “Hmm, what are you doing next Sunday?”

Isaac shrugged. “Depends on if you kick me out or let me crash here forever.”

“Stop,” she laughed. “I’m trying to be serious.”

“Me too.” He pulled a cushion from the adjacent seat and hugged it to his chest. “I’m having a love affair with your upholstery.”

“You’re a nutcase,” she said. “And also, you just got invited to my father’s cookout next Saturday.”

A family cookout? Because what, attending a party yesterday with most of her closest friends hadn’t been stressful enough? “That sounds tasty. And intimidating.”

“Nah, Pops is a big pushover. Unless you work for him. Or with him. Or aren’t directly related to him.” She paused to consider what she’d said, then waved the thought away. “Anyway, if you’re there with me, you’ll be fine. But there’s no pressure to say yes; I’m just extending the invite.”

Like he could really tell her no. The woman had him completely wrapped around her little finger. The grin on her face only proved she knew it, too.

“Let’s see how the week goes. Will’s been sending me more work lately, and we’ve got a few big proposal deadlines coming—”

Now his cell phone was buzzing.

“Speak of the devil.”

The text from Will was more frantic than usual, asking for help on a proposal that needed to go out first thing Tuesday morning. So much for enjoying a lazy Labor Day. On a sigh, he told Will to send the document in question over. It would look suspicious if his answer was anything but.

“I’m guessing that means you’re heading out.”

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