Page 22 of By Your Side

Young Jae shakes his head. “She’s always trying to set Ari up. It doesn’t matter how many times Ari tells her she’s not interested, Mom keeps looking. My dad even told her to stop.”

“It’s because she gave up on you.” I chuckle until I see the look on Young Jae’s face. “Sorry, I know you have your sights set on—”

“No one. So drop it. I’m happy with how my life is now.” His voice is sharp, but I don’t keep going.

Elise is a sore spot. He’s been in love with her for almost as long as we’ve all known each other, but in their years of friendship she’s only been single briefly and he missed out on telling her how he felt before she started dating Jake.

“Hey, man, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to poke at you about that.” Setting my empty plate down, I change the subject. “How’s work?”

A change of subject pulls him out of the funk, and he pulls up pictures of the latest building he’s designing. An incredible architect, Young Jae is a huge part of why Willowbrook Lake has held on to its historic charm.

By the time I leave his place, I’ve resolved myself to keep things professional and to lock up the attraction I feel for Adeline. The sooner we get the renovations done, the better.

thirteen

Adeline

Stretching, I step out onto my deck with my coffee, the cool September breeze brushing over my skin. I freeze when I see a cougar staring at me from twenty-five feet away.

It stares at me, both of us frozen before I back into my house and shut the door.

Glancing out the window, I see it still on my front lawn, eyeing something toward the barn. My heart sinks into my stomach as I think about when I found Nora in there. What if?

Bolting into action, I don’t even think as I grab a pot and wooden spoon. Racing to my front door, part of me knows I’m being foolish, but I can’t stand by and let this predator think it has a food source at my house.

Swinging the door open, I stand on the porch, start banging the spoon on the pot, and yell with as much force as I can muster, “Get out of here!”

The banging echoes in the quiet of the morning, my arms aching and heart racing as the cougar turns its attention back on me, holding a crouched pose for a moment before turning and silently running past my barn and into the trees.

Dropping my arms down, my entire body shakes as the adrenaline leaves me.

Owen’s truck pulls in as I sink to the deck, my legs no longer able to hold my weight.

He jumps out of the truck, concern flashing as he takes in what must be a freaked-out expression on my face. “What’s wrong, Adeline?”

“There was a cougar . . . on the driveway . . . I scared it away.”

Owen’s eyes widen as he finally processes the pot and spoon in my hands. “Are you insane?” His voice shifts from concerned to pissed. “Go back inside before I knock some sense into you.”

He gets back in his truck, slams his door shut, and leaves.

Breathing out a shaky breath, I head back inside on trembling legs.

Picking up my phone, I call Raelynn.

She groans over the phone, “Do you have any idea how early it is?”

“I just shooed a cougar off my property.” The reality sets in on what could’ve happened if I hadn’t noticed it, and I burst into tears.

The sleep leaves her voice. “Oh, hun, are you all right?” She pauses a moment, then asks dryly, “When you say shooed it away, what exactly do you mean?”

“I grabbed a pot and wooden spoon and stood on my porch banging and yelling at it.” Dropping to the couch, I put her on speaker before shaking out my arms.

My heart is still thumping faster than normal.

“Okay. Well, that’s the best way to chase them away if you need to. I’m glad you didn’t do anything really dumb like actually run at it.” Her voice is wry.

“I may not be completely familiar with country life and wild animals, but I’m not a total idiot.” Laughing, I pick up my phone as I start to feel steadier. “I might need to rethink my morning coffee on my deck.”

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